iPad mini retina speakers/volume

We can understand that there is difference between an iphone and an ipad mini.

Ok.

But the real comparison has to be made between the two ipad mini versions, original and retina.

The difference is very noticeable. On the original the sound is louder and as good bass. On the retina, it's terrible, no bass at all and low volume.

It's hard to admit that to get a better video resolution, the price to pay is a poor audio quality.

So we have to choose between a better picture experience (essentially in reading text) and a pleasant audio quality.

If your main usage is viewing series, films, and other video, the original model remains the best choice for now...

Was googling to find if there is something wrong with my setting that causes the soft sound. Surprised to find that there are plenty of Apple users facing the same issue...

The sound is so soft that watching YouTube, music and movies are so stress to hear. Apple if that is true please do something as we are truly not happy with the volume.

This issue shows that journalists don't run sufficient tests in their rush to publish reviews. It affects all the retina mini models... The difference with the original is so huge...

Check out my original post for background if you're not familiar.... In short, I was on my second ipad mini after complaining and receiving a replacement that had the same sound volume problem.

So i went to the Apple Store and spoke with a "genius" about the issue. I could tell by the look on his face that he did notice a problem. He said the logical thing which was that it would be very odd to have gotten two defective products. I agreed. He tested mine out by playing some music and compared it to another mini retina in the store. Of course, in the very noise store, it was virtually impossible to hear.... both of them. As he was doing that, I played Pandora on my iPhone 5 and placed it next to him. The difference was very clear.... the iPhone was much louder.

He told me that he couldn't tell much of a difference between my ipad mini and the one he was testing it against in the store, but it (the store mini) may have been a smidge louder. He said that "it may just not be loud enough for you" lol. I said, "yes... me and thousands of other people."

He did offer a replacement which I took... so now I'm on my third. The sound may be slighly better, but I think that's me just trying to convince myself of this because I love everything else about the machine and I don't want to return it lol. At this point, I'm tossing around the notion of actually keeping it and perhaps purchasing small bluetooth speakers.

What's ironic is that there are so many iPad "sound amplifiers" on the market. So, while many people might not complain about the sound, the sound must be known to be low in general... These products would not exist in abundance if the sound was clearer/louder. Then again, folks might just want the ipads to be louder in general.

My conclusion after now having a 3rd ipad mini retina is this.... The sound stinks. Mine was not defective... well, my first, second, and now third were not defective. The fact that apple hasn't admitted this issue is par for the course. We do pay a premium for a great product, and Apple should have done their due diligence in making sure all aspects of the mini were perfect.... the speakers are the one drawback. Other than the sound, the machine is wonderful. I think getting tiny speakers or some kind of aplifier might satisfy me, but it shouldn't be necessary.... Maybe they will offer a software fix in the future. Here's hoping. I will make my final decision about whether or not I will keep it after this weekend lol.

Good luck to all of you 🙂

I am too will be on my third replacement when they have a shipment instock. (they ran out unfortunately).

The genius did let me know that if my third ipad mini retina still have the sound issues it will just be the way it was built and nothing else they can do to fix.

The device is great but it's just the sound quality is subpar than its predecessor and iphone. If the sound quality is the same standard as the original ipad mini then i will not have problem with it, but since it is lower volume than the original (and more expensive) that is what irks me.

That's the reason why I keep the original instead of the retina... Maybe I'll try another buy in a few month, but for now, my decision is definitely made. I made again the comparison between the two models (I don't even speak about the iphone), the difference is too important for me...

Just by curiosity, are your retina mini affected by the image retention issue ?

Had my return window still valid I would get ipad air instead sigh... in the beginning of this problem I thought maybe it is just my device. Unless somehow apple would do a recall then maybe there is a glimpse of hope i can get ipad air. but for now i will just wait out until my third replacement come in, hopefully next week.

penagites... I will tell you that it's not going to be better. It is the way that it is. Do you think you'd return it or keep it?

i cannot return it because im out of the return window. i got it on the week it was release back in november. and the same week i got it replaced my second one. i was lazy to replace again at the time until now. i was hoping during november to january maybe they have enough people to report the problems so maybe they can fix it at the production level. but i guess listening to you they didn't fix it yet oh wells. i am still waiting for them to call me to pick up my third replacement.

Oh wow that *****. Luckily for me I did do this swiftly and they told me I could return it if I wanted to. I was thinking that I could keep it or maybe get the iPad air instead. I really didn't want such a large machine, but I'm tossing the idea around in my head. I wonder if the air has sound issues too now that they've made it slimmer lol.

I hope it works out for you. Maybe consider some kind of amplifier or speaker set I guess.

Cheers

I wonder if a iOS update could fix this issue, otherwise will be very ****** with this tablet with so soft volume ;(

by the way... I found these tiny little speakers that plug in to the headphone jack. 35mm. I ordered one. maybe it'll do the trick. I'll let you know

http://shop.brando.com/3-5mm-Ear-Jack-Mobile-Phone-Speaker_p09439c202d33.html

Kubert that's not the point though. ipad mini retina should not compromise on the quality. if the original mini have a decent speaker why can't the ipad mini2 have the same quality at least; afterall this is an upgrade not downgrade. your solution to add a mini speaker or using bluetooth speaker like other have suggested is an external fix. i believe this issue should be resolve by apple themselves not consumer.

i beg to differ the company signature (designed by apple) tout that the products they make, the experience they create only come from great quality product that enhances each life it touches. in my experience the ipad mini retina fall short on these promises.

Hi there, try this fix: http://www.ipadforums.net/ipad-help/112002-ipad-mini-really-quiet.html It seemed silly to me at first but that slider bar was at about 50% when my volume was at 100% from the buttons on the side and the settings panel that you pull up from the bottom. As soon as I slid that slider bar to 100%, I could hear my ipad much, much better. It's definitely worth a try and fixed the problem on my 32GB Retina with t-Mobile connectivity.

I understand, but you said you couldn't return it so I thought that might help the situation.