NWZ-S545 volume IS TOO LOW

[siha]

Eh?
Sorry, you're not making sense.

all none japanese units have their fm radio go all the way up to 108Mhz, not 90Mhz

Mine is non-Japanese, and it goes to 108MHz. So why shouldn't it again?

BTW there is an FM test in the aforementioned service menu, and it cycles through from 87.5 to 108MHz, standard for an FM receiver in the the UK.

[CrowdAds]

[Ascariss]

sorry I misread your message, thought you wrote it did not go above 90.

people who have removed the volume lock have said that the radio only now goes up to 90mhz after a reset.

[burntrat]

Does the MAXOUT option also make the speakers louder as well? Also, would this change affect the longevity of the hardware?

[siha]

Originally Posted by burntrat

Does the MAXOUT option also make the speakers louder as well? Also, would this change affect the longevity of the hardware?

A bit, but it's less noticeable than with the headphones. I don't see why it would damage the speakers though, it's not driving them any harder than the hardware was designed for... As long as they don't sound like the sound is clipping then it's a fairly safe bet they're not being overdriven.

[burntrat]

I tried it and did not notice much of a difference in headphones or speakers. Was this for US or EU devices? I really would've liked the speakers to be like 20% louder.

[siha]

Originally Posted by burntrat

I tried it and did not notice much of a difference in headphones or speakers. Was this for US or EU devices? I really would've liked the speakers to be like 20% louder.

Mine is an EU device. Not much point trying this with a US device I think, as most owners seem to report that they are more than loud enough. It's unlikely they've been castrated.

It's not a huge difference, but it's enough for me when I'm walking to/from work next to busy main roads. I posted the tip as it does seem to be the only wey to eke a little more out of the hardware. I'd love to get a copy of the schematics so I could attempt a hardware mod, but that seems unlikely.

[Clipman]

Originally Posted by siha

Thought I'd register to share a bit of news. After reading another thread where they give a key sequence to a service menu (which doesn't work on the S545) I tried something similar and viola - a service menu:

Switch on.
Press and hold the back button to get to the main menu.
Switch 'Hold' on
Press and hold 'Option', whilst it is held down press 'Back', U, R, D, L, U, R, D, L, 'Play'
You should now have a service menu.

Go down to 'Audio', then Right and down to 'MAXOUT', this will drive a 1Khz tone out of the Headphones at max volume With the AVLS FULLY OFF. Press 'Option' to toggle the AVLS on/off. Pressing the vol+/- will switch the sound between headphones, speakers and lineout (WMPORT).

Anyway. Make sure it says 'AVLS OFF', then scroll over and down to 'Shutdown', then right to 'Sure?' to shutdown. Switch 'Hold' off, turn on and play something loud. You should find (if you already had AVLS turned off in the settings) that it is considerably louder than before. Note, that if AVLS is turned on in the settings, this will have no effect, it needs to be off before going into the service menu.

I don't think this removes the limitation completely, as US / Aus owners report that >15 is too loud, but it does seem to remove any firmware limit.

Test
After doing this, go in to the Menu and turn AVLS on - it get's quiet, right?
Now turn it back off - it's still quiet.
Now go back to the service menu and and do it again. Turning AVLS on in the settings will mean you have to do this again.

The EU versions obviously have a different hardware build to reduce the volume, but it seems that there is still a firmware limit that reduces the volume slightly even with AVLS off in the settings. Running the Audio test in the service menu seems to remove the limit and set it to the proper 'Maximum' for the hardware.

Anyway, I hope this info proves useful to someone. A combination of turning the equalization to 'None' and doing the above means I now have a Walkman that is (just about) loud enough.

Cheers,
Simon

I'd like to try this, as I could use some more volume for my E354 which I got yesterday- but the above method of accessing the service menu doesn't work on the E354- does anyone know the code for the E354? (Sony won't give it to me!)

[Clipman]

Originally Posted by Clipman

I'd like to try this, as I could use some more volume for my E354 which I got yesterday- but the above method of accessing the service menu doesn't work on the E354- does anyone know the code for the E354? (Sony won't give it to me!)

\
Nevermind! I found a website that reveals the way to access the service menu on the A, E and S series! And it works!

I tried what the post whom I quoted above said to do...and it worked! I did notice some increase in volume!

Here's the procedure for accessing the service menu:

Instructions .

1. Go to the main menu of the player
2. turn Hold ON
3. now press these keys in order

right --> left --> volume UP --> volume DOWN --> right --> left --> option --> back --> option --> back

The player should restart and go into the service menu, turn Hold OFF and then find the Audio settings menu.

To exit the Test mode, go the main selection screen then press
up --> down and select EXITTEST then press right and select SURE, finally press the play/pause button, turn the power off and release the test mode

From this website:
http://thewalkmanblog.blogspot.com/2...nu-access.html

WARNING: Certain actions when performed in the service menus can brick your player- so use at your own risk and don't mess with anything if you don't know what you're doing or have specific instructions from a trusted source!

PS: Thank you, Simon. But for you, I wouldn't have known about this!

PPS: DON'T do the maxout test with the headphones in your ear!!!