G751 Imbalanced Sound Problem OFFICIAL SUPPORT THREAD (thread closed)

[BRSxIgnition]

I've created this thread to condense the information we've gathered on this issue over the course of the old thread, which can be found here.

Current Fix Status:
Fix Here: https://rog.asus.com/forum/showthread.php?57462-G751-Imbalanced-Sound-Problem-FIX-IS-OUT!

Current Probable Issue Diagnosis:
Regular Signal instead of LFE (Low Frequency Effects) Signal to Subwoofer

Description (In different states):

Installed Drivers (Main Issue):

All speakers "working", but WITH massive imbalance issue.Sub greatly overshadows L/R Speakers & also distorts at volumes above 35%. Can hear sound very faintly coming from L/R speakers with ear pressed up against them.

Uninstalled Drivers (Temporary Fix):

Subwoofer (Only) is default playback device, with L/R Speakers being listed as a separate playback device. Left and Right Speakers working at full volume when selected as default playback device, with no sound
coming from subwoofer. Subwoofer can play audio when selected as default device, but distorts at volume levels above 35%, and does not work in conjunction with rear speakers in this configuration. (Either/Or Situation)

Reinstalled Drivers (Main Issue, Again):

Same effect as "Installed Drivers" every time. (All speakers "working", but WITH the imbalance issue. Sub greatly outpowers L/R Speakers & also distorts at volumes above 35%. Can hear sound very faintly coming from L/R speakers with ear pressed up against them.)

**NEW** Subwoofer Disabled (New Finding/Confirmation):

L/R Speakers can be heard perfectly fine when Subwoofer is disabled using the "Vbcmd_mute_int_woofer" Mute.exe file provided by MarshallR@ASUS on the ROG Forums. Cannot comment on volume level, but volume seems to scale fine without the subwoofer to overshadow it. This confirms the situation is a software issue, and all speakers are physically fine.

This issue is known to arise both brand new "out of box" units as well as on units where the OS has been cloned or reinstalled on a new drive and the ASUS Support Site drivers have been used. All G751 Models can have this issue.

Temporary Fixes:
As mentioned in the description, the speakers still work fine, proving that the issue is Software, not Hardware-related.

To get your Left & Right back speakers working correctly, follow the temporary fix guides below.

**NEW** TEMPORARY FIX - DISABLE SUBWOOFER:

• Download and extract this RAR file.
  
• Make sure you have the ASUS G751 Realtek Drivers installed. You can find them here.
  
• Unzip Vbcmd_mute_int_woofer tool, and run Mute.exe.
  
• If it returns a "Success!" message, your subwoofer should now be disabled.
  
• If you ever need to enable your subwoofer again (when a fix is issued), simply unzip Vbcmd_unmute_int_woofer and run Unmute.exe.
  
• Viola.
  

Enjoy your tinny-back speakers with no sub until we get a fix from ASUS. Until then, keep checking in here for updates, and let us know if you find anything!

Edit by cl-Albert 2/5/15: Very late thanks for looking into this and apologies for the delay, BRSxIgnition.
The new *.7432 G751 audio driver has finally been released, so this thread has been closed (to avoid 2 competing threads) and a new thread started.
If anybody is interested, please post your testing results or comments about this new audio driver at the post below. Thanks!

G751 Imbalanced Sound Problem FIX IS OUT!
https://rog.asus.com/forum/showthread.php?57462-G751-Imbalanced-Sound-Problem-FIX-IS-OUT!

[ARX7Arbalest]

what if, speakers are functionning when subwoofer is muted and still experiencing audio issues like sub playing L/R channel sounds, sub not playing sub channel sound unless 'swap center/subwoofer channels' is checked and even then the sub channel is played by all 3 speakers?

Do you have the drivers from ASUS Installed? The Realtek 6.0.1.7335 Drivers? If so, then this means that there is more than just one type of the speaker issue.

