A simple fix for the microphone wind noise issue

xwhit3devilx · 02-15-2012, 03:57 PM

I've heard quite a few people complain about how much the built in microphone in upper trim 2012's sucks. I can attest to this; at freeway speeds you have to scream at it to get it to understand anything you're saying. It's also virtually impossible to make a phone call as whoever you call thinks you're driving through a tornado.

I've devised a very simple (read, inexpensive) solution to this problem. It involves shoving sound deadening material in the space above the microphone to reduce the amount of ambient noise it picks up.

Video of how to do this is here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sa0-e69pXEE&noredirect=1

It worked wonders for me; now I don't have to burst my lungs in order for it to play a little Stevie Ray Vaughn

.

You may wish to use more material than I did in the video; I added more after the first test run and it helped quite a bit.

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captainsubt3xt · 02-15-2012, 04:01 PM

I have Dynamat left over from my last stereo build. Now I have a use for it! Have you heard of anyone replacing the microphone? Looks like it would be simple to do.

BlueIce · 02-15-2012, 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by captainsubt3xt

I have Dynamat left over from my last stereo build. Now I have a use for it! Have you heard of anyone replacing the microphone? Looks like it would be simple to do.

I know not everyone has a problem with it, me being one of those people. I wonder if it has something to do with being a titanium and/or having a sunroof.

xwhit3devilx · 02-15-2012, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by captainsubt3xt

I have Dynamat left over from my last stereo build. Now I have a use for it! Have you heard of anyone replacing the microphone? Looks like it would be simple to do.

I don't believe anyone here has done it, but yes it should be extremely easy. All one would need to do is cut the old one off, acquire a new one, and splice the wires onto the mic. I really don't think changing it out is necessary though; people say it's very clear when driving around town- and now with all the sound dampening highway speeds shouldn't be an issue.

Quote:

Originally Posted by captainsubt3xt

My main issue is not the voice commands but using the hands free over bluetooth. There is some serious background noise according to the people on the other end of the call. I'm thinking there has to be a better mic that would work with it. I'm going to do some research.

EDIT: Perhaps even a small directional mic?

Like I said, the background noise is taken care of with the dampening. Save yourself some effort and try my mod first before replacing the mic- it's much less invasive.

captainsubt3xt · 02-15-2012, 04:19 PM

My main issue is not the voice commands but using the hands free over bluetooth. There is some serious background noise according to the people on the other end of the call. I'm thinking there has to be a better mic that would work with it. I'm going to do some research.

EDIT: Perhaps even a small directional mic?

csvt2060 · 02-28-2012, 11:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by captainsubt3xt

My main issue is not the voice commands but using the hands free over bluetooth. There is some serious background noise according to the people on the other end of the call. I'm thinking there has to be a better mic that would work with it. I'm going to do some research.

EDIT: Perhaps even a small directional mic?

Most likely not an issue with the actual microphone. It's probably poor noise cancelling software in the system. It also sounds like poor sound deadning around the microphone. I read somewhere it was one of the improvement items on the new MyFord touch software. I doubt a different mic will solve the problem.

Murray5476 · 03-28-2012, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by captainsubt3xt

My main issue is not the voice commands but using the hands free over bluetooth. There is some serious background noise according to the people on the other end of the call. I'm thinking there has to be a better mic that would work with it. I'm going to do some research.

EDIT: Perhaps even a small directional mic?

I have had my focus titanium with sunroof in shop several times for this problem they replaced mic and sync module. No fix...Now they have a harness to the mic on order from ford. Hopefully this is the fix. They seem to think so..
[

robbiew · 03-30-2012, 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dysan911

Hey Robbie, Just curious if you ever found time to play around with calling your VM and playing back to see if you could detect a level of background noise or the improvements that the MFT Upgrade provided.

Everyday I hope when I get home that my update will be in the mail but so far it hasn't shown up.

I finally got around to recording a few messages at various speeds, here are my results:

35-40mph: Recorded a 30 second message with me speaking and taking brief pauses. The turn signal "clicks" were very noticeable, but I could hear no road or engine noise, regardless if I was speaking or silent.

55mph: Recorded a 30 second message with the same pattern of speaking/pausing. While I am speaking, there is no background noise. During pauses, I definitely heard wind/road noise.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to perform this same test before upgrading MFT, so I really don't know if there was any improvement. Subjectively, it is much easier to hold a conversation while driving at highway speeds after the update.

I Hope this helps!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Murray5476

I have had my focus titanium with sunroof in shop several times for this problem they replaced mic and sync module. No fix...Now they have a harness to the mic on order from ford. Hopefully this is the fix. They seem to think so..
[

I'm interested if changing the microphone/wiring will have any effect on the background noise...