Vive Pro audio quality

[balalrumy]

Thanks.

[HackPerception]

, Mirroring the comments here, you'll want to ensure the HMD firmware is up to date and that you're on a fairly recent Nvidia driver. The  HMD firmware update contains the latest DAC profile. Like everybody is saying, the audio is piped via DP so more recent Nvidia drivers are required (the audio is not rendered via your soundcard). You may have better luck if you "disable" the Vive Pro Multimedia option and force the Nvidia audio option into being the default. 

 

After all of this, it is possible that you have a bad HMD but your reports are pretty consistent with the Nvidia/DAC bugs - in some cases the various layers of tech just fail to initalize the device properly but finding the root of the issue is pretty difficult. 

[Madlax13]

if this true

" The HMD firmware update contains the latest DAC profile. Like everybody is saying, the audio is piped via DP ...."

i want to force a Firmware update of the vive pro - "ctrl+shift+home" in steamvr -> devices-> firmware no longer works.

 

how to force a firmware update ? (reflash) - i think some procces chnage the DAC profile - at the beginning the HMD USB sound works fine ... some days later ( now weeks ago) - not.

 

[imacken]

Add me to the list of very unhappy people. Got the Vive Pro today, and appalled by the audio quality compared to the Oculus Rift. No bass at all!

[erathsmedor]

Just got my Vive Pro a couple of days ago. Audio was horrible and tinny and distorted. Upgraded all the firmware and it made no difference. The intro to Furious Seas is almost unintelligible in parts it is so bad.

[tmammela]

Vive Pro audio issues are driving me mad. HDMI audio is not always present, and vive multimedia audio is always having some issues, crackling and distortion. Even when I get the audio working for a moment, audio quality is total garbage compared to das. I have newest nvidia drivers and there is no firmware update notification in steamvr.

 

I can't believe how they can sell this low quality gear for premium price.

[jhvive]

So, updating everything: doesn't help. SteamVR / Devices / Reboot Vive headset = doesn't help. Changing audio devices back and forth (or fiddling Device Manager) doesn't help. Rebooting Windows may help, but sometimes even that doesn't help.

 

Surely there must be a quicker workaround (until the drivers are fixed)?

 

The problem sounds like sampling frequencies are messed up (trying to play back at double speed or so but then it syncs back to the correct rate, resulting in a horrible broken sound).

[jhvive]

It seems we are beta testers. Even the sound device name for me in Windows 10 Settings / Sound is "Speakers (VIVE Pro Mutimedia Audio)". That really says Mutimedia. Garbled sound continues, also everything else keeps crashing all the time. Also crashes so that the Vive headphones suddenly start playing noise at insanely high, deafening levels. Dangerous stuff.

[jhvive]

This is the best workaround I found for now: when the linkbox (green light on top and a small button on front) seems to be working properly with green light on, it may have still crashed. So push the button and the light switches off. Push again, light switches on and now the audio devices in Windows 10 / Settings / Sound are refreshed. The choice "Speakers (VIVE Pro Mutimedia Audio)" is broken and useless. But "VIVE Pro (NVIDIA High Definition Audio)" works for me while it's not crashed.

[jhvive]

Just another tip in case someone could benefit from this: the link box definitely needs to be connected to USB 2.0 on the PC instead of USB 3.0 (and probably without any hubs). Otherwise problems are multiplied.