Subwoofer on P150HM not working?

Hi,

I have recently received my shiny new P150HM from MySN. The problem is that it seems that the subwoofer is not being detected at all (Windows nor Linux), and sound tests for subwoofer do not play any sound at all. Is it possible that it is disconected, and if so, how easy would be to fix it? I would rather not ship it all the way back to Germany (I am in Switzerland) if this is something trivial. Thanks in advance.

 

Try hitting the Fn+5 key to enable it. Someone here posted about this not too long ago, and apparently it's in the manual as well. Imagine my surprise when I found out about it, because it makes a huge difference in sound.

 

Fn+5 only works with the P170HM. Not the 150/151.

About the subwoofer. I dont know if it is working or not. It sure doesnt sound like it.

 

As Elvind expected, it didn't help. According to the manual that key combo is only for p170hm anyway.

 

Oh wow, didn't know that. Sucks to have to send it back for something so minor.

 

Do you not feel the vibrations when you place your palm on the grill under the chassis??

What do you mean when you say that windows is not detecting the subwoofer?

 

Congratulations for not reading the original post, when the OP says sound tests using the inbuilt windows software or the like don't have any sound emitting from the subwoofer when it's supposed to, I would think vibrations are out of the question.

Back on topic: I assume volume controls and equalization haven't accidentally cancelled out the subwoofer output? If not, it may be a hardware problem unless it was working fine before.

 

I did read the OPost. Yes, I was unfortunately asking the obvious. But your sarcasm didn't help him either, Joker's Assistant!

Back on topic: In device manager, the speaker and the sub-woofer are never listed, right?. Just the sound driver or some such thing.

(I don't have the laptop with me now so I don't know exactly what is listed under audio in device manager)

So, when the OP says he cant detect it, I wonder what he means.

 

Unlike someone posting above me, I did try and help by asking whether or not volume controls and equalization settings were muting the subwoofer by accident, unlikely as it is. Even in Windows Vista, there's a simple sound test function where you can get sound to come out from specific speakers using the test function.

No, you don't see if speakers are connected to the Windows Operating System via Device Manager. It only lists which SOUND CARD is connected to the system.

Regardless of my "sarcasm" above, I recommend the OP crank up bass settings and volume as much as possible before testing the individual speakers again. If nothing is heard from the subwoofer using these test conditions, then it's likely a hardware problem. I'm no expert but internal wiring isn't as easy as to fix like a RAM upgrade or the like.

 

In the Realtek Audio manager, you can test only the left and right speakers. Not the subwoofer; though i dont have the laptop with me now, I remember this much.

So, again, I think the important issue is: what does he mean when he says it cant be detected?? (As you said, only the Audio Driver/Card is listed in Device Manager; so, he is not talking about that.)
Is there some software he is using to detect and test the speaker/sub-woofer? If so, what is it? We could download and do the test on our machines to compare. Lets just wait for his reply.

 

Sorry for not being clearer. By not being detected I meant that if you switch to 5.1 or 7.1 in the Realtek Audio Manager, no sound is heard at all when you click the sub. On the other hand, if you click other speakers (which are greyed out), their output is emulated by two main speakers. I hope it is clearer now.
When it comes to wiring, I got hold of a service manual and it seems that the sub is connected to the mobo under the graphics card. So it should be doable to at least look if the cable is plugged.
Harleyquin07: where should I look for the equaliser settings? Windows 7 is still kinda new to me *ashamed*.

 

If I remember correctly XP, Vista and Windows 7 all have a "Sounds and Audio Devices" tab under the control panel. There should be volume control and speaker volume selection settings for the laptop, I should imagine the subwoofer should be included since in general left and right speakers can have their volume levels adjusted separately.

Edit: Looking at OP's original post, does that mean your subwoofer works on the 5.1 setting?

 

Oh, so there is a way to test the sub-woofer from Realtek Audio Manager?
But we are still 2.1. Will setting to 5.1 and testing for the woofer work? idk.

I can check my results and get back to you. Or someone else can do that also.

i don't know that win7 has a separate equalizer settings panel other than what is in Windows Media Player.

 

There are no equalizer settings under "Sounds and Audio Devices" tab in the control panel.

 

They're not equalizer settings strictly speaking, but master volume control allows you to change the balance and volume levels for the speakers. I'm confusing myself slightly with the Creative volume control panel I use which does have equalizer settings, however the point I want to make is that if Master volume is disabled and Windows doesn't have the correct speaker settings selected, subwoofer may not output sound at all.

 

It means setting to 5.1/7.1 is the only way I found to attempt to make the subwoofer produce the sound on its own. And it is still not working.

