Question sound only through laptop speakers

[THARDT]

Hi,
got a boggler. Tried every "normal" procedure. Read many posts about similar problems on here, and don't think I am duplicating an existing question, since I covered all the answers I found in this forum already without success.

• Dell laptop, Win10, Realtek Audio
• Dell USB port replicator when at my desk
• via port replicator, USB VoIP headset
• when streaming video away from desk and port replicator, HDMI cable for connection to TV

Until a week ago, I could select laptop internal speakers or headset, and any sound would come through selected device. When HDMI plugged in, sound of streamed video would automatically play through TV's speakers (and if you clicked on sound device list in the status bar, it had automatically changed to "LG TV").

Since last week, something has gone wrong. I made no changes to the laptop. No new software installations, and I'm not even aware of a Windows update immediately before the problem.
All system sounds and any MP3 from the HDD will play on the selected device.
But if I stream sound or video, then sound only ever comes from internal speakers.
If I'm at my desk, I can select "headset" and a sound stream comes from internal speakers, while system sounds and MP3 play over the headset. Even if I disconnect the port replicator and plug the USB headset directly into the laptop.
f I stream video, system sounds play via the TV speakers through the HDMI, but the sound of the video stream comes via laptop speakers.

I have checked all the volume levels and made sure nothing is muted.
I have run the sound trouble shooter without success.
I have gone into control panel and ticked the headset (and on another occasion the HDMI) as "default device" - nothing.
I disabled and re-enabled each device without effect.
I have repeatedly updated, uninstalled and re-installed all audio drivers - the general Realtek one, as well as the individual device drivers.
I have asked the system to scan for hardware changes.

I have tried all the tips you can google (and may have missed some in the list above...).

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance,
best regards
T

 

[THARDT]

Hi,
got a boggler. Tried every "normal" procedure. Read many posts about similar problems on here, and don't think I am duplicating an existing question, since I covered all the answers I found in this forum already without success.

• Dell laptop, Win10, Realtek Audio
• Dell USB port replicator when at my desk
• via port replicator, USB VoIP headset
• when streaming video away from desk and port replicator, HDMI cable for connection to TV

Until a week ago, I could select laptop internal speakers or headset, and any sound would come through selected device. When HDMI plugged in, sound of streamed video would automatically play through TV's speakers (and if you clicked on sound device list in the status bar, it had automatically changed to "LG TV").

Since last week, something has gone wrong. I made no changes to the laptop. No new software installations, and I'm not even aware of a Windows update immediately before the problem.
All system sounds and any MP3 from the HDD will play on the selected device.
But if I stream sound or video, then sound only ever comes from internal speakers.
If I'm at my desk, I can select "headset" and a sound stream comes from internal speakers, while system sounds and MP3 play over the headset. Even if I disconnect the port replicator and plug the USB headset directly into the laptop.
f I stream video, system sounds play via the TV speakers through the HDMI, but the sound of the video stream comes via laptop speakers.

I have checked all the volume levels and made sure nothing is muted.
I have run the sound trouble shooter without success.
I have gone into control panel and ticked the headset (and on another occasion the HDMI) as "default device" - nothing.
I disabled and re-enabled each device without effect.
I have repeatedly updated, uninstalled and re-installed all audio drivers - the general Realtek one, as well as the individual device drivers.
I have asked the system to scan for hardware changes.

I have tried all the tips you can google (and may have missed some in the list above...).

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance,
best regards
T

WOW, 204 views in 4 days, but not a single reply. Does that mean that nobody has any suggestions because I've tried everything? HELP!

 

[rhyalus]

Hi... this sounds like a software setting. What are you streaming FROM? Sometimes apps can have settings that will override the windows setting.

R

 

[THARDT]

Hi... this sounds like a software setting. What are you streaming FROM? Sometimes apps can have settings that will override the windows setting.

R

Hi and thanks for your reply.
I have this effect when listening to pure sound streams from the BBC Sounds website, listening to live web radio on Classic FM, streaming TV on Britbox or Netflix. All of these come via Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome. Both have this issue.
if I play an MP3 file from HDD with VLC or Windows Media Player, this does not happen. The sound comes out of the chosen device.

 

[rhyalus]

Check this out: https://support.google.com/chrome/thread/8079458?hl=en

In general I would look into settings to see if you can force it, or get extensions in Chrome to redirect audio.

I am not sure about Firefox.

Hope this helps,
R

 

[THARDT]

Check this out: https://support.google.com/chrome/thread/8079458?hl=en

In general I would look into settings to see if you can force it, or get extensions in Chrome to redirect audio.

I am not sure about Firefox.

Hope this helps,
R

Hello, and thanks for your input.
I have tried every single sound setting that I know exists in Windows 10, as described in my original post. Nothing seems to work. Googled this to the Nth degree and nothing seems to work.
The extensions for Google Chrome don't have any effect, either. Something in Win10 is simply forcing all sound streams (including teleconferencing and VoIP calls, by the way - sound that isn't generated by Windows 10, but isn't coming from a browser) through the PC Speakers.
The last idea I have to re-install Windows 10 and my software, 1 by 1, and see at which point things go wrong...
But there was no change to the system that I can put my finger on, which may have caused this in the first place.
cheers
T

 

[rhyalus]

What laptop do you have? You never mentioned this. And do you have the MaxxAudio Pro installed?

R

 

[THARDT]

What laptop do you have? You never mentioned this. And do you have the MaxxAudio Pro installed?

R

It's a DELL Latitude 5590. I have used the magnifying glass in the bottom bar to search for "maxx", and found a result: the app "Waves MaxxAudioPro". It offered me to open it, open the file location, or uninstall. I clicked "uninstall", but this app is not listed. So I clicked "open file location" and it's in c:\programdatea\microsoft\windows\start menu\programs

But this app cannot be found in the Start Menu either. I have not launched it, because I don't know whether you suspected it of causing problems, or whether you were hoping that it might resolve them...

Thanks and best regards
T

 

[rhyalus]

Actually, this program seems to be needed - at least it was on my system. I suggest making sure it is functional, and perhaps updating it from the Dell service website.

If the "test audio" does not work, you need to add Media functionality for Windows.... My Dell 7400 was not working properly because my IT folks had not added the media feature pack. See my other posts on this matter.

But your issue may be different than what I was experiencing. It couldn't though!

R