Is there a permanent fix for Realtek left/right balance bug Win10?

I am using an older Asus Maximus VI motherboard with built-in sound using Realtek tech.

Since upgrading to Windows 10 a few years ago, I have an on-going bug where my left / right balance will favour the left side. The balance is set to equal. The only workaround for this is to DISABLE all enhancements, and then restart my application having the sound balance issue.

Sometimes Windows 10 will keep Enhancements in audio disabled, but most of the time it will reset requiring me to disable it again.

I update my Realtek drivers almost monthly hoping one day this will be fixed.

Any ideas? Have any of you encountered this before?

Thank you!

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Bump!

It could be a hardware problem --- a dirty pot (volume knob or balance knob), dirty lint in the jack, or a failing capacitor in your computer speakers (bulging capacitor at 3:20).

sandyt said:

It could be a hardware problem --- a dirty pot (volume knob or balance knob), dirty lint in the jack, or a failing capacitor in your computer speakers (bulging capacitor at 3:20).

It fixes though if I disable enhancements, so I suspect it's a chip/driver issue.

mysticode said:

It fixes though if I disable enhancements, so I suspect it's a chip/driver issue.

It doesn't hurt to eliminate the possibility that it is a hardware issue.

You have a 2013 motherboard, then it could be a motherboard hardware issue --- failing cap, lint in the audio jack.

If you are updating your drivers monthly for years, then probably it's not a driver issue per se. It may be that you are putting the wrong drivers because your motherboard is so old that you have to install a driver that is not really suited for your motherboard. And that causes Windows 10 to re-enable certain settings. Then there is nothing you can do because neither Microsoft nor Realtek nor Asus is going to bother fixing a 7 year old hardware driver issue.

At this point, I really do think it's the motherboard. Looking for a cheap soundcard to try, but so many are Realtek based.

Can you recommend a non-Realtek soundcard that is actually good, and not over $150?

mysticode said:

At this point, I really do think it's the motherboard. Looking for a cheap soundcard to try, but so many are Realtek based.

Can you recommend a non-Realtek soundcard that is actually good, and not over $150?

since you asked for a "cheap" sound card replacement, try the ASUS Xonar AE
you can buy one on Amazon for about $75