T42 - upgraded audio

[sb0h]

I've just upgraded the sound in my T42 (with an Audigy2 ZS notebook) and I thought I'd let everyone know it's awesome. The audio in the thinkpad is not really the best, same goes for all laptops I guess. This PCMCIA card is a great way to upgrade the audio quality and I had no problems with the install. The only downside is the audio buttons on the keyboard don't control the volume any more, but that's a small price to pay.

Anybody else got comments on the audio from the thinkpad?

[icantux]

Hi

I generally don't use my TP for the quality of sound, the external mono speaker is just good enough for the sake of having some sound, but I do carry around a set of walkman-type earphones that I plug into the built-in soundcard and the output is very good.

[dr_st]

Does the PCMCIA card work with the internal speakers?

[sb0h]

Unfotunately the PCMCIA doesn't work with the internal speakers. It seems to cut the onboard soundchip, speakers and media controls. I guess it's not a good idea to have two soundcards competing against each other.

Anyway the sound is heaps better so I'm happy to hook up external speakers or headphones. But having to use the software to turn the volume up and down is a real pain.

[sugo]

I used the echo indigo IO for a week:

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1 ... 716,00.asp

Thoughts after listening with FLAC files -> foobar2000 0.83 ASIO -> MDR-66SL headphone on a T42 (the headphone is by no means top grade):

- Has a hardware volume switch
- Windows driver takes less than 10 MBs and works very well
- No background hiss even at full volume
- Sound resolution is more detailed, but not by much
- Line in recording quality is excellent.
- Piano sounds more alive
- Draws an extra 2 watts of battery
- Sticks out of the laptop by an inch.

Since I use the other pcmcia slot for SD card reader, with the echo indigo I can no longer take out SD card without popping out the card reader.

Honestly, with causal listening it doesn't sound much different from the internal soundcard headphone out, which I consider pretty good.

My reference favourite sound is a Sharp MD-DS8. I am disappointed that echo indigo does not match sound clarity, soundstage and immerson. The loss of battery life is another deal breaker. I am now back to T42 internal sound.

[dr_st]

Unfotunately the PCMCIA doesn't work with the internal speakers. It seems to cut the onboard soundchip, speakers and media controls. I guess it's not a good idea to have two soundcards competing against each other.

In a desktop setup, it's usually not a problem. You just specify the default sound device in Windows and it works like a charm. But in laptops, with the sound device being more integrated into the overall design of the laptop, it can be problematic.

Anyway the sound is heaps better so I'm happy to hook up external speakers or headphones. But having to use the software to turn the volume up and down is a real pain.

With speakers it's not a problem, with headphones it might, although one can get headphones with built-in volume control.

[mg]

Does the PCMCIA card work with the internal speakers?

According to the European User's Guide (not mentioned in the US version) this should be possible (then you use only the effects processing of the card, using the regular D/A converters and amplifiers of the notebook).

[sugo]

Once you get the new driver from creative website, the card should be able to use internal speakers in advanced mode.

[smugiri]

I used the echo indigo IO for a week:

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1 ... 716,00.asp

Thoughts after listening with FLAC files -> foobar2000 0.83 ASIO -> MDR-66SL headphone on a T42 (the headphone is by no means top grade):

- Has a hardware volume switch
- Windows driver takes less than 10 MBs and works very well
- No background hiss even at full volume
- Sound resolution is more detailed, but not by much
- Line in recording quality is excellent.
- Piano sounds more alive
- Draws an extra 2 watts of battery
- Sticks out of the laptop by an inch.

Since I use the other pcmcia slot for SD card reader, with the echo indigo I can no longer take out SD card without popping out the card reader.

Honestly, with causal listening it doesn't sound much different from the internal soundcard headphone out, which I consider pretty good.

My reference favourite sound is a Sharp MD-DS8. I am disappointed that echo indigo does not match sound clarity, soundstage and immerson. The loss of battery life is another deal breaker. I am now back to T42 internal sound.

I have been looking for an Echo Indigo as you see in this post.

Any chance that you could be convinced to part with yours for an amount that would not send me to the poorhouse?

[neomuzic]

T4x / T43 speakers audio quality is clean but not much response in the lower hz range

Has anyone actually removed the speakers and put others inside? There must be other speakers similar size with better range.

