Speaker/audio problems

[scrambler]

can someone help please.

i'm having problems with my speakers. I have some 2:1 creative speakers that are about 1 year old. The problem is that when i play music, all the sound is in the left speaker. Ths music i can hear is just the background music like guitars and drums and bassy stuff. I can "just about" hear the vocals if i put my ear to the speaker. But ignoring that, i pretty much cant hear the vocals nor trebly stuff. I pretty much cant hear anything from the right speaker!

i'm not sure whether its the sound card or driver or my speakers. I think my speakers are ok cos i'm getting sound from them [well one of them] but not sure. I just dont know where to start.

help appreciated

[harrycary]

Don't look for the problem, start by eliminating the possibilities.

You can start by checking the audio settings/levels in your O/S.

If you have another pair of PC speakers, you can connect them and determine if the problem is in your PC or with your 2.1 speakers.

Keep in mind that your 2.1 speakers do have a stereo amplifier. So the possibility of a problem there wouldn't be out of the ordinary.

good luck.

[NinjaDuck]

I just got this exact same problem with my Labtec 2.1 speakers, except the left one is silent. I tried them on another PC and got the same thing, I encourage you to do the same. Or if you don't have another PC, use a CD player or iPod.

[Appzalien]

Try disconnecting your PC's speaker inside the case, I have heard of problems when the PC speaker is hooked up and enabled. Double check where you have the speakers plugged in, because these are either low power outputs or inputs plugging them in anywhere can't hurt. Check your settings in both Windows (Control panel > Sound and Audio Devices > Volume > Advanced) and what ever sound program is installed for your system and make sure both are set to 2.1 speakers and that digital is disabled (analog only).

[scrambler]

ok. so i plugged these speakers into a discman and they worked perfectly. So its not the speakers.

Then i opened up my pc to check the card and found out that i dont have a sound card. My speakers actually plug into the motherboard bit!! I just poked at the little device on my motherboard [well since i couldnt take the little device out, i just pushed it to make sure it wasnt wobbly lol]. Having then closed the case and all, i tried the sound again and now, i get all the sound [bass and treble and vocals and all] in the left speaker but not the right [well a little bit i.e. its very low].

I then went into windows - audio devices etc and i couldnt find 2:1 so i opted for stereo [originally it was set to surround sound]. I've just tried the sound again but its still the same i.e. sound [bass and treble and vocals etc] in left speakers but only a a little volume in the right.

Is it the sound hardware or is it my sound driver? I've looked under device manager but everything looks fine. So it maybe my hardware but i'm not sure. Thing is, if i need new hardware, can i just buy a sound card or must i get a new motherboard?

I do prefer buying new hardware as a last resort, so i'm hoping for any other suggestions in which i can try.

[Appzalien]

There's a good possibility that the little box you talk about is not soldered well on the channel thats not working. It could be a cold solder joint or the box itself could be broken inside. You can get a great deal on places like newegg.com for an older creative sound card (were talking $25-35 U.S.). This is the way to go because the sound you get will be a big improvement over onboard sound. A few things to remember though, you have to disable the onboard sound and uninstall its drivers before putting the new card in and installing its drivers. Some older motherboards have a jumper on the board itself to disable the sound and newer ones can be done from the bios, if you have a manual that came with the computer you can find out there or try the PC or Motherboard manufacturers site to see if you can find instructions there. There's a good chance your motherboards model number can be found painted on the board, usually between the pci slots.