Can get my speakers/AMP set up to work on new Dell Inspiron


JPARG

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Win 11 Home v21H2 OS Build 22000.318
Hi,

Hope someone can help with this. Bought a new Dell Inspiron 15 3501. Came with Win 11 which I've never used before. Have used Windows OS for the last 20+ years though.

Basically I've got 2x100W speakers hooked up via a cheap Lepy2020A AMP (just a 20W AMP I know but it does the job, neighbours and such. Connected to laptop via a 3.5mm jack to jack. Worked perfectly on my old laptop that ran Win 10 but that device bricked out.

I've upadted the sound drivers
I've disabed the Cirrus sound card/rebooted and enabled/rebooted
The amp and speakers work fine on an android phone
The jack to jack works on other devices
Random headphones work after selecting output via volume icon
Bluethooth portable speaker works after selecting output via volume icon
Have a monitor with no built in speakers that I use as an extra screen for work. Even that shows us as a viable audio output on the volume icon.

What am I doing wrong here? Any more info needed just ask. Thanks in advance!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 11 Home v21H2 OS Build 22000.318
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 15 3501
    CPU
    11th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-1115G4 @ 3.00GHz 3.00 G
    Sound Card
    Cirrius Logic Superior HD Audio driver
Along with the Dell model specific sound driver (the downloads list both Realtek and Cirrus so verify which you have), Waves MaxxAudio Pro is also needed. Along with other sound functions, MaxxAudio is needed for proper jack detection.

When you connect something to the audio (speaker) jack, MaxxAudio should bring up a panel asking what you plugged in and option to select what you plug in.

On the Dell forums, having (not having) the correct Dell provided sound driver (and MaxxAudio that will only work with the associated Dell sound driver) are an often-posted problem.

Dell (US) downloads for the 3501
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 16 5630
    CPU
    i7 1360P
    Motherboard
    Dell
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel CPU
    Sound Card
    Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    16" Touch Screen
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1080
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung NVME SSD
    PSU
    65 Watt Dell
    Case
    Dell
    Cooling
    Dell
    Keyboard
    Dell
    Mouse
    Trackpad
    Internet Speed
    Google Fiber
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender and Malwarebytes
    Other Info
    Cakewalk by Bandlab and Presonus Studio One 4.6 Pro recording programs. MOTU recording interface
Regardless of the popup, if you have installed the proper audio drivers, you should hear sound. If you don't it seems Windows automatically installed incompatible drivers. They show installed and OK in Device Manager, but you hear no sound. I have seen that before. To identify your hardware you can use a utility such as Speccy or Aida64 and then download the proper driver either from Dell (use the Service Tag to make sure you select the correct notebook model) or the sound chip manufacturer. A more advanced way to find the proper drivers, is to right-click on the audio device in Device Manager and go to Properties, then Details. Then select from the list "Hardware IDs". You should see something like VEN xxxx DEV yyyy. Right-click and copy that to the clipboard. Now paste the IDs in Google and you should find some links. For example my Realtek Hight Definition audio device has these IDs: VEN_10EC&DEV_0887&SUBSYS_10438445&REV_1003 (usually VEN and DEV are enough, you don't need the whole string).
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (build 22631.4249) test laptop, Windows 11 Pro v24H2 (build 26100.2314) main PC
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Extensa 5630EZ
    CPU
    Mobile DualCore Intel Core 2 Duo T7250, 2000 MHz
    Motherboard
    Acer Extensa 5630
    Memory
    4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Mobile Intel(R) GMA 4500M (Mobile 4 series)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC268 @ Intel 82801IB ICH9 - High Definition Audio Controller
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1
    Screen Resolution
    1280x800
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB SATA Device (250 GB, SATA-III)
    Internet Speed
    VDSL 50 Mbps
    Browser
    MICROSOFT EDGE
    Antivirus
    WINDOWS DEFENDER
    Other Info
    Legacy MBR installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, no WDDM 2.0 graphics drivers, no SSE4.2, cannot get more unsupported ;) This is only my test laptop. I had installed Windows 11 here before upgrading my main PC. For my main PC I use everyday see my 2nd system specs.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro v24H2 (build 26100.2314)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom-built PC
    CPU
    Intel Core-i7 3770 3.40GHz s1155 (3rd generation)
    Motherboard
    Asus P8H61 s1155 ATX
    Memory
    2x Kingston Hyper-X Blu 8GB DDR3-1600
    Graphics card(s)
    Gainward NE5105T018G1-1070F (nVidia GeForce GTX 1050Ti 4GB GDDR5)
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD audio (ALC887)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia KDL-19L4000 19" LCD TV via VGA
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900 32-bit 60Hz
    Hard Drives
    WD Blue SA510 2.5 1000GB SSD as system disk, Western Digital Caviar Purple 4TB SATA III (WD40PURZ) as second
    PSU
    Thermaltake Litepower RGB 550W Full Wired
    Case
    SUPERCASE MIDI-TOWER
    Cooling
    Deepcool Gamma Archer CPU cooler, 1x 8cm fan at the back
    Mouse
    Sunnyline OptiEye PS/2
    Keyboard
    Mitsumi 101-key PS/2
    Internet Speed
    100Mbps
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Legacy BIOS (MBR) installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, WDDM 3.0 graphics drivers, WEI score 7.4
Regardless of the popup, if you have installed the proper audio drivers, you should hear sound. If you don't it seems Windows automatically installed incompatible drivers. They show installed and OK in Device Manager, but you hear no sound. I have seen that before. To identify your hardware you can use a utility such as Speccy or Aida64 and then download the proper driver either from Dell (use the Service Tag to make sure you select the correct notebook model) or the sound chip manufacturer. A more advanced way to find the proper drivers, is to right-click on the audio device in Device Manager and go to Properties, then Details. Then select from the list "Hardware IDs". You should see something like VEN xxxx DEV yyyy. Right-click and copy that to the clipboard. Now paste the IDs in Google and you should find some links. For example my Realtek Hight Definition audio device has these IDs: VEN_10EC&DEV_0887&SUBSYS_10438445&REV_1003 (usually VEN and DEV are enough, you don't need the whole string).
I work the Dell forums (I am also fireberd there), we find as I previously noted only the correct Dell driver will work properly. And Waves MaxxAudio is also needed and it will only work with the Dell sound driver.

