Microphone input extreme attenuation

[dripslayer]

Hello, I am experiencing persistent extreme microphone input attenuation on an HP Pavilion Gaming 17.  When I use the Realtek official audio driver (the one downloaded from the official HP website) my microphone level becomes insanely low (even if it is turned on at maximum lvl in control panel), whereas when I use the High Definition Audio drivers the microphone works completely fine but then other problems arise such as not being able to change the audio output without restarting the computer. I tried all of the possible solutions such as manually uninstalling all Realtek-related drivers and then reinstalling them, volume adjustments, master output verifications, B&O app tuning (turning off mircophone noise suppression). I am seeking advanced solutions. I don't think that this is a hardware problem, as the microphone works completely fine with the HDA driver.

[Hawks_Eye]

Hi @dripslayer 

Welcome to the HP Support Community! We're here to help you get back up and running.

I understand the microphone input level becomes extremely low only when the HP Realtek audio driver is installed, while the microphone functions normally with the Microsoft High Definition Audio driver. Since the microphone works correctly with the HDA driver, the symptom points more toward the Realtek audio software layer, audio enhancements, or driver configuration rather than a physical microphone failure.

For your HP Pavilion Gaming 17-cd1000 running Windows 11, please try the following steps:

Perform a complete audio driver refresh:

• Open Device Manager.
• Expand Sound, video and game controllers.
• Right-click Realtek(R) Audio and select Uninstall device.
• Check Attempt to remove the driver for this device if available.
• Restart the PC.
• Download and install the latest Realtek audio package available for your exact model from HP Support.
• Restart again after installation.

Verify the microphone boost setting:

• Right-click the speaker icon and open Sound settings.
• Select your microphone under Input.
• Open Additional sound settings.
• Under the Recording tab, open the microphone properties.
• Check the Levels tab and confirm whether a Microphone Boost option is available.
• Set the boost to the highest available value and test.

Disable all audio processing features:

• Open Microphone Properties.
• Under Advanced, disable audio enhancements if present.
• Under Communications, select Do nothing.
• Test microphone levels afterward.

Check HP audio application settings:

• Open the Bang & Olufsen Audio Control application.
• Disable Noise Reduction, Acoustic Echo Cancellation, or Voice Enhancement features.
• Restore audio settings to default and retest.

Update system firmware and chipset components:

• Install the latest BIOS available for the HP Pavilion Gaming 17-cd1000 from HP Support.
• Install the latest Intel chipset and Intel Management Engine drivers published for your model.
• Restart and retest the microphone.

Run HP Hardware Diagnostics:

• Launch HP PC Hardware Diagnostics Windows.
• Run the Audio Input or Microphone test.
• If the test passes while microphone levels remain low only with the Realtek driver, that further supports a driver or software configuration issue rather than hardware.

Compare microphone array devices:

• In Device Manager, check whether multiple microphone devices appear after the Realtek driver installation.
• Set the built-in microphone array as the default recording device and default communication device.
• Test with the Windows Voice Recorder application.

Since you have already ruled out basic volume settings, driver reinstallations, and B&O noise suppression, the most important items to focus on are the Microphone Boost setting, audio enhancement controls, BIOS update, and a clean reinstallation of the HP Realtek package after fully removing the previous driver package.

Could you share the current Realtek driver version shown in Device Manager and whether a Microphone Boost option appears under the microphone Levels tab? This will help narrow down the remaining driver-specific possibilities.

Take care, and have an amazing day!

Regards, 

Hawks_Eye