Stewyh Posted September 8, 2012 Posted September 8, 2012 Have owned a HP Envy 17" for a few months now and have been listening to music through my main hifi using the HDMI output with no issues. I recently put together a secondary system with no digital inputs so have been using the analogue 3.5 output. Problem is, with Beats Audio either enabled or disabled, the volume fluctuates, mainly in quiet parts of music, the volume will get progressively louder. As you can imagine this completely ruins the dynamics of a piece of music. I've been on some pc forums and there is a fix, but it involves more pc alterations than I'm capable of and renders beats audio inactive. Rather than bugger around with command prompt stuff I thought I might get something really simple like this little usb dac as the problem only occurs on the soundcard's analogue out and others have reported solving this issue using them. http://www.ebay.com....984.m1423.l2649 Anyone have experience with these little doo-dads? I don't wanna spend much cash on one, but is there a certain type/brand that performs better than others or is more robust? I'd prefer one with RCA's rather than 3.5mm but doesn't really matter. Any input is appreciated. cheers.
LogicprObe Posted September 8, 2012 Posted September 8, 2012 (edited) The more you pay, the better they get (mostly) Those things work but the quality isn't that good. edit - spend $50 and get a good one! http://www.megabuy.com.au/creative-sound-blaster-x-fi-go-pro-usb-sound-card-thx-trustudio-pro-3d-headphones-surround-p222294.html Edited September 8, 2012 by LogicprObe 1
Stewyh Posted September 8, 2012 Author Posted September 8, 2012 Cheers. Other than this issue, it's a great machine, but quite an oversight by HP for a pc that's supposedly aimed at the multimedia/gaming market. Mind you it has the best onboard speakers I've ever heard in a laptop (still not saying much haha). But yeah if I could get it playing correctly through both systems I'd be chuffed. I wouldn't mind spending 50-70 bucks for a quality solution.
Stewyh Posted September 8, 2012 Author Posted September 8, 2012 I like how the little Creative one has a line level/headphone switch. I never liked running headphone levels to line inputs. Never had an issue with it, just a bit of OCD haha.
Stewyh Posted September 8, 2012 Author Posted September 8, 2012 Well as usual I took the idea to the nth degree and am looking at getting a sturdier external soundcard around the $120 mark. I'm reading really good things about the Musiland monitor 02 series cards. http://www.headfonia.com/musiland-02-24192-for-120/ They have stereo rca and optical/spdif outs plus two headphone jacks. There's also a slightly more expensive model with a volume pot. Anyone heard one of these in action? The only downside I can see is that they require the installation of the included proprietary drivers and would require an international power adapter (which I have buckets of anyway).
LogicprObe Posted September 8, 2012 Posted September 8, 2012 LOL! Now you're way beyond the scope of the OP! 1
Stewyh Posted October 14, 2012 Author Posted October 14, 2012 (edited) Ok, so I bought a Musiland Monitor 02 from China. Fixed the issue completely. Cool little product actually, just a simple external soundcard (just as well as all the instructions are in Chinese). It's got a basic usb2 input, line level analogue stereo RCA, SPDIF, Toslink, and 2x 3.5mm headphone outs. It's got one other cool feature too. I was initially peeved by it's lack of an on/off switch (it's mains powered), but I've discovered that it has an auto switch that depends on usb connectivity. Unplug the usb cable or switch off your pc and a tiny "click" from the unit and the light goes out. (Does the opposite when you plug in or switch on, obviously). I've used the rca outs through my little vintage valve amp and the optical through my main AVR. No issues, sounds great, fixed the problem. It has to be said that this problem shouldn't exist on a laptop that cost $2k+, particularly one that's aimed at the multimedia/gaming market, but...all's well that ends well I guess Here's the website. I got mine off ebay though, there's heaps of them and a few different models with different features and pricing. http://www.musiland....x/l/us-en/t/en/ Edited October 14, 2012 by stewyh
Recommended Posts