Quest 3 Audio Compression Issue - Rhythm Games

[LuvinLife]

Overall the quest 3 speaker audio is better than the quest 2. I like the spatial audio effects and actually turn the volume down in comparison to the quest 2.

However there is an audio compression issue that really hits VR rhythm games. When a low bass beat, drums or even some game sound effects start, the music as a whole is immediately compressed (to the redline) and the volume dips while that bass/beat is happening.  When it stops the music stops being compressed and volume goes back up. This makes the music sound warped as you play the songs in game.  This is reproducible across quest 3 headsets and different people who play rhythm games. So it isn't single headset specific.

It doesn't happen with the quest 2 when playing the exact same games and songs.

Please fix this bad bass/beat related audio compression or let us have an option to disable it.

[gnuffe]

I'm glad to know i'm not the only one with this issue.

The audio on the quest 3 sounds compressed all around. I just can't see how the audio is better then the quest two's audio. The quest 3's audio is just plain bad and i don't know why.

It seems like there was a update that broke it acording to this reddit thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/oculus/comments/1755u8f/quest_3_audio_very_poor/ 

But i'm not sure. Some people think that it sounds better then quest 2 and all of the youtubers say that it sounds better and more basey. But that just isn't the case for me. Is there a problem with my headset then? I don't know.

[aostang]

I'm guessing I have the same issue. Coming from Quest Pro where the audio was amazing and hearing people say the Q3 used basically the same audio setup. First thing I did was install Beat Saber and go "oh god". It's just absolutely awful. The songs all sound muffled or raspy. I hope they fix this fast otherwise I might consider returning it.

[LuvinLife]

I don't play Beat Saber, so don't know about that one. I choreograph songs for Audio Trip and play Synth Riders. Whenever there is a low bass note or beat the overall volume drops in a very noticeable way. A song can start perfectly fine and then the bass starts and it drops right away. This wasn't the case and still isn't the case with the Q2. 

Upside for anyone on the meta dev team trying to fix it is that it is the same every time - very consistent.

[dawid.drabek.3]

Hi. I have Quest for few days now. Sometimes i have problem with sound when i play on PCVR using USB oculus link. Sound sometimes slows down, sometimes speed up, sometimes cut out. I dont know why. Sometimes everytkink is OK, sometimes there is a lot of this problems. I notice issues in DCS and Beat Saber games. I tried 2 USB cables, both 5meters - the same on both.
I play 72Hz and x1.2 resolution multiplier. I have i5 13600kf, RTX 3090, 32GB RAM DDR5 and games on NVME drives (without VR or on Reverb G2 VR everythink is OK).

Anybody has similar problem and know how to fix it?

[TheAntiSocializer]

Hey everyone! I know I'm a bit late to the thread, but I wanted to check in and see if this issue was still happening to all of you. 

If so, let me know and I'll be glad to take a look into some things to potentially give a shot.

[LuvinLife]

Yes, it is consistently occurring in rhythm games when there are low bass notes, drums or sounds effect. Anytime those happen the overall song volume is dampened/lowered until the section of the song doesn't have them and then the volume increases again.  A single song can sound pretty warped depending on its bass sound content. It only happens with the Q3. I have a Q2 and the song volume is fine for the same songs/games.  It also happens across Q3 headsets, not individual ones - many people have noticed it. 

[aostang]

I concur with this statement. Whatever sound compression algorithm is being used on the Q3 is too overly aggressive. I understand wanting to protect the speakers from getting blown but this setting is being too cautious or just flat out wrong.

[TheAntiSocializer]

Thanks so much for getting back to me, I reached out to some people and have gotten some confirmation.

From here, I would highly suggest reaching out to @MetaQuestSupport since they'll be able to provide some more in-depth assistance through PM and potentially check out some other options that may be available.

[LuvinLife]

Please do not mark this as solved when it isn't. You can add the info you/devs want without marking it as a solution and it looks bad for people who want real resolutions (I do IT support myself).  Suggest creating a new category like being investigated or seeking feedback.

Headset version attached as pic

Oculus App Version 59.0.0.179.366

I have been, but am not currently part of the PTC

Headphones plugged into the headphone jack do not have the same level of compression and neither do internal headset recordings - so nothing to post on youtube that will show full compression effect.

There are no audio adjustments beyond volume and mono settings in the headset to test/troubleshoot.

An example of a song that would have this issue is this one. The first part is clear, then when it hits the lower beat section at 'living life at a different pace' (that starts at the link) it drops significantly then the volume will go back up until the next bass beat. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3d6IKK7tmXY&t=28s