Why are handheld speakers so quiet?

[Ziggy]

Hopefully it's better on GBASP, but I can't find a headphone adapter anywhere.

$8 plus shipping. One reviewer said he got the "L" shaped adapter (which is better IMO) and not the dongle type adapter in the default picture.

[ninjainspandex]

funny thing is i cant get my psp to be quite enough to play at work so i can hear it but people in the next cubicle cant

[Valkyrie-Favor]

Whoa, my headphones aren't that nice

[Thierry Henry]

I find it odd that new handhelds are coming out with enormous screens, but the speakers are still as quiet as ever.

I noticed right around the time the Gameboy Color came out that handheld speakers just got super quiet all of a sudden. The original brick Gameboy was a loud beast. It could actually compete with my mom's radio in the car. The Game Gear could distract people from their conversations in a crowded room.

I miss that. There was something endearingly obnoxious about it.

Speaking of the GameBoy line, the GB Light to me has a very tiny sound. I mean either I'm on the deaf side or there's something functionally wrong with the way that was designed.
I remember a while back when I complained to the seller of passing defective goods in that regard. And the poor guy was like "no man, I swear they're all like that"

[eskil]

Because the enclosure they're in is too small.

[MrNash]

I figure most people would just prefer to use headphones as opposed to the tinny handheld speakers. It seems more trouble than it's worth for the hardware makers to do any more than what speakers are already there. If anything, I'm surprised that handhelds have had speakers for so long.

[D.D.D.]

I wonder how a Gameboy will sound if I hook it up to my $1900 headphone amplifier and some nice headphones.

What? ... What? Why do you have a $1,900 amp?
And how does it sound with the GB?

[ApolloBoy]

I wouldn't say that considering I once owned a model 1 Lynx and you couldn't even turn it up all the way without hurting your ears.

[Ziggy]

Slightly off topic... you know what I really dislike? The volume slider that Nintendo uses on the DS and GBA SP. It's impossible for me to be able to dial in on a volume level. On my DS, I can set it all the way up or some where half way, and I can never seem to set it any where else. It's only annoying when using headphones, since you need more precious control over the volume. I'm not sure what was wrong with the volume dial used on the original GB and whatnot. Maybe it didn't fit the esthetics of the newer consoles? But with the dial, I have full control over the volume level.

[cooky560]

Slightly off topic... you know what I really dislike? The volume slider that Nintendo uses on the DS and GBA SP. It's impossible for me to be able to dial in on a volume level. On my DS, I can set it all the way up or some where half way, and I can never seem to set it any where else. It's only annoying when using headphones, since you need more precious control over the volume. I'm not sure what was wrong with the volume dial used on the original GB and whatnot. Maybe it didn't fit the esthetics of the newer consoles? But with the dial, I have full control over the volume level.

I've wondered this with my GBA SP also. I've also wondered why the SP has no contrast adjustment (no the low / high light toggle does not suffice)