W3V audio muffled, soft. I can't hear anything

Can anyone let me know how I can fix the audio on the W3V. It's outputting fine but I can hardly hear a thing. Even when I have the volume up full blast and I am using headphones, I can barely hear the dialog in a DVD.

What's going on?

Peace!
Sygyzy

 

This only happens when you play dvd's right? It sounds great with everything else? Start of with enhancements for media player. There is also a setting under options that will increase the volume of the sound. I am typing on an old 12" dell so i dont have the latest media player. If you reply with a bit more detail i will find it first thing monday.

Eddie B.
www.Geared2Play.com
4422 Ave. N
Brooklyn, NY, 11234

 

What "options"? Mostly sucks in DVD, yes. What are enhancements for media playback?

Peace!
Sygyzy

 

#1 - don't use media player to play dvds...... I don't know what it is about it, but there are 1/2 a dozen better players, including Asus' ASUSDVD that's included (thats cyberlink's power dvd.. really nice).

Thanks,
Justin
PROPortable
www.proportable.com
[email protected]

 

I am using PowerDVD actually.

Peace!
Sygyzy

 

Well how's the sound on mp3's or something else?

Thanks,
Justin
PROPortable
www.proportable.com
[email protected]

 

The sound on mine isn't spectacular either [with headphones too]. I think I'm just used to my Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS, Logitech Z-560, and Sennheiser HD590...

[l]ikwid.[f]uzion

 

Mine is quiet too, but I can hear the sound.
It is quieter if I listen to DVD.
Try using the "noisier environment" preset of the dolby, on your dvdplayer software. It helps a bit.

 

equalizer is the key. set the gain as well.

 

I just took my W3V on the plane and was very frustrated that I could barely here anything at max volume (with haedphones) against typical commerical jet background noise. This did not only apply to DVD's, but dialogue is not audible so they are the worst. In a quiet environment it's fine, but definitely not loud. I just discovered that the gain in the realtek equalizer can be adjusted which will help a little.

Since DVD's on the plane are a common thing these days, it's somewhat annoying that the headphone amp is so wimpy. I assuming this is global on all W3V's, but anyone else out there successfully watch a DVD on the plane? I guess I may have to get a heaphone amplifier.

 

Were you just using regular like walkman headphones? I've noticed on a plane, the best way to listen to dvd's on a laptop is to have a nice set of amplified headphones.... and try to get a seat as far away from the engines as possible.

Also, I love NVDVD....... powerdvd is a great player for sound and video quality... but I think NVDVD is a step above.... it's made by nvidia.

Thanks,
Justin
PROPortable
www.proportable.com
[email protected]

 

Whenever I get to choose seating in a plane,I try to get one forward of

the wing.Much quieter and less engine noise.

And always use a BOSE noise filtering headphones on a plane rather than

the ten dollar thingy

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by confinoj

 

Yeah, do those noise deadening headphones work well for playing music through? I never used a pair for anything but just quieting the sound of the background noise.... didn't realize you could use those for music and such as well.

Thanks,
Justin
PROPortable
www.proportable.com
[email protected]

 

Justin, I was using cheap headphones. I also tried the earbuds that came with my ipod which are also pretty cheap. For the amount that I will be using it on a plane, it might be cheaper to by a $30 amplifier (like the boosteroo) than good headphones.

I guess this problem is a universal laptop problem. Despite this, I continue to love this laptop.

 

http://reviews.cnet.com/Headphones/4521-6531_7-5120625-3.html

Checkout these ones and buy ones which fit your budget.

 

Yeah, in the five years I've been using laptops, dvd audio has always been lower than other sound on the computer........ but I know what you mean.. you want to carry as little as possible, so some studio style headphones probably aren't the way you want to go... but the ipod earbuds probably aren't either..... I know sony makes a high-end earbud that might be "better".... and better for your ipod as well... but I'm not sure if they will really help.

