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!

[BRSxIgnition]

joshindaphils wrote:
I don't believe the signal swapping theory is correct. It is clear the front speakers are not receiving a LFE or the 0.1 signal as the highs are the most distinguishing part of the sound. As well as far as I can tell L/R balance works perfectly between the front speakers.

The issue as I see it is no LFE signal is being sent to the "sub" rather it is full monaural audio. This isn't be so bad (likely even prefered) as it is not a true sub by any stretch of the imagination, however there is no ability to control the sound levels between the front speakers and "sub" and this leads to a sound profile that many find unapealing.

There are no front speakers, there are speakers on the back.

Anyone who has tried the temporary "fix" can tell what the back speakers are generally supposed to sound like, and it sounds nothing like that when the drivers are installed. L/R Balance changes the signal sent to the subwoofer, bit it is still coming from the subwoofer, and thus monoaural sound coming from the front/bottom-left of the laptop. I'm 100% certain.

The sound level with drivers installed defaults to 67%, you would think that the levels for all of them would default to the same volume the sound is set at, but the back speakers have a 10% volume level and the sub has a 70% volume level. (If they are even receiving the proper signals in the first place.)

A much easier hypothesis is that the signals are switched, since sound IS still coming from all audio devices, just in extremely different levels.

[joshindaphils]

BRSxIgnition wrote:
There are no front speakers, there are speakers on the back.

Anyone who has tried the temporary "fix" can tell what the back speakers are generally supposed to sound like, and it sounds nothing like that when the drivers are installed. L/R Balance changes the signal sent to the subwoofer, bit it is still coming from the subwoofer, and thus monoaural sound coming from the front/bottom-left of the laptop. I'm 100% certain.

The sound level with drivers installed defaults to 67%, you would think that the levels for all of them would default to the same volume the sound is set at, but the back speakers have a 10% volume level and the sub has a 70% volume level. (If they are even receiving the proper signals in the first place.)

A much easier hypothesis is that the signals are switched, since sound IS still coming from all audio devices, just in extremely different levels.

Front speakers in a 2.1 setup are the main L/R speakers, they are in front of you... the 0.1 is the subwoofer or sub. I am using the correct terminology, you are using terminology that is specific only to this laptop or laptops with similar configurations.

The rest of your logic I can not follow, supports my view, or is contradictory... I can't understand you point.

[BRSxIgnition]

joshindaphils wrote:
Front speakers in a 2.1 setup are the main L/R speakers, they are in front of you... the 0.1 is the subwoofer or sub. I am using the correct terminology, you are using terminology that is specific only to this laptop or laptops with similar configurations.

The rest of your logic I can not follow, supports my view, or is contradictory... I can't understand you point.

The sound level with drivers installed defaults to 67%.

You would think that the balance levels for left/right/sub channels would default to the same volume. 67%.

But when using the drivers, the back speakers are near silent, and the sub is playing treble, loudly.

There is such a discrepancy between their volumes that we thought the "front" L/R speakers were not working at all for the longest time.

You stated the L/R balance works perfectly for the front speakers, but it does not.

For example, altering the balance to 100% Left causes only the subwoofer to only play the left signal.

It does not magically push the left signal to the "front" left speaker on the hinge of the laptop.

The same happens with the right signal.

Both L & R signals are playing through the subwoofer.

They should not be.

These are my reasons for thinking that it's not a balance problem, it's a signal problem.

Hopefully this is clear enough logic to understand, even with any apparent difference in terminology.

[joshindaphils]

BRSxIgnition wrote:
The sound level with drivers installed defaults to 67%.

You would think that the balance levels for left/right/sub channels would default to the same volume. 67%.

But when using the drivers, the back speakers are near silent, and the sub is playing treble, loudly.

There is such a discrepancy between their volumes that we thought the "front" L/R speakers were not working at all for the longest time.

You stated the L/R balance works perfectly for the front speakers, but it does not.

For example, altering the balance to 100% Left causes only the subwoofer to only play the left signal.

It does not magically push the left signal to the "front" left speaker on the hinge of the laptop.

The same happens with the right signal.

Both L & R signals are playing through the subwoofer.

They should not be.

These are my reasons for thinking that it's not a balance problem, it's a signal problem.

Hopefully this is clear enough logic to understand, even with any apparent difference in terminology.

I can distinguish sound coming from the front left speaker when full left channel is selected. There is nothing magic about it...

You have repeatedly given incorrect information in this thread and the old thread and state things as fact when they have been shown otherwise. I suggest that keep a more open mind and improve your ability to differentiate between perception and fact.

Perhaps just as you couldn't discern any sound from the front speakers at all until you followed my advice on how to more clearly discern it, just perhaps you can't identify the sound from the left speaker?

[BRSxIgnition]

joshindaphils wrote:

Perhaps just as you couldn't discern any sound from the front speakers at all until you followed my advice on how to more clearly discern it, just perhaps you can't identify the sound from the left speaker?

I can discern that sound is coming from the left speaker just as much as it is coming from the right speaker - which is to say barely any at all. I never stated there was no sound from the left speaker - I stated that it was not receiving the left speaker's signal.

I apologize if I've been using trial and error to solve the problem and updating my findings as I come across them, but I seem to be one of the only people doing that, despite the fact that I am 90% likely to return this machine before the new year.

If you rather sit around and wait for ASUS/MarshallR to step in (in around 2 months or so), I'll gladly stop trying to help and return this machine. It's been just too much of a headache.

[joshindaphils]

To be clear.

BRSxIgnition wrote:
For example, altering the balance to 100% Left causes only the subwoofer to only play the left signal.

My testing shows that this statement is false I hear clear L/R channel separation going to the proper front speakers. Left drops out on full Right and vice versa.

BRSxIgnition wrote:
I apologize if I've been using trial and error to solve the problem and updating my findings as I come across them.

I do not believe anyone has an issue with using trial and error and providing updates of results. For me the issue remains the dissemination of incorrect information across a whole spectrum of things while presenting it as known fact i.e. "I know that right-test-tones do usually sound like they are coming more from the right, even when it is the same speaker" or "Our speakers are working but the drivers refuse to install properly and end up pushing sound only through the subwoofer, not the regular speakers".

There are many other examples however you repeatedly talk factually claim knowledge about things you clearly do not have domain knowledge on, as well as items you have deduction and perceptual issues with... the second part wouldn't be bad except again you talk factually about it and dispute findings in areas that you yourself had admitted being wrong in.

The point to all of this is that these type of actions do not help the cause and only hurt it by confusing the issue.

In summary all of your points are either not disputed at all, I and others have tested to be incorrect, or not in contention with my hypothesis at all.

[Visa_Declined]

joshindaphils wrote:
Front speakers in a 2.1 setup are the main L/R speakers, they are in front of you... the 0.1 is the subwoofer or sub. I am using the correct terminology

Correct, the speakers up by the hinge are front speakers. BRS has been correcting people that call them as such, but they sure as heck aren't rear speakers 😉

*edit, I just noticed this:

BRSxIgnition wrote:

You stated the L/R balance works perfectly for the front speakers, but it does not.

It does on mine actually.

[dapogz]

joshindaphils wrote:
I don't believe the signal swapping theory is correct. It is clear the front speakers are not receiving a LFE or the 0.1 signal as the highs are the most distinguishing part of the sound. As well as far as I can tell L/R balance works perfectly between the front speakers.

The issue as I see it is no LFE signal is being sent to the "sub" rather it is full monaural audio. This isn't so bad (likely even prefered) as it is not a true sub by any stretch of the imagination, however there is no ability to control the sound levels between the front speakers and "sub" and this leads to a sound profile that many find unapealing.

Hi, you are probably right.. driver is detecting 5.1 instead of a 2.1.. reason why signal distribution is incorrect, as you can see in the volume settings, volume knobs are front, back and sub. I have tried connecting it to a 5.1 speakers using the 3 analog output.. and all volume knobs are working properly...
so i think one of the main issue is the realtek driver not using 2.1 on internal speakers..

Today i'm trying to use audio emulator to see if i can seprate the sounds on the speakers, i use to have this kind of problem on previous realtek drivers(old desktop with broken connectors) and i use this emulator to fix some audio problems.

[Azmodan]

Hi everyone!

New to the forum as an owner of this brand new piece of machinery.
My findings, just as the rest of you guys is that with the standard settings and the different multimedia options the speakers(battlefield, multimedia etc etc) through Maxx audio sounds like ****, its way worse than my girlfriends surf laptops for less than 600 euro.

However, i´ve found that if you actually turn the maxx audio settings system off, the speakers actually sound pretty decent... sure its not a sound that would fulfill a audiofiles wet dreams but its perfectly acceptable for a set of laptop speakers, cause truth be told, what are we really expecting from speakers with almost no membrane and magnets?

It also seems that it sends the signals the right way, allthough full range on all speakers, the base really comes through as compared to if you have the maxx audio program turned on. Any others able to replicate these findings?

This mornings fiddling really made my day to be honest, for its only a software issue, and with time its probably going to be fixed to really nice results. Cause like many of you guys i was prepared to return this and buy myself an MSI of the same horsepower... but the choice isn´t as easy anymore.

Cheers and hopefully Asus, Realtek and Maxxaudio will get their hinees off the sofa and fix this 🙂

[Paco]

could it be an old hidden driver? I found this:

http://www.tech-recipes.com/rx/504/how-to-uninstall-hidden-devices-drivers-and-services/

but I am not good enough with computers to try it - worried I'll make things worse. Maybe someone who knows what they are doing could see if there are any old hidden Realtek drivers. I seem to remember that most of the affected machines had their systems rebooted (and even those that didn't may have received previously returned machines that had been rebooted without their knowledge. Its a long shot but since its not a hardware problem and its not the new drivers (as they were tested by Asus on their machines and confirmed to work) - you never know.