To anyone looking at a Vortex 3: Audio is poor

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HonestFlames

Bronze Level Poster
I've had my Vortex 3 for a little while and everything about it is fantastic, apart from the audio.

The built-in speakers are dreadful. I'm comparing to my old Dell M1730. They really are very tinny and I've managed to do something to mine (at 50% volume) that makes an even more tinny rattle during playback at certain volumes of certain frequencies.

I don't really mind the built-in speakers being tinny, but the actual sound output to headphones is the worst I've heard from any device I've ever owned, including a £20 mp3 player I bought about 2 years ago.

There's no bass, there's nothing crisp about the sound, everything is muddied and a chore to listen to. This is through a set of quite expensive Sennheiser in-ear 'phones.

So, if you want to listen to music through external speakers, buy yourself a USB2 soundcard to go with your new Vortex 3. Even a cheap one will sound twice as good as the built-in audio!
 
PCS

PCS

Administrator
Staff member
Thanks for your feedback. The sound is produced by the Intel chipset which is very high quality and I'm surprised that you find it poor quality.

Based on recent reviews posted online most customers rate the speakers well:

"The ONKYO speakers are sharp and clear. The speakers have a kickass extra speaker at the bottom of the laptop for that real bass vibe. I highly recommend getting the 17.3 for these speakers as they don't distort even at a high level of sound." - http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/forum...!-Questions-about-model-will-be-answered-here!

"The sound from the system is not the loudest but is very clear indeed. When external speakers are used the sound is fantastic" - http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/forum...I-17-3-quot-Laptop-Review&p=153490#post153490
 
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basher77

Active member
My 17 inch vortex 3 has really good audio. Try messing with THX because that can make it worse as much as it can make i better depending on the settings. And make sure you install realtek hd audio driver from the cd, it wasn't installed on mine when i got it.
 
Music Guy123

Music Guy123

Prolific Poster
Often with these things it is a driver problem. It would be worth checking the driver is up to date or searching the web, as windows isn't always very good at finding the latest I have found! The sound itself shouldn't be bad, however, it is likely the speakers aren't top notch, however, this is from an audiofile! If you want proper sound, you should get a turntable and a proper amps with valves! Anyway, that aside, I'd suggest checking the drivers. It may not be a solution but it could be the key, there used to be a lot of sound driver related problems!

Edit: looks basher posted whilst I was typing, as he suggests, look at the realtek driver!
 
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HonestFlames

Bronze Level Poster
I installed the Realtek driver, which gives options for bass boost and general EQ tweaking, but none of it improves the sound quality.

My old Dell M1730 has a pair of really good speaker units, which are ridiculously good. I guess I've been spoiled!

Also, "the intel chipset produces the sound" isn't a thing. The amp circuit produces the sound, and I guess it's a particularly cheap amp setup.

The speakers are 'clear', but they are nowhere near punchy and the little 'sub' on the bottom of the unit is probably a 0.25W (if that) device.

I'm picking up a set of Sennheiser IE60's tomorrow, which will give me even more of a clear picture about the sound coming out of the Vortex 3.
 
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basher77

Active member
Well i tried comparing mine to my mates macbook pro with the same songs and the vortex went louder without distorting and had more defined sound. Used skrillex and prodigy to test the bass. And this was before i had installed realtek and THX. Maybe I just got a good one :p
 
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EddieHarris

Member
HonestFlames, I'd have to agree, to me the audio sounds tinny, I'm a lover of dubstep and figured that the extra "sub woofer" at the bottom would be a great purchase, however, upon hearing it AND toggling the only way I can get the speakers to sound "OK" is to tweek the realtek drivers to 5.1 or 7.1 and then fiddle with THX which unfortunately leaves me having to re-do the whole process each time I plug my headphones in as they are stereo.
 
hargil

hargil

Silver Level Poster
The thing is;

Is it worse than other laptops?

I have no doubt it will not be as good as my Leema Amp. and Speakers but then again I would not expect it to.

The speaker box needs volume and a laptop is, well, laptop size, so only so much artificial enhancement can be expected.