Thanks,
Justin
PROPortable
www.proportable.com
[email protected]

 

I use BOSE QuietComfort2 for travels with an MP3 and laptop music and the

sound is crystal clear like a studio music.

You can even enjoy it at home ,not only while travelling [8D][8D]

http://www.pricegrabber.com/rating_getprodrev.php/masterid=848050/id_type=masterid

 

I tried the demo version of this, and ended up buying it. It really woke up the sound output.

http://www.wmplugins.com/ItemDetail.aspx?ItemID=222

It is not worth it unless you have some decent headphones though IMO. I use Sennheiser 580s at home, and the PCX250 when I travel (noise cancellation). Try out the demo though... I really liked it.

 

As somone said before there are settings and options in media player that will make the sound better. Also if you go to tools then enhancements you can enable the equalizer which will allow you to make it a bit louder. This is not only typical to the w3. All asus laptops share this and i am sure the rest of the manufacturers follow suit

Eddie B.
www.Geared2Play.com
4422 Ave. N
Brooklyn, NY, 11234

 

Okay, this is my first *bad thing* about the W3V. [ ]

The sound when playing a DVD is faint, but okay through the speakers. Through headphones I can't even hear anything over the background sound of my aquarium!

And, I cannot get any sound through headphones at all when playing MP3s. The sound is actually quite good from the speakers, but there is absolutely nothing from the headphones.

I've had laptops before (from work) and while they were quiet, it was nothing like this complete lack of performance from the W3V. It pretty much kills one of the main reasons for my purchase since I will be travelling a lot in the latter half of 2005. [V]

I tried my friends amplified headphones, and they didn't really help much with the DVD audio. It was still really quiet and I doubt it would be usable on a plane. These headphones did nothing for the MP3 playback as it seems like I'm getting no audio signal at all to the jack.

I have dug through all of the settings I can find on this machine, but have found nothing to influence my results so far. Does anyone with more audio setup experience have any ideas?


Thanks,

Loyal

 

This is becoming quite a concern for me, I'm like 5-6 days away from buying my W3V and It's very important that I'm able to listen to all audio through headphones. I wouldn't mind some clarification: Is this something everyone is experiencing right across the board, or only on certain units? If everyone has it, is it something that can easily be overcome by someone with experience and possibly software, or is it actually a system flaw that won't respond well to any "normal" fixes or can't really be fixed at all? Because to me It sounds like it's on every model, and even when you play around with all available settings, the problem still persists and is unsatisfactory, so how bad is this? Is this something potentially big enough and widespread enough to be fixed under warranty?

I was expecting the same kinda playback you get listening to your standard MP3 player or CD player with average headphones...certainly loud enough to hear over almost anything with the volume cranked! [8D]

 

side note:

Try function key + f12 if you haven't already. I couldn't fogure out why my monitor was so dim until I figured out that I must have turned it down by accident.

 

maybe your headphone output is faulty then... mine sounds great.

 

Okay, everything is working great now! I shot some canned air into the headphone input and there must have been something in there.

No problems now. [ ]

 

The playback on mine is fine. I am using software because I wanted a little more. I think his problem is the first I have read about.

There isn't another laptop I would choose in the same price range. It does everything I want it to do, and more.

 

Volume is max., through every setting I can find. Again, the speakers on the unit seem to work fine, I just get no MP3 playback through the headphones. And the DVD audio is so faint via headphone as to be almost unnoticeable.



<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by rayder

 

Are you serious? You think dust in the jack was causing the problem? I think there are far to many options with the 7.1 channel audio chip and there is really just something everyone's missing... including myself. Do you think just by chance you did something else as well while you were airing it out?

Thanks,
Justin
PROPortable
www.proportable.com
[email protected]

 

I'm thinking there must have been something more than just dust in there. I not only sprayed the air, but actually put the end of the nozzle in the jack. So, conceivably I could have knocked gunk off of the jack or something with the plastic nozzle.

