Speaker volume too loud even at minimum – uncomfortable listening experience on Galaxy S24 FE

[mely-djissao-en]

Hello,

I'm not usually active on forums (apologies if this is the wrong section), but I wanted to report a very frustrating issue I'm having with my Samsung Galaxy S24 FE: the speaker volume is far too loud, even when set to the lowest level. This creates real discomfort, especially with high-pitched sounds—but not only those. In a quiet environment, it's often unpleasant to listen to anything, even at the lowest possible volume.
Before posting this message, I tried several things in an attempt to improve the situation, but without success:
• I installed third-party apps meant to limit volume, but the audio discomfort persists, even when the sound is supposed to be very low.
• I enabled the 85 dB volume limit in the system settings, but it made no noticeable difference.
• I tested all the built-in equalizer profiles, including the “Soft” mode, but none offered a balanced enough output to avoid harsh peaks. I even tried customizing the equalizer manually.
(See screenshot:)

 

• I installed and configured Samsung SoundAssistant from the Galaxy Store. I enabled the fine volume steps option (1-step volume adjustment instead of the default 10-step), hoping for more precise control. Unfortunately, the issue remains: either the volume is too low to hear anything, or the next step up is already too loud. In short, it’s really hard to find a comfortable middle ground.
• I also recently activated the “Normalize Volume” setting, which is supposed to level out sudden volume spikes. I’ve just started using it, so I’m still observing how effective it is.
For context: I’m not new to Samsung phones. I previously owned a Galaxy S9, A52, and S21—none of them had this kind of volume or sound-related issue. This is something new and clearly unusual for me with a Samsung device.
I chose the Galaxy S24 FE with confidence, expecting a high-quality smartphone, but this audio issue really ruins the multimedia experience.
I would like to know:
• Is this a known issue with the S24 FE?
• Is there a software fix planned?
• Are there alternative solutions I might have missed?
Thank you in advance for any help or insight.

Android version: 15
One UI version: 7.0

[PotatoDurian]

Did you get a reply from Samsung?

[mely-djissao-en]

Hi,

Thanks for sharing your experience — I just wanted to let you know that I believe I’ve come across something quite important regarding this issue.

Recently, I found out that two people close to me actually have the exact same phone model: the Galaxy S24 FE. So, I decided to run a small test with them to compare the audio quality and speaker behavior across our devices.

We made calls and activated the speakerphones on each phone. We tried different voice volumes, including sounds with "S" and "SH" — those sharp, high-frequency sounds that tend to be harsh when the audio isn't well balanced. The result was quite telling.

Both of my friends noticed that my phone sounded noticeably louder and more aggressive, to the point where one of them said it even gave them a weird "pressure" or "muffled" feeling in their ear afterward, like a lingering discomfort. In contrast, their phones sounded smoother and more rounded, much easier on the ears. We all agreed that the difference was significant and clear.

This test convinced me that the issue I’m facing is not just about Samsung's audio tuning in general, but might be a hardware or calibration problem with my specific unit.

So just to let you know, I haven’t contacted Samsung support yet, but after this experience, I definitely will. I think it's important they are made aware of this case and others like it, since it could potentially be a hardware-level inconsistency affecting certain batches or devices.

I’ll try to keep everyone updated if I get a response or solution from them.

[PotatoDurian]

That's so weird. I'm almost certain that all S24 series have this problem, because every S24 series I've tested has the same audio profile, just like you described, harsh in the high frequencies.

I can't stand another second listening to the speaker, it really hurts my ears.

[mely-djissao-en]

Yes, you might be right. It's true that I didn't test it for very long, and in general, I do feel some discomfort from using the phone too much. When I used my relatives' phones, I couldn't use them for long because, of course, they needed to get their phones back. Who knows, maybe if I had kept using their phones, I might have felt the same kind of discomfort... but at the time, I really felt like the sound was more aggressive.

In any case, I'll see what I can do, but if nothing works, I might have to change phones.

I did manage to contact Samsung, and they asked me to send them the phone. I haven’t gotten any more information about what they plan to do with it, so I’ll try to follow up with them today.

There might be an issue with this product line.

[PotatoDurian]

Do keep us updated.

Meanwhile, I will go to other Samsung store to test out their S24 speakers. Perhaps my ears are fatigue from all the high pitch music, making all the speakers sound the same to me.

[mely-djissao-en]

Yeah, of course, I’ll keep you posted. Still, I’m quite surprised that it’s this phone in particular that’s giving me trouble. I still have my older phones at home, and I’ve never had this kind of issue with them. Like I said, I’ve used both my Samsung A52 and S21 extensively without any problems — it’s really just this model that’s bothering me.

Even if there’s some degree of auditory sensitivity involved, there’s definitely something odd about this device. It’s strange that both you and I are having issues with it, especially since we’ve used plenty of phones before without anything like this happening.

By the way, I’d really like it if you could keep me updated on your experience with another phone from the same lineup — especially if you plan to test it directly at the store. Let us know how it goes.

[RikiRCG2]

I have a S24 FE and I have that same problem where the audio is clean, but the sound itself is too harsh to the point it gets tinny and distorted at max volume. My A34 and S22 Ultra sound is more natural and soft but the FE is the only phone that I have issues with when it comes to the speaker. 

It doesn't help that the S24 FE bass is ridiculously weaker than the A54. Which is part of the reason why it sounds so distorted due the bass not smoothing the sound out and giving it a warmer oomph to the quality. 

All of the s24 phones have this same problem the S24 FE. Lack of bass, overly harsh sound at max volume instead of being natural and soft, and dolby atmos being completely broken on those phones. Not improving the overall quality of it. Let me know what you think?

[PotatoDurian]

My volume is only at 1/3 and I already can't stand it, it feels like many tiny knives are poking into my ear hole.

I don't even want to try at max volume.

[RikiRCG2]

Ironic how the S23 FE sounds much cleaner with no distortion and more bass, but the S24 FE is the one that Samsung really took a massive loss with the sounds. No matter which S24 phone you pick, all of them will sound like that one way or another. S24 Ultra is slightly better, but the bass is very flat. I'd done a sound test on it to prove that.

[mely-djissao-en]

I completely agree with your opinion — the sound is indeed clear, but way too loud. To be honest, I haven’t even dared to turn the volume all the way up because I can’t handle it for more than two seconds. And yes, I also find the bass way too weak.

What really puzzles me, though, is the comparison test I did with two people I know who have the exact same phone model. Their devices sounded noticeably softer and more balanced than mine. That really left me feeling confused…

I think I’m going to contact Samsung again and share the link to this discussion so they can see that this might be a broader issue. I already described the problem in detail when I first contacted them, but if this turns out to affect more users, I believe it’s important they take proper action to fix it.

As for me, I’m honestly considering changing phones… and it makes me sad to say that, because this phone is an absolute rocket — super fast, with an amazing display. Everything is great except for the speakers…

Anyway, I’ll keep you all updated if I hear anything new.