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New Vostro 7590 - extremely low mic volume
*apologies if this is a repeat post. Got a system error message trying to put this up the first time. Oh, the irony....
Hey all.
Looking for some help. This has got me pulling out what little hair I have.
Even when walking from only 2-3 feet away, people can barely hear me though the built-in mic. As I'm taking an online class full-time over the summer, this is a problem. My troubleshooting so far -
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confirmed mic turned all the way up in app (Zoom and Google Meets)
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tested mic in app, confirmed quiet recording
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confirmed mic turned all the way up in the system
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tested mic in system, confirmed quite recording
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turned off all fancy background sound-canceling features. Tested again, same results.
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tested mic level with both Microphone Array and Same As System selected. No difference.
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uninstalled the device and reinstalled via check for hardware changes
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downloaded latest drivers from Dell and did a manual install
I am out of ideas and turning to you good folks for help.
A quick rant: I'm actually on my second brand new Vostro 7590 - first was replaced under warranty the day I got it because the fan wouldn't stop running on high. My laptop before this was a $260 Best Buy refurb Asus with an i3. It lasted five+ years with ZERO problems. All I did to it was upgrade to an SSD and add another 4gig stick of ram. This Dell has been nothing but problems. It boots up slower than the i3 (yes, all but a few essential startup items are disabled) and is much slower to come back to life from sleep. Then there was the heating issue resulting in a replacement machine. Then I spent an entire day trying to figure out why I was only getting 1.87mbps - turned out SmartByte was the culprit so that got deleted. This replacement unit STILL runs super hot and thermo throttles playing a f'''ing YouTube video. And now this microphone BS. I'm really hoping this is just user error, or else this garbage is probably going to be returned.
DonS47
7 Posts
0
July 18th, 2020 13:00
Finally all seems to be working as intended!
Dell support advised I should uninstall and delete the RealTek drivers, and sent following guidelines:
To uninstall the RealTek drivers,
1. Right click on the start menu and select device manager
2. Expand the option that says 'Audio inputs and outputs'
3. You will find realtek related drivers there, right click uninstall and 'delete' driver. [there was a checkbox to delete the driver, when uninstalling.]
4. Next expand ' Sound, video and Game controllers' uninstall and delete anything related to Realtek there as well.
5. Restart the computer. Wait for a few minutes for the drivers to install back from Windows and then test it out.
Good volume range restored on internal speakers. Internal mic test goes almost full range. Windows recognizes headphone for audio out and mic.
Hope this helps.
AppleV
3 Posts
1
June 25th, 2020 20:00
I too have this problem and have tried some of the solutions you have tried - no luck. The Windows Settings-> System-> Sound-> Input-> Device Properties (Microphone Array)-> Start test with volume set to 100%, and it reports a maximum level of 4% when talking fairly loudly from a distance of 10-12 inches.
Machine arrived June 11, 2020. I tried to use it on a Zoom session on June 16 but had to switch to an old tablet so I could be heard.
I wish Dell had a "me-too" button, not that that would do much good. I'm going to try the service route but I don't hold out much hope.
DonS47
7 Posts
1
June 28th, 2020 08:00
I've had the same problem and tried the same corrective actions.
I bought my Vostro in Feb, and had no problem with the mic - mostly for Zoom meetings - up through a Zoom graduation party on 6/14.
I discovered the problem with low volume on a Zoom meeting 6/21, but I didn't troubleshoot. It was still there for a Zoom meeting 6/28 (today).
After giving up on troubleshooting, I checked the Support Assist history and found that the RealTek Audio drive and Dell BIOS updates among others, were installed 6/15.
I will contact Dell Tech Support and take advantage of my high-priced warranty.
daniminson
1 Message
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June 28th, 2020 17:00
I am having the same problem as all of you. Please let me know If you find any fix. @DonS47
DonS47
7 Posts
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June 30th, 2020 06:00
A Dell Tech has been assigned. I responded to a request for background info.
It might be helpful for you to check what Windows updates occurred before you discovered the problem.
I my case, I saw only the new Edge installation.
DonS47
7 Posts
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June 30th, 2020 10:00
user daniminson confirmed problem was caused by the installation of RealTek audio driver A06:
"Yes, the problem started when I installed the RealTek driver A06. To solve it, I needed to reinstall windows and not install the audio driver, letting windows do it."
AppleV
3 Posts
5
July 1st, 2020 22:00
Thanks to the hint from DonS47 and daniminson that the problem is with the Realtek A06 driver, I went to the Vostro driver page (https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-us/product-support/product/vostro-15-7590-laptop/drivers) and changed the category to Audio. Clicked the down arrow on the first entry (Version 6.0.8940.1 A06) and you'll see a link to Older versions. Click on the link and you'll see two older versions. Download the 6.0.8777.1 A05 version and run it. It'll do two reboots, one to uninstall the old version and another to install the new version. You'll also have to confirm that you want to use an older driver. The microphone now works properly.
The problem now will be that whenever SupportAssist runs, it will probably want to download the latest level. I'll have to watch out for that.
I wonder how long it will take Dell to put out a fixed driver. I would think Dell is seeing a lot of audio problems on machines that use the Realtek A06 driver. It would be in their best interest to fix it quickly.
DonS47
7 Posts
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July 2nd, 2020 06:00
Thanks, AppleV, for step-by-step!
DonS47
7 Posts
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July 8th, 2020 13:00
7/8 Update from Dell Tech Support:
"We just got an update from our product engineering team. They informed us that the issue has been escalated further. They might come up with a new driver to tackle this. They have not given us an ETA yet."
Meanwhile, my laptop mic works great, but Windows won't recognize my headphones!
arktos275
2 Posts
0
July 15th, 2020 12:00
@AppleV thanks for the mic repair instructions, worked perfectly! Unfortunately now our system audio output is extremely low. Will post a solution if found.
DonS47
7 Posts
1
July 15th, 2020 15:00
DELL-Cares
Moderator
Moderator
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25.7K Posts
1
July 18th, 2020 13:00
Glad that it worked out. I would say what is present on the computer is the most recent driver available for the audio. When we delete the driver from the computer Microsoft installs the latest driver it has in its library to the computer. Usually these are a few revisions newer than what you might find in the Dell support website.
I will follow up with you tomorrow. You can let me know if it continues to work fine. You can message me here any time.
Regards,
Aniketh S
shuvross
1 Message
0
July 20th, 2020 09:00
Vostro : Its a very popular series of Dell & quite expensive. That's why i don't think the mic had extremely low. it's might be happen some setting issue.
Thank You
Shuvro Sarker
rdlatimer
1 Message
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July 20th, 2020 12:00
In Zoom Audio settings my mic volume is MAX.
I'm not seeing a fix for this problem with mic volume in Zoom. I'll keep checking in to look for a solution.. This is a Vostro laptop 7590
lancasterpa
1 Message
0
July 30th, 2020 05:00
I had the same problem using Zoom. After following the above instructions, my problem is fixed.