New T42P sound is horrible....

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jcentrel · #1 Post by **jcentrel** » Fri Dec 17, 2004 5:32 pm

I finally got my new T42P 2373-N37! I love the laptop except the speakers are horrible. The sound was better on my old 600x. Is this normal? Please let me know if I should be contacting IBM for support. Thanks.

rocketman · #2 Post by **rocketman** » Fri Dec 17, 2004 5:56 pm

Why don't you describe exactly what you're hearing? Do you hear rattling, distortion or is it just not what you consider good sound.
If you expected the T series speakers to really sound good you'll be disappointed. They're really just for basic sound as the T series is considered a business laptop, not meant for entertainment.

jcentrel · #3 Post by **jcentrel** » Fri Dec 17, 2004 5:59 pm

The sound is just muted and not what I would consider to be great. I just think it's funny that my 600x had better sound.

JohnDrake · #4 Post by **JohnDrake** » Fri Dec 17, 2004 6:07 pm

Current sound driver? IBM image?

Rose · #5 Post by **Rose** » Fri Dec 17, 2004 8:11 pm

its a workstation. Not a multimediamachine. What did you expect? Use some headphones if the sound is to week.

rocky01 · #6 Post by **rocky01** » Fri Dec 17, 2004 8:24 pm

sounds of trouble in paradise? he's right of course.

er, along with the new plastic skin one gets a less robust audio complement, replete with anemic wattage and micro mini transducers. unfortunate. i expect you'll need to invest in powered laptop speakers and perhaps an external soundcard for good sound you're used to. your vintage thinkpad beat the pants off the current crop i'm afraid (and how you could even tell the sound is not up to par is a mystery since one can barely hear anything if anyone's speaking outloud in the same room!)

but check the prior threads for suggestions for the various add-on gizmos and toys: i soon tired or straining to hear movie dialog and went for the philips aurillium (model no. psc-805/17) ext soundcard and creative labs travel sound (model no. csw5300) both received good reviews online and cheap even when not onsale. i only use the usb-powered philips at home but the travel sound speakers are svelte enough to go everwhere and last long on battery with an audiophile sensibility.

itzmheck · #7 Post by **itzmheck** » Fri Dec 17, 2004 9:22 pm

My new T42p has better sound then my alienware desktop replacement. I was fairly impressed for a business laptop

beeblebrox · #8 Post by **beeblebrox** » Sat Dec 18, 2004 5:25 am

...sometimes I have the impression that this forum here is more or less a 100% Thinkpad fan forum.

Why do people not admit that there are a lot of design errors in the recent ThinkPads?

I have used Thinkpads for the past 10 years, and they get worse every generation.

THE LOUDSPEAKERS ON THE T4x SERIES are JUNK!!

I could not believe that a respectible company could built such a lousy audio system into their premium series.

I am not even able to give a presentation in a conference room without using portable loudspeakers as an add-on.
Actually I am using my venerable T23 again for customer presentations. That machine was rocksolid and head great loudspeakers (not T40 silentspeakers).

SimonCC · #9 Post by **SimonCC** » Sat Dec 18, 2004 11:29 am

I agree.

rocketman · #10 Post by **rocketman** » Sat Dec 18, 2004 11:36 am

My T42's sound quality is adequate, definitely better than my A20p had. It had quite a bit of distortion in one of its speakers.
I really don't see how you can consider the sound quality of the T series a design flaw, if you wanted good sound from a laptop the T series is the wrong choice. I've been using my T42 for more than 3 weeks now and am really hard pressed to name a considerable design flaw, everything seems to be and work as it should.

eriqesque · #11 Post by **eriqesque** » Sat Dec 18, 2004 11:41 am

beeblebrox wrote:...sometimes I have the impression that this forum here is more or less a 100% Thinkpad fan forum.

Why do people not admit that there are a lot of design errors in the recent ThinkPads?

I have used Thinkpads for the past 10 years, and they get worse every generation.

THE LOUDSPEAKERS ON THE T4x SERIES are JUNK!!

I could not believe that a respectible company could built such a lousy audio system into their premium series.

I am not even able to give a presentation in a conference room without using portable loudspeakers as an add-on.
Actually I am using my venerable T23 again for customer presentations. That machine was rocksolid and head great loudspeakers (not T40 silentspeakers).

Well not so much fanboys...
But most people in here who purchase an IBM buy them for the ability and craftmanship and service, NOT FOR THE SPEAKERS.
I have had many notebooks and all the speakers in notebooks suck.
It's a laptop not a stereo.

Ins0mniak · #12 Post by **Ins0mniak** » Sat Dec 18, 2004 11:53 am

eriqesque wrote:It's a laptop not a stereo.

Wait, that big square thing that lights up and shows a windows logo when I press the 'on' button, isn't a subwoofer!?!?

rocky01 · #13 Post by **rocky01** » Sat Dec 18, 2004 12:18 pm

eriqesque wrote: It's a laptop not a stereo.

the concept is not mutually exclusive, especially since ibm got it right in the past. you need to get out more

Elhabash · #14 Post by **Elhabash** » Sat Dec 18, 2004 12:44 pm

I never heard good laptop speakers. And the ones of the T series are not that bad considering their headphone-membranes. Sometimes you even can imagine a bass! For good speakers you need bigger membranes, and those have no room...