 

I'm not sure if mine is working either or if it's just the low frequency driver being so weak that it doesn't really do anything. I can goto 5.1 setup in the Realtek audio manager and click on the picture of the subwoofer and it will emit sound but I can't tell if it is coming from the low freq driver speaker on the bottom of the laptop or not as its so quiet it might as well not be audible at all.

 

Well, I'll double-check that then.

 

Have you just set it at the default (not 5.1/7.1) and cranked up the volume?? (I'm sure you have done this already, but just asking since you didn't provide information about this!)

I could feel the desk vibrating with the subwoofer's vibrations when i rested my palms on the desk. Of course the vibrations were less when the THX software was turned off. Perhaps you have it off or haven't installed it??

Ill test out setting 5.1/7.1 within the hour and get back on here; but i am expecting the same result as Electric Shock.

Question: why is there no 2.1 setting?

 

Just as expected:

TEST Procedure: Turn off the right speaker (by moving the speaker balance bar to the left in REALTEK settings) and thus make sure the vibrations you feel on the grill under the chassis are coming from the sub-woofer and not travelling down from the right speaker. Then do tests 1 and 2 and report what you got.

1. REALTEK TEST:
a. nothing was felt or heard when THX was off + 5.1/7.1 setting
b. I could feel some vibrations with THX on + 5.1/7.1 setting for sure. You can't hear it but just feel the vibrations on the grill.
Note: With 1b, THX mixes up the channels in some way so that even when REALTEK setting has the right speaker off, the right speaker does sound off. Perhaps it is these sounds that we are feeling with 1b, coming down the chassis, and not the actual sub-woofer. This made me think my sub-woofer was not wired too. But test 2 is more conclusive.

2. THX VID TEST: YouTube - THX Subwoofer Test use this to test you sub-woofer.
a.THX off + youtube vid = barely anything. Almost like I imagined some vibrations because i was expecting them.
b.THX on + youtube vid = strong vibrations. You should feel the vibrations if you are touching the grill. Still, you can't hear it and what you do hear is from the left speaker, I think. You can also repeat the test with your finger on the right speaker and you will find that though THX sends some audio to it, it is not as strong as the vibrations from the woofer.

EDIT: 3.Return the speaker balance to center and repeat the video. For some reason, you can feel a whole lot more vibrations than when the balance was to the left or the right alone.

Earlier I had said that I could feel vibrations on the desk when the laptop's volume was cranked up. I has assumed it was just the sub-woofer working. This is both a combination of the sub-woofer and the general loudness of the speakers themselves, as I understand it now.

The THX software itself is some kind of equalizer and there is no universal Win7 equalizer. With THX off, we can feel nothing. The verdict is that
(a) the sub-woofer is kinda low grade because it needs software enhancement to produce any kind of useful bass.
or (b) the sound card/driver is low-grade.
I really don't know which it is.

Whatever it is, I sorely wish for the JBL speakers on the Dell XPS line. SIGH! Esp. since ppl like me don't have separate home speaker systems.

 

Since we are on the topic of speakers on this thread, I want to ask:
(a) Does anyone hear noise on the 8150 when you are not playing anything at all, on your headphones?? its a slight buzzing crackling sound.
I can hear it on two different devices - a sony XB headphone and a sony earphones. SO, its not the devices i'm using.

(b) We couldn't possibly replace the sound card like we do the lcd panels, could we?? OR atleast could we get a new sound bar and install that on the sager?
An altec lansing one would be nice
I had an HP dv 9000 before this and even without sub-woofers of THX, it sounded much better than what i am hearing now; it has the altec lansing sound bar with just two speakers. The volume was also louder atleast by twice.

 

Simple question:

Creative THX installed or not?

 

When I enabled the THX and followed mountainlifter_k's instructions, the sub actually started working. Thanks for checking this for me!
When it comes to noise, I can hear something on my sennheiser wireless headphones. The output level seems a little low in general, but I guess I need to test a bit more to draw conclusions.

 

I have an 8130 but no I do not hear buzzing/crackling.

 

Sorry for not seeing this sooner,

To get the sound working you need to install and activate the THX software which should have been included on the disk

This is why the sub and 7.1 isnt working

All the best

Pman

 

What are generally the best settings to use for non-headphones use? I can't figure out what produces the best sound out of the speakers between the THX panel and the Realtek panel. I don't know why I need two different panels to control these speakers in the first place. I've always felt that redundant programs were a bad thing.

I also get a slight buzzing when using my Monster Beats Studio headphones. It is only while I have something active, i.e. gaming.

