Max sound level is insufficient for earbuds

The system is not loud enough for listening with earbuds. Clarity is not the problem, I am using Apple's earbuds, but I reached the limit of loudness possible with software.

Can someone enlighten me about options to increase volume. Loudness equalization is already selected. The sound did get louder but not enough. On VLC the increased sound level is good but it is only in VLC. The motherboard is ASRock B360 8th gen Intel Realtek sound.

The sound software is version 6.0.1.7936 from Realtek from 9/13/2016.
and the device ID is HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_10EC&DEV_0892&SUBSYS_18495892&REV_1003\4&90B18BC&0&0001 if it means anything.

A good question. No, there is no volume control on the earbuds. In the meanwhile, I found the FXSound Enhancer and I am testing it. Also, I downloaded the latest Realtek driver from July 2019 but Microsoft refuses to update the driver. For them the 9/13/2016 version is newer and the best.

My thanks to you both for the explanations.
The earbuds are wired cellphone earbuds, with the speech switch, but no volume control. It is plugged in the back because the front sound connection is still AC97.
The case is a 12 year old Antec and it's so versatile and (heavy) that I didn't want to give it up. So far, haven't decided which of my options to start with, based on ascending cost.

1. The wiring schematic is on the web, and is very clear. I also have the electronics to check out the kit I bought.
2. Buy a 3.5" or 5.25" panel inserts with the USB 3 and sound connections. I have both available.
3. Contact Antec for the replacement part.
4. Buy a new case.

And after this is resolved, buy better quality earbuds.
Your comments are most appreciated.

cognus said:

if you can borrow a real headset/headphones, try it to see if diff. Earbuds are dependent on fit. I know this sounds sophomoric but people forget that. the diff between a 'seal' fit and unseal is enormous. Headphones don't suffer from that so a better measure.

then, install Equalizer APO and the Peace GUI for it. you will have to re-run the Equalizer configurator after almost any significant Win10 update, but it is easy to do taking about 5 seconds of your time. You can have it your way then. be careful

Thanks for your guidance. Installed the two complementary softwares. Already managed to increase the sound, and now I must learn how I did that.

You are just masking the problem by adding extra layers of useless stuff --- making solving the actual problem more complicated. Uninstall all the extra crap and turn off all the extra features like loudness equalization. Otherwise, you are going to end up with 3 different equalizers and 3 different loudness equalizations (realtek, fxsound enhancer and equalizer APO).

Your problem is simple.

You have a motherboard with motherboard manufacturer's provided UAD driver that you were unable to install. You don't need to hunt for unofficial drivers because you have an official UAD driver from your motherboard manufacturer. Fix that first. You need to uninstall the old Realtek HD audio manager by settings, system, app.

Then after you installed the UAD driver, download the Realtek Audio Console app so you can use the app to see if your motherboard allows you to retask your speaker jack to a headphone jack --- thus turning on the headphone amplifier.

If you cannot retask your speaker port, then you know what the problem is. You plug in your headphone into an unamplified speaker jack. It's really low in volume because it works as designed.

sandyt said:

Your problem is simple.
You have a motherboard with motherboard manufacturer's provided UAD driver that you were unable to install. You don't need to hunt for unofficial drivers because you have an official UAD driver from your motherboard manufacturer. Fix that first. You need to uninstall the old Realtek HD audio manager by settings, system, app.
Then after you installed the UAD driver, download the Realtek Audio Console app so you can use the app to see if your motherboard allows you to retask your speaker jack to a headphone jack --- thus turning on the headphone amplifier.
If you cannot retask your speaker port, then you know what the problem is. You plug in your headphone into an unamplified speaker jack. It's really low in volume because it works as designed.

Edwin, Sandyt, Cognus, my gratitude for the questions you asked and which made me decide how to recheck everything and then proceed to get a definitive answer whether it is possible to improve the sound amplification.
This is the summary of the steps taken to resolve this mind boggling issue. Perhaps it helps someone.

In this instance the mobo is an 8th generation Intel ASRock B360 Pro 4. with onboard HD sound. I could only connect the wired earbuds to the rear sound output which provided less fidelity and no amplification. The front panel is AC97.

1. In Windows 10, downloaded the Realtek Audio Console from the Microsoft Update site but did not install it.
2. Checked motherboard BIOS sound settings, which never occurred to me before. It was enabled and I changed the setting from HD to AC97.
3. Installed the UAD driver from the ASRock installation CD, which uninstalled the old drivers, then rebooted twice to install and complete the task.
4. Opened the Control Panel Sound applet and HD headset was installed and selected it as the default.
5. Now the front panel has sound with +50% improvement. The rear output is blocked for headsets.

. . . and many thanks again.