Vaio SA volume not loud at all...normal?

Hi,

I wasn't expecting a lot from the SA I bought and knew most of the things that people didn't like (screen etc..)

One thing that bothers me is the sound volume. I was expecting crappy sound on that type of laptop but it's actually the volume level I have a problem with.

I find the speakers not loud enough even with volume at max in windows and also in the player. Example, looking at some episodes of a tv show on the web. Volume on the laptop at max and the volume of the Flash player on the web page at max too. You hear the show but you can't get it louder.

Is this normal?

Thanks

 

I can't speak for the SA, but sound is usually rubbish on the slim & sleek VAIO's. It's quite inexcusable really, but the sound quality & volume levels is f-ing crap on all of them.

Sony need to up their game because Apple manage to get high quality sound out of their machines.

 

Agreed. My mobile phone is louder in handsfree/speaker mode. Steve78 is absolutely right. Even the iPod touch has excellent sound, way better than these new VAIOs. My old VGN-S2XP is pretty decent too.

 

Right click on your volume icon, go to Playback devices. Select the default speakers, and hit properties. Go to the 'Dolby' tab and check the audio boost/enhancement box (forget what it's called exactly, but it'll be obvious). This won't completely solve your problem but it should make a difference.

 

I think that'll make a noticeable difference only when running sound thru external speakers thru hdmi or widi. On these small crappy speakers, no amount of software optimizations can cause any noticeable difference. (maybe a little white noise thats about it). The dolby tag is just marketing IMO.

 

No, it does make a noticeable difference. I have an SA.

 

Thanks guys. I do know about the Dolby "audio enhancer" and "surround" settings. They do make a little difference in quality of sound but not in volume.

Well it looks like these speakers are crap. I installed VLC player that can boost the volume to 200% so at least, when listening to a movie on the go, I can boost the volume if I don't have my earphones and hear the actors

Had a lot of laptops in my life so far but the speakers on the S series are really bad.

 

You can always buy portable USB powered speakers

 

True but that's one other thing to carry. Unless you know of a model that is compact and offers good sound...

 

There are many light and portable clip on speakers that attach itself behind the laptop screen. The Creative Labs TravelSound Notebook 500 Speaker System has good reviews and weighs 8.6 ounces

 

Thanks!...Looking at different solutions...

Logitech has one that gets nice reviews: ‪Logitech Z305 Laptop Speaker Full Review‬‏ - YouTube

 

Yup the Z305 is nice

 

Perhaps your SA will have the same problem as mine. My SA speakers stopped working completely. Sony came out and replaced them (took 2 times, ordered wrong speakers the first time) and they still didn't work. I have now shipped it back to Sony for a new motherboard. I'll be filing a dispute with my credit card and returning the Vaio.

 

Sucks and I don't think it's the same thing.

They work fine with earphones or external speakers....it's just the volume of the integrated ones that is crappy as well as their sound quality.

 

Yes. Seems they were so focused on making the laptop light and slim that they forgot all about the speakers, and only realised it after it was too late to put in something even halfway decent. These speakers sound like piezo-electric buzzers. I live in a warm country - air conditioners, ceiling fans, etc. These speakers are pathetic - there is no better word to describe them.

 

Just letting you know that I got a Logitech Z305 USB speaker. Wow....what a difference! This speaker has a place in my laptop bag.

 

Nice. Btw. how heavy are they? Will they break my VPCZ1 screen (slim carbon fiber lid). Are the clips adjustable to cope with the lid thickness?

 

Not heavy at all. Won't cause a problem to your lid. The clip is a spring clip so it can fit any thickness.

 

Thanks, coldcase. This is now on my to get list (next trip to the marketplace).

 

This is through the headphone jack and not the speaker, so the relevance of this post is questionable, but regarding volume, I uninstalled the RealTek audio driver from my SB and I immediately noticed the huge volume difference while using the driver Windows automatically installed. 60% volume on the RealTek translated to 5% on the Windows!

 

Sometimes the Microsoft default audio driver might give a huge volume boost, but you will loose options like Stereo Mix.

 

Do you get Stereo Mix with the RealTek drivers? I've since reinstalled the RealTek driver and I don't see it in the Recording pane and would really like to have that capability!

 

I get the Stereo Mix option with the Sigmatel audio driver in my FZ.

You might have to click "show disabled devices" in recording devices.

 

double post...delete me

 

You think I can replace the Realtek on my SB with the Sigmatel?

 

^No, you have to use the hardware specific driver. Realtek drivers also have the stereo mix option. You can try a different Realtek driver.

 

Has anyone been able to get stereo mix to show up on a SA/B/C/D?? I tried about a month ago but couldn't find a working solution. I'd love to have that capability so that I can wireless stream my computer audio to my network music player without getting some sort of external adapter.

Re: uninstalling the Realtek driver. Will the windows audio driver automatically start working (possibly after a reboot)?

Even if there's no way to get stereo mix, I'd still like to boost the audio volume if possible.

 

Would also love to hear a solution for this.

It did for me, no reboot required.

 

^ Install the Realtek driver found in their site. That might have the stereo mix option enabled. I don't know if you will be able to install that driver though.

 

If you are desperate for stereo mix and can't get the realtek drivers to work take a look at this... I've used it before with some success.

Virtual Audio Cable - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia