The problem in a nutshell:

My laptop at work - connected to external speakers which are turned all the way up, system volume is maxed out, WMP volume is maxed out, and the volume is just a little too low.

My desktop at home - connected to speakers which are nearly as low as possible, the windows volume and WAV volume are almost at minimum, and if I ever want to increase the volume a little, I need to make minute adjustments to one of these or the volume jumps way up.

Is there a common solution to both problems?

Your description sounds like you're dealing with the difference between speaker-level (amplified) outputs and line-level (unamplified) outputs.

The speakers that you're having to "crank up"... Are those self-powered? (Do they have their own power supply and on/off switch?) You might be plugging the laptop's line-level (unamplified) output into speakers that have no amplification.

Alternative explanation to the laptop situation: Laptops have a separate control for the speaker volume that is not related to the Windows control panel volume levels. Usually you need to have the proper piece of keyboard interface driver software installed (it usually comes with the laptop, but it often gets deinstalled, or forgotten when you reformat the laptop's hard drive), then you need to press a function key combination on the laptop's keyboard to increase and decrease the volume of the soundcard.

The speakers at home that you have to turn way down: I'll bet those are self-powered. The fact that you have to turn them way down might be normal, or, maybe your PC has both a speaker-level (or amplified headphone level) output as well as a line-level output and you've plugged them into the wrong one.

Well, you've solved half of my issues! You were completely right about the keyboard volume controls. I had completely forgotten about those! It was set nearly as low as it could get. Problem solved!

At home, I have self-powered (Klipsch ProMedia 400) speakers. The problem is that I would like to be able to adjust the volume using the speaker volume knob, but if I set the volume of everything on the computer as low as I can get it, I still only have about 20 degrees of travel on the speaker volume knob that takes me between mute and full blast.

And the outputs on your PC: Does it have a separate output for headphone-out and line-level-out? Or perhaps a separate output for speakers versus line level? What kind of sound card does the PC have anyway?

I don't believe it does have seperate outputs. I'm using onboard audio for the moment because my soundcard died a while back. I'm not sure who makes the onboard audio.

I've got the promedia 5.1's, and the volume was digital and worked just fine. Of course, they were the version before Klipsch downgraded the computer speaker line to make it more affordable. They're beautiful speakers, but I havn't used them since I got wireless internet and left my desk in '02 or so.

Matthew

Booya!

Hmm, well, ok, it's not inline.
It's cool, though.

That USB controller knob would do the same thing as turning down the volume in the windows control panel applet, which he already said had to be turned way too far down. So it wouldn't help him solve his specific problem.

I have a PowerMate and though it a cool volume control, in this case it won't be any help. It just controls the same volume range on the sound card that the normal Windows volume control uses.

I keep in sat on the top left corner of my over sized keyboard, it is so much easier to use that fumbling with the mouse on a tiny slider on screen.

Yep, it's true. I have everything in winders turned way down and the volume on the klipsch is just off of lowest.

It works ok for me, tho. It helps to use the 'no sounds' scheme to keep the system noises under control. Most of them are really loud.

That's a good idea, Tony. I'll have to give that a shot. I think larry818 was just being funny though about it being a feature It's a fantastic set of speakers and they do get very loud The overal problem is mostly that I'm currently in a volume-sensitive environment, so I need more control over the low volume levels.

I didn't know Klipsch has watered down their line to make them more affordable (did they really succeed? take a look at their prices!). I've had my set of speakers for...7 years? Wow. Speakers last a long time. They still blast, though! (even when I don't want them to )

Grrrrr. "The form you have submitted is no longer valid." I really hope there's a BBS upgrade in the pipeline.

Anyways, I was thinking of the GMX line, which they seemed to have scaled back to just a 2.1 system. The "ultra" systems used to be the entire promedia line, but as long as they're still producing those, I shouldn't complain.

Matthew