The driver will be a lot smaller than a normal sub driver, you re not going to get a 15" driver in a laptop so the bass will never be as good as an external sub.

I would be very surprised if a small sub driver in a thin laptop case produces any real bass at all.

So if it is no worse than other laptops then I think that is the best you can expect due to the physical size constraints of a laptop.

So I think the only real option is to take the sound out, either via the analogue out (phones socket) or digitally out (preferred method I guess) and use external sound cards/amp/speakers.

There may be some headphones that provide audio enhancements so that could be worth exploring.

I am assuming that you have all the appropriate drivers installed for the audio hardware and software.

But I would only expect so much from a laptop, audio wise.

Also, peoples’ expectation will be different, if you are expecting the audio to be on-par with a audiophile amp then you will be disappointed.
 
rickne

rickne

Master Poster
Possibly the tinniest crunchy sound ive experienced. I guess i was spoit with Alienwares lap tops which produce a far superior sound. Shame but not the end of the world.
 
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EddieHarris

Member
I'd have to agree, I had the M14x which was brilliant to listen to music. Don't get me wrong, I don't expect it to be a boom box or anything and personally I use headphones more often.
 
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Agito

Silver Level Poster
I never use the external speakers, however the only thing that annoyed me regarding the sound was the slight background noise that is constant in my headset. Didn't get any of it with my gaming rig nor the family junker downstairs and both use internal sound card. Its similar to something like a hand being rubbed on jeans very slowly and under water. lol I can't hear it if I'm playing games or watching a movie, but once I'm not using sound, its sort of uncomfortable.
 
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Nokk

Member
Hi

Currently considering a Vortex III. Just wondering are there any audio quality issues when hooked up to an external 5.1 surround system via HDMI?
 
hargil

hargil

Silver Level Poster
Agito said:
however the only thing that annoyed me regarding the sound was the slight background noise that is constant in my headset.
Click to expand...

Do you get the hiss when the laptop is running on its battery with the external power brick un-plugged from the laptop?

If not then it's the switchmode psu causing the noise.
 
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Agito

Silver Level Poster
hargil said:
Do you get the hiss when the laptop is running on its battery with the external power brick un-plugged from the laptop?

If not then it's the switchmode psu causing the noise.
Click to expand...

I can't seem to find the conditions under which it hisses. I haven't heard the hissing all day today, at least not as loud (even though its quiet) as it usually is. Pulling out the charger lead changed nothing. However, now I started noticing that whenever I browse through folders there is a click sound that shouldn't be there. I thought maybe its my mouse as the click happens just when you click on that folder, don't even have to get in, but clicking on empty space doesn't make the sound. The sound is also there when you try to enter a folder with the keyboard. And no, its not the windows click sound. lol It sounds like its interference coming from the laptops electric circuits. However, I use FAR manager a lot with which there are no sound problems. In general the sound quality isn't bad if you're listening to music or watching a movie, but when its quiet there are some minor irritations.

I'll be making a full review of my Vortex III once I get to use it for a month or two. I don't agree with reviews done right after its unpacked as what do you actually know about it if you haven't used the item properly. The review will include all I have to say about the sound.
 
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Jak

Jak

Member
Nokk said:
Hi

Currently considering a Vortex III. Just wondering are there any audio quality issues when hooked up to an external 5.1 surround system via HDMI?
Click to expand...

As far as I can tell, having tested via hooking the Vortex III up to my home cinema setup in the bedroom (a Pioneer VSX-520K + Pioneer S-HS100 5.1 speakers via HDMI) the HDMI ouput is fine and handles audio well as it should.
 
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Nokk

Member
Jak said:
As far as I can tell, having tested via hooking the Vortex III up to my home cinema setup in the bedroom (a Pioneer VSX-520K + Pioneer S-HS100 5.1 speakers via HDMI) the HDMI ouput is fine and handles audio well as it should.
Click to expand...

Thanks Jak. I placed my order as i'm sure that the audio will be fine for my needs.
 
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