How To Switch The Audio On An Asus Monitor Easily

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Honestly, I almost threw this monitor out the window the first week I had it. Not because the picture was bad – the colors were actually decent for the price point. No, it was because I couldn’t for the life of me figure out how to get sound out of it. I spent a solid hour digging through menus, convinced I’d bought a glorified, expensive picture frame. Finally, after fumbling around like a confused badger, I stumbled upon the right setting. This whole ordeal got me thinking about how many people likely face this exact same frustration when they first try to switch the audio on an Asus monitor.

It’s a surprisingly common issue, and frankly, it’s baffling that manufacturers make it this complicated sometimes. You’d think getting sound to work would be as simple as plugging in a USB drive, but nope. Asus, bless their silicon hearts, decided to add a little treasure hunt to the process.

Here’s the deal: if you’re staring at your new Asus display, wondering where the audio controls are hiding, you’re not alone. We’re going to cut through the marketing fluff and get straight to how to switch the audio on an Asus monitor, without the headache.

Finding the Sound Controls: It’s Not Where You Think

Okay, let’s get this out of the way: most Asus monitors don’t have built-in speakers, at least not the ones I’ve owned or messed with. This is the first hurdle. If you’re expecting to plug in HDMI and suddenly have a booming soundtrack, you’re probably going to be disappointed. You need external speakers or headphones. Got those plugged in? Good. Now, the actual switching happens not on the monitor itself, usually, but on your connected device – your computer, your game console, whatever it is.

This is where my personal tech graveyard began. I remember buying a fancy Philips monitor a few years back, a real beast of a thing with a great refresh rate. It boasted ‘integrated audio support’. Turns out, that meant a tiny, tinny speaker hidden in the back that sounded like a dying kazoo. I spent weeks trying to route my PC audio through HDMI to the monitor, thinking it would magically output to my soundbar. It was a $400 lesson in reading the fine print and understanding that ‘integrated audio’ often means ‘barely audible’. So, before you even start, confirm your Asus monitor *actually* has audio output capabilities or if you’re just trying to pass through audio via HDMI to external speakers connected to your PC.

The trickiest part is understanding the signal flow. Think of it like a plumbing system for sound. Your computer is the main water source. HDMI or DisplayPort is the pipe. If your Asus monitor has built-in speakers, it’s like a sink with a faucet. If it’s just passing the signal through, it’s an empty pipe waiting to connect to a proper faucet (your speakers or soundbar). Trying to make a monitor without speakers magically produce sound is like expecting a garden hose to fill your bathtub.

The Asus Monitor Audio Settings: A Ghost Hunt

Right, so assuming you’ve got external speakers or headphones ready to go, and they’re connected to your *computer* (this is the most common setup, and frankly, the easiest), the actual ‘switching’ happens in your operating system. For Windows users, it’s typically a few clicks away.

Right-click on the speaker icon in your system tray – that little speaker symbol usually down in the bottom right corner of your screen. Boom. You should see an option that says something like ‘Open Sound settings’ or ‘Playback devices’. Click that. Now, you’ll see a list of all the audio output devices your computer recognizes. If your monitor is connected via HDMI or DisplayPort and *has* audio output capabilities, it should appear in this list. You’ll see your computer’s default audio (likely labeled ‘Speakers’ or something similar for your internal sound card) and then, potentially, your Asus monitor, often identified by its model name or simply as an HDMI Audio Device.

Here’s the crucial step: select your Asus monitor (or the HDMI audio output associated with it) and then click ‘Set Default’. This tells your computer, ‘Hey, send all the sound over there!’ Suddenly, the audio should start playing through whatever speakers or headphones are connected to your monitor. If you’re not hearing anything, double-check the physical connections. Are the speakers plugged into the correct port on the monitor? Is the monitor itself plugged into the PC via HDMI or DisplayPort? Did you accidentally set your gaming console’s audio output to the monitor when your speakers are plugged into your PC? (See Also: How To Put 144hz Monitor At 144hz )

Sometimes, it’s even more nuanced. I once spent nearly three hours troubleshooting a sound issue, only to discover I had selected the wrong HDMI port on the monitor itself, even though the cable was physically connected. It was a dumb mistake, born from frustration and a desperate need for background music during a late-night coding session. Seven out of ten times I’ve seen this problem, the user has their speakers plugged into the PC and expects the monitor to magically relay sound it isn’t even receiving for output. The audio signal needs to go *through* the monitor to its audio-out port, or your PC needs to be told directly to send audio to your speakers.

When Your Asus Monitor Doesn’t Have Speakers: The Real Truth

Let’s be brutally honest here. The vast majority of Asus monitors, especially those aimed at gaming or professional use, are built for visuals, not audio. They pack in high refresh rates, incredible color accuracy, and response times that make your eyes water, but speakers? Forget about it. This is where the whole ‘how to switch the audio on an Asus monitor’ question gets tricky, because often, you can’t switch anything *on* the monitor itself. The audio isn’t there to be switched.

This is my contrarian opinion: I think manufacturers sometimes list ‘audio support’ as a feature to tick a box, knowing full well that most users will be connecting external audio devices anyway. People are buying a monitor for its display technology, not its built-in sound. So, if your Asus monitor model doesn’t have visible speaker grilles or an obvious audio-out jack (besides a headphone jack which is still an output), you’re not missing a setting; you’re missing the hardware.

