TOP SPEAKERS NOT FAVORED FOR OUTPUT AUDIO

[amnnn88]

THIS LAPTOP HAS A MAJOR DESIGN FLAW WITH SPEAKERS BEING PUT ON THE BOTTOM OF THE LAPTOP. IT MIGHT COME IN HANDY WHEN IT'S USED IN TABLET MODE BUT THAT'S NOT MY PERSONAL PRIMARY USE FOR THE DEVICE.

THE AUDIO OUTPUT IS LOUD ON THE BOTTOM SPEAKERS BUT I CAN BARELY HEAR ANYTHING FROM THE TOP LEFT AND RIGHT SPEAKERS, IF AT ALL; I CAN'T TELL.

THE SPEAKERS ARE BANG AND OLUFSEN, BUT THE AUDIO DRIVER INSTALLED SHOWS UP AS REALTEK, AND ONLY REALTEK. I'VE TRIED UPGRADING THE DRIVER, I'VE TRIED ALL OF THE SOUND SETTINGS, VOLUME MIXER, TURNING OFF SPATIAL SOUND, WATCHED YOUTUBE VIDEOS, SEARCHED GOOGLE, SEARCHED THESE FORUMS--I'VE TRIED EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN TO FIGURE THIS OUT.

I ONLY FOUND ONE OTHER THREAD IN THE HP COMMUNITY THAT MENTIONED THE RESOLUTION IS TO RESET THE COMPUTER WHICH I REALLY DON'T WANT TO DO.

I ALSO READ THAT I MIGHT NEED TO INSTALL THE BANG AND OLUFSEN DRIVER TO GET IT TO SHOW UP IN THE SOUND SETTINGS, BUT WHEN I SEARCH FOR THE NEEDED DRIVER AND IT ASKS FOR MY OS VERSION, IT DOESNT HAVE WINDOWS 11 VERSION 25H2 AS AN OPTION.

I AM SO BEYOND FRUSTRATED...WHAT GENIUS WOULD THINK TO PUT SPEAKERS ON THE BOTTOM OF A DEVICE SO THAT THE SOUND IS MUFFLED AND NOT PROJECTING?!?! 

ANY HELP AND GUIDANCE WOULD BE APPRECIATED!

[Pallipurath]

Hi @amnnn88 

Welcome to the HP Support Community.

Thank you for posting your query.

I understand your frustration regarding the speaker performance and configuration on your device. The Bang & Olufsen branding refers to the audio tuning, while the underlying driver is provided by Realtek, which is why you only see Realtek listed in the sound settings. I would request you to please follow the steps:

Check Audio Output Device

1. Right-click the sound icon in the taskbar and select "Open Sound settings."
2. Under Output, ensure the correct playback device (Realtek) is selected.
3. If unsure, try switching between available devices.

Restart Audio Services

1. Press Windows + R, type services.msc, and press Enter.
2. Scroll down and find Windows Audio.
3. Right-click it and choose Restart.
4. Do the same for Windows Audio Endpoint Builder.

Run HP Support Assistant

HP Support Assistant can automatically detect and fix audio issues:

• Download or open it from here: HP Support Assistant | HP® Support
• Go to Troubleshooting and Fixes > Audio Check and follow the prompts.

Use Windows Troubleshooter

1. Go to Settings > Update & Security > Troubleshoot.
2. Click Additional troubleshooters.
3. Select Playing Audio and run the troubleshooter.

Reinstall Audio Drivers

1. Press Windows + X and select Device Manager.
2. Expand Sound, video and game controllers.
3. Right-click your audio device (e.g., Realtek) and choose Uninstall driver.
4. Right-click again and choose Uninstall device, then restart your PC. Windows will reinstall the driver automatically.

Hope this helps, Please revert if the issue persists.

Take care and have an amazing day!

[amnnn88]

I tried all of these options and nothing works. Does this mean my device is defective? How do I get this resolved without completely wiping my laptop? It's absolutely not an option. I have microsoft office installed and I'd have to pay again for another download, which I'm not doing. I use this for school daily so I don't have the ability to send it in for repair. The top speakers should be working, I've had this laptop for only 2 years. I've never dropped it or gotten it wet or dirty. There has to be another way to fix the issue since all of the previous suggestions were not helpful.

[Pallipurath]

Hi @amnnn88 

Thank you for responding.

I understand that you’ve already tried all the suggested steps without success. However, I kindly request that you run the hardware audio test once and share the results.

Audio Test { UEFI Hardware test}

• Restart your computer  
• Immediately press the dedicated BIOS/Diagnostics key (usually F2, F10, Esc, or Del) to enter the UEFI/System Diagnostics menu. 
• Navigate to Component Tests, 
• Select Audio or Speaker.
• Run the test.

Please revert with the results.

Have a good day.

[amnnn88]

I ran the test and the system said it passed. While performing the test, the audio sound was, yet again, coming out of the bottom speakers and not the top L/R speakers. So what do we try next?