Also, I started off using a brand new pair of headphones, so I think whatever was in there was there from the factory. I don't believe I introduced whatever was in the jack.

It's all good now, though. [8D]


<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by PROPortable

 

So wait, Justin and others, is it something that simple, or is it something more serious and wide spread...nobody really answered my last post? [8D]

 

Hummmm.... well doesn't sound right, but it worked. I wouldn't suggest everyone doing that becasue with the pressure of those compressed air cans, you could damage the board.... but I'm at least glad you were able to take care of your issue Loyal.

Thanks,
Justin
PROPortable
www.proportable.com
[email protected]

 

the only sound issues are with DVD's coma. I often use the headphones since i can't use speakers in a public setting and everything works fine. mess with the equalizers, DVD's will sound fine as well. just do what i do and save a sound profile for DVD's and use it when you watch DVD's.

 

What I really want to know is if this is a widespread problem with the system itself, or just certain systems, or user settings. Someone mentioned they couldn't hear their MP3's either through the headphone jack, so I wanted to know If it was a hardware/jack fault or simply software and settings.

If It's only DVD playback audio alone, then obviously it's just settings and software. But If all audio is extremely low or not present, then It could very well be a much bigger issue. That's basically what I wanted people to let me know, whether it's widespread and serious (no easy fix), random/small scale and serious, or If It's just a matter of software, settings and dinkering around.

So eightone, you're basically saying It's only DVD audio playback, which means the jack itself (hardware) is fine...and It's just a matter of finding the right settings and/or software and then playback and volume level is satisfactory...(like it would be on most portable audio devices)
Can other's confirm this just so I can rest easy, thanks [ ]

Can others also give me an update on the system heat issue, is it still bothering any of you, or have you gotten use to it...whether you've undervolted it or not, please let me know. Any other updates or things you think I (or anyone) might want to know before I buy this baby on Fri/Sat? Thanks everyone [8D]

 

I'm sure the sound issue is isolated. Certainly, my issue was some kind of abnormality.

I also believe the heat thing has been way overblown. Although, I have underclocked my machine with CHC because I don't think it can hurt. [ ]

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by CalibratedComa

Can others also give me an update on the system heat issue, is it still bothering any of you, or have you gotten use to it...whether you've undervolted it or not, please let me know. Any other updates or things you think I (or anyone) might want to know before I buy this baby on Fri/Sat? Thanks everyone [8D]
<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'></font id='quote'></blockquote id='quote'>

Cal, if you remember the heat issue with one specific user here.. you will be happy to know that it was a defective laptop. You can read the whole saga here... []

http://notebookforums.com/showthread.php?p=908901#post908901

 

I tried multiple players and they all exhibit the same problem. PowerDVD, TheatreTek, and ZoomPlayer. Those three are considered the standard for high quality DVD playback.

The closest I could get to barely audible sound is with PowerDVD's "Noisy Environment". I am sorry, but not being able to hear is NOT common with ALL laptops. If anything, using headphones should be louder because of their (usually) lower impedance. Again, all the fixes I see are *HACKS*. You should not have to buy different headphones, a PCMCIA sound card, or use unrealistic EQ settings just to hear sound.

I am not being sarcastic when I literally cannot hear dialog enough to follow a movie. I do not listen to music loudly and I do not have hearing damage. I understand amplification and am active in the headphone community. I have multiple pairs of high quality cans (not Bose crap), 2 tube amplfiers, multiple solid state, etc.

My 3-4 year old Toshiba Satellite (that I no longer have), played loudly through both the headphone jack and the speakers. You could use it comfortably to watch a movie or listen to music.

Peace!
Sygyzy

 

So now the question becomes does sygyzy have a faulty system/audio jack...and If so, how many systems do? Can his problem easily be fixed, it doesn't sound like it can so far.

Since other's are also having various headphone jack audio problems, I'd really like to know how frequent/widespread this problem is...and If It'll need to be potentially fixed under warranty.

