NF7-S Onboard Sound Quiet

paraNoidAndroid · 05-27-2005, 10:58 PM

Hi all, I have an NF7-S Abit motherboard... had it for about 3-5 months now. I also have an audigy 2. I play Counterstrike pretty exclusively, and although I'm sure the audigy 2 has greater overall sound potential, the onboard seems to work better directionally and more clear in CS with my sennheiser pc150 headphones. I've switched back and forth a couple times though. I also just got the pc150's. The problem is, I had been using my audigy 2 for maybe a few weeks, and when I got my pc150's I decided to go back to onboard... well now it's a LOT quieter. With all the volume controls at MAX, it's what it used to be at maybe a little under middle volume. It's not the headphones, I've tried 3 different headsets, 2 with volume controls (at max), 1 without, all used to be loud and fine, now they all max at the same level. It's not quite loud enough for me in CS, so I have to use my audigy 2.. and I think that card just wasn't built for headphone gaming. However, the audigy 2 is still loud and fine. I even completely uninstalled my audigy 2, took it out of my computer, and still same problem. I had installed some updates from soundblaster.com for my audigy 2 though, and I have no idea how much of what got installed with the audigy 2 actually got uninstalled. I went and got the newest nforce platform sound drivers, still same problem. Also, before I got the pc150's I had gotten DSP-500's (plantronics) but I returned them... they came with their own audio drivers and control panel called Persona. I completely uninstalled them though, and the onboard worked fine and loud after that. I'm not sure EXACTLY when the onboard got really quiet, but it was sometime after I switched to the audigy 2 recently, and before I just switched back. There's nothing wrong at all with the quality of the sound, it's just quieter... so if anybody knows any 'other than obvious' ways to up the onboard, or what might have possibly changed it, please help me out.

Thanks in Advance

gullducott · 06-02-2005, 08:51 AM

I have had this problem with every PC and sound device I have ever had and am conviced it is simply a 'Windows Bug'. You are not alone. I know a lot of people have this problem but most people just seem to live with it or doubt their aural perception.
Also it happens very gradually so you question yourself with "was it really louder when I first installed the OS" or "perhaps I'm just going deaf". This is real.
I have tried everything, the only thing I have ever found to work is one of two things. First completely delete the sound devices then reinstall the software and drivers completely. Secondly reinstall the OS. The first sometimes works the second always works. Even now all my volumes are full up, but if I re-image my machine with the files from when it was first built, BINGO! Full volume again. What a pisser!

Bill GAtes is messin with us again!

05-27-2005, 10:58 PM	#1 (permalink)
paraNoidAndroid Registered User Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 4 OS: XP	NF7-S Onboard Sound Quiet Hi all, I have an NF7-S Abit motherboard... had it for about 3-5 months now. I also have an audigy 2. I play Counterstrike pretty exclusively, and although I'm sure the audigy 2 has greater overall sound potential, the onboard seems to work better directionally and more clear in CS with my sennheiser pc150 headphones. I've switched back and forth a couple times though. I also just got the pc150's. The problem is, I had been using my audigy 2 for maybe a few weeks, and when I got my pc150's I decided to go back to onboard... well now it's a LOT quieter. With all the volume controls at MAX, it's what it used to be at maybe a little under middle volume. It's not the headphones, I've tried 3 different headsets, 2 with volume controls (at max), 1 without, all used to be loud and fine, now they all max at the same level. It's not quite loud enough for me in CS, so I have to use my audigy 2.. and I think that card just wasn't built for headphone gaming. However, the audigy 2 is still loud and fine. I even completely uninstalled my audigy 2, took it out of my computer, and still same problem. I had installed some updates from soundblaster.com for my audigy 2 though, and I have no idea how much of what got installed with the audigy 2 actually got uninstalled. I went and got the newest nforce platform sound drivers, still same problem. Also, before I got the pc150's I had gotten DSP-500's (plantronics) but I returned them... they came with their own audio drivers and control panel called Persona. I completely uninstalled them though, and the onboard worked fine and loud after that. I'm not sure EXACTLY when the onboard got really quiet, but it was sometime after I switched to the audigy 2 recently, and before I just switched back. There's nothing wrong at all with the quality of the sound, it's just quieter... so if anybody knows any 'other than obvious' ways to up the onboard, or what might have possibly changed it, please help me out. Thanks in Advance

06-02-2005, 08:51 AM	#2 (permalink)
gullducott Registered User Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 50 OS: XP	I have had this problem with every PC and sound device I have ever had and am conviced it is simply a 'Windows Bug'. You are not alone. I know a lot of people have this problem but most people just seem to live with it or doubt their aural perception. Also it happens very gradually so you question yourself with "was it really louder when I first installed the OS" or "perhaps I'm just going deaf". This is real. I have tried everything, the only thing I have ever found to work is one of two things. First completely delete the sound devices then reinstall the software and drivers completely. Secondly reinstall the OS. The first sometimes works the second always works. Even now all my volumes are full up, but if I re-image my machine with the files from when it was first built, BINGO! Full volume again. What a pisser! Bill GAtes is messin with us again!