Anemic and bassless sound from Windows 11

[Stefano_Milano]

Hi everyone. I have an Acer PC with Windows 11 always up to dated. The PC is connected via USB to the Topping E50 DAC.

Everything was working perfectly until a few weeks ago. The sound suddenly became anemic and bassless.

I tried everything: reinstalled the realtek drivers, uninstalled Apo eq, removed the audio enhancements. Nothing to do: the sound did not return to normal on any output. Analog jack and USB DAC.

What could I try?
Thank you
Stefano

 

[Sokel]

Are you sure you haven't enabled some kind of enchantment or EQ?
Otherwise there's absolutely no reason for this to happen,you have to search elsewhere.

Do your speakers/sub,work properly?

 

[Stefano_Milano]

Are you sure you haven't enabled some kind of enchantment or EQ?
Otherwise there's absolutely no reason for this to happen,you have to search elsewhere.

Do your speakers/sub,work properly?

Yes. I tried also the exclusive mode in foobar. The sound is anemic also on my iems. I tried also another dac: musiland mu1. Same problem
.

 

[Sokel]

ASIO or WASAPI exclusive bypasses the windows stuff.
That's strange.

 

[Stefano_Milano]

ASIO or WASAPI exclusive bypasses the windows stuff.
That's strange.

Yes... I will try ASIO... Let's see

 

[Dunring]

What kind of amplifier? Are you powering headphones directly from just the DAC?

 

[DVDdoug]

A long-shot, but I had a (Windows) computer once that had settings for internal laptop speakers, external speakers, and headphones. When it was set for the internal speakers it would kill the bass. (I don't know what the difference was between headphones & external speakers.)

...I wouldn't expect that setting to affect an external DAC.

Is the "stereo" OK? This is also a long-shot with everything you've already checked, but a broken ground connection to headphones/IEMs can create a center channel "vocal remover" effect where left & right are subtracted, removing everything in the center, including the bass. This also makes the left & right identical.

 

[Weeb Labs]

Have you tested the same speakers or headphones on a different source since this problem began to occur?

 

[Barry_Sound]

Hi everyone. I have an Acer PC with Windows 11 always up to dated. The PC is connected via USB to the Topping E50 DAC.

Everything was working perfectly until a few weeks ago. The sound suddenly became anemic and bassless.

I tried everything: reinstalled the realtek drivers, uninstalled Apo eq, removed the audio enhancements. Nothing to do: the sound did not return to normal on any output. Analog jack and USB DAC.

What could I try?
Thank you
Stefano

From your description you had some sort of EQ running before unknowingly. Now that it´s gone resetting the system over and over wont put it back in place.

Not sure if this works exactly the same on windows but here´s what you could do on a Mac:
Get the Tidal 30-Day Trial in Master Quality, enable exclusive mode in playback, see hear if it sounds different than your system output.

 

[Mnyb]

Uninstalled Apo EQ ? it’s not uncommon to have a windows update disable EqApo it migth need an upgrade or reinstall or just activate it again for the DAC ?

If you had EQApo it possible that you used some eq ? Before .

 

[phoenixdogfan]

I'd first make sure your windows sound card was correctly set. Since it's two channel, you want it set to stereo with speakers set to full range, and you want the default output to be foobar. Under special setting you want at least 24/48 studio quality, and you want it set for exclusive mode priority, allow device to take control of output. Don't forget to save the setting and make sure all the spatial audio crap is turned off. If you use Equalizer Apo, best to use the Peace interface, and there exists a thread on here detailing how to replace Windows processing objects with APO's own which obviates the advantage of using ASIO-For-All which, I think, is a major PIA. You should use that thread to optimize your windows settings. Then you can use EQ Apo's settings for your own custom PEQ for your system, but remember you will need to decrement the preamp volume by the amount the maximum gain band is incremented, so if you increase 305 hz by 7db and that's the highest bump on your PEQ, you will set the preamp to -7db. Actually -8 to avoid "inter-sample overs", which is something that may occur which will create digital clipping.

 

[Stefano_Milano]

Have you tested the same speakers or headphones on a different source since this problem began to occur?

Yes. They works fine with my android telephone.

 

[Stefano_Milano]

I'd first make sure your windows sound card was correctly set. Since it's two channel, you want it set to stereo with speakers set to full range, and you want the default output to be foobar. Under special setting you want at least 24/48 studio quality, and you want it set for exclusive mode priority, allow device to take control of output. Don't forget to save the setting and make sure all the spatial audio crap is turned off. If you use Equalizer Apo, best to use the Peace interface, and there exists a thread on here detailing how to replace Windows processing objects with APO's own which obviates the advantage of using ASIO-For-All which, I think, is a major PIA. You should use that thread to optimize your windows settings. Then you can use EQ Apo's settings for your own custom PEQ for your system, but remember you will need to decrement the preamp volume by the amount the maximum gain band is incremented, so if you increase 305 hz by 7db and that's the highest bump on your PEQ, you will set the preamp to -7db. Actually -8 to avoid "inter-sample overs", which is something that may occur which will create digital clipping.

Thanks! I will check all your advice.

 

[Sokel]

The simplest way to test everything in foobar is through DSD.
ASIO+DSD plug-in as output along with SACD plug in bypasses everything in the chain,if set up for DSD in SACD properties.

If that is ok then something in the windows CP or in windows mixer is off.
That should also be the case with device's ASIO drivers as well through foobar and with all DSP disabled.