European Volume Restriction: How to get rid off?

[Guest snowwiddow]

Hi,

The european union (EU) has limited the volume on portable devices, so the volume of music, ringtones etc. on my suisse blade over headset is very poor.

Three questions:

- Some owners have no problems with the volume over the headset. Do they have a non-EU device?

- Has someone compared the volume between EU and non-EU ZTE Blade?

- Can we get rid of the volume restriction by using a non-EU ROM (i.e. the japanese jellyfish)?

Any suggestions are welcome :-)

Greetings

[Guest MikeRame]

BUMP!

[Guest Ron=)]

Hi,

The european union (EU) has limited the volume on portable devices, so the volume of music, ringtones etc. on my suisse blade over headset is very poor.

Three questions:

- Some owners have no problems with the volume over the headset. Do they have a non-EU device?

- Has someone compared the volume between EU and non-EU ZTE Blade?

- Can we get rid of the volume restriction by using a non-EU ROM (i.e. the japanese jellyfish)?

Any suggestions are welcome :-)

Greetings

Try and find out? It only takes a few minutes and you can restore with clockwork anyway..

[Guest Tony Sidaway]

Hi,

The european union (EU) has limited the volume on portable devices, so the volume of music, ringtones etc. on my suisse blade over headset is very poor.

I don't see the relevance of EU law here. Are the phones assembled in an EU country and then shipped over the border to Switzerland?

[Guest snowwiddow]

The EU-relevance is:

Is ZTE producing two different HARDWARE devices? One for the EU market (and Suisse) and one for the rest of the world.

If it is, then the volume restriction is probably hardware-specific and cannot be solved by a "simple" way.

If it is not, then there will be a software solution to disable restriction. And maybe the solution is simple changing the EU-ROM against a non-EU-rom.

So my question isn't yet answered....

And by the way, the same "phenomenom" is at Apple's IPod devices. US-IPods are loud, EU (better european) IPods are much quieter)

Edited May 18, 2011 by snowwiddow

[Guest Steep]

The EU-relevance is:

Is ZTE producing two different HARDWARE devices? One for the EU market (and Suisse) and one for the rest of the world.

If it is, then the volume restriction is probably hardware-specific and cannot be solved by a "simple" way.

If it is not, then there will be a software solution to disable restriction. And maybe the solution is simple changing the EU-ROM against a non-EU-rom.

So my question isn't yet answered....

My phone is a UK osf and I have no problems with the headphone volume, over BT I have to turn it down in fact.

If there's a law restricting the volume you'll thank them for it in 30 years, a whole generation of people have grown up with hearing problems since the advent of portable music devices.

Edited May 18, 2011 by Steep

[Guest Tony Sidaway]

My phone is a UK osf and I have no problems with the headphone volume, over BT I have to turn it down in fact.

That is my experience too. Clearly these anecdotes don't make any internal sense. A device intended for use in Switzerland would not be governed by EU law.

ADDENDUM: After a brisk search I found that according to this CNET report in 2002 Apple withdrew some of its music players from the French market because of a national law there limiting portable audio devices to 100dB Sound Pressure Level (SPL). France is in the EU, but it's apparently a national law.

Edited May 18, 2011 by Tony Sidaway

[Guest Tony Sidaway]

Here is a 2009 press release, IP/09/1364, about EU standards for equipment manufacturers limiting default maximum volume levels to safe levels, depending on the expected usage pattern of a device. "At 80 dB(A), exposure should be limited to 40 hours/week. At 89 dB(A) exposure should not exceed 5 hours/week."

Note that the mandate does not require manufacturers to limit the maximum possible audio level achievable by a device. "Higher exposure levels can be permitted, provided that they have been intentionally selected by the user and the product incorporates a reliable means to inform the user of the risks."

From this I think it's becoming increasingly obvious that EU law is not in any way responsible for any differences that may exist between the maximum sound levels of phones in Switzerland and the United States. As we have no reliable information on such rumoured differences in any case, the story has fallen apart.

As long ago as 1980 in the UK I possessed a National Panasonic personal stereo that had colour-coded slider volume controls making it easy to see when the safe sound levels for a given pattern of usage had been exceeded. Thus the industry has long responded to consumer concern about the dangers of prolonged recreational listening.

Edited May 18, 2011 by Tony Sidaway

[Guest Pondlife]

It is a real issue not sure it's law though, ipods definitely have a limit in the EU and I had a sony mp3 player with it too, took it off on the sony and then only listened to it at about 8 of the 30 levels lol. The EU were looking at making it law in 2009, but they don't exactly rush things on the whole so could be still on the cards. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8410302.stm

I can easily envisage them not making a model just for the Swiss market and them just getting the EU version.

Not sure whether the Blade has one or not though, but there are players on Android Marketplace that can increase the volume PowerAmp being one.

I'd say Ron=) answered the question fairly well though tbh.

Edited May 18, 2011 by Pondlife

[Guest shadowninty]

Well Switzerland always screws over the EU, bout time we screw over you :P

Seriously tho, its for your own good

I wouldn't be surprised if Japan had similar regulations

[Guest ColdEmbrace]

I have all my music set too 100dB but listen too my music with my blade on 3 (except when running CM7 it's drastically quieter)

[Guest darkado]

there is such a thing. just try american or any other vs eu psp. in psp, it's a software limit.