Issue with poor audio clarity on Windows 11 even with great headphones
Issue with poor audio clarity on Windows 11 even with great headphones
I have just gotten a new Win laptop - MSI Stealth 16, supposedly a great laptop - and have been struggling to get good, acceptable sound quality. I come from an old mac, where the sound was terrific.
What's problematic:
I've tried various equalisers in Win 11 (including Boom, Peace, but they were very bad), and am currently using FxSound. Basically, it sounds quite artificial and hollow. Highs which should be higher are more faint, depths which should be stronger are weaker. Also, the volume sometimes fluctuates, for example when someone is singing - you can hear that it is being lowered in volume. It's as if there was an volume flattener applied, but no, no such setting is applied on any equalisers.
My speakers are vintage Denon speakers and Denon amplifier. Many years old but are truly excellent and sound amazing with my old mac. It sounded as if you were present in the room right there with the music. I listen to the same songs on the Win laptop, and the mac, and there is a noticeable difference. I use equaliser programs as well on my mac.
If I cannot get the sound right, I'll likely return this laptop as I just can't live with listening to mediocre music quality. An untrained ear might not notice or care, but I certainly can notice it. It would be a real shame - it should certainly be possible to get good sound today, you'd expect, with Windows.
What I've tried so far:
- changing sample rate, eg to 48000 hz and 192000 hz
- updating drivers, reinstalling drivers, reinstalling Win 11
- disabling / enabling audio enhancements
- rejigging equaliser settings
Is there anything else I should try?
What method are you employing to link this laptop with your Denon receiver? Because the laptop features a TRRS input/output port, do you have the appropriate converter in place to isolate the microphone input from the stereo output, which is subsequently linked to the Denon receiver?
Seconding @dwd999
New "Win laptop" and "old mac" versions available with distinct audio specifications.
For more details, see the article: https://www.cablechick.com.au/blog/under...dio-jacks/
The 3.5 mm jack from the laptop connects directly to the amplifier (yellow and black, CD input – the only working one for laptops). The amplifier is Denon's F88. Then the speakers are linked separately to the amplifier.
What confuses me is that this identical setup works perfectly with my Mac, yet a newer laptop with better specs sounds worse.
I purchased a new DAC for around 80 dollars, and I believe the audio quality has significantly improved, matching my Mac's performance. Perhaps the issue was a subpar DAC connected to the laptop motherboard from MSI.