Thinkpads Forum

Hi,

I have purchased this notebook approx 2 weeks ago, and I'm simply not pleased with the sound quality from its built in speakers for DVD Playback. I've tried using Windvd 8.0 platinum as well as cyberlink PowerDVD software.

Is there any way I could enhance the sound quality of my notebook and enjoy good sound WITHOUT using external headphones / speakers ?

Thanks
Shalini

I've noticed similar with my 3000 N200. My T23 is definitely much louder. I use Media Player Classic (not Windows Media Player; just Google Media Player Classic and you'll find it) and I keep the volume boost setting at full and that makes the audio good enough for my use without headphones.

The funny thing is that, on my 3000 N100, under ubuntu the sound is twice as loud as it can get under XP... go figure it out.

I wouldn't be able to swear, but it seems that one day I rebooted under XP after having used the speakers at full volume under ubuntu, and that during that XP session they were considerably louder than usual. I'd have to do the experience again to make sure that happened for real.

Thats as wierd as it sounds .. would you be kind enough to put up another post when you try it again (and it works again).

On another note, did you install UBUNTU and Winxp on 2 different partitions ? Any particular reason for this ?

Shalini wrote:Thats as wierd as it sounds .. would you be kind enough to put up another post when you try it again (and it works again).

No problem, I've been meaning to try this out again, anyway, I'll do it in a while

On another note, did you install UBUNTU and Winxp on 2 different partitions ? Any particular reason for this ?

Hmmm... what do you exactly mean by any particular reason for this? Because I want to use the 2 of them!

Actually, I have a quad boot :
XP
Vista
OSx86
Ubuntu GNU/Linux

Ideally I'd like to install a Debian too, I forgot to leave a spare 5th partition...

Well, bad news, I just tried and it makes no difference when you switch back to XP after having used ubuntu. I guess i just made it all up.

Thing is, I had quite some hard time installing the sound card driver back in ubuntu. It wasn't working straight out of the box. I remember searching through the french ubuntu forum for a solution back then, and a user said that after he had muted the sound on a XP session, it was muted on ubuntu too. So i have no idea why and how it's possible that the sound card on an OS was affected by it having been used on another OS, but i guess it can happen.
I couldn't make it be any louder on XP though.

thank you for trying, and putting up your reply so promptly.

No problem!

I would love to know if there's a work around. I understand that Windows drivers block the volume at a certain level in order for it not to become too distorted.

In ubuntu it goes up quite a bit more, but it does get a bit saturated and distorted. I don't mind having the possibility to make it louder even if it does, as I find the sound barely listenable to in Windows.

I don't know if drivers can be hacked? Or if there's any drivers that don't limit the sound to that certain level?

If not, then you have 3 solutions:

- use headphones
- use external speakers - there's a couple of portable ones
- use GNU/Linux

Regards,

kamaleon

AlphaKilo470 wrote:I've noticed similar with my 3000 N200. My T23 is definitely much louder. I use Media Player Classic (not Windows Media Player; just Google Media Player Classic and you'll find it) and I keep the volume boost setting at full and that makes the audio good enough for my use without headphones.

Thank you - indeed the voice is a bit louder using Media Player Classic.