Issue with Microphone Volume with Intel SST on Windows 11 24H2

Anonymous
2025-01-22T12:38:06+00:00

Hello everyone,

I’m using a ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5 and recently ran into an issue after upgrading to Windows 11 version 24H2. The microphone volume is incredibly low, making voice communication nearly impossible on apps like Discord or during calls.

After thorough troubleshooting, including reinstalling Windows, I identified the problem: a compatibility issue between Windows 11 24H2 and Intel Smart Sound Technology (SST) audio drivers. The "Audio Enhancements" option, typically found under System > Sound > Microphone Properties, is also missing in this version.

When I revert to Windows 11 version 23H2, the microphone works perfectly, and the "Audio Enhancements" option reappears. However, updating to 24H2 causes the issue to resurface, which aligns with previous reports of Intel SST causing compatibility problems on Windows 11.

I submitted feedback through the Feedback Hub app, but I haven’t received any updates or acknowledgment yet. For now, I’ve reverted to version 23H2, but I hope Microsoft and Intel can address this with a driver update or patch soon.

If anyone has found a workaround or has more information, please share it here.

Thank you!

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Devices and drivers

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  1. Anonymous
    2025-06-16T10:41:50+00:00

    6 months I disable windows updates every 4 weeks and do rollback. How many time should I wait for microphone fix? May be fix already exists just nobody wrote about it here? Lenovo Vantage, or some settings, or some new drivers in Lenovo site which I missed? Guys, you are in the same situation - just patient and wait for good news? I bought one of the best and expensive devices in the market and have to suffer :-(

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  2. Anonymous
    2025-05-26T18:01:13+00:00

    Hello, yes indeed it works like that. Thank you very much for this tip because it saved my life. The microphone is still a little weak and of poor quality but I can be heard much better. I set the amplification to 20 db and it works quite well. I am still looking forward to Windows fixing the problem but in the meantime it helps a lot. Let me know if you found a better tip.

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  3. Anonymous
    2025-05-26T07:46:55+00:00

    Hi, and thanks for the heads up!

    Indeed, the option was removed from the new versions of Discord.

    I managed to get it working by disabling the option "Bypass System Audio Input Processing", as suggested here: Reddit link

    I had to reboot for this setting to appear, but once disabled, the microphone as working correctly again.

    I'll update the original tutorial. Let me know if it works again!

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  4. Anonymous
    2025-05-26T00:31:30+00:00

    Hello, I'm having the same problem as you, and I tried your technique, but I can't add it to Discord. I can't find the Audio Subsystem section in Discord, so I can't get it to work.

    Thank you in advance for your reply.

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  5. Anonymous
    2025-04-22T13:33:49+00:00

    im on 2h42 win11 but i dont have the ability to change the quality of my intel sst for digital microphones. like if i want higher quality then it will be greyed out. please help

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