Motorola Q 9m Cell Phone Review - Audio Quality
In spite of all the features modern phones have been assimilating, their primary function should always be making phone calls. As such, we use the same hardware and software in our testing that manufacturers use in their own testing. For hardware, we use a head and torso simulator (HATS). Our electro-acoustic analysis software is
SoundCheck. With these two heavy-hitters in our lab, we can measure the incoming and outgoing frequencies and compare them to industry standards. If you'd like to know more about our awesome science, click
here.
Sound Receive Frequency Response (7.90)
Received frequencies (the blue line) mainly fell within the limits (red lines). It scrapes the top limit towards the lower end, meaning lower- and mid-range sounds will sound a bit overemphasized. Towards the higher end of the spectrum, the blue line cuts through the limit, meaning higher-end sounds will sound a bit clipped. For example, sibilance might sound a bit muted. Overall, however, the Q 9m did a pretty good job.
| Cell Phone |
Motorola Q 9m |
Palm Centro (on Sprint) |
Motorola Q (on Verizon) |
| Score |
7.90 |
6.24 |
7.88 |
| Received Sound Frequency Response Graph (click to view) |
 |
 |
 |
Sound Send Frequency Response (8.73)
The Q 9m does a much better job with your own voice. The Q 9m's performance falls between our limits nicely the entire way. We have no complaints here.
| Cell Phone |
Motorola Q 9m |
Palm Centro (on Sprint) |
Motorola Q (on Verizon) |
| Score |
8.73 |
7.82 |
8.24 |
| Received Sound Frequency Response Graph (click to view) |
 |
 |
 |
Handset Side Tone (4.80)
Side tone refers to how loudly the phone plays back your own voice; we use it to gauge how loudly we're talking. The ideal measurement is -18 decibels, and the Q 9m is a bit louder with -12.8 decibels. This means you'll feel the need to speak softer than you should.
