Z790-E gaming wifi II front panel sound issue

[ermanuzun]

Hello everyone,

By purchasing the Rog-Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi-II, it seems I’ve joined the ranks of users experiencing issues with Asus products.

I have an Haf500 case and I connect my everyday use headset with a microphone to the 3.5mm jack on the front panel.

During Google Meet calls or while talking on Discord, my friends have told me that they can hear things from the background, such as a YouTube video playing. I immediately started investigating.

First, I tested the headset on another PC, and there was no issue.
I removed and reinstalled all Realtek drivers.
I updated the BIOS with the latest version.
I disabled the stereo mix in recording devices.

The issue is that I can only increase the volume of my voice going through the microphone by increasing the decibels in the Realtek Audio Control program.

If I don’t increase it, my voice comes across very weakly.

I wondered if there might be a hardware issue with the front panel. I took it to the place I bought it from, where they connected the front panel connections of the same case to my case, and there was no change. Thus, it became clear that there was no issue with the case.

This leaves only one option: either there is a hardware fault with the motherboard or I am experiencing a BIOS or driver issue.

By the way, I forgot to mention that I formatted Windows twice and installed all the latest drivers from Armoury Crate.

The place I bought it from said they could send it to Asus technical support for inspection, but I don’t have 20-25 days to wait as I use it for work.

Seeing that many people on the forum are experiencing similar audio issues, I thought it might be a waste of time.

Has anyone experienced and resolved a similar issue?

Thanks.

[Jiaszzz_ROG]

Hello @ermanuzun 

Thank you for reaching out to us.
May I inquire if the situation you described occurred after any recent changes, such as a Windows update or the connection of an external device?

I wondered if there might be a hardware issue with the front panel. I took it to the place I bought it from, where they connected the front panel connections of the same case to my case, and there was no change. Thus, it became clear that there was no issue with the case.

Could you confirm if this description indicates that you have tried testing with different chassis?
Has the distributor provided any additional after-sales support, such as hardware or software diagnostics?

Please assist us in verifying the following scenarios:
- Have you tried testing with different headsets with a microphone or a standalone microphone, and did the issue persist?
- Does the issue not occur when connecting to the audio port on the rear panel of the motherboard?
If this issue only occurs with the chassis connection ports and you have confirmed that the front panel audio header is correctly connected, please consider testing with a different chassis.


- If you disable "Stereo Mix" in the system's "Sound" settings, does the problem improve?
Additionally, we recommend referring to the troubleshooting suggestions provided in the discussion thread "How To Fix Mic Picking Up ALL PC Sounds," including disabling the "Listen to this device" feature, or searching for discussions related to troubleshooting system sound issues in Google Meet or Discord.
Kindly share detailed hardware specifications, software versions, and screenshots of relevant settings.

Thank you.

[ermanuzun]

Could you confirm if this description indicates that you have tried testing with different chassis?
   *** I didn't completely changed the chassis.

Has the distributor provided any additional after-sales support, such as hardware or software diagnostics?
   *** The place where I bought, tested the whole system. Windows 11 and all drivers are ok and updated via armoury crate. As a hardware support, they changed the front panel and the cables provided from the original chasis. Nothing changed.
Have you tried testing with different headsets with a microphone or a standalone microphone, and did the issue persist?
   *** I tried the headset to my Asus notebook, It works perfectly without mixing any sound with good quality. Techman tried new brand headset with the front panel connector, also It didn't work well.

- Does the issue not occur when connecting to the audio port on the rear panel of the motherboard?
If this issue only occurs with the chassis connection ports and you have confirmed that the front panel audio header is correctly connected, please consider testing with a different chassis.
   *** All the rear sound connection ports are working perfectly. And I confirm that, the front panel connection is connected to the number 15 F-Audio port on the motherboard.

 If you disable "Stereo Mix" in the system's "Sound" settings, does the problem improve?
Additionally, we recommend referring to the troubleshooting suggestions provided in the discussion thread "How To Fix Mic Picking Up ALL PC Sounds," including disabling the "Listen to this device" feature, or searching for discussions related to troubleshooting system sound issues in Google Meet or Discord.
**** Stereo Mix is disabled and listen to this device is disabled too. And nothing changes unfortunately.

[Jiaszzz_ROG]

Hello @ermanuzun 

Thank you for your prompt response and confirmation.
We would like to verify your detailed hardware and software specifications, as well as the issue scenario, to further replicate and investigate the problem:
- the images of BIOS main-page and all the manually adjusting items in BIOS
- the brand and model name of the headset, CPU, GPU, RAM (part number and installed slots as well), SSD/HDD, and PSU currently installed
- the OS version and OS build
- Armoury Crate version and screenshots of the Armoury Crate Update Center
- the circumstances and frequency of the problem
- screenshots of audio settings in Windows, Sonic Studio, Google Meet, and Discord

Thank you.

[ermanuzun]

Hello, thank you so much for your willingness to help.

I have installed the latest BIOS version, which is version 1503. After installing it, I reset the settings to default and didn’t make any changes.

- 14700K Processor
- Thermaltake 850W Gold PSU
- Samsung 990Pro 1 and 2 TB M.2 NVMe
- 128 GB (4x32) DDR5 5600MHz G.Skill Ripjaws S5
- Windows 11 Pro. 23H2 22631.4037

Realtek USB Audio Driver version 6.3.9600.2368

Let me explain the issue I’m currently experiencing.
To determine if the problem was caused by the operating system, I installed Windows 10. The problem persisted. Then, I reinstalled Windows 11 cleanly. I installed all the drivers from Armoury, but the issue continued.

I opened the case again to check if there was any loose connection or any proximity that might cause a short circuit in the cables.
Right now, the sound coming to the headset is clean, with no interference.

To block the outgoing sound, I downloaded the Nvidia Broadcast application and set up my headset microphone there, enabling noise removal and adjusting the strength settings.

I set Nvidia Broadcast as the input device on Discord. Currently, if I watch something on YouTube at low volume or lower the sound slider for the browser in the Windows mixer settings, the sound doesn’t get transmitted, but sometimes it’s not noticeable. When I raise the volume a bit, it starts transmitting again.

I wondered if the problem might be from the sound chip on the motherboard, so I disabled it from the BIOS. Then, I connected a USB sound card with the same headset, and it did the same thing.

I don’t know how it happens, but as soon as I go above a certain decibel level, things get messy, and it starts transmitting sound.

For example, I just played CS2. I’m talking to a friend on Discord and another friend in the CS game. The friend I’m talking to in the game says, “When you start talking, I hear the voice of your other friend on Discord.” This shouldn’t happen. The sounds are getting mixed up.

Honestly, I don’t know what to do. If there wasn't nvidia broadcast the issue was much more worse 😞

[achugh]

Hi @ermanuzun can you also share the make and model number of your headset? In the screenshot above it is showing up as KT USB Audio. It seems you have a USB Headset. This means it will NOT use the Realtek Audio Drivers.

With your Headset connected, can you go into Windows Sounds Control Panel and show what it looks like? See https://rog-forum.asus.com/t5/gaming-motherboards/can-asus-support-fix-realtek-audio-drivers-with-bo... post of mine where I shared my images. I am asking for images with WHITE color as the background.

[Jiaszzz_ROG]

Hello @ermanuzun 

Based on your description, this issue only occurs with the chassis ports, while the motherboard rear panel ports are functioning properly, and persists when disabling the onboard sound card and using an external sound card.
We recommend that you cross-test with different headphones or check with the supplier regarding the relevant drivers or firmware versions.

Thank you.