BlackBerry Curve review - Audio Quality
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Mark Brezinski Published on August 10, 2007 Comment on this |
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The Curve, like all BlackBerries, appeals to those who want to both make calls and send & receive e-mails on the road. We measure the audio quality of phones like the Curve using SoundCheck, a professional audio analysis package from Listen, Inc., with a Brüel & Kjær Head and Torso Simulator (H.A.T.S), which behaves just like a human head and ear, to measure what the phone would sound like in use. This set-up is used by industry professionals to test audio products. For more details on how we test, see here.
Sound Receive Frequency Response (7.62)
In this test we measure the frequency response of the phone being used as a handset (where you hold it to you ear) for the sound it receives. The Curve did well in this test; the frequency response of the Curve (shown by the blue line on the graph) fell right between the limits that the standard we test against sets, which are shown by the red lines. This is a rarity; we usually see some overlap of the curve we measure against the limits. But the Curve had none, and the frequency response curve was smooth, without any overly large peaks and troughs that can affect the quality and intelligibility of the received speech.
| Cell Phone | BlackBerry Curve | BlackBerry 8800(on AT&T) | HTC Mogul(on Sprint) |
| Score | 7.62 | 6.99 | 7.33 |
| Received Sound Frequency Response Graph (click to view) |  |
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| Cell Phone | Motorola Q(on Verizon) | Palm Treo 700p(on Sprint) | Helio Ocean(on Helio) |
| Score | 7.88 | 7.68 | 7.88 |
| Received Sound Frequency Response Graph (click to view) |  |
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Sound Send Frequency Response (5.18)
The frequency response of the sound the Curve sends (such as you speaking into the phone) was another story; in this test, we found the frequency response of the Curve was significantly outside the limits for much of the frequency range. The standard we use for testing requires the phone to have a lower response at the lower end of the frequency curve (the section between the red lines on the left side of the graph), but the Curve didn't; the response was exaggerated towards the lower end of the spectrum, which could make your voice sound overly bassy and boomy.
| Cell Phone | BlackBerry Curve (on AT&T) |
BlackBerry 8800( on AT&T) | HTC Mogul (on Sprint) |
| Score | 5.18 | 5.70 | 7.68 |
| Received Sound Frequency Response Graph (click to view) |  |
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| Cell Phone | Motorola Q (on Verizon) | Palm Treo 700p (on Sprint) | Helio Ocean (on Helio) |
| Score | 8.24 | 7.68 | 6.45 |
| Received Sound Frequency Response Graph (click to view) |  |
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Handset Side Tone (8.61)
Side tone is the measure of how much of your own voice the cell phone plays back to you so you can hear yourself speak and don't shout. We measured the side tone of the BlackBerry curve at 19.39 decibels, a touch over the 18 decibels the standard calls for. But that's only over by a little more than 1 decibel; a small amount you would not notice. You shouldn't find yourself shouting or whispering when using the Curve, unless you want to.
| Cell Phone | Sidetone Measurement | Score |
| BlackBerry Curve | 19.39 | 8.61 |
| BlackBerry 8800 | 16.72 | 8.72 |
| HTC Mogul | 17.12 | 9.12 |
| Motorola Q | 17.49 | 9.25 |
| Palm Treo 700p | 21.40 | 5.30 |
| Helio Ocean | 22.00 | 5.50 |
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