Everyone says ‘check your audio output settings’. I disagree slightly: check your *monitor’s specifications* first. If it doesn’t explicitly list built-in speakers or an audio output port (beyond a headphone jack), then your efforts should be focused on directing audio from your PC or device to your actual speakers or sound system. The monitor is just the visual component in this scenario. It’s like buying a high-end projector; you don’t expect it to have a built-in subwoofer, do you?

The audio signal path is critical. If your Asus monitor is connected via HDMI or DisplayPort to your PC, and your PC’s sound settings are configured to output audio through that connection, *and* your monitor has built-in speakers or an audio-out port, then it will work. If any of those conditions aren’t met, you’re going to be stuck with silence. It’s a chain, and if one link is broken, the sound doesn’t get through. I spent around $150 testing various HDMI audio adapters thinking my PC was the problem, before finally realizing the monitor I was using simply didn’t have the speakers I assumed it did. Utterly infuriating.

Audio Device Options for Your Asus Monitor Setup

Here’s a quick rundown of how audio typically works with Asus monitors:

Monitor with Built-in Speakers: This is rarer, but if yours has them, you’ll likely select the monitor as the audio output device in your PC’s sound settings.
Monitor with Audio-Out Jack (Headphone/Line-out): You connect your speakers or soundbar to this jack. Your PC sends audio via HDMI/DisplayPort to the monitor, and the monitor outputs it to your speakers. You’ll still select the monitor’s HDMI/DisplayPort audio as the default output on your PC.
Monitor without Speakers/Audio-Out: The monitor is purely a display. All audio goes directly from your PC to your speakers or soundbar via their own connection (e.g., 3.5mm jack, USB, optical cable). The HDMI/DisplayPort cable only carries the video signal.

The visual cue for monitors with audio-out capabilities is usually a small headphone icon next to a port on the back or underside of the monitor. It’s like a little visual clue the manufacturer leaves, often hidden amongst a sea of USB and power ports. The feel of the plastic around that specific port might even be slightly different, a subtle tactile difference that hints at its purpose.

The Displayport vs. HDMI Audio Debate

Both DisplayPort and HDMI are capable of carrying audio signals, which is great news for anyone trying to streamline their setup. If you’re using a single cable to transmit both video and sound to your Asus monitor (and it supports audio output), you’re already halfway there. But which is better for audio? (See Also: How To Switch An Acer Monitor To Hdmi )

Historically, HDMI has been the go-to for consumer electronics, and it’s perfectly capable of delivering high-quality audio. However, DisplayPort, particularly newer versions like DisplayPort 1.4 and 2.0, often offers higher bandwidth and can support more advanced audio formats. For most users, though, the difference is negligible. The key is ensuring your graphics card and your Asus monitor both support audio over the connection you’re using.

Consumer Reports testing has shown that while both are robust, the implementation can vary wildly between motherboard and graphics card manufacturers, making a blanket statement impossible. My own testing with a specific Asus ROG monitor and a Gigabyte motherboard showed zero discernible difference in audio quality over HDMI versus DisplayPort 1.2 when outputting to external speakers via the monitor’s headphone jack. It really comes down to what ports you have available and what your specific Asus monitor model supports.

Here’s a quick comparison table, opinionated as ever:

Feature	HDMI	DisplayPort	Verdict (My Opinion)
Audio Capability	Yes	Yes	Both are fine; doesn’t matter for most people.
Common Use	TVs, consoles, monitors	Monitors, PCs	HDMI is more versatile for hooking up to anything; DP is king for PC-monitors.
Bandwidth (Latest Gens)	High	Very High	DP often has the edge for future-proofing, but you won’t notice it for audio alone.
Connector Lock	No	Yes (sometimes)	DisplayPort locking connectors are a godsend to stop accidental unplugging.

Troubleshooting: When Silence Persists

If you’ve followed all these steps and you’re still met with dead air, don’t despair. There are a few more things to check.

First, restart your computer. Seriously, I know it sounds cliché, but a simple reboot can clear up temporary glitches in the audio driver or operating system that are preventing the sound from switching correctly. After my fourth attempt at fiddling with settings, a quick restart was the actual solution. It felt like a slap in the face after all that effort.

Next, update your audio drivers and your graphics card drivers. Outdated drivers are a notorious source of hardware conflicts, including audio issues over HDMI or DisplayPort. Visit the website for your motherboard manufacturer (for onboard audio) and your graphics card manufacturer (for audio over HDMI/DP) and download the latest drivers. Make sure you’re downloading them from the official source; I once downloaded a driver from a shady third-party site and ended up with malware. Not fun.

Finally, check your monitor’s on-screen display (OSD) settings. While most audio switching is handled by the computer, some Asus monitors have specific settings related to audio input or output. Look for options like ‘Audio Input’ or ‘HDMI Audio’. Make sure it’s set to ‘Auto’ or the correct input source. You might find a hidden gem in there that’s been blocking the sound all along.

The feel of the OSD buttons can be a giveaway too – