Helios 500 subwoofer ?

LennartF
LennartF Member Posts: 69 Devotee WiFi Icon
edited November 2023 in 2020 Archives
Helios 500 subwoofer ? Is it supposed to be working or just a gimmick can not feeling a single vibration from there not even with the lid off. The sound from the top speakers is ok I guess but subwoofer wtf not a single base tune and wavesmaxxaudio is working as it should 

Is your subwoofers on your Helios working differently ?
«13

Answers

  • xapim
    xapim ACE Posts: 7,253 Pathfinder
    Well i wish i could answer this one but i cant hopefully other H500 owners can step in and compare :)


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    I'm not an Acer employee. (just here to help in the best way i can)
    If my answer fixed you issue please accept it for any other users who search for it would find it quickly thanks :)
    If you want to learn more about undervolting/optimizing windows join the Predator fb group and youtube channel:

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  • LennartF
    LennartF Member Posts: 69 Devotee WiFi Icon
    Yeah I hope so, I have been reading different reviews and some of them talking about the good speakers and basy sound so then I wonder wtf what do I miss sure the sound is better compared to and older Acer aspire but base in the sound where ? And I did remove the lid and hold my fingers on the so called subwoofer box I can't feel any real base sound. So I asking you others out there that are owning the Acer Helios 500 what is your experience with the sound on this laptop ?


  • LennartF
    LennartF Member Posts: 69 Devotee WiFi Icon
    https://youtu.be/ZLQAvvwl0aI

    A clip from my laptop so u can hear for yourself 
  • LennartF
    LennartF Member Posts: 69 Devotee WiFi Icon
    edited February 2020
    Is anyone else experiencing non existing bass from the subwoofer ?


  • LennartF
    LennartF Member Posts: 69 Devotee WiFi Icon
    So is everybody else having a Helios 500 having a good bass sound from their subwoofer underneath  the laptop ?
  • LennartF
    LennartF Member Posts: 69 Devotee WiFi Icon
    edited February 2020
    I would appreciate an answer I have hard to believe I'm the only Helios 500 owner reading on this Forum


  • xapim
    xapim ACE Posts: 7,253 Pathfinder
    edited February 2020
    LennartF you could also join/ask in the predator fb group (check my signature) and theres also a H500 group or check here for all of our groups list


    https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/11532543

    UserBenchmarks: Game 43%, Desk 61%, Work 40%
    CPU: Intel Core i5-7300HQ - 63.5%
    GPU: Nvidia GTX 1050-Ti (Mobile) - 41.9%
    SSD: WDC WDS200T2B0B-00YS70 2TB - 71.4%
    HDD: WD WD10SPZX-00HKTT0 1TB - 93.7%
    RAM: Kingston HyperX DDR4 2666 C15 2x16GB - 76.8%
    MBD: Acer Predator G3-572

    I'm not an Acer employee. (just here to help in the best way i can)
    If my answer fixed you issue please accept it for any other users who search for it would find it quickly thanks :)
    If you want to learn more about undervolting/optimizing windows join the Predator fb group and youtube channel:

    Owner/Admin (HOTEL HERO/Red-Sand/Opoka Opoka)
    https://www.facebook.com/groups/PredatorHelios300
    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNJwGUHxSJ8FKqAhnOqQuAw
    Acer support:
    https://www.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/service-contact
    http://www.acer.com/worldwide/support/  


  • Schnorblitz
    Schnorblitz Member Posts: 26 Troubleshooter

     I think it sounds good for a laptop, but that's hardly a glowing endorsement because most laptops are awful, in my limited experience. I think calling it something else apart from a subwoofer would have been a wise idea, because people associate them with meaty bass. It does a decent volume without distortion, and does hint at lower frequencies, but that's as far as mine goes.

    It's always going to struggle to shift much air due to size, I guess.

    MSI's are supposed to sound relatively good, I found this article which is quite interesting.


    Sorry I can't be of much help, but it sounds like we have similar performance. Maxxaudio makes some difference, but that is about it.


  • Schnorblitz
    Schnorblitz Member Posts: 26 Troubleshooter

     A bit more...

    I put on that Billie Eilish tune Bad guy from you tube, and it definitely has most of the bass at all volumes. I wouldn't call it super punchy or subby, but it is there. I can feel a tiny bit of vibration on the subwoofer. I would normally expect a subwoofer to do more, but then I've never heard a laptop better than this, so it is hard to compare

    Are you testing it on a hard surface? I sit mine on a old laptop cooler which I don't have yet to plug in, and it the sound is pretty full, and not tinny in any way.

    I then put on some sub heavy house, Didn't have none of these by the mighty Inland Knights, and whilst the bass isn't entirely absent, the sub-bass pretty much is. Again a tiny amount of vibration can be felt.

    It does vary a lot from track to track, so the next Inland Knights track on youtube called Situations, does sound like the bass is pretty much all there.

    I'm pleased with the sound, but my expectations were pretty low to start with. As it is probably the same setup on the Intel version, I'm surprised some of them haven't responded.

    I bought my AMD version a few weeks ago, so I'm still in the afterglow. I paid £1150 for a Grade A ex-demo, which is probably too much, but it is a lovely bit of kit.


  • Schnorblitz
    Schnorblitz Member Posts: 26 Troubleshooter

     Only just listened to your clip, sounds about similar, good but not great. Grim tunes though! ;)

     The second bit of your sample does have bass tbf, even if there is no real sub. As an old raver, I would suggest a 16 inch cone is the minimum amount of air movement for proper sub!
  • Schnorblitz
    Schnorblitz Member Posts: 26 Troubleshooter

     PS If you do manage to get any more out of the thing do post it on here, as I do plann to pop in every so often.
  • Schnorblitz
    Schnorblitz Member Posts: 26 Troubleshooter

     Just found a thread on an MSI forum which talks about various audio drivers failing to use the subwoofer on one of their models.

