[Tutorial] Improve sound quality on integrated speakers

Just applied this on my Manjaro Linux system. It makes a subtle but noticeable difference. Thanks!

Thanks for doing this and sharing.

I am using the EQ shared previously here Speakers sound quality - #66 by Philonmetal I think this profile can be imported into APO giving another EQ style to choose from.

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Ah yes, a very similar approach. While the filter coefficients are different, the outcome is probably quite similar.

I still want to do a measurement in a setup like that, where the laptop is on a table and the microphone over top. Unfortunately, in quick testing, the frequency response depends a lot on the position of the microphone, so I have to perform some averaging over different listening positions.

Well if you do end up taking more measurements and making another EQ please do share your results.

Hopefully in the future the speakers can be tuned by Framework as the right EQ seems able to transform the perceived quality of the speakers.

Yes, I would expect that.

Usually, integrated Class-D amplifiers, as used in this laptop or other mobile devices, include a digital signal processor (DSP) component. That has become very common, even in the cheapest circuits.
Filter coefficients can be loaded at production time, and the speakers are driven with corrected inputs, without the need for any software.

Sure, I will provide new measurements when I make them!

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Different people have different ‘needs’ Younger people hear louder high frequencies and older louder low ones, so I’m not sure the speakers can be tuned to suit the majority of people if that’s what you mean.

Personally I have no problem with the sound. I usually have the laptop on stainless steel 2mm thick sheet to ensure the air cooling inlet is ‘protected’.

Equally when on a wooden surface it seems fine.

My use of the equaliser is only to pass the audio to my very intense bassed up Marley speaker if I want watch a film etc.

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The speakers can certainly be tuned to sound much better to most of the listeners.

Please note that the settings I posted are not subjective, they only remove the defects in frequency response from the speaker outputs. Filter parameters were optimized such that the resulting frequency response is flat. Thus, the speakers represent the sound as it was intended to be listened to (apart from the missing lower and higher octaves, which the physical speaker is not capable of reproducing).

If the frequency response is not flat, the speaker introduces some characteristic “sound” which a listener might like, but that is not fully representative of the source material anymore.

However, the deviations that the Laptop speakers show (10 dB at crucial frequencies) are not acceptable “sounding” anymore, in my opinion. The speakers are just not engineered very well.

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@elagil : Thanks for your work. I’ve had my Framework 12th gen for 2 weeks and that bump in the mids was quite annoying on speech content, especially as i am a sound tech/musician :slight_smile:

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Just to be clear, this is for the base speakers, and not the optional/updated 80dB ones?

Is the equalizer site blocked for anyone else? I also see it on sourceforge but I’d prefer the original source.

Yes, I have only the base model and don’t have measurements of the updated ones. Presumably, they just have a lower impedance coil for higher efficiency. Maybe they measure in a similar way.

It is not blocked for me. Here is the direct download link, if that helps: https://equalizerapo.com/EqualizerAPO64-1.2.1.zip

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sourceforge has the much newer v1.3. how come you guys aren’t using that one? Equalizer APO - Browse /1.3 at SourceForge.net

When looking at https://equalizerapo.com/contact.html

…and please note that we’re not the official developer of this software, therefore issues related to source codes are beyond our expertise. In such cases we advise you to contact the developer directly. We are here to help if you need any assistance with setting up the Equalizer APO.

and

This website should be used only as an informative source and not as an official reference.

So not the official source, maybe the sourceforge page is the project home?

I found adding thin rubber pads to the top and bottom of the speakers helped. They also helped firm up the keyboard when placed on other flat areas under the keyboard. They are the smallest ones in this set. About 1mm thick and 6mm in diameter.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0140WM84O/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

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Yes, it seems like that is where the code lives - as well as the releases.

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Thanks! That really does help. Now if I can only get the whole thing to stop rattling at any volume over 50%.

I’m running Ubuntu 22.04 and was able to get EasyEffects working after I uninstalled PulseAudio and replaced it with PipeWire following this guide then I was able to see my outputs and adjust the EQ from there.

On another note I have the 80db speakers and the presets do definitely reduce the muddiness of them as well. I can’t say how accurate the sounds are now as I have no way of testing the audio other than to listen but I’m enjoying it a lot more now

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I think the best thing to do is fire up some tunes you know well and just adjust till you like what you hear the most. Don’t worry about “accuracy” go for what sounds good to you.

@elagil

I am using your APO file with Easy Effects (Fedora Linux) and it does sound a lot better! I also decreased the input by -5db.

I got a question, were you able to automatically create the 5-band eq, or did you create it manually? If automatic, why not include more bands?

Thank you

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That’s great to hear!

This is a manually created profile. I could add more bands, but there is not much benefit to that, as the achieved flatness is already satisfactory.

Also, equalizing minor deviations from the flat target is not always a good choice, as they could be caused by measurement errors, diffraction, the influence of the room, or other factors.

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