Speakers

[vader]

When the Gemini first came out, it had mono speakers - not through design. They were loud, but tinny. I thought the cosmo would be similar, however I did a few tests today, and was very pleasantly surprissed. The speakers are most definitely stereo, they are loud, and less tinny than gemini. I still wouldn't put them in the same boat as say a good bluetooth speaker, but they are quite usable. Stereo separation is excellent, and there is plenty of volume to play with.

I played oxygene at full volume and was actually amazed at the quality and quantity of sound eminating from the little beast. I haven't installed an equaliser yet, but I would guess you could sacrifice a bit of volume for better sound.  I would be interested in hearing what other people think of the sound. There are some good audiophile sound tracks on youtube, but if you have a decent bitrate mp3, I would think that would be better.

[iJacks]

I haven't tested the speakers just yet, beyond the various alerts telling me an email has arrived - which were plenty loud enough!

However to really see how good they are (which right now as I am at work I won't - might get shot!) try this site: https://www.prostudiomasters.com/album/page/7073

They provide some high quality audio samples, in a range of formats including FLAC (which is far superior to MP3).

[adfh]

I would agree that the stereo separation is amazing. The forward throw of the speakers is .. unpredictable, however, with the holes on the outside and edges of the case (I have noticed sometimes sound comes out the mike holes at the sides).

[NormMonkey]

My impression:

• Volume is fine, they can be loud if you want
• Bass and lower frequency is predictably awful
• The side firing speakers are very sensitive to head position and movement

Overall they are more than adequate for calls and talking head videos.  I wouldn't use them to enjoy music.  Even a basic cheap set of headphones will deliver better.

On the side firing issue, watch any video and move the Cosmo in your hand even a little bit.  Stereo volume changes quite a bit side to side.  That said I'm just happy to have an actual stereo device.

I did notice one odd issue: I was doing a Hangouts video call and the volume was low despite turning it up, and tended to distort or clip.  I think this must be something in Hangouts though, not the speakers.  It sounded like playing an over-amplified signal at lower volume would sound.

[vldmr]

I did notice one odd issue: I was doing a Hangouts video call and the volume was low despite turning it up, and tended to distort or clip.  I think this must be something in Hangouts though, not the speakers.  It sounded like playing an over-amplified signal at lower volume would sound.

I had the same exact experience with skype calls. Makes skype almost useless on cosmo

[gidds]

There were two problems with the Gemini's sound:

• It was in mono.
• The two speakers were out of phase.

The first problem got fixed in a firmware update, but the second remained.  (I can't tell if it was fixed later; my Gemini is still on the October 2018 firmware, as I don't want to upgrade to Android 8.)

The phase problem is more subtle (I had to create a test file to make certain), but it still has a serious effect on the sound, making it quieter (especially in the lower frequencies), more distant, less clear — and much more susceptible to odd effects depending exactly where you are in relation to it.

I haven't tested the Cosmo yet, but judging from some of the comments above, it may still be a problem…  

[NormMonkey]

I haven't tested the Cosmo yet, but judging from some of the comments above, it may still be a problem…  

Ooh!  That speakers-out-of-phase sensation is what I'm reminded of when I shift the open device back and forth!
I haven't taken the covers off yet but I'm guessing that this is not an easy fix / the component wiring is not easily accessible?

[MonkeyControl]

The phase problem is more subtle (I had to create a test file to make certain), but it still has a serious effect on the sound, making it quieter (especially in the lower frequencies), more distant, less clear — and much more susceptible to odd effects depending exactly where you are in relation to it.

I haven't tested the Cosmo yet, but judging from some of the comments above, it may still be a problem… 

I recall a thread about the speaker phase issue on the Gemini, I think someone, (Zevv), developed a little fix, but then that would throw the microphone output out of phase, I'm not sure if it was ever fully resolved.
Here it is: 
https://www.oesf.org/forum/index.php?topic=35216.0

Stereo separation is excellent, and there is plenty of volume to play with.

I also find that the stereo separation is excellent, my ears are 171.4mm apart, exactly the same as the speaker grilles on the Cosmo, I think this is no coincidence.  This was the main reason I became a backer

[vldmr]

I did notice one odd issue: I was doing a Hangouts video call and the volume was low despite turning it up, and tended to distort or clip.  I think this must be something in Hangouts though, not the speakers.  It sounded like playing an over-amplified signal at lower volume would sound.

I had the same exact experience with skype calls. Makes skype almost useless on cosmo

I found solution to my skype problem: need to disable BestLoudness option in Settings->Sound->Advanced->Sound enhancement.