@Marshall

Ran the test and I would like to add that I cloned the ASUS Install of Windows onto an SSD before this occurred since ASUS Backtracker had an issue with restoring the image to the SSD. My SSD is a 250GB Samsung 840 EVO if that helps.

So it looks like the L/R speakers are working also with the Subwoofer during my testing. The L/R speaker's sound is just teeny compared to the loudness coming from the subwoofer.

[X-ROG]

Installed Drivers (Main Issue):

All speakers "working", but WITH massive imbalance issue.Sub greatly overshadows L/R Speakers & also distorts at volumes above 35%. Can hear sound very faintly coming from L/R speakers with ear pressed up against them.

Uninstalled Drivers (Temporary Fix):

Subwoofer (Only) is default playback device, with L/R Speakers being listed as a separate playback device. Left and Right Speakers working at full volume when selected as default playback device, with no sound
coming from subwoofer. Subwoofer can play audio when selected as default device, but distorts at volume levels above 35%, and does not work in conjunction with rear speakers in this configuration. (Either/Or Situation)

Reinstalled Drivers (Main Issue, Again):

Same effect as "Installed Drivers" every time. (All speakers "working", but WITH the imbalance issue. Sub greatly outpowers L/R Speakers & also distorts at volumes above 35%. Can hear sound very faintly coming from L/R speakers with ear pressed up against them.)

**NEW** Subwoofer Disabled (New Finding/Confirmation):

L/R Speakers can be heard perfectly fine when Subwoofer is disabled using the "Vbcmd_mute_int_woofer" Mute.exe file provided by MarshallR@ASUS on the ROG Forums. Cannot comment on volume level, but volume seems to scale fine without the subwoofer to overshadow it. This confirms the situation is a software issue, and all speakers are physically fine.

Looking at the form data we gathered and this, it sounds like (sorry!) we have an LFE issue rather than working or not.

I will ask if they can tweak the drivers so the sub only emits when <100Hz is played.

The sub is twice the size of both speakers and it's closer to you, so it will be louder. I will push our RD and Realtek to try a driver with LFE. Will let you know.

I think we have a translation/miscommunication here - the reason why they 'couldn't see' a problem is that they might be looking at the physical functionality, rather than LFE, as the data I relayed before pointed to a 'not working' issue rather than sound domination/LFE issue. At least we should be on the right track now.

[escha]

MarshallR@ASUS wrote:
I think we have a translation/miscommunication here - the reason why they 'couldn't see' a problem is that they might be looking at the physical functionality, rather than LFE, as the data I relayed before pointed to a 'not working' issue rather than sound domination/LFE issue. At least we should be on the right track now.

That's why i was confused with the DUMP file step only for those with speakers NOT working when sub disabled. Becaouse I have same issues as discribed in the first post... and L/R working with sub disabled.
The truly wierd thing is that there is no 2.1 setup in drivers manager while this is phisycaly 2.1 right? L/R Front + Sub, I know it can be managed with 5.1 but still. 2.1 for build-in speakers and 5.1 option for exterior speakers via jacks and hdmi... (all realtek drivers i've had so far had options like this)
Since the Subwoofer is on 3rd channel it should be playing only those sounds, instead of playing front channel sounds that are above some crossover point or sth like that. And again why the driver doesn't recognize 2.1 setup?

PS: nvm

[BRSxIgnition]

MarshallR@ASUS wrote:
Looking at the form data we gathered and this, it sounds like (sorry!) we have an LFE issue rather than working or not.
.....
I will ask if they can tweak the drivers so the sub only emits when <100Hz is played.
.....
I think we have a translation/miscommunication here - the reason why they 'couldn't see' a problem is that they might be looking at the physical functionality, rather than LFE, as the data I relayed before pointed to a 'not working' issue rather than sound domination/LFE issue. At least we should be on the right track now.

