HTC Vive Sound Not Working Problems and Troubleshooting

Jun. 24, 2022 / Updated by Helia to Windows Driver Solutions

As one the best-reviewed Virtual Reality devices, HTC Vive headset is now on the market and wins hearts of the most people. Though the HTC VR headset has received excellent reviews, there are myriad of problems, like HTC Vive sound not working, Vive headset USB issues, HMD display not found, etc.

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You can definitely experience each kind of errors above as you are using the HTC Vive VR device to play VR games. And this article will provide solutions of how to fix HTC Vive sound not working issues.

What Kind of Sound Problems You May Encounter on the HTC Vive

HTC Vive sound issues, as many users have reported, can be sorted into types below:

1. Others cannot hear what the one is hearing in the Vive headset.

2. Hearing nothing when using the headphone extension cable of the Vive.

HTC-Vive-headphone-extension-cable.jpg

3. No sound while plugged into the headphone jack on the headset.

4. Sound halted playing while plugged into the headphone jack.

5. No sound while plugged into the extra USB port.

Read More: Top 3 Ways to Fix No Sound after Windows 10 Update

How to Fix HTC Vive Sound Not Working Issues

You could follow the methods below to troubleshoot the sound problems.

Method 1: Check the HTC Vive Hardware

You need to isolate hardware issues that may result the Vive sound problems.

So what you need to do firstly is to check all the hardware, including the ports on the headset, the Link Box, the headphones or the speakers, the headphone jacks or cables, etc. Then check the connection between the devices.

Make sure all the hardware is in its normal condition. And then wake up the Vive headset from the standby mode by moving it.

Method 2: Check the SteamVR Audio Settings

1. Run SteamVR and click the arrow on the top left corner, and then select Settings from the dropdown list.

Check-the-SteamVR-Audio-Settings.png

2. Select Audio from the left column and then come to the right column.

3. Under the item When SteamVR is active, do the setting:

If you want others to hear the sound in the VR through other device, go to the Mirror audio to device and select the audio device from the dropdown list.

Check-the-SteamVR-Audio-Settings-Mirror-audio-to-device.png

If you use the headphone extensible cable, or plug the headphone to the jack, go to the Set Playback device to and select HTC Vive or the Speakers you like.

Check-the-SteamVR-Audio-Settings-Set-Playback-device-to.png

If you use the USB headphones with the extra port, go to the Set Playback device to and select the USB headphones of your choice.

Method 3: Check the Windows Sound Settings

Windows sound settings should also be check if you expect good HTC Vive audio quality. Here are the steps to make the Windows send audio to the Vive.

Step 1: Set HTC Vive as Default Device

Right click the speaker icon in the notification area and select Playback device.

Check-the-Windows-Sound-Settings-Playback-device.png

Highlight HTC-VIVE-0 or the output device (e.g. 2-USB-Audio-Device) you like in the box and then click the Set Default button.

Check-the-Windows-Sound-Settings-Set-Default.png

Note: If you fail to see the devices above, you could right click the blank area and select Show Disabled Devices and Show Disconnected Devices.

Click OK.

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Step 2: Set the Volume of the Device

Right click the speaker icon in the notification area and select Open Volume Mixer.

Check-the-Windows-Sound-Settings-Open-Volume-Mixer.png

Set HTC-VIVE-0 or the output device you’ve chosen slider to at least 50%.

Set the Volume of the players or programs slider to at least 50%.

Step 3: Test the Stereo Positioning

Right click the speaker icon in the notification area and select Playback device.

Right click the default audio device you’ve set and select Test. If the headphones are connected properly, you will hear two sounds, one in the left ear and the other in the right ear.

Check-the-Windows-Sound-Settings-Test.png

Read More: How to Fix Speakers Sound Delay

Method 4: Check the Sound Card Drivers

Problematic drivers may result HTC Vive audio recording failure or microphone not working on the PC. Sometimes it is the outdated, incorrect or broken sound drivers that cause HTC Vive no sound problem.

Run Driver Talent on your computer to check the sound card drivers. If you have not installed Driver Talent before, click the button below to download it directly.

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Here are the steps to fix sound card driver issues for good sound quality on HTC Vive headset:

Step 1: Scan the PC for Problematic Sound Card Drivers

Click Scan and the Driver Talent will detect the computer and find all the outdated, missing or corrupted drivers.

scan-sound-card-drivers-to-fix-htc-vive-sound-not-working-issues

Step 2: Repair the Drivers

Click Repair or Update to download and install appropriate audio drivers for your PC.

update-sound-card-drivers-to-fix-htc-vive-sound-not-working-issues

Step 3: Restart the PC

All the new-installed drivers will take effect after you reboot the computer.

Read More: How to Update HTC Device Driver Efficiently

Realtek High Definition Audio Driver for Windows 10.1, 10, 8.1, 8, 7, XP, Vista

Note: Driver Talent provides the VR Support Check function to find out whether your computer is compatible with HTC Vive VR device. Click Hardware Detection in the Toolbox menu to do a scan.

vr-support-check-and-fix htc-vive-sound-not-working

Now you could turn on your HTC Vive headset and reconnect the Vive headphones or other audio devices to it. Could you hear any sound from the devices? Hope you have a good experience on your VR games.

If this article is helpful to you, share it with your friends who also encounter Vive sound problems. Any idea of troubleshooting the HTC Vive sound not working issue is welcome. You could comment in the section below or click the LEFT MENU for more help. Any other driver-related issues, see Resource Center section.

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