Newish ASUS laptop - sound is AWFUL - aibu to ask for tips/equipment recommendations?

[Graphista]

Lovely new laptop, works fine in every other way but when streaming the sound is bloody abysmal!

Thin, tinny and almost impossible to hear.

I have an echo dot which I have TRIED to connect on several occasions inc with "help" from Amazon "experts" who thus far have been unable to help me to actually connect it!

It's all very very frustrating.

Can anyone help me either sort the laptop or connect to the echo or recommend additional speakers? This is driving me nuts!

I'd say a big part of the problem is physically the speaker is on the bloody bottom of the laptop I mean I ask you! What idiot comes up with that idea?!

Please can someone help?

Bluetooth headphones? Or a decent sounding separate Bluetooth speaker (doesn't have to be expensive, mine is the size of half a coke can and was about £15, but is old enough that you can't buy that specific one any more).

I also have a newish Asus, it's speedy and the screen is beautiful but the sound is definitely not its best feature.

You can connect the echo dot via bluetooth, although sometimes it can be temperamental to connect at first.

Turn on bluetooth settings on the laptop (make sure it's discoverable), say 'alexa, connect bluetooth' and they should find each other.

What happens when you try and connect the dot?

Yes I know I'm SUPPOSED to be able to connect the echo but it's not working.

Says "connected" on the settings on the laptop but the sound doesn't come through the echo.

When I try to connect either using voice commands OR Alexa app on tablet says "cannot find..." but then followed by the exact identifier of the laptop (eg "asus xyz123") but if it can rattle off the ID why is it saying it can't find it?! Makes no sense

I've followed ALL the guidance the Amazon people tell me (it's the same every damn time but I go along) and it NEVER works

Oh, click your speaker on the task bar and you should be able to change the output to alexa.

Here

Echo doesn't appear there

See

In the Bluetooth settings on your laptop, have you paired the alexa itself? You probably want to connect the laptop to the alexa, not the other way around. Laptop Bluetooth will need to be discoverable. Once laptop is connected to alexa via Bluetooth, validate it is connected as a Bluetooth device on the laptop - then check it realises that device can be used as an audio output. Once this is configured it should allow you to select it for the audio out as per the screenshots above.

Ok. So on your list of bluetooth devices on the laptop what does it say? Is it on there? Does it say paired, or connected?

Fucking hate bluetooth

There are so many YouTube videos on this. It is probably on the laptop side as per my note above - I'd first want to eliminate that Bluetooth is switched on correctly on the laptop side as per my previous post.

Ok I now seem to have it that the echo is "recognising" the laptop. Laptop sounds (beeps etc) are coming out of the echo BUT the streaming still isn't! The only option I have for sound for streaming is still the utterly rubbish laptop speaker

It said on laptop "connected" and then "paired" what is frustratingly infuriating is I haven't done anything today I haven't done several times before and I never got this far

then check it realises that device can be used as an audio output

I'm hunting - there's not an option to add this!

Go to window settings then devices then Bluetooth then pair whatever device you want to use. Make sure you are pressing the connect button on the device too the light should blink. Are you sure the speaker isn't broken is it new out of the box? Might have to return it. Google the exact brand and see if theres a YouTube video about it. The equaliser might be set funny but I doubt it.

@whatup that's not how echo works

I have googled like mad. Same exact advice keeps coming up and I follow it to the letter to no avail it's maddening!

Reboot safely and try again. Windows Bluetooth isn't great.

It is temperamental. I tried for half a day to connect my Samsung ear buds and it was having none of it. Had managed before but it just wouldn't. Then I tried the exact same steps a different day and they connected fine

Not quite sure what's going on with your system sounds coming through the speaker but not the streaming. If you right click the speaker on the task bar there should be a 'volume mixer' option. You might be able to play with the settings there and change the speaker over on the highlighted bit. Otherwise I am well and truly stumped, sorry!

Did you close and reopen the application you are trying to stream from? They often take a snapshot when they launch of the audio devices available at that point. If you have since paired it might not know it is there.

Failsafe is to reboot, connect the alexa dot, then launch application. What is it you are trying to stream from?

If you have audio coming out it is no longer an issue with the dot wound be my first guess - it's now a software problem on laptop side.

Any Bluetooth device should work roughly like that but I get your point .

Yes it was almost as difficult to connect the airpods. I'd use them but I've a sore ear today!

Sounds broken or on its way out. Do you have the receipt is it new enough to return? What version of windows is it? Have you recently updated it?

I only get option for the Realtek audio no matter where I am in the sound settings

Windows 10 only bought in March!