I should apologize for that - it was largely my fault that we were looking for a "working"/"not-working" identifier before. I couldn't hear sound from the L/R speakers as clearly as I could with uninstalled drivers, and therefore assumed they were not playing sound with drivers installed. This was a mistake and I should have looked into it more thoroughly before I stated things as fact. I'm very glad now that all the issue reports are lining up and we can finally see a light at the end of the tunnel.

Regardless, thank you very much, MarshallR. "No LFE Signal" - based on what I've looked up online about the term and your testimony - does indeed sound like the issue the vast majority of us are experiencing.

As such, I've updated the first post with this information.

Could you please update us with an ETA on the new drivers as soon as possible? I realize it takes time, but even those of us with extended holiday return periods are beginning to run out.

[Richdog]

MarshallR@ASUS wrote:
Sorry I'm late back. There's still more work to do in identifying the cause here I'm afraid. We cannot replicate the issue on multiple units, so we need more precise user input. Those affected, please follow these instructions:

FIRST:
Fill out this Google form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1VfPvFlsBgo_NImHQ0LnMps99VhXbN2vWzwprhXfL1Q8/viewform. It will cover things you've already stated, but this exports a clearer spreadsheet of what we need to know as I cannot disseminate exact, up to date details for each person within 17 pages of thread sorry.



SECONDLY:
1. Download this rar file, it contains 3 further files.
https://www.asuswebstorage.com/navigate/s/69B9B25979E542DB928A4D551F38AEF4Y
2. Make sure the official ASUS Realtek drivers are installed.
3. UnZip Vbcmd_mute_int_woofer tool, press Mute.exe to disable Subwoofer
4. Play stereo music to check L/R speakers are working or not
5. After finish testing, UnZip Vbcmd_unmute_int_woofer, press UnMute.exe to enable Subwoofer
(Do not forget to turn on the function, otherwise your Subwoofer will not work again.)
If cannot hear audio when subwoofer is muted (L/R speaker not functioning), please proceed to step 7.
7. UnZip RtHDDump tool
8. Make sure General IO, HDA DRV IO and Dump dat is checked
9. Press Dump when playing stereo music (like an mp3/aac) simultaneously
10. it will create a txt file at the same folder, please email that txt file to rog _ forum at asus dot com.

Well, after doing this it is 100% certain that all speakers are in fact working at once... but my thoughts are:

• The back speakers are very quiet in conjunction with the sub
  
• When the sub is muted, the back speakers are nowhere near as loud as when you uninstall Realtek drivers and install the default ones
  
• Seems to me in my inexpert opinion that the signal is being distributed through all three speakers with a heavy emphasis, reducing the output to the back speakers
  

I would love to know if it was possible for the sub to function ONLY as a sub in order to provide bass to the main rear speakers... but it is increasingly looking like that is not likely.

[BRSxIgnition]

MarshallR@ASUS wrote:
We cannot replicate the issue on multiple units, so we need more precise user input. Those affected, please follow these instructions.....

First of all, thank you very much for getting back to us with such a detailed response and providing us with new means of identifying the cause of this infuriating issue. I have filled in the form as clearly as I can with all the information I could disseminate while running the tests you have described, and I hope that it helps in finding a solution for this issue before I am forced to return my machine.

To be fully transparent, as well as to further the investigation on our (the forum's) end, here are my complete findings:

BRSxIgnition wrote:
Installed Drivers (Main Issue):

All speakers "working", but WITH massive imbalance issue.Sub greatly overshadows L/R Speakers & also distorts at volumes above 35%. Can hear sound very faintly coming from L/R speakers with ear pressed up against them.

Uninstalled Drivers (Temporary Fix):

Subwoofer (Only) is default playback device, with L/R Speakers being listed as a separate playback device. Left and Right Speakers working at full volume when selected as default playback device, with no sound
coming from subwoofer. Subwoofer can play audio when selected as default device, but distorts at volume levels above 35%, and does not work in conjunction with rear speakers in this configuration. (Either/Or Situation)

Reinstalled Drivers (Main Issue, Again):

Same effect as "Installed Drivers" every time. (All speakers "working", but WITH the imbalance issue. Sub greatly outpowers L/R Speakers & also distorts at volumes above 35%. Can hear sound very faintly coming from L/R speakers with ear pressed up against them.)