 

For those having buzzing issues, where is your laptop sitting? Is it a low frequency type static and buzzing? Most of the time you get buzzing in the line due to grounding issues- aka the laptop is sitting in your lap and not on the ground. This used to be a bigger issue with desktops going to speakers, but it's plausible it can happen on the laptop -> headphones.

Just see what happens if you have the laptop on a solid surface or hooked up to speakers. If it's just on headphones, it sounds like a grounding issue (your body is not a good ground, and will not equalize with the charge on the laptop by touching it).

Desktops sometimes needed a grounding loop between the desktop and speaker/receiver to eliminate static noises (a wire run between the two). It's strange, but it happens, especially in dry areas with higher amounts of static electricity. I wouldn't be surprised if it carries over to laptops to some degree as well.

That strange theory out of the way, it could be the headphones or a driver issue, but I've personally had this in desktops and solved it by grounding the devices.

 

HI Malibal,

Thanks for the info.

I found out that i get this buzzing on the 8150 ONLY when using the USB port next to the headphone jack.
The instant I remove anything connected to it, the buzzing noise stops entirely.
So far, ive tried two different mice, and an mp3 player. The charging mp3 player produced the most noise but each device has its own signature music/noise .
ANy help to solve this slightly annoying problem will be wonderful.

 

If anything, that makes it sound more like a grounding issue. Of the things you mentioned, the mp3 player would be drawing the most current through the USB port - hence due to poor shielding/close proximity of the USB port, you get the noise on the headphones. The only option I can think of would be to 1) use another USB port or 2) try to get your reseller to look it for RMA.

I just tried it on my personal P150HM with a phone charging on the USB port and music on the headphones - no buzzing. There might be a short somewhere in yours, or an issue with the shielding. Does it do the same thing with other headphones? It could be bad shielding on the headphones as well.

 

ALso, i should mention that the problem persists irrespective of whether i am plugged in or not & irrespective of whether I am muted or max volume.

listening devices:
I used two different sony headphones; both pick up the noise.

devices attached to the USB port:
You were right about the mp3 player producing the max noise. It even has an led that slowly brightens and lessens (like its breathing); Its the sony W series walkman. And along with the led "breathing" the noise increases/decreases too. It was so loud when using the mp3 player

I now have it removed and have a razer mouse in. This produces an even buzzing noise.

EDIT: THE noise reduces when i lift the mouse off the desk. When i place it back down, noise once more.
ALso, note: I do not keep the power brick near my laptop.

EDIT2: you said "I just tried it on my personal P150HM with a phone charging on the USB port and music on the headphones - no buzzing" ...... i am talking strictly when nothing is playing at all. When i play something, I can discern the noise only when the volume is below 10%.

 

Grounding is done through the power supply ONLY. It doesn't matter whether the laptop is in your lap or on any other surface. Ever notice the rubber feet on the bottom of a laptop? How can you say it's grounding through the surface you rest it on? That's bizzare!

If there is a grounding issue, it's with the outlet you're plugged in to. So, if you plug in to a known-to-be-good grounded outlet (like on a surge protector with a ground indicator) and the buzzing still happens... you know it's not a grounding issue.

My opinion is that you're experiencing interference. Ever notice how a cell phone can cause nearby speakers to emit an odd sound just before ringing? It's caused by lack of shielding. The more power that is consumed by the device, the louder the interference will be. I bet if you get shielded headphones or speakers this won't happen anymore. Or try moving your head as far as possible from the laptop/USB device, and see if the noise diminishes.

 

I too was wondering (as Malibal #2 said) how the surface on which we place the laptop will affect grounding.

Forget about plugging into a known-to-be-good grounded outlet. This happens even on battery power. So, perhaps you are right; it is EMI.

What are shielded heaphones or speakers? As i understand it now, it happens with any device i use for sound.

UPDATE: This problem is not limited to the headphone jack. There is buzzing coming from the laptop speakers too when something is connected to the USB port on the side of the headphone jack.

Moving the head to different distances while wearing the headphones produces no change; again, I found out now that the buzzing noise comes from the in-built speaker too. I didnt notice it before because of ambient sounds.

 

Then that's normal EM and radio noise from the mouse's USB reciever. Like others said, it may be poor shielding.

Are you sure there is buzzing with ALL USB devices you use? What USB devices have you tried?

 

It's definitely shielding then. You aren't by chance keeping a cell phone or other cellular device near the speakers? They tend to have the biggest RF footprint and can cause the most issues. Otherwise, you may just have poor shielding in general.

 

Nope, my cell phone is pretty far away.
Does this warrant an RMA? Idk.

 

It probably does, because at this point it sounds like a hardware issue. There's no obvious source of interference nearby, short you living next to a radio tower. I'd check with your reseller on getting it looked at.