2 audio inputs in studio 15

I'm guessing it is the Studio 1555 which I think is the most recent Studio 15 model. The 1555 has 3 jacks. The one nearest the rear is the input (mic) jack. The 2 nearest the front are both headphone jacks. For regular stereo (2.0 or 2.1) use either headphone jack. There is no dedicated bass jack in 2.1 sound.

The 3 jacks can also be configured for 5.1 surround sound.  To switch to 5.1 surround sound mode  you need to connect a speaker’s three differently colored cable connectors—green, yellow, and black—to the headphone and microphone jacks.  You must connect the speaker’s black cable connector first or the 5.1 surround sound mode does not work.

1 Connect the speaker’s black cable connector to the microphone/line-in jack.
2 Connect the speaker’s green cable connector to the left headphone connector.
3 Connect the speaker’s yellow cable connector to the right headphone connector.

Hi Jim,

Actually the headphone jack nearest the front is quite noticeably more bass-heavy.  

And I would appreciate any feedback on the general sound quality - it is quite muddy and almost gives me a headache!  

Cheers.

Try running the audio tests in Dell Diagnostics. These interactive audio tests are designed to narrow down the problem to either the software or hardware. The tests are independent of Windows and drivers, meaning it doesn't matter if those are working correctly or not. To run Dell Diagnostics

1. Restart the computer and tap the f12 key as soon as it starts to boot up .
2. Select 'Diagnostic' from the boot menu. The computer will run its pre-boot assessment tests (PSA) before Dell Diagnostics starts. During the PSA you will hear some tones through the system speaker but this does not adequately test the audio hardware. Dell Diagnostics plays an instrumental piece of music complete with drums, so if you only hear some tones then you have only run the PSA.
3. Dell Diagnostics should open after the PSA tests, or you should see an option to open it. If you have ever reformatted your entire hard drive then Dell Diagnostics will no longer be there as an option. In that case run it from the Drivers and Utilities (Resource) CD if you have one.
4. Select 'Custom', then the audio tests. (At this point - after you have opened Dell Diagnostic custom - if you can't find the option to select the audio tests that is a symptom of a failed audio chip.)
5. The tests will play some audio and ask you whether you heard it.
6. If the sound is still muddy during the test then the muddiness is caused by the hardware. It might be defective or might not. Contact Dell to have it checked out.
7.If the sound is clear during the test but not when you boot back into Windows that means the hardware is okay but there is a problem with the software, either the IDT audio driver or the Creative MB applications.

Hi Jim,

Thanks a lot for the help.  I ran the diagnostic test, and the sound was equally muddy, so I assume it is an issue with the hardware.  Is there a possibility that the hardware Dell uses on its new laptops is just of low quality?  I don't quite think it's "defective," although there is a chance it is.  I just think the quality is FAR inferior to the integrated audio I had on my old (2006) Inspiron 640m.

Do you think I could possibly have Dell replace the sound card with the ones they used on their old systems?

I really appreciate your help!

Sorry for the delay.

The audio chip on the motherboard cannot be replaced. If it were to become defective Dell would replace the entire motherboard. Your 640m had Sigmatel audio hardware and the Studio's have IDT. (IDT bought out Sigmatel). The chips themselves have quite impressive specifications but of course any individual chip could be bad.

If the audio were just bad through the built-in speakers then one would think it is just typical laptop speakers which are not great, but because it is bad through the jacks then there could well be a hardware problem -- either in the jacks or elsewhere. Someone else posted and said the audio on the 1555 was pretty good.

Hi Jim - thanks for the reply, you are a great help.

Alternatively, I could just get a new sound card (one that fits right into the express slot), right? This would override the integrated audio chip?

I'm really hoping the hardware is defective because I'm having a hard time trying to convince myself that this sounds better than the Sigmatel chip!

A sound card in the slot would co-exist with the integrated audio. You would choose between them by selecting which is the default audio device.

Finally figured it out - in the Speakers / Headphones Properties, I checked "disabled sound blaster enhancements" and "disable all enhancements."  Finally my music sounds good.

Thanks for all your help Jim.

I'm glad it is sounding good now. If I understand you correctly, the sound was muddy when you tested it using Dell Diagnostics, but now that you have disabled enhancements presumably the sound is clear in Diagnostics?

The reason I ask is because I did not think that a configuration setting like that would have any effect at all on Dell Diagnostics.

I'm glad I found this, I have the same problem. Disabling enhancements helps with headphones, but it makes actual speaker output worse as it appears that doing this disables the subwoofer. Anyone know of a way to disable enhancements JUST for headphones, and keep them on for the laptops speakers?