Now aside from bringing a DVD to play on the W3V at the ASUS showcase this Fri/Sat. I'll also have to bring a decent pair of headphones to test things out. [8D]

I hope there's an easy fix out there for you sygyzy...if there isn't, are you going to send it in under warranty?

I was planning on investing in a soundcard anyways, I hope

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by Cyber6

Cal, if you remember the heat issue with one specific user here.. you will be happy to know that it was a defective laptop. You can read the whole saga here... []

http://notebookforums.com/showthread.php?p=908901#post908901
<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'></font id='quote'></blockquote id='quote'>

Now his display is crappy,

Lappy Wars 111 -- Revenge of the Asus !!!

......and someone gave him a DUD check for 1500 $$ [][]

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by CalibratedComa

 

I used the Sennheiser PX200 headphones with my W3V. I used the laptop on a long haul flight sitting in front of the engines. The sound quality when watching a dvd was acceptable but not loud.

Strangely when I played Far Cry the sound was much louder.

Overall the sounds very good, clear and doesnt muffle when you crank it up. I use Win DVD6 to playback movies. MP3 playback is also very good.

Jay

 

This is mostly a problem with DVD playback. MP3 sound level is acceptable, at best. I am ok with that. I can live with it. But to get the audio loud enough for MP3's you have to turn up the sound which makes it tinny and squealy. DVD audio is unacceptable.

Peace!
Sygyzy

 

I did a "side-by-side" comparison between Power DVD and Win DVD. I played the same scene in the same movie, and hands down the audio level in Win DVD was louder. I could hear everything sharply through the speakers and with headphones very little external noise seeped in. Mind you, it wasn't super-loud but it'll work for me. It helped that in Win DVD there's an "audio boost" function that definitely added to the volume increase. I've since uninstalled Power DVD and now have a new default player...

As a sidenote, you could try uninstalling the RealTek HD audio drivers and re-installing the newer version from their website. In fact, see how it sounds without the drivers first, then update if necessary.

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by sygyzy

 

I just wanted to chime in that I did something "stupid "today, and want to make sure no one else has fallen for it... [:I]

I plugged my headphones into the microphone jack, and I was getting audio from it! It wasn't good audio mind you, but it was sound. For one brief minute I thought my sound problems had come back, but it was much worse than when I just had gunk or whatever in the audio output. [B)]

 

The newest version on their website is identical to the latest on the ASUS site. Correct me if I am wrong.

Peace!
Sygyzy

 

You are correct! Thanks for the tip. I upgrade. No difference.

Peace!
Sygyzy

 

I didn't understand what all the fuss was about until I installed PowerDVD and actually tried to watch a movie on the plane. Pathetic.

I use a set of Aiwa earbuds that were more than adequate for my old powerbook. Even with all the settings and gain maxed I couldn't make anything out on the W3V. Now the sound is nice and loud with the adjustments mentioned if I were in a hotel or an office, but nowhere near the volume level I'd come to expect from my ibook or my wife's Toshiba with the same earbuds.

And who came up with that sit away from the engines BS? Before you say it I was in First class in the 2nd row.

This notebook probably should have used a more basic sound chipset. I hope that the driver can be adjusted or something beyond the tips suggested so far.

 

The real problem with the AsusTek Power DVD app is the restricted access to the advanced audio controls. In the full version one can access the SRS enhancements, such as TruSurroundXT, which is vital for laptop users with only 2 speakers because it process multi-channel sound into stereo.

As I said earlier, however, I'm currently using Win DVD with good results. With my cheap but trusty Koss PortaPros I can comfortably hear a DVD. You can grab a trial version at http://www.intervideo.com/jsp/WinDVD_Download.jsp to see if it makes a difference. And if you like it, well, maybe you can find a friend to "lend" you a copy. [ ]

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by shutterbug

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by sygyzy