SL Series ThinkPad Laptops

[#1]

FIXED IT!

The solution to my poor quality sound was to roll back an IDE ATA/ATAPI Controller driver in Device Manager. The controller to roll back the driver for is the Intel ICH9M-E/M SATA AHCI controller (which is enabled by Intel Matrix Storage Manager).

The latest version ( 8.1.0.1007) of the driver for this controller is automatically downloaded when using System Update. However rolling back to version 8.1.0.1001 solved the sound problem for me. 

Please note that driver updates are designed to resolve issues, so by rolling back the driver you risk making your system vulnerable to issues it was previously protected from. See http://downloadmirror.intel.com/17059/eng/releasenotes.htm for details. 

Hopefully Lenovo will get Intel to release a version of Matrix Storage Manager that doesn't clash with the sound.

[#2]

mmuddasar:

I tried installing that matrix, http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-69993 , but it fails on the install.  The download file unpackages just fine, but the install file (2ksetup.exe) fails.  The SATA drive doesn't show up in my device manager, either...

????

[#3]

Navigate to:

Device Manager>>>IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers>>>Intel controller.   

Right click Intel controller and select Properties.

Select the Driver tab and check the Driver Version. 

If it is 8.6.0.1007 then select Roll Back Driver to roll back to version 8.6.0.1001.

If it is already version 8.6.0.1001 then the solution to your sound problem may lie elsewhere.

Please note:

(i) You do not need to install Intel Matrix Storage Manager. It should already be installed on your system. Just roll back to version 8.6.0.1001.

(ii) If the Intel controller does not appear in IDE controllers in your Device Manager then we may have different system configurations and again your problem may lie elsewhere. 

[#4]

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mmuddasar wrote:

FIXED IT!

The solution to my poor quality sound was to roll back an IDE ATA/ATAPI Controller driver in Device Manager. The controller to roll back the driver for is the Intel ICH9M-E/M SATA AHCI controller (which is enabled by Intel Matrix Storage Manager).

The latest version ( 8.1.0.1007) of the driver for this controller is automatically downloaded when using System Update. However rolling back to version 8.1.0.1001 solved the sound problem for me. 

Please note that driver updates are designed to resolve issues, so by rolling back the driver you risk making your system vulnerable to issues it was previously protected from. See http://downloadmirror.intel.com/17059/eng/releasenotes.htm for details. 

Hopefully Lenovo will get Intel to release a version of Matrix Storage Manager that doesn't clash with the sound.

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Wow!

Don't know if there are going to be any negative residuals yet, but this change has made a significant improvement. Thanks mmuddasar.

Before:

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m46/mixineer/Capture.jpg

and after:

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m46/mixineer/Capture-1.jpg

Message Edited by front-of-house on 01-02-2009 03:22 PM

[#5]

Still no progress on this;

The intel matrix won't install, and a new problem has emerged for audio.  When ripping from CD, the same buzz exhibits itself in the files saved by the ripping program (in my case, dB poweramp)... I'm ripping at 192-256 kbps with a sample rate of 48 kHz... should be perfect, transparent audio.  But when I put the ripped files on my ipod, sure enough, I get the same darn buzz / overdriven sound!

What.  The.  Heck?!!?!?!??!?

Dear Lenovo:  PLEASE?

[#6]

Now that's weird.  Just as a point of reference I can rip cds with cdparanoia under ubuntu 8.04.1 with no such problems.

[#7]

One month, still no word from Lenovo on a fix for this.  Drivers page is still not updated -- most recent driver shows Oct 1 2008...

I've finally just resorted to an external USB sound card, which (by the way) works PERFECLY and sounds phenomenal.  However, it's brought to light YET ANOTHER PROBLEM with the SL-500... whenever the WiFi adapter is downloading data, there is crackle over the USB port which is audible in the sound card.  God I wish I could make this stuff up.  Soooooo, now I get to use an external USB WiFi adapter to avoid the apparent bad ground on the sys board, an external USB Sound Card to avoid the horrible onboard audio, and an external USB Keyboard to fix the polling / sensitivity problem on the embedded keyboard.  Oh, and I still have to reboot every 24 hours to prevent rundll32 from blowing up because Power Manager has a memory leak and Lenovo won't update that driver either.

I will be switching brands after this.

P.S., I'm still running an SL 500 with 2GB Ram @ 2.1 GHz Dual Core, Windows XP - SP3 (clean install)

[#8]

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vtmemo wrote:

I've finally just resorted to an external USB sound card, which (by the way) works PERFECLY and sounds phenomenal.  

P.S., I'm still running an SL 500 with 2GB Ram @ 2.1 GHz Dual Core, Windows XP - SP3 (clean install)

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What kind did you get?

[#9]

I got the Creative X-Fi external USB Sound Card, model number SB-1090

You can get it from Newegg fairly cheap, around $50, which is a great price for 24-bit 96 kHz audio with TosLink output and gold-plated connectors.  It hasn't disappointed me yet.  Which is more than I can say for some other products I've purchased recently...

[#10]

I'm having the exact same problem with a SL400. I tried to install the last matrix driver but it fails just as when I reinstalled Vista. Also, besides the buzz/hiss when I have a USB mouse hooked up it kind of beeeeps when I move the mouse around. This sucks... anyone knows why installing the matrix driver should fail? how can I do the driver rollback if I didn't installed the 8.1 matrix drivers previously? Via device manager I can see that the 8.6.1001 was installed I think via lenovo system update. I have Vista Ultimate SP1.

Thanks

BTW I'm using a pair of creative in ear headphones. But they work ok on every other device.