    I tried looking at my Realtek drivers and managed to update mine through the device manger, but it is quite hard to decide if that has made a difference. The MSI thread suggests it was like night and day the sub being on and off. The Realtek controls only refer to left and right, the sub isn't mentioned.

    It is possible that the little bit of vibration through the subwoofer I can feel is just the full ranges on their own, but if that is the case they are doing very well.

    Subwoofers are rare on laptops, so maybe something somewhere in the software isn't activated. This is that MSI thread.


  • LennartF
    LennartF Member Posts: 69 Devotee WiFi Icon

     A bit more...

    I put on that Billie Eilish tune Bad guy from you tube, and it definitely has most of the bass at all volumes. I wouldn't call it super punchy or subby, but it is there. I can feel a tiny bit of vibration on the subwoofer. I would normally expect a subwoofer to do more, but then I've never heard a laptop better than this, so it is hard to compare

    Are you testing it on a hard surface? I sit mine on a old laptop cooler which I don't have yet to plug in, and it the sound is pretty full, and not tinny in any way.

    I then put on some sub heavy house, Didn't have none of these by the mighty Inland Knights, and whilst the bass isn't entirely absent, the sub-bass pretty much is. Again a tiny amount of vibration can be felt.

    It does vary a lot from track to track, so the next Inland Knights track on youtube called Situations, does sound like the bass is pretty much all there.

    I'm pleased with the sound, but my expectations were pretty low to start with. As it is probably the same setup on the Intel version, I'm surprised some of them haven't responded.

    I bought my AMD version a few weeks ago, so I'm still in the afterglow. I paid £1150 for a Grade A ex-demo, which is probably too much, but it is a lovely bit of kit.


    Well then u did experience more than I did it never vibrate and no difference in sound with the woofer cable disconnected I did send I'm mine to Acer have to wait and see tiny or not the ***** is supposed to work the computer was by the way iny case brand new 
  • Schnorblitz
    Schnorblitz Member Posts: 26 Troubleshooter

    I can definitely hear the two front speakers clearly, and what bass there is comes more from the grill on top right of the keyboard, below the screen. Above our subwoofer.

    If you go into Maxxaudio and move the Maxxbass dial are you getting much change between min and max?


  • Schnorblitz
    Schnorblitz Member Posts: 26 Troubleshooter

     More msi subwoofer blues, after bios update.




  • LennartF
    LennartF Member Posts: 69 Devotee WiFi Icon

    I can definitely hear the two front speakers clearly, and what bass there is comes more from the grill on top right of the keyboard, below the screen. Above our subwoofer.

    If you go into Maxxaudio and move the Maxxbass dial are you getting much change between min and max?


    Yes I could hear that too first I thought oh maybe I start try to work but heck no have the fingers on the woofer even with the lid off not a single vibration. Im not happy about sending it to Acer either but have this pricy laptop with a non functional speaker after bought it for 1500 us doesn't sound very fun either than I want it fixed as said that box should do something and if it's no difference disconnected something must be wrong. Test disconnect your subwoofer cord and see if you can hear any difference.
  • Schnorblitz
    Schnorblitz Member Posts: 26 Troubleshooter

    Similar problem from 2018


    First post here, so hi. Just bought a Predator Helios 500 (though technically my second system - something failed with the first one, and got a replacement as I'd only had it a fortnight), and saw it came with a subwoofer. So been trying to get it running ever since I got the system.. the audio sounds okay but tinny - I'd put money on the subwoofer not currently doing anything. The speaker properties only locates left and right - no sub. Updated the drivers - no joy. Any ideas welcome, please - is it a case of installing up to date Realtek drivers? Or something else?!


  • LennartF
    LennartF Member Posts: 69 Devotee WiFi Icon

    Similar problem from 2018


    First post here, so hi. Just bought a Predator Helios 500 (though technically my second system - something failed with the first one, and got a replacement as I'd only had it a fortnight), and saw it came with a subwoofer. So been trying to get it running ever since I got the system.. the audio sounds okay but tinny - I'd put money on the subwoofer not currently doing anything. The speaker properties only locates left and right - no sub. Updated the drivers - no joy. Any ideas welcome, please - is it a case of installing up to date Realtek drivers? Or something else?!


    Well it proves the fact the problem is not unknown what worse is the speakers sound crappy without waves Maxx audit turned makes me wonder is the built in speakers so bad they can not produce decent sound with Waves eq 
  • Schnorblitz
    Schnorblitz Member Posts: 26 Troubleshooter

     Ok, so I pulled what I think is the little 4 pin power cable for the sub, visible through the left hand hole after lifting the first rear cover.

     The end result was pretty much the same as before as far as I can tell, so I'm now fully on board with the fact that it isn't working at all. :/The minimal vibes i felt were at full volume, and I think that is the stereo speakers I can feel.

     I haven't been taking the lid off to feel this, just tipping the laptop and feeling underneath, as the sub is kind of integrated into the cover. Maybe we are feeling slightly different areas.

    I'm obviously very interested in what happens with your machine, I'm sorry you had to send it back. As mine only had a 30 day warranty I am already beyond help at this point, but reading that drivers can interfere on other machine does give me some hope. I'm going to do a bit more searching for other laptops with subwoofer issues for background.

    As it is not really mentioned by the more numerous Intel users, this looks like an AMD model issue which is disappointing.
  • Schnorblitz
    Schnorblitz Member Posts: 26 Troubleshooter

    Just done a youtube bass test, and my machine has pretty much given up by 200hz. No evidence of a point when the sub takes over from the stereo speakers.