Jay wrote on Oct 1, 2011, 11:09:Yeah, I did check. I don't see it. Maybe it doesn't exist in the newer drivers or XP version. The drivers do sometime force me to uninstall the installed old one and reboot before the new one Even that didn't show it. I just don't see it. Oh well.
It's been a while since I used realtek drivers so I don't quite recall. Go through every option available and look for words "full range." It's possible the option is unavailable or grayed out if you're using stereo connection (since full range speakers are implied at that point). Uninstalling realtek drivers completely and using Windows drivers may work too.
Jay wrote on Sep 30, 2011, 22:51:Where is that option? I should have the latest driver from RealTek. Just remember I only have analog 2.1 speaker setup.
I just realized that you're still using xp. I didn't have muted bass problem until I upgraded to vista. So it could be a different problem you're experiencing. Perhaps swapped center/sub channel?
edit: heeeey wait a min.... your speaker accepts stereo signal, meaning the speaker itself is responsible for splitting bass, not the audio card. Make sure that "full range speakers" option is enabled in your realtek driver.
padlock wrote on Sep 30, 2011, 23:09:
Maybe I'm missing something here, but if using a digital connection(HDMI/Optical/Coax) why would a discrete soundcard be any better then on board? Either way, you're simply spitting out a bitstream.
I can understand why analog out might be better with a discrete soundcard, but aren't most people using digital connections now?
Jay wrote on Sep 30, 2011, 22:32:Ah, I will have to look at that. I wished you could do that with the driver instead of having to do it in each player. At least Creative's driver lets you control treble, bass, etc. RealTek doesn't do that vey well!Ant wrote on Sep 30, 2011, 22:15:
Which players can do it? Does the latest Winamp, K-Lite Codec Full Pack's Media Player Classic Home Cinema (MPC-HC), etc. do? If so, then they are still weak IMO compared to my Audigy 2 ZS! And yes, I played with the driver's equalizer (EQ).
Back when I was using Realtek I used to use VLC. I can't remember for the life of me if it was a built in feature or a plugin, but there was an option to split subwoofer channel manually and specify the frequency.
If you can't find such option, try enabling Dolby Surround option (in vlc) and see if it helps - if they're using recent prologic it might do the bass.
Ant wrote on Sep 30, 2011, 22:15:
Which players can do it? Does the latest Winamp, K-Lite Codec Full Pack's Media Player Classic Home Cinema (MPC-HC), etc. do? If so, then they are still weak IMO compared to my Audigy 2 ZS! And yes, I played with the driver's equalizer (EQ).
Jay wrote on Sep 30, 2011, 22:09:Which players can do it? Does the latest Winamp, K-Lite Codec Full Pack's Media Player Classic Home Cinema (MPC-HC), etc. do? If so, then they are still weak IMO compared to my Audigy 2 ZS! And yes, I played with the driver's equalizer (EQ).
Yeah, that's a big problem with Realtek chips. They're perfectly capable of outputting bass, but apparently their programmers don't know how to do LFE crossover at the driver level. If you use a media player or play games using an audio API that does it manually (Dirt2 does, I think), you'll hear perfect bass again. Of course, most games don't, because it's the kind of thing that soundcard is responsible for doing.
External soundcard might be the only option for you.
eunichron wrote on Sep 30, 2011, 19:01:I had my Klipsch ProMedia v2-400 for almost a decade. Great speakers even though turning its volume control knob can be static (a known issue), but its bass was awesome. Too bad its subwoofer went downhill and broke at the end of its usage time for me. I ended up with Logitech Z-2300 (2.1). Nice bass too until I started using an onboard RealTek sound has lower bass since I couldn't use my old Audigy 2 ZS anymore due to lack of PCI slots.
... I'm still running the old Klipsch ProMedia 5.1s... I wish I could afford better, but I've had them since 2003 and they have never failed me, they aren't going anywhere any time soon.
Dmitri_M wrote on Sep 30, 2011, 18:13:^Drag0n^ wrote on Sep 30, 2011, 18:04:
Soundcards are only relevant to those on the high end of audio. And most people in that situation use high end external DACs anyway.
Continue pretending to be a PC gamer.
PHJF wrote on Sep 30, 2011, 18:30:What? I use a Xonar DS(PCI) in a 5.1 surround setup. The only time I use a headset is if I'm playing a MMO and I'm in a raid otherwise even then I'm using my normal speaker setup. The majority of my gaming is a 'solitary pursuit' because I deal with people all day and want to get away from my work, not to mention people.
PC gamers use headsets, many of which are USB. Speakers almost never enter into it. High-end headphones (which so far as I've seen are never USB) even require more juice than puny sound cards can muster, thus necessitating external amplification. Only the best of the best sound cards have hot enough outputs (or a dedicated headphone amp) for premium headphones.