Thank you for your input

[Thinkpaddict]

Anybody else got comments on the audio from the thinkpad?

I have some comments.

You have to distinguished between the sound quality of the speakers (which is horrible, but no worse than any other notebook), and the sound quality of the phone jack.

Actually, the sound quality of the phone jack is quite good assuming you follow two rules:

1) Use the right headphones. In this case, this means that you should use low impedance phones. I think one of the best matches you can find is a pair of Sony's MDR7506. They go for around $100.00, but they are of excellent quality, and they are also built like a tank. They are actually quite good, some people use them professionally in mastering studios. Never try to feed a high impedance set of phones straight out of the phone jack of your Thinkpad. If you try to run something like a Sennheiser HD580 or HD600, you will end up with a very low volume, muffled sound, because the phone jack doesn't have enough power to run those type of headphones.

2) Don't set the volume at too high a level (I'd say around 80% should be safe), because then you'll end up with distortion. This is related to 1), because if you use the right set of headphones, you will get a lot of sound at lower volumes as opposed to a high impedance set. Again, I recommend the Sony MDR7506.

Having said all this...

I have a VXPocket 440, which is a professional-grade PCMCIA interface. I use this when I want to listen to music on my Sennheiser HD580 headphones. Since the VXPocket has a real nice headphone preamp built in and great AD/DA converters, that means that I can listen to music on the Sennheisers with plenty of power, and believe me: It sounds AWESOME. But...The built-in phone jack of all Thinkpads that I know (T2x, X2x, and T4x series) is excellent in itself, if you run it with the right headphone.

Sorry for the long rant, but I felt the need to stress the fact that there is nothing wrong with the stock sound of your Thinkpads, as long as you know what to do with it.

Regards

[Thinkpaddict]

I've just upgraded the sound in my T42 (with an Audigy2 ZS notebook) and I thought I'd let everyone know it's awesome.

The card that you got is very nice. If you are at all into music production, you should do a search for KX Project. This is a set of third-party drivers that put all cards with the EMU DSP chips on steroids. Right now they have preliminary support for the Audigy ZS Notebook, but the drivers keep adding new support with every release.

I tried these drivers with a SoundBlaster Live a couple of years back, and was able to run realtime sound effects of great quality (not the same effects native to the card, but a set of better quality effects that used to ship with E-Mu's professional DSP cards).

Like I said, if you are into music production, you should definitely check the KX Project out. Have fun with your new card.

[Thinkpaddict]

Does the PCMCIA card work with the internal speakers?

Why would you want it to? Putting the most expensive audio chain feeding the speakers of a Thinkpad is not going to improve the sound quality a bit, just because the speakers themselves are not that great. Headphones is the way to go.

[Thinkpaddict]

T4x / T43 speakers audio quality is clean but not much response in the lower hz range

Has anyone actually removed the speakers and put others inside? There must be other speakers similar size with better range.

Thank you for your input

I suppose you could do that theoretically, but that doesn't solve the positioning problem. Positioning in speakers is really important, so I think you should go with a PCMCIA card and a set of external speakers. I haven't felt like getting external speakers myself, because I'm happy with my headphones. A good rule of thumb is that in order to get the same sound quality with a set of speakers as what you get from headphones you have to spend 3 or 4 times as much, so for me headphones are the way to go.

[neomuzic]

trying from another angle

I only really want more bass conveniently without alot of stuff.

Is there a way to keep the laptop speaker on with external speaker connected to the headphone jack?

I was thinking I could just add the bass component:

http://www.creative.com/products/produc ... duct=11129

[naro]

i'm using my T42 on Mini-Dock with a Creative Audigy 2NX connected to the Mini-Dock.

And i connect a set of Klipsch Promedia Ultra 5.1 to the Creative card and they sound awesome..

the T42's speakers is only decent for on-the-go use and its definitely not the best. Those laptops with Harmon Kardon speakers are really gd.....

[okey2k]

I use my earplug-'Sennheiser MX400' when I want to listen to some Music, and I use my earphone -'Sennheiser HD202' instead of the former one when it comes to be a Movie. These two things satisfy me very well.