I linked the Downloads for that model in my original post but I agree using Service Tag gets the driver list based on factory configuration.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 16 5630
    CPU
    i7 1360P
    Motherboard
    Dell
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel CPU
    Sound Card
    Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    16" Touch Screen
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1080
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung NVME SSD
    PSU
    65 Watt Dell
    Case
    Dell
    Cooling
    Dell
    Keyboard
    Dell
    Mouse
    Trackpad
    Internet Speed
    Google Fiber
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender and Malwarebytes
    Other Info
    Cakewalk by Bandlab and Presonus Studio One 4.6 Pro recording programs. MOTU recording interface
Hi Both,

Thank you for your replies. Unfortunately I've not managed to get this sorted still.

I installed Waves MaxxAudio and on start up it says the audio driver is out of date, check windows update. I did this before postiung here and the Windows update disabled even the internal speakers. I took it to a shop and it had they had to reinstall the stock Win11 again. They couldn't help me with the issue further though. I was told Win 11 came out recently and not to do the offered Win 11 updates as they are too new and problems will happen.

Below is a pic of the device manager, sound card. Could either of you help me more with this info provided please?! I've asked Dell forums but no answer there. Any help would be VERY much appreciated. Thank you!

1638102768192.png
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 11 Home v21H2 OS Build 22000.318
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 15 3501
    CPU
    11th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-1115G4 @ 3.00GHz 3.00 G
    Sound Card
    Cirrius Logic Superior HD Audio driver
As I previously noted, you need the Dell PC model specific sound driver (cirrus in this case) along with MaxxAudio Pro
The Dell Cirrus driver is listed as compatible with Win 10 and Win 11.
Waves MaxxAudio Pro is also listed compatible with both Win 10 and 11.


I don't recall seeing your post on the Dell forum, I'll look for it.

The JBL GO Bluetooth may be conflicting. Remove/disable that until you get the basic PC/Speakers working.

