I've done some informal "couch testing" regarding volume issues and found the Droid X to be plenty loud with both operating systems. However, I was curious as to why there were still occasions in which I missed calls due to, what I perceived was, low volume. What I discovered was no big surprise to me or I'm sure to any of you. If you cover the speaker, the volume will be lower and muffled. Now, what DID surprise me was how little the speaker slot could be covered and still have a dramatic affect on it's audible performance. I placed a finger over (only) the left half of the speaker, and noticed a seeming decrease in volume of roughly 35-40%. That seemed relatively predictable. However, putting my finger over the entire slot had a far more dramatic affect. The volume was perceived decreased by at least 70-80%! Of course this is not a scientific measure of specific performance but merely my personal opinion from personal observation. Since it is well known that air plays an important roll with speaker design and performance, I find the Droid X severely lacking in it's protection of these qualities. In other words, the speaker is adequately loud but ill positioned and unguarded. If there were even a slightly raised grill over the speaker slot allowing free air flow, I believe it would solve my volume problem while pocketing my phone. That said, does anyone know if there is a case available with these characteristics? To clarify further, not a case with an opening cut out for the speaker, but one with a raised dome grill that would prevent fabric from completely blocking the opening and allow air to move freely beneath the grill through the sides? Kind of like some car speaker covers. Your input is greatly appreciated. Here is an example:
