How to Enhance Audio Playback in Windows 8

Just like Windows 7, Windows 8 comes with most drivers already installed. So you shouldn’t have any problems when you want to play music or connect your devices. However, you might be missing a lot of audio output features if you don’t bother to install or update your audio driver. In this article we are going to help you ensure you get the best Windows 8 audio playback possible.

Update your audio drivers

Even if your Windows 8 doesn’t have any problems playing music, you should still check if there are any updates for your audio drivers. Having the latest driver version can make a big difference and even enable features that weren’t available without the update. You see, you might be not getting all the audio playback functionality. For example, in most cases Stereo Mix doesn’t get enabled until you update your audio driver. It depends on your system configuration which driver you need to install, but most of the time it’s the IDT audio driver that’s required.

Use Windows Media Player instead of the Music App

By default, Windows 8 uses the Music App to play music. While it’s not a bad app, you might prefer using Windows Media Player. A lot of users will find it more convenient and it has some features that the Music App lacks. Switching to Windows Media Player doesn’t mean that you need to uninstall the Music App. What you can do is simply change your default settings for audio playback. Here is how:

1. Right-click on an audio file
2. Click on Open with and then click on Choose default program…
3. Choose Windows Media Player

From now on audio files that use the same format as the one you’ve right-clicked (for example, mp3) will be played with Windows Media Player.

Use your PC’s sound enhancing features

A lot of laptops come with pre-installed applications that can make a lot of difference and improve the quality of audio playback. These apps vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, but essentially they do the same thing. For example, HP laptops come with Beats Audio or SRS Premium Sound and Samsung laptops have settings for different sound types in the Samsung Control Center.

Now your Windows 8 should play your music better than ever before.