I don't know what/how the PC shop reinstalled, but there is (or was) Dell factory recovery on the system drive that would have restored it to the original factory install. That would have been the best option. Make sure the PC speakers are working BEFORE adding anything. Then check the audio jack, when you plug in something there should be a popup come up asking what you plugged in and giving you option to select what you plugged in (e.g microphone, headset, etc).

First thing you should have done is create the Dell recovery flash drive. Without that F12 at power on (hopefully) will give you recovery options. If not you will have to call Dell support.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 16 5630
    CPU
    i7 1360P
    Motherboard
    Dell
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel CPU
    Sound Card
    Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    16" Touch Screen
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1080
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung NVME SSD
    PSU
    65 Watt Dell
    Case
    Dell
    Cooling
    Dell
    Keyboard
    Dell
    Mouse
    Trackpad
    Internet Speed
    Google Fiber
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender and Malwarebytes
    Other Info
    Cakewalk by Bandlab and Presonus Studio One 4.6 Pro recording programs. MOTU recording interface
I had a look on my inspirin 3501, and it seems the same drivers etc. but no problems with anything, mine was set up in Win10 and then updated to 11 via WU. I have in the past had issues with dell sound drivers and raeltrak I think it was a matter of trying different things and using device manager
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Alienware M18 R1
    CPU
    13th Gen Core i9 13900HX
    Memory
    32GB DDR5 @4800MHz 2x16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Geforce RTX 4090HX 16GB
    Sound Card
    Nvidia HD / Realtek ALC3254
    Monitor(s) Displays
    18" QHD+
    Screen Resolution
    25660 X 1600
    Hard Drives
    C: KIOXIA (Toshiba) 2TB KXG80ZNV2T04 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD
    D: KIOXIA (Toshiba) 2TB KXG80ZNV2T04 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD
    Case
    Dark Metallic Moon
    Keyboard
    Alienware M Series per-key AlienFX RGB
    Mouse
    Alienware AW610M
    Browser
    Chrome and Firefox
    Antivirus
    Norton
    Other Info
    Killer E3000 Ethernet Controller
    Killer Killer AX1690 Wi-Fi Network Adaptor Wi-Fi 6E
    Bluetooth 5.2
    Alienware Z01G Graphic Amplifier
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Alienware Area 51m R2
    CPU
    10th Gen i-9 10900 K
    Memory
    32Gb Dual Channel DDR4 @ 8843MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Nvidia RTX 2080 Super
    Sound Card
    Nvidia
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    Hard Drive C: Samsung 2TB SSD PM981a NVMe
    Hard Drive D:Samsung 2TB SSD 970 EVO Plus
    Mouse
    Alienware 610M
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Norton
Update. After looking at your Dell post it would appear to be a conflict between Waves MaxxAudio Pro and Cirrus sound. I'll flag this to our Dell Rockstar interface.

Best suggestion, if this is returnable, get a different model. Otherwise hopefully there will be a Dell fix, but don't expect it immediately.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 16 5630
    CPU
    i7 1360P
    Motherboard
    Dell
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel CPU
    Sound Card
    Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    16" Touch Screen
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1080
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung NVME SSD
    PSU
    65 Watt Dell
    Case
    Dell
    Cooling
    Dell
    Keyboard
    Dell
    Mouse
    Trackpad
    Internet Speed
    Google Fiber
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender and Malwarebytes
    Other Info
    Cakewalk by Bandlab and Presonus Studio One 4.6 Pro recording programs. MOTU recording interface
Update. After looking at your Dell post it would appear to be a conflict between Waves MaxxAudio Pro and Cirrus sound. I'll flag this to our Dell Rockstar interface.

Best suggestion, if this is returnable, get a different model. Otherwise hopefully there will be a Dell fix, but don't expect it immediately.
Thank you!

Would a different amplifier work then?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 11 Home v21H2 OS Build 22000.318
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 15 3501
    CPU
    11th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-1115G4 @ 3.00GHz 3.00 G
    Sound Card
    Cirrius Logic Superior HD Audio driver
Btw the JB: Go and monitor are plugged in on that pic but if I unplug them both it wont make a differance
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 11 Home v21H2 OS Build 22000.318
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 15 3501
    CPU
    11th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-1115G4 @ 3.00GHz 3.00 G
    Sound Card
    Cirrius Logic Superior HD Audio driver
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