[Metaphysix]

Tidal over Schiit Hel 2E (usb) with Beyerdynamic MMX 300 / HiFiMan HE-4XX

Been running the above amp / cans for some time and regularly switch between a Lenovo X1 Carbon and my work Dell laptop. Never particularly noticed any difference between the two laptops and figured there shouldn't be any since the Hel is doing all the work.

Just swapped out the X1 with a newer Lenovo T470 with a fresh Win10 install and immediately noticed a reduction in bass.

Checked all settings in Windows and Tidal, reinstalled drivers, applications, etc. to no avail. Had actually missed some optimization of settings on the X1, but even with everything matching, there's a clear difference. As far as I can tell there are no "optimizations" / EQ or filters applied.

Detail / quality is still very much there, just the balance feels way off what I'm used to. Found some references to sound issues on the T470, but all related to onboard sound, any reason this should be a factor in my setup?

Appreciate any suggestions on where to go from here.

 

[GREQ]

If both laptop settings look like this, then this is a really interesting problem.

 

[Metaphysix]

Agreed, my properties page doesn't even include a tab for enhancements, though there's is a box for "enable audio enhancements" on the advanced tab that I have ensured is turned off.

Update - starting to doubt my sanity as I'm now finding my work laptop sounds the same, but something is definitely off. Doing some additional scenario testing now, slightly suspect of a recent windows update that ran on both machines.

Confirmed that the issue is still present across headphones and source material, may have to swap in my Modi to rule out issues with the Hel itself next.