speakers and cases

[heycal]

An Apple store employee told me he likes the Apple case for his own phone. When I said "but what about the exposed bottom on those?" he said the increased risk was worth it to him because the speaker is louder/better in exposed bottom cases.

Is this true? Is decreased speaker quality an inevitable price one pays for increased protection, and that if you really want your phone loud and clear, skip any sort of case with bottom covered, even though they generally have cut outs for the speaker?

 

[meistervu]

An Apple store employee told me he likes the Apple case for his own phone. When I said "but what about the exposed bottom on those?" he said the increased risk was worth it to him because the speaker is louder/better in exposed bottom cases.

Is this true? Is decreased speaker quality an inevitable price one pays for increased protection, and that if you really want your phone loud and clear, skip any sort of case with bottom covered, even though they generally have cut outs for the speaker?

Protection from what? If you drop your phone, chances are the bottom will be protected because the corners of the case stick out beyond the uncovered area of the phone, and the probability of the bottom hitting the ground first is 1/6 of the time (OK, I won't take the trouble studying the dynamic of a drop phone and how people normally hold the phone when it's dropped). If you really want protection your much bigger worry with a case like Apple case is the unprotected screen. Why worry about the bottom?

I can understand aesthetic issue with the bottom cut out in Apple cases, but protection worry is overkill I think.

 

[its Dale]

i have a case with an exposed bottom and somehow scratched it near the speaker. Luckily Apple replaced it due to a seperate issue

 

[heycal]

I can understand aesthetic issue with the bottom cut out in Apple cases, but protection worry is overkill I think.

Protecting the bottom of the case is overkill? So all the many cases -- the majority of them in fact -- that offer bottom protection are going too far?

Aesthetically, I guess some people don't like the bottom exposed because it messes up the symetry or something? I hadn't thought of that, but now I might...

i have a case with an exposed bottom and somehow scratched it near the speaker.

So much for overkill…

But whether you want the protection there or not, does it indeed affect the speaker much to have a case with a bottom on it,, assuming it does have a cutout for the speakers as most seem to?

 

[meistervu]

Protecting the bottom of the case is overkill? So all the many cases -- the majority of them in fact -- that offer bottom protection are going too far?

It may be easier to make a case that way, but that's not how I usually make my argument: everyone is doing it, so it must be right.

I still stand by my opinion. I think it's an overkill. I had a 5 for 2 years without a case. I don't notice any scratch on the bottom. Yes, there is a scratch on the side ironically when I tried a case and had trouble removing it.

I tried the Apple leather case for a week and returned it. It was nice and protective but I really prefer the phone without that case on. I can't imagine worrying about the bottom being open. But that's just me. I do take really good care of my things and am a reformed perfectionist. I think if I were the type of person who worry about the lack of bottom protection of an Apple case, I would also worry about the unprotected screen and buy a different case instead.

 

[heycal]

I think if I were the type of person who worry about the lack of bottom protection of an Apple case, I would also worry about the unprotected screen and buy a different case instead.

Well, I'm the type of person who worries about the bottom of his phone as much as the top and sides of his phone, since all our vulnerable to damage from drops. I also worry about the screen, of course, but don't want to mess with either the look or feel of the part of the phone I'm actually looking at and touching, so I live with that risk.

But a case covering the bottom detracts not at all from the phone-using experience -- unless it's decreasing the speaker performance, which is what I'm trying to find out.

 

[danny8200]

As long as the case isn't blocking any part of the speaker I don't see how it can have decreased volume compared to an open bottom case.

 

[heycal]

As long as the case isn't blocking any part of the speaker I don't see how it can have decreased volume compared to an open bottom case.

Perhaps not. Or perhaps there is some other sound waves or amplification involved when a speaker isn't near rubber or plastic? There must be some reason the guy believes an exposed bottom produces better sound.

The case I'm using now has a bottom on it (with a cutout for the speaker), and I really can't tell a big difference in speaker volume or quality when I take it off. MAYBE a tiny bit, at best.

 

[meistervu]

I agree. I don't believe that a good speaker cutout at the bottom of a case will not affect the sound quality of the phone enough to make a difference. If you really want good sound, you wouldn't be relying on the internal speaker anyway.

I think there are 2 reasons Apple remove the bottom of the case: a) to accommodate all sort of accessories, and b) to eliminate the weak areas between the cut-outs.

Aesthetically, I think the case would look better with the bottom is covered as well.

 

[heycal]

I agree. I don't believe that a good speaker cutout at the bottom of a case will not affect the sound quality of the phone enough to make a difference..

"not" affect, or would affect?

 

[meistervu]

"not" affect, or would affect?

You are right; I meant "would affect."

 

[heycal]

Anyone think cases would affect speaker quality?

 

[danny8200]

Having used both types of cases I don't see any difference in volume or speaker quality.

 

[heycal]

So I guess we can officially dismiss this as a myth perpetuated by an Apple store employeee who was deluded?

Unless someone comes forward and says "Yes, cases with bottoms definitely affect the speaker output" and makes a 'case' for it.

 

[takeshi74]

There must be some reason the guy believes an exposed bottom produces better sound.

Always consider the source. If the guy was an acoustic genius he wouldn't be working retail. Use whatever case works for you versus worrying over what some store rep told you.

The case I'm using now has a bottom on it (with a cutout for the speaker), and I really can't tell a big difference in speaker volume or quality when I take it off.

So what's the problem? Why do you need a thread to confirm this?

 

[C DM]

So I guess we can officially dismiss this as a myth perpetuated by an Apple store employeee who was deluded?

Unless someone comes forward and says "Yes, cases with bottoms definitely affect the speaker output" and makes a 'case' for it.

Well, some cases might affect it more than others, depending on design. Then there's the level of the effect--perhaps for the vast majority the difference isn't noticeable or negligible at best, while for some others who are more sensitive to something like that and/or pay attention to more things (for whatever reason, even just because they nitpick) something like that might have more of an effect.

 

[heycal]

Always consider the source.

I am considering the source: a guy who is around cell phones all day long. It just might be possible that people who work in that business might know more about phones than those of us who don't.

So what's the problem? Why do you need a thread to confirm this?

Because what if I didn't conduct the proper tests? Or if I switch to another case at some point?

Sorry if offends you that I was seeking more knowledge and information about this issue.

 

[meistervu]

So I guess we can officially dismiss this as a myth perpetuated by an Apple store employeee who was deluded?

Unless someone comes forward and says "Yes, cases with bottoms definitely affect the speaker output" and makes a 'case' for it.

On the contrary, we are no experts. The fact that no one can prove or disprove a hypothesis doesn't validate it.

What it really means was that we are all clueless or couldn't care less to test it out except for one person here.