They can't hear themselves talk!

May 31, 2006 4:21 PM

Some radio streams I listen to seem to play very softly, even when my system is at full-volume. Is there free software I can download to boost the volume coming out of my laptop speakers?

Note, I've tried playing the streams with several different applications, and made sure the volume on the player is at max. I've also made sure that "Main Volume," "Wave Volume," and everything else is at full. OS: XP Pro.

It's just these radio streams that play too quietly, so I can't blame the shitty Dell speakers. When I play mp3 files, the volume is plenty loud.

Thank you!

posted by scarylarry to computers & internet (5 comments total)

Hm, that is odd. There might be equalizer options in some of your players -- some will let you adjust the total volume up or down by around 10 dB.

This is, of course, a band-aid.
posted by NucleophilicAttack at 4:48 PM on May 31, 2006

This AutoMixer software by F-Group Software claims to do what you want, if your soundcard supports it. No personal experience with it, however. Appears to be free with registration.
posted by mdevore at 6:21 PM on May 31, 2006

Also keep in mind that you might be playing subtle games with dynamic range if you go the equalizer route. To my ears equalizing up or down the whole signal by large amounts has always sounded terrible & grainy.
posted by NucleophilicAttack at 6:30 PM on May 31, 2006

I second NucleophilicAttack's EQ suggestion - pushing all the sliders up evenly will just give you a volume boost.
posted by chrissyboy at 7:30 PM on May 31, 2006

You could always hook up speakers to your laptop. I listen to music on my headphones usually and have had the same problem. I bought a pair of headphones with its own little volume knob and I am always able to get it as loud as I want now.
posted by Falconetti at 7:40 PM on May 31, 2006