**NEW** Subwoofer Disabled (New Finding/Confirmation):

L/R Speakers can be heard perfectly fine when Subwoofer is disabled using the "Vbcmd_mute_int_woofer" Mute.exe file provided by MarshallR@ASUS on the ROG Forums. Cannot comment on volume level, but volume seems to scale fine without the subwoofer to overshadow it. This confirms the situation is a software issue, and all speakers are physically fine.

I'm curious to hear if these findings coincide with those of other users on this forum.

At the very least, we now know that a command can be sent to the Subwoofer to disable it, meaning it's very likely possible to change the signal it receives - as well as the volume it receives it at - as well.

Please keep us up-to-date on how everything progresses, MarshallR!

[escha]

in my case it's quite similar:
All 3 speakers are working.
Using Realtek HD Audio Manager (5.1 setup with Center and Rear pair unchecked) I can NOT play sounds separatly, meaning - Subwoofer playes both LEFT and RIGHT channels' sounds.
The Subwoofer channel is NOT played UNLESS i check the box for "Swap Center/Subwoofer Output", then Subwoofer channel is played by ALL speakers.
With Stereo setup Subwoofer also playes with L/R Speakers, But changing the volume balance to L Speaker makes the sub silent too while playing Right channel sound and vice versa - changing balance to R completly silents L speaker and subwoofer while plying left channel.
Uninstalling Realtek HD Audio driver provided by ASUS makes the system to see 2 pluged in devices (and NVIDIA hdmi ofcoarse unplugged and S/PDIF ready). When First is set as 'Use this device' then the L/R sounds are played ONLY by Subwoofer (L/R Speakers doesn't work "by ear"). However, when the second device is set as 'Used' L/R channels are played accordingly by L/R Speakers, Sub is silent.
Sum up (With Realtek HD Audio drivers):
1) Left channel is played by LEFT and SUB speakers.
2) Right channel is played by RIGHT and SUB speakers
3) Sub channel is not played UNLESS "Swap Center/Subwoofer Output" is checked and then is played by ALL speakers.
4) The issue is present while watching movies and playing games also.

[viper3000]

BRSxIgnition wrote:
First of all, thank you very much for getting back to us with such a detailed response and providing us with new means of identifying the cause of this infuriating issue. I have filled in the form as clearly as I can with all the information I could disseminate while running the tests you have described, and I hope that it helps in finding a solution for this issue before I am forced to return my machine.

To be fully transparent, as well as to further the investigation on our (the forum's) end, here are my complete findings:



I'm curious to hear if these findings coincide with those of other users on this forum.

At the very least, we now know that a command can be sent to the Subwoofer to disable it, meaning it's very likely possible to change the signal it receives - as well as the volume it receives it at - as well.

Please keep us up-to-date on how everything progresses, MarshallR!

I agree with BRSxIgnition, I have the same problem.

[n0way]

Hello,

I just want to state that I have recently bought the G751JY-T7009H and returned it the following day. Crackling of the subwoofer at 60% volume in a 1600£ build is not acceptable, especially when songs played from the exact same files on the exact same settings on a G73jh caused no noticeable loss of sound quality, and that one is a couple of years old. Meanwhile, ASUS support team claims that "There are also no known issues with the quality of the sound."

As a customer I am very disappointed. The overall specs are amazing and worth the money, audio issues shouldn't have passed the QA. That is, if there was any.

[BRSxIgnition]

Even if the issue sounds very similar to mine, please go through all the steps like I did to ensure there are no differences. The last thing we need right now is to confuse MarshallR with conflicting reports of what the issue may or may not be.