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Sound issue on Packard Bell Easy Note

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PCOBREIZ -  
antipolis a Posted messages 17152 Status Member -
Hello,

I'm currently experiencing a sound issue with my Packard Bell Easy Note PC.
Specifically, when I watch a movie or listen to music with iTunes.

The whole musical part plays fine, but the vocals are missing, whether it's on songs or during films, regardless of the file formats.

I installed ffdshow using the default settings, but while I've gained a tiny bit in audibility, it's still very far from what it was before.

What should I do to achieve better sound quality?

Thank you all

Configuration: Windows XP / Internet Explorer 8.0

7 answers

  1.
    antipolis a Posted messages 17152 Status Member 2 917
     
    On these devices, you shouldn't expect HiFi quality.
    As soon as you turn up the volume a bit, the sound quality quickly degrades.

    The best option is to connect external speakers.
    Here are options for various budgets:
    https://www.lesnumeriques.com/enceintes-pc.html
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    1. PCOBREIZ
       
      Thank you for that initial response, but indeed I'm not looking for hi-fi. I just want to hear something. The voice is completely weakened, with a huge attenuation, even totally garbled and inaudible, which was not the case at the very beginning.

      I don't remember installing anything related to sound, except for Windows updates.
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  2. antipolis a Posted messages 17152 Status Member 2 917
     
    I don't understand.
    Is it a quality problem or a power problem?

    If the music is fine, I don't see why the voice wouldn't be.

    "The voice is completely weakened, a huge attenuation, even totally distorted and inaudible."
    The same must be true for the music.
    Otherwise, it's not logical.

    You must have modified something since it worked properly before.

    Recently, I had a laptop where the sound was "terrible."
    Both the music and the voice.
    The solution was to download a recent driver, uninstall the current driver, and install the new one.
    Perfect afterward.

    One should not just update the current driver.
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    1. PCOBREIZ
       
      Good evening,

      Yes, indeed it’s excessively strange and that’s why I’m asking the question since I don’t understand anything myself.
      It’s really just the voice! It’s as if there are several sound tracks and the voice goes through a weird filter, but not the ones with the different instrumentals. This is completely absurd: these are mp3 sounds, not professional sound engineer recordings!

      Of course, it didn’t come out of nowhere; I must have done something, a wrong manipulation, but I can’t find what it is!

      I’ve checked that I didn’t select 5.1 or surround or something like that (it’s checked on laptop speakers). The problem also occurs when listening with headphones, which rules out a problem with the speakers themselves.

      Anyway, I really don’t understand.

      I’m going to try replacing the driver, which I hadn’t done because the diagnosis didn’t show any malfunction and didn’t offer to do an update.

      Can you give me an address to download updated drivers?

      Thanks in advance.
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    2. invalide
       
      we want answers!
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    3. antipolis a Posted messages 17152 Status Member 2 917
       
      => "invalid".

      Instead of writing "nonsense" on a topic from November 2011,
      you would be better off revising your grammar.
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  3. antipolis a Posted messages 17152 Status Member 2 917
     
    Let me know if I understood correctly.
    When you listen to a piece of music with instruments and a voice, the instruments are not distorted and at a "normal" level, but the voice is distorted and weakened?

    You can download drivers here:
    https://www.packardbell.com/pb/fr/FR/content/download

    What do you use to play your videos and music?
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    1. PCOBREIZ
       
      Hello,

      that's exactly it.

      To play music, I usually use iTunes, but I sometimes use VLC, the movie player.
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  4. antipolis a Posted messages 17152 Status Member 2 917
     
    Hello.

    If you have the music in mp3, try playing it with "ViPlay".
    Download it here:
    http://www.clubic.com/telecharger-fiche11026-viplay.html
    I've been using it for years without any problem.

    For video, I use VLC which works great and plays almost all formats.

    However, I still think your issues do not come from the players used, but from your PC's audio interface.

    An idea comes to mind.
    Maybe a lead regarding "DirectX".
    What is "DirectX"? :
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DirectX

    It may not be up to date or simply "degraded". Who knows.

    You can update this component from the "Microsoft" site:
    http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en-us/details.aspx?FamilyID=2da43d38-db71-4c1b-bc6a-9b6652cd92a3

    It's worth a try. It could only do good for your PC.

    WARNING. Before making this kind of manipulation, it's wise to create a restore point.
    You never know what might happen.
    And with a restore point, if there’s a problem, you can go back.
    Otherwise, beware of major issues.

    Best regards.
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    1. PCOBREIZ
       
      Hello,

      unfortunately my issue is not resolved. I simply hadn't touched the computer during the weekend.

      I tested DirectX, no improvement: the music is still very clear, but the voice remains really strange, like when you try to speak underwater, with a bubble effect.

      I looked through my installed programs to see if any of them had an equalizer or special effect function; I turned on and off the equalizers in VLC and others, but nothing works.

      I also ran a program to check for outdated drivers, which didn't indicate anything concerning Audio.

      So, I'm no further ahead.

      Thank you for the help and the suggestions provided.

      Best regards
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    2. PCOBREIZ
       
      Here it is, the issue is resolved, I finally found a driver directly on the Realtek website.
      The drivers on the PB site had no effect.

      Thanks again for the help.

      PcoBreiz
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  6. antipolis a Posted messages 17152 Status Member 2 917
     
    Hello.

    No news (negation).
    So, we can think that everything is going well.
    Remember to mark your topic as [Resolved].

    Best regards.
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  7. antipolis a Posted messages 17152 Status Member 2 917
     
    Hello.

    Glad you found a solution.

    But a dunce cap for "Packard Bell" that can't provide proper drivers.

    Best regards.
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  8. PCOBREIZ
     
    Thank you again Antipolis for the help and valuable guidance (like the restore point....)

    Yes, PB doesn't provide much help for an old PC...they probably want me to invest in a new one.

    Best regards.
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