Automatic calibration in Windows also works when music is streamed

Applications from commercial streaming services require expensive hardware for reliable music playback. Often, however, its potential is only partially used and there is no possibility of individual configuration to improve it even a little. The situation is different with a PC connected to a traditional audion set at home. It is even better to connect good quality active speakers, and this category includes studio monitors, which are often available at an attractive price.

Relatively expensive programs can optimally calibrate music playback in a given room. However, equipment manufacturers calibrate it in soundproofed rooms, because this is the only way to compare different offers later.

Fortunately, automatic calibration is available for free in Windows. The appropriate driver is often already installed.

 This works with all applications installed on your Windows PC. It also works with older versions of this operating system.

This could be used even with the strangest version 8.1. The system driver 6.3.960.16384 for the laptop's built-in sound processor was from August 2013. Its automatic driver correctly set zero delay for the built-in speakers and corrected level differences by 0.18, as can be seen in the illustration above.

Such calibration is one of the elements of the PC4uMusic configuration. This meant that even an all-in-one PC with Windows 11 could do a good job of playing music in the background during a meeting at the table with a nice group of people. The music from the stream had minimal distortion and was not aggravated by the limitations of small speakers. The PC was optimally configured to play videos with music for a person sitting at a desk, but when placed against a wall it was also suitable for a small group of people.

 

Similarly, the optimal configuration of a laptop works well with a TV to play music from multimedia recordings. 

The most practical option is to connect wirelessly, but there are quality limitations as the drivers are still very primitive and cannot be optimally adjusted to the built-in speakers.  Even in the latest Windows 11, this is handled by an archaic driver 10.0.1941.3636 from jun 2006

Graphics card audio drivers for HDMI output have better configuration options. Intel 6.18.0.3208 from April 26, 2018 has the ability to calibrate, which allowed the Samsung TV to faithfully play music from small speakers mounted like a soundbar.  The TV has amplifiers with a power of 20+20+40 W. In the golden era of hi-fi, this power was sufficient in many homes. Here it was appropriately distributed between individual electro-acoustic transducers.

 

Connecting a laptop with a simple soundbar via HDMI and calibrating such a set may be a good solution for many people to listen to music from a stream. Based on practical tests with the TV, it can be assumed that of the models shown in the illustration above, the optimal solution for many people is the smaller and cheaper one.  The larger one is a 3-way solution, which at this price may generate unnecessary distortions.

Digital audio connection via HDMI is possible even with the unusual Windows 8.1