I prefer a small laptop with a headphone jack which is better anyways. For telephone and other purposes the speakers are ok. Also they work best when on a flat surface, since they project downwards.

Plinkerton · #15 Post by **Plinkerton** » Sat Dec 18, 2004 12:53 pm

I think the downward projection is the strange part. It makes perfect sense in the design, but when I finally realized they projected down, and not forward, I was a little surprised. For the most part, in a quiet room, the speakers really aren't that bad. They aren't "full" by any means, but I didn't expect them to be at all. Just some good headphones, without any other add ons is just fine. They get plenty loud, and sound good enough.

I didn't really expect a whole lot, because tiny speakers usually suck.

#16 Post by **BillMorrow** » Sat Dec 18, 2004 12:55 pm

i must say that the speakers in the 770Z (and other 14 inch 770's) were excellent for the small size.. in fact they were designed by some hifi maker if memory serves..
and they were small but discrete boxes inside the 770 case..

but in the 600 series, they got small and in the T20 series, even smaller..
my T42 speakers are excellent given the tiny space given over to speakers..

you either want small or not..

when it comes to moving a mass of air it takes some shysical size and in a notebook environment EVERYTHING is a bit of a compromise..

give and take and in the case of hifi sound in a thimble it is near impossible to have both..

so please don't trash the product if it is not a fair comment..

i don't trash mercedes because my old sl600 v12 gets ONLY 25 mpg @ 55 on the highway and 18 in town.. its part of the game..

so just get real, ok..?

eriqesque · #17 Post by **eriqesque** » Sat Dec 18, 2004 12:57 pm

rocky01 wrote:
eriqesque wrote: It's a laptop not a stereo.
the concept is not mutually exclusive, especially since ibm got it right in the past. you need to get out more

All I am saying is 1w speakers couldn't possibly be impressive.
If you want good sound from a notebook use headphones or external speakers.
None of the IBM or any notebook I have ever seen or used, have what I would call good speakers, period.

#18 Post by **K. Eng** » Sat Dec 18, 2004 1:44 pm

Yes, the T4x speakers are junk, but the T4x is not a multimedia notebook.

I have never seen a business notebook with good speakers. My Dell Latitude CPi (circa 1998) had godawful speakers, and the Dell Latitude D600 that I had for about a week before I bought my ThinkPad also had horrible sound.

I've heard some good sound out of Dell and Toshiba consumer notebooks, but these weighed 8 lbs or more.

beeblebrox wrote:...sometimes I have the impression that this forum here is more or less a 100% Thinkpad fan forum.
THE LOUDSPEAKERS ON THE T4x SERIES are JUNK!!

CChoi83 · #19 Post by **CChoi83** » Sat Dec 18, 2004 2:38 pm

If you're comfortable with wearing earphones (I am as no built-in speaker is good), get a pair of Shure's or Etymotics. If you prefer headphones, get a pair of Grado's or Sennheiser's. They'll cost you but to me, they're just delicious.

Elhabash · #20 Post by **Elhabash** » Sat Dec 18, 2004 2:51 pm

I guess then you need a better soundcard as well. If you prefer cheaper headphones which block out ambient sound and that are not bad at all, go for Sony's MDR-EX71. I love them, especially in the train. On travels, you can even sleep on them due to their tiny size.

BTW, I've heard some Toshiba or ASUS Multimedia laptop speakers (some from Harman/Kardon, some with "incredible surround"), and they all sucked. I don't expect more, though...

The downward projection gives a little more room to the sound due to its indirect sound propagation, plus it's a real plus for audioconferencing. I use Skype with nothing attached, just the internal microphone and the internal loudspeakers. We were using it with up to 6 people in the room, talking with a friend abroad, and all could understand and talk. It wasn't perfect, but it works surprisingly well. I didn't see another laptop with a setup as efficient for this application as this one.

beeblebrox · #21 Post by **beeblebrox** » Sat Dec 18, 2004 3:43 pm

guys, I am NOT talking about sound quality.
The T40 has actually a very decent sound chip. When you plug in into an amplifier, the sound is indeed almost excellent.

What I (rightly!) complain is that lousy internat amplifier, which is just junk.
As a comparison: The T2x has 2 loudspeakers of 1 Watt, as does the T40.
I can give a decent (Spoken) presentation on the T23 in a conference room. The sound is loud enough to everybody listen to the presentation.
On the T40 I often don't know whether sound is turned on, it is so mute.

That's only a matter of amplifier settings. Actually, with 2 loudspeakers of 1 Watt each you can make a hell of a noise in a room. I guess, on the T40 they drive something like 100mW, which is ridiculous.

