Has anyone else found that the sound of the 13th gen framework 13 is quite poor on Ubuntu? I don’t have Windows installed to compare, but the sound quality is very ‘tinny’ compared even against mobile devices like my Pixel 4.
I have read that sometimes Ubuntu can need additional configuration to improve the sound quality, so I’m wondering if there is a guide, or whether I have a fault?
I’d be interested in other users’ experiences. I’m not expecting outstanding quality but I can’t imagine many people would be happy with the sound I’m getting currently.
Hey,
can you specify what you exactly mean by sound ?
If you are talking about the speakers, I can say that yes, compared even to a lot of phone speakers they are not great. And of course they do not come close to anything like a Macbook, even with the upgraded 80dB speaker kit (which I have installed). I do not usually use them only for some Youtube content, Zoom calls etc. They are enough for that and I have not spent any time manually tuning them.
If you are talking about the 3.5mm audio jack, I cannot really complain. I have a good quality headset (no high impedance) and I cannot complain about the sound. Loudness is appropriate and I apply my usual fine tuning & am very happy.
At work I usually use bluetooth earbuds (Sony WF-1000MX) and I actually have the feeling that they sound better on ubuntu than on Android (might be because I have actually done some fine tuning there to adjust it to my preferences).
The FW speakers definitely benefit from an equalizer – “EasyEffects” is very well-integrated (at least on Fedora/Gnome) and was very easy to set up. I used the KieranEQ preset and that improves sound quality enough for me to be satisfied – an iPhone mini is still better in quality and volume, though.
The main thing the preset does is boost mid-high region, providing a remedy to the otherwise “muddled”/“confined” sound. Perhaps that’s what you mean by “tinny”, so it’s definitely worth a shot.
You can set activation/deactivation triggers in EasyEffects, so you can have the equalizer deactivate for HDMIout. Once configured EasyEffects has been surprisingly stable and reliable for me – it starts automatically and it has survived several upgrades.
@p_e Thanks for this - Yes I was referring to the speakers. Connecting to a bluetooth speaker gives a much better quality sound.
@Nils Thanks for the suggestions. I have just installed EasyEffects and used that preset to test, but I don’t see a noticeable difference. I’ll keep working on it to see if I have missed a step.
@Loell_Framework the volume is more than enough, so over-amplification isn’t necessary, it’s just the quality of the sound that I’m trying to adjust. Thanks!
Hi @Matt_Hartley , yes it’s just the sound from the speakers themselves. If I connect to a bluetooth device or use headphones there are no issues. I am really just trying to understand if there is a fault, or a configuration change I can make to improve the quality.