Make Audio louder - Notebook

Ok, so this is for my mother - i.e. buttons = better than software

What's the problem:
The Audio on her laptop is too quiet for her taste - I don't how many of you used a standalone audio system - but you can turn them much louder than a laptop in the first place, adittionally to that, her laptop is extremely quiet too. (my laptops (old Medion and newer Vaio) are louder)

I figure she'd need an external soundcard.

Something like the the ones on soundblaster.com

Now:
Problem, is I don't really know what exactly to look at.
Any suggestions in the 50 Pounds range would be nice - "buy in shop" would be great too, but I suspect that's another issue.

Its very important that you can significantly increase the volume.
(By the way - some people may know how quiet some classical pieces are)

 

I know my laptop has about 4 volume things so it might be a matter of finding all of them.

Creative Sound cards are the best. And more than $99 US is cosmetic.

 

Hook speakers up to it?

 

4 volume things - ????? yes - and this means?
I'm not going to take the laptop apart to find some piece inside...

Creativ sound cards - I'll have a look.

Are they loud though?

(i.e can you turn them that loud that any not to quiet CD would immediately wreck headphones??)

 

Well - we've got some external speakers with a subwoofer each.

Problem is that doesn't make headphones any louder.

 

You can get headphones with an adjustable volume switch built-in.

Also, check your sound settings to make sure all of the sliders are maxed out.

 

By 4 volume things I mean there are alot of limiters in the computer.

Here are all of mine:
Master Volume
Dell Volume
Creative volume (I got the extra Creative HD sound package with the laptop)
Application Volume
Vista Volume

 

What are u using as the output device? headphones or speakers?

 

Headphones with an adjustable volume switch wont go above the maximum laptop output.

And yes, all sliders are on maximum.

This is where my English is lacking one word (native tongue - German, but its worse than my English nowadays )

If you have this "module build" - CD one "device" - radio one "device" - then you'll have one "box" that output to the speakers - I think she needs something similar to that or a soundcard with that built in...

 

On her Medion laptop its only the Vista slider and then Windows Media Player - that's it.

Headphones - headphones are too quiet for her taste.
The speakers (Logitech) make a good job of it when using them as speakers.

 

You can get amplified ones.

 

Well the creative sound cards have a 3.5mm output. And you can get a cheap cable that will connect to a homestereo system.

Some options
http://us.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=1&subcategory=208&product=17872

http://us.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=1&subcategory=208&product=17988

http://us.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=1&subcategory=208&product=16642

 

That's the word I need!!
Amplifier

And then they'll need batteries I suspect - there is the next issue - no batteries.

A sound card with an amplifier would be nice.

 

It won't connect to a home stereo - I think her amplifier, CD player and Radio are still in Germany after moving to the UK...
Thanks I'm checking your links

And they are loud/very loud on headphones?

Edit:
Saw 2 of them on the UK site - but didn't have a clue if they'd fit the bill.

So - are they loud??
(By the way - my mother hears a difference between MP3 and wave ... I don't and she has listened to more loud music than I have, I think...)

 

I love charades

They should be plenty loud and I am sure you can find reviews

 

Charades? According to the Oxford Advanced Learner's dictionary off topic...

Anyway - reviews it is then.
I'll start searching.

Thanks

(Too bad I can't give out any rep... )

 

Its the thought that counts

 

Thanks

I've made a note on paper

hmm... found one bad review already as they say its an entry level card bla bla bla for one...

I suppose loudness is also difficult to "explain" on a forum...
If you would've been able to come round and I'd say make it louder as this is now - play some music you'd have a much much better idea...

 

If you go through standered headphones the quality does not need to be as high (for anything less than Sennheiser 580's). But through speakers you would have to listen hard to hear the diffrence between one sound system to another. Most of the time the speekers are the limit.

 

OK - how come some reviews are extremely positive and others rather negative?

Also - sometime the pictures in the review don't fit the product name...

Why does it have to be so complicated?

 

I don't think my mother's headphones are brilliant - she hears a difference between MP3 and wave... so...

The speakers on max are very loud - too loud for the neighbours I think

Its headphones that are rather quiet on the laptops audio though...

 

Headphones have different impedances, which is measured in ohms, The higher the ohms the more power it takes. I'm not sure for a few of your posts it sounded like you were saying the laptops on board speakers were to quiet also? Well theres not much you can do about that, an external sound card wont help. But with the headphones and the external speakers the sound card will produce better sound, and it should be louder. I personally use the Echo AudioFire2 but its an expensive card and probably over kill for your situation. M-audio has a cheap one that should do fine. Some sound cards(DAC) are also headphone amps, which can be used with things such as mp3 players and other devices.

 

We bought an X-Fire one from creative - runs via USB...
Thanks anyway

I'm not sure about the laptop speakers - its headphones really - and they are louder now
So thank you to all who helped

(Let's see if I can Rep now)

 

you could always try to crank the dB up from the media player, like foobar

 

Winamp can do this too - but it also degrades sound qualtity.
Thanks though.

I think the external soundcard does the trick - its bought too.

(And running ;-) )

 

i have the creative x-fi go! usb card,, it works great, it is definetly louder and i use this with the logitech premium notebook headsets that fold.


http://us.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=1&subcategory=208&product=17872

says its out of stock but im sure you can find it on other sites

 

Thanks again.
But the card was purchased today

By the way - my mother got this one:
http://www.soundblaster.com/products/product.asp?category=1&subcategory=208&product=17751

(40 Pounds at PC world)

 

Doesn't always degrade the sound quality, if your running nice equipment then it wont degrade quality until your speakers start clipping, which if you have nice stuff(amps, sound cards, source files) then it takes alot.

 

nah, the internal amp will clip, has nothing to do with the speakers or anything else.

 

Oh yeah, with low quality products it will do that.