Bose Companion 5 stopped working

[RafMont106]

My Bose Companion Speaker set stopped playing audio from the computer. To rule out a bad speaker system I unplugged it and connected it to my HP Pavilion laptop. The system worked fine. I reconnected the product to my PC, tried it again unsuccessfully. I checked the Sound settings, the speakers are listed there and selected as default. I disconnected the speakers again from the PC, I rebooted the PC. I unplugged the power to the Bose speakers for a while. I powered up the Bose speakers and reconnected them to the PC. Still no sound. The PC speaker works fine. I think that the problem could be related to the last operating system upgrade. I have currently Windows 11, version 24H2. Any suggestions? I called Bose and they have never heard of my specific problem.

[Sneha_01]

Hi @RafMont106 

Welcome to HP Support Community.

Thank you for posting your query, I will be glad to help you.

It seems like the issue is likely software or driver-related, especially since the Bose Companion 5 speakers work when connected to your HP Pavilion laptop but not to your PC. Let’s go through a series of troubleshooting steps to help resolve the issue:

1. Check Audio Output Settings

• Right-click the speaker icon in the taskbar on your PC and select Open Sound Settings.
• Under Output, ensure that your Bose Companion 5 speakers are selected as the default device.
• If they are listed but not selected, try selecting them again. If they aren’t showing up, continue with the steps below.

2. Reinstall or Update the Audio Drivers

• Sometimes a recent Windows update can cause audio driver issues. Let’s make sure your audio drivers are up to date.
  • Open Device Manager (Press Win + X and select Device Manager).
  • Expand Sound, video and game controllers.
  • Right-click on your audio device (e.g., Realtek, High Definition Audio, etc.) and select Update driver.
  • Choose Search automatically for updated driver software and let Windows find and install any available updates.
• If updating doesn’t work, you can try uninstalling the audio driver and then restarting your PC to allow Windows to reinstall it automatically.

3. Check Audio Troubleshooter

• Windows 11 has a built-in audio troubleshooter that may help identify and fix the issue:
  • Go to Settings > System > Sound.
  • Scroll down and select Troubleshoot under Advanced.
  • Follow the on-screen instructions to allow Windows to detect and fix any potential audio issues.

4. Check Audio Format Settings

• Sometimes audio output settings can be configured to a format not supported by the speakers. To check:
  • Right-click the speaker icon in the taskbar and select Sounds.
  • Go to the Playback tab, right-click your Bose Companion 5 speakers, and select Properties.
  • Go to the Advanced tab and try changing the Default Format (e.g., switch from 24-bit 192000 Hz to 16-bit 44100 Hz) to see if it resolves the issue.
  • Click Apply and then OK.

I hope this helps.

Please mark this post as “Accepted Solution” if the issue is resolved and if you feel this reply was helpful click “Yes”.

[RafMont106]

Hi Sneha_01

After I posted my issue, I started thinking of any recent changes to my Desktop. I decided to revert my Windows update to the previous version. The speakers started working right away. For some reason the latest update is not compatible with my Bose system. Hopefully someone can bring that to Microsoft's attention for future updates. I left my computer like that and don't plan to update for now. 

[Sneha_01]

Hi @RafMont106,

Thank you so much for your response. I am glad the issue is resolved.

Is there anything else that I can help you with today?

Please mark this post as “Accepted Solution” if the issue is resolved and if you feel this reply was helpful click “Yes”.Take care and have a great day ahead!

Sneha_01

HP Support