I recently built a new PC using a mix of new and old components, but I'm having a frustrating issue with my in-ear monitors (IEMs). I plugged my Truthear x Crinacle Zero IEMs into the new system, and I can only hear sound from the left earphone. I've tried a bunch of troubleshooting steps without success.
Here's what I have in my setup:
- Antec Flux Pro Full Tower
- MSI B850 Tomahawk Max Wifi motherboard
- AMD 9800x3d CPU
- RTX 3060ti GPU
- Corsair rm850x PSU
- Fresh Windows 11 Pro installation via USB
I've connected my IEMs to both the rear line-out and front panel audio jacks on the motherboard, but still no sound from the right ear. I've set the headphones as the default device, uninstalled and reinstalled Realtek HD audio drivers, and even checked the audio balance settings to ensure they are equal. The Realtek audio test also confirms that sound is only emitted from the left side.
Interestingly, an older USB headset works perfectly, so I suspect there's an issue specific to my IEMs or the setup. I'm hesitant to buy another pair of IEMs since the same problem might arise. Do you think the motherboard's HD Audio connector could be faulty? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
4 Answers
Make sure your IEMs are fully plugged into the jack. Sometimes they can seem connected but aren’t all the way in, which causes sound issues.
Have you thought about testing your IEMs with another device, just to rule out that the problem is with them rather than the PC? It's possible the right cable isn't working properly.
Unfortunately, I don't have another device to test them on right now, but when I plugged the left cable into the right shell, both shells worked fine. It seems like the right cable may have an issue.
Have you tested your IEMs on something other than the PC? This could help determine if it’s the IEMs or the new setup causing the problem.
I don't have any other devices right now, but I suspect the right cable itself might be dead, despite both IEM shells working when plugged into the left cable.
Try disabling NVIDIA's audio devices from the device manager. After that, unplug and re-plug the IEMs into the motherboard's jack to see if that helps.
Thanks for the suggestion! I disabled both the NVIDIA High Definition Audio and Virtual Audio Device, but I still have the same issue. Should I also disable the AMD High Definition Audio device for good measure?
I double-checked that the cable is pushed all the way in, but unfortunately, it didn’t help.