VIOFO A119 V3

Early on when the audio problem surfaced it was being reported in the same way when the unit hadn't been installed in the car but was still indoors.
Yes that's why I was going to test it in the car as well. (It still does point to the audio not being the best on them.)

I haven't heard anything else back from Viofo after telling them I had updated to the latest firmware. Perhaps it was around when they shut shop for the day?
 
I did the same thing and fired mine up indoors and the volume was very low. Installed in the car the volume is fine. I've no idea why that should be the case but it just works better in the cabin.

Probably because it is a smaller confined space compared to a room in a house.

Results might also depend on the nature of the cabin in each particular vehicle. For example, I've noticed that the audio sounds different from the front facing V3 compared to the rear facing V3 in my truck due to the acoustics inside the cabin.
 
Tuned to pick up road noise! ;)

The loss of higher frequencies is definitely an issue. For example, I like when I can record the sound of my turn signal to show that I used it but compared to other cameras the V3 doesn't pick that up so well, especially when the windows are open.

With the windows open it does catch the road noise though! :smuggrin:
 
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I like when I can record the sound of my turn signal to show that I used it but compared to other cameras the V3 doesn't pick that up so well
Yes, that's one of the issues I mentioned earlier.
With the windows open it does catch the road noise though!
The vehicle I've got two of them in is a new vehicle, but it's built to be lightweight and has electronic "Acoustic Noise Control" with not as much sound proofing as most vehicles. With the substandard roads here combined with 225/40R18 tyres it can get louder than a lot of new vehicles. So a dashcam apparently being sensitive to the spectrum of road noise isn't desirable. Although using them in another car- which has better sound proofing- the audio level is still not good.

Using a video processing program like that VideoProc at least looks like it can help boost the volume, even if the road noise is still dominant.
 
I'm not sure if FW can tune the audio response range in dashcams. It's not hard to do but does take something designed to do that ;) I think the type and placement of the mic is the main influence here, as bass frequencies are more omni-directional while treble frequencies are more directional needing a 'straight shot' to the mic. For electret mics like these use an old trick is to slightly enlarge the hole in the case which the mic is behind to increase volume. Best not try this without disassembly as the mic is easily destroyed and it doesn't take much to make a difference.

As someone who is very hard-of-hearing I also understand that a lot of this is going to be about perspective, as all of us hear differently from one another. But there's no reason a dashcam can't pick up sound reasonably well and record it at a reasonably high audio level; I'm sure that much can be done with FW and a decent mic.

Phil
 
I'm not sure if FW can tune the audio response range in dashcams. It's not hard to do but does take something designed to do that ;) I think the type and placement of the mic is the main influence here, as bass frequencies are more omni-directional while treble frequencies are more directional needing a 'straight shot' to the mic. For electret mics like these use an old trick is to slightly enlarge the hole in the case which the mic is behind to increase volume. Best not try this without disassembly as the mic is easily destroyed and it doesn't take much to make a difference.

As someone who is very hard-of-hearing I also understand that a lot of this is going to be about perspective, as all of us hear differently from one another. But there's no reason a dashcam can't pick up sound reasonably well and record it at a reasonably high audio level; I'm sure that much can be done with FW and a decent mic.

Phil

Yeah, I don't believe there is any ability to alter the frequency response of a dash cam's microphone within the firmware but adjusting the gain of the mic is a trivial matter that is done all the time. The A119 V3 is hardly the first camera to have audio volume issues. In fact, the Street Guardian SGGCX2PRO had a problem with low audio that was eventually resolved in a firmware update.
 
My guess is the mic used would be partly to blame for the frequency response issue. Perhaps they changed the brand/ model used at some stage? The frequency response in some of those previous Youtube videos I posted is a lot better than any of my A119 V3's.

I've also received some firmware to try out. So I'll do that over the weekend. Their response times to my logged support ticket have been very good. They also acknowledged there appeared to be a problem rather than just saying it's fine. (y)
 
My guess is the mic used would be partly to blame for the frequency response issue. Perhaps they changed the brand/ model used at some stage? The frequency response in some of those previous Youtube videos I posted is a lot better than any of my A119 V3's.

I've also received some firmware to try out. So I'll do that over the weekend. Their response times to my logged support ticket have been very good. They also acknowledged there appeared to be a problem rather than just saying it's fine. (y)

It will be interesting to hear about the results of the new firmware and the outcome of the support ticket.
 
Okay, so the firmware is a new one V2.4 (I forget the build date, but V2.3 is the current one on their website.)

I've done a quick test in the house with one loaded with the supplied V2.4 and other running the latest V2.3. Both recording together at the same time. There is a definite improvement in audio when using the same volume settings on my PC for the playback. I can now hear the TV faintly with the new V2.4, the one running V2.3 I couldn't detect anything at all. Other activities, like a wooden chair being pushed out from the dining table were picked up on both but substantially louder with V2.4. There is some low level background hiss, but it's to be expected with the volume boost and unlikely to even be noticeable on a recording in the car.

I'll test it in the car over the weekend. Even if it's still lower volume compared to other dashcams, it looks like a promising step forward.
 
I'll test it in the car over the weekend.
It appears they've upped the gain a little too far. It picks up the car audio system and voices really well, but I could detect distortion in my voice and some of the audio had loud vibrating type noises? I'm not sure if I'd accidentally adjust the rear view mirror too close and it was vibrating on the camera's case, or if the audio circuit was being overwhelmed with wind buffeting noises (I had the windows down a bit.)

I've sent them a short clip of my voice and mentioned the other noises/ possibility the gain is now too high.
 
When I read that they'd increased the volume and listened to mine again, which seems just right, I resisted the temptation to change firmware.

I think v2.0 is the sweet spot for mine so I'll stick.
 
Okay, so the firmware is a new one V2.4 (I forget the build date, but V2.3 is the current one on their website.)

I've done a quick test in the house with one loaded with the supplied V2.4 and other running the latest V2.3. Both recording together at the same time. There is a definite improvement in audio when using the same volume settings on my PC for the playback. I can now hear the TV faintly with the new V2.4, the one running V2.3 I couldn't detect anything at all. Other activities, like a wooden chair being pushed out from the dining table were picked up on both but substantially louder with V2.4. There is some low level background hiss, but it's to be expected with the volume boost and unlikely to even be noticeable on a recording in the car.

I'll test it in the car over the weekend. Even if it's still lower volume compared to other dashcams, it looks like a promising step forward.
Where can i dawnload FW V2.4 for a sample?
 
I tried the same camera in the other car today. The indicator is picked up in the audio which is a big improvement. There was noticeable distortion again with louder voices/ music, but none of the nasty vibrating noise I had in the other car. Perhaps the rear view mirror was contacting the case or it was the wind buffeting with the windows down?

I've requested adjusting the gain about 2/3 of the way between the V2.3 and supplied V2.4. I'll post back if I receive any updates and the results.

(I'm not going to publicly share any experimental firmware they give me. Give them a chance to release it in an update, or contact them if you also have the problem.)
 
Won’t adjusting the gain cause problems for people with cams where the audio is fine unless the firmware is detecting a piece of hardware and adjusting accordingly?
 
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