Question Mediocre sound quality on Win 11, despite excellent speakers

[hlvrn]

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?

 

[dwd999]

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?

How are you connecting this laptop to your Denon receiver? Since this laptop uses a TRRS input/output jack, are you using the correct adapter to separate the mic input from the stereo output which is then connected to the Denon receiver?

 

[Ralston18]

@hlvrn

Seconding @dwd999

New "Win laptop" and "old mac" - different audio specs.

FYI:

https://www.cablechick.com.au/blog/understanding-trrs-and-audio-jacks/

 

[hlvrn]

How are you connecting this laptop to your Denon receiver? Since this laptop uses a TRRS input/output jack, are you using the correct adapter to separate the mic input from the stereo output which is then connected to the Denon receiver?

A 3.5 mm jack from laptop going straight to the amplifier (yellow and black, CD input - which is the only one working for laptops). The amplifier is Denon's F88. Then the speakers are separately connected to the amplifier.

What baffles me is that this exact same connection and setup sounds amazing with my Mac. I just don't get how a newer laptop with beefier specs can sound worse.

 

[hlvrn]

UPDATE

I bought a new DAC, costing about 80$, and I think the sound has improved a lot now, on par with my Mac. So maybe the culprit was a not-so-great-DAC integrated with the laptop motherboard from MSI.