Consumer Reports looks at cellphone voice quality, HD Voice

NEW YORK (WABC) -- For many people, trying to hear a cell phone conversation can be challenging. But Consumer Reports says listen up, because help may be on the way.

Sound quality on cellphones is not great. Consumer Reports' tests voice quality using a device that reflects cellphone conversations in both noisy and quiet environments, and none of the 149 devices got an excellent or even a very good rating for voice quality.

But there's a promising new development in voice quality already available to many smartphone users: High Definition -- or HD Voice. Consumer Reports says it may be worth trying.

"It's very early in the roll out right now, and the technology has some limitations, but it's promising," Consumer Reports' Mike Gikas said. "Our preliminary tests found a noticeable difference. Speech not only sounded fuller, it was easier to understand."

All the major carriers are starting to roll it out. If high definition is available, make sure it's activated on your phone. Look for options like HD Voice, Voice over LTE, Advanced Calling, or you'll see simply "Voice" and "Data" on some others.

If you don't have HD Voice, there are several things you can do, which may improve your audio right now. Try turning on the setting for noise reduction. You can also play around with other personal call sounds, like: Soft Sound and Clear Sound.

The good news is, none of it --including HD Voice -- costs extra. Yet.

Before you get too excited, there are some limitations with HD Voice. It works only between compatible phones within networks. For example, Sprint customers can't have HD Voice quality conversations with their Verizon friends.