Windows 10 System Sounds- Tinny, no Bass

Hi,

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Community.

Appreciate your efforts to work on this issue.

As you have already tried the driver update and driver roll back, suggest you to follow these steps to check if that helps.

1. Right click the speaker icon in the Taskbar and select 'Playback Devices'.
2. Click the default device once to highlight it (it’s usually 'speakers & headphones’) then click the ‘Properties’ button.
3. Click the ‘Enhancements tab’ and put a tick in the box next to 'Loudness Equalization'.
4. Click Apply to save the change and then click OK in all remaining windows and see if this helps.

Hope this helps.

Let us know if you got the help you needed.

Regards,

Srimadhwa B

Microsoft Community-Moderator

Thank you for your response.

There are no playback devices when I right click on the speaker icon.  However, there is an option for "sounds".  When I click on that, I get a window and then I click on the Playback tab.  I then highlight the default device "Speaker/Headphone Realtek Audio" and then select "Properties".  Another window opens, but there is no "Enhancements tab"; only General, Levels, Advance, and Spatial Sound.  None of these tabs have Loudness Equalization option.

Please note that my local electronics store has the same computer on display that I have.  It system sounds sound OK.  Being the store display unit, it probably has not had any software updates in the last year or so.  The Realtek driver on that computer is dated 2/26/18, ver 6.0.1.8382.  I did not have that driver to roll back to.

Hi,

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Community.

Appreciate your efforts to work on this issue.

As you have already tried the driver update and driver roll back, suggest you to follow these steps to check if that helps.

1. Right click the speaker icon in the Taskbar and select 'Playback Devices'.
2. Click the default device once to highlight it (it’s usually 'speakers & headphones’) then click the ‘Properties’ button.
3. Click the ‘Enhancements tab’ and put a tick in the box next to 'Loudness Equalization'.
4. Click Apply to save the change and then click OK in all remaining windows and see if this helps.

Hope this helps.

Let us know if you got the help you needed.

Regards,

Srimadhwa B

Microsoft Community-Moderator

SOLVED

Using SFC /scannow, the following files were found to be CORRUPT:

C:\windows\Media\Windows Notify System Generic.wav

C:\windows\Media\Windows Notify Messaging.wav

C:\windows\Media\Windows Notify Email.wav

C:\windows\Media\Windows Notify Calendar.wav

C:\windows\Media\Windows Background.wav

C:\windows\Media\Windows Foreground.wav

Unfortunately, SFC in conjunction with DISM, were unable to repair the files.  I suspect that the files in the RECOVERY partition from HP are also corrupt.  I copied replacement files from another win 10 computer.

Good article explaining how to use SFC:

https://www.windowscentral.com/how-use-sfc-command-utility-fix-system-files-windows-10

Another alternative that sounds promising, but I did not use, is to do a repair install of win 10 without loosing apps and programs.  Here is an article explaining the process:

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/16397-repair-install-windows-10-place-upgrade.html

Hi,

Thanks for the reply and appreciate your efforts to work on this issue.

Suggest you to reinstall the driver from Device Manager and check if that helps.

Open Device Manager, right-click (or tap and hold) on Realtek Audio driver under Sound, Video, and game controllers, and select Uninstall. Restart your PC, and Windows will attempt to reinstall the driver.

Hope this helps.

Let us know if you got the help you needed.

Regards,

Srimadhwa B

Microsoft Community-Moderator

I tried your suggestion  above.  If anything, the rollback driver sound quality may be even a little worse in regards to No bass and tinny sounding.  The driver being used now is dated 3/6/2018 and the version is 6.0.1.8393.  Any other suggestions?  Thanks in advance.

Hi,

Thanks for the reply and appreciate your efforts to work on this issue.

Suggest you to reinstall the driver from Device Manager and check if that helps.

Open Device Manager, right-click (or tap and hold) on Realtek Audio driver under Sound, Video, and game controllers, and select Uninstall. Restart your PC, and Windows will attempt to reinstall the driver.

Hope this helps.

Let us know if you got the help you needed.

Regards,

Srimadhwa B

Microsoft Community-Moderator