5672 Low audio with Headphones??

Welcome to the forums

Is it low volume for everything (music, streaming video, movies ect.)? Have you tried multiple sets up headphones? How low are we talking here, like barely able to hear it?

Did you try reinstalling the latest drivers? You've messed with all the audio options i take it? Sound on these laptops has been known to go bad (mine included). I wouldn't be supprised if you have a faulty piece of hardware on your hands. I wouldn't put it past these laptops to have faulty sound chips integrated on the motherboard, you might need to send it in to be repaired...

I had choppy audio when mine took a dump. I needed a replacment motherboard.

If not hardware than what? You have the latest drivers and played with all the audio settings, what does that leave?

Is it possible the amplifier doesn't have power to drive the larger headphones? Headphones are nothing more than little speakers... The larger the speaker, the greater the power needs to properly drive the voice coil. Like the difference (power consumption) between a tweeter and a 10" subwoofer.

The reason your external speakers sound ok is because I'm guessing they have a built-in amplifier. I'm also gussing a notebook doesn't have more than a 1 watt amplifier built in and probably more like 500mW... Not enough power to drive larger headphones.

If your external speakers have a headphone jack, try plugging your big headphones into that jack. You'll most likely hear a big difference.

HTH

One thing worth a try:

go to control panel -> sound and audio devices -> volume -> advanced

check if "stereo headphones" is currently set. Try some of the other settings. Hope that helps.

I have this problem with unpowered speakers (so quiet I cannot hear them), but not with externally powered headphones (I use Sennheiser RS140's).

I'm looking at getting a Creative Audigy 2 PCMCIA card however, as apparently this makes it sound much better.

Just throwing one more idea. Typically if you connect headphones to line out you get low volume sound. If your laptop has line out and headphones out combined in single physical jack then it is possible that Realtek hardware/drivers cannot sense what kind of output is connected. This "sensing" is based on measuring resistance on the output and it requires certain processes (part of full Realtek drivers setup) running.
Alternatively you may select the output type either through Sound Effect Manager (Realtek applet in Control Panel) on the Speaker Configuration page (select Headphone in drop-down) or in Sound and Audio Devices applet in Speaker Settings -> Advanced.

You guys have hit the nail on the head so to speak. The audio card in the system only has enough power to power a standard head set. It does suck and to make matters even worse the speakers on the system are only 1.5 watt speakers meaning that they are a little smaller than normal headphones

i am having the same problem with my three week old aspire 5672wlmi. i don't understand how the audio can be so much quieter than my painfully outdated inspiron or any other machine i've experienced for that matter. unfortunately, i bought this computer with high hopes for ultra-portable recording (memory, speed, etc.), but it has been, to say the least, "difficult" in this department...the headphone jack itself has already given out (loose connector) and i would hate to have to send it back already for something so minor, but oh so annoying. also, i can't figure out why I can't monitor audio as i am recording it (never run into this with any other computers using the same recording programs). but most disappointing is the low volume when using headphones for any kind of audio. why such an otherwise beefed up system be so deficient in this area is beyond me. i am constantly traveling (pilot) and can't carry bulky speakers or other accessories with me. i have no idea what it would take to fix this internally, if it can be, and i'm definitely feeling your pain. the problem almost seems too simple to not have a "magic" fix. i too have tried reloading drivers, maxing all audio controls/eq's, the works. no luck. please post any solutions you or others may discover. good luck!

I have the exact opposite problem. I can hear the audio, but when I try and use voip in Battlefield 2 it just takes about a 0.2 second sound clip and distorts it out of control. Reinstalling drivers and new drivers seem to do nothing to fix this! Driving me mad!

Just can't use speakers with it, so annoying.

I’ve had the same issue with “low” volume from headphones. I solved the problem with the little gizmo from Boostaroo®® called “Portable Headphone Audio Amplifier and Splitter”. It’s very small and works very well. So well in fact that I now keep volume down to a minimum because it is so loud WITHOUT any distortion. Check it out.

thanks for the tip. that would be perfect except my headphone jack on my machine is already broken! maybe there's something usb out there like that?