BTW: Design errors in the T40 series:
The stupid ThinkLight, which is not recessed anymore as in the T2x, the creacking palmrest, where the designers forgot a screw next to the cursors and a reinforcing plastics stripe above the PC-Card slot.
My batterie doesn't fit tightly, I have to use a tape to secure it, and so on.
My fan had to be replaced (wrong design, too weak for the heat). The touchpad creacks, because there is no reinforcement underneath, and so on.
My T40 had to go 3 times to repair within the first 5 weeks...!!

I am almost going back to my venerable T23, if I only could put a Centrino in it (too bad!)

#22 Post by **K. Eng** » Sat Dec 18, 2004 4:08 pm

Thinklight - mine is recessed and doesn't shine in my eyes
Palmrest - yup. It sucks. So I replaced it with the touchpadless one and no more problems

Battery - yeah I don't know what's up with that 1.5 years later

Mine has gone to the depot for repair twice. I'm still annoyed about that.

beeblebrox wrote:BTW: Design errors in the T40 series:
The stupid ThinkLight, which is not recessed anymore as in the T2x, the creacking palmrest, where the designers forgot a screw next to the cursors and a reinforcing plastics stripe above the PC-Card slot.
My batterie doesn't fit tightly, I have to use a tape to secure it, and so on.
My fan had to be replaced (wrong design, too weak for the heat). The touchpad creacks, because there is no reinforcement underneath, and so on.
My T40 had to go 3 times to repair within the first 5 weeks...!!

I am almost going back to my venerable T23, if I only could put a Centrino in it (too bad!)

beeblebrox · #23 Post by **beeblebrox** » Sat Dec 18, 2004 4:37 pm

I am more than surprised, so your Thinklight is actually useable?
Then mine must be faulty.

Wait... you say that there is a non-creacking palmrest without touchpad (that I never used so far)? Good News. I think I have to check the parts list for ordering one.

benz · #24 Post by **benz** » Sat Dec 18, 2004 4:53 pm

The easiest and best solution to the 'squeaky' left palmrest is a slightly trimmed business card in the space between the PCMCIA housing and the plastic palmrest itself.....I did this within weeks of having mine, and I dont hear a noise at all anymore. Just try it!

Plinkerton · #25 Post by **Plinkerton** » Sat Dec 18, 2004 9:20 pm

I don't mean to brag, but my palmrests don't creak, my battery is plenty tight, and my fan always keeps my ThinkPad cool enough...

Oh, and my ThinkLight is useable. I don't really use it, but sometimes, when I can't see a specific key, or need to read something off a piece of paper, it's quite helpful.

rhema83 · #26 Post by **rhema83** » Sun Dec 19, 2004 12:39 am

A good pair of headphones for on-the-go and late nights, a good set of 2.1 speakers and maybe an external sound card for the rich ones. That's all you'll need.

Personally I have the Sennheiser PC130 and the Creative Inspire 2800. The headphones are awesome with an equally impressive microphone. The 2.1 speakers are more than adequate for a medium-sized room. Hopefully I will upgrade to Audigy ZS Platinum External with a full surround system.

Ghostrider · #27 Post by **Ghostrider** » Sun Dec 19, 2004 9:57 am

Plinkerton wrote:I don't mean to brag, but my palmrests don't creak, my battery is plenty tight, and my fan always keeps my ThinkPad cool enough...

Oh, and my ThinkLight is useable. I don't really use it, but sometimes, when I can't see a specific key, or need to read something off a piece of paper, it's quite helpful.

Agreed. Same here! ThinkLight is OK - well, I never really had to use my ThinkPad T42p in complete darkness. Nevertheless most of the time the Display itself is that bright that the keys are enlighted. BTW: I don't look on the keyboard to type - so what is the light for?

Palmrest: No problems, no sounds...
Battery: fits perfect.

-----

Sound: The 1W speakers in my T42p are VERY LOUD and produce impressive sound for such tiny speakers! A good friend of mine has a Toshiba M30 laptop with Harmann/Kardon speakers and they do not sound better than the speakers of my ThinkPad.
I'd never buy a laptop because of it's speakers... When I selected the notebook I did not even care if the laptop has inbuild speakers or not.
Now it's a "nice to have" but not necessary part.

Did I purchase something wrong? Everything is fine!

The only thing I'd like to correct is the harddrive: I ordered the 80GB harddrive but recieved the 60GB 7200rpm. That drive is impressive fast for a notebook harddrive but too loud for a silent notebook.

beeblebrox · #28 Post by **beeblebrox** » Sun Dec 19, 2004 11:42 am

Thanks for the tip.
I used a business card and the creacking palmrest is silent - excellent.
(Now I have quite a lot of business cards stuffed into the notebook, another 3 below the right part of the keyboard)

I need the Thinklight because my typing system ia still the archaic eagle system. Circle finger, spot a button and hit.

I think I have to disassemble the Thinklight and see what I can do.

Champ · #29 Post by **Champ** » Sun Dec 19, 2004 5:09 pm

not to be anal but isn't there a fire risk with business cards? I wouldn't want to be fired for something stupid like that or anyhitng

Leon · #30 Post by **Leon** » Tue Dec 21, 2004 10:29 am

no current reports of Tpads going up in flames!

New T42P sound is horrible....

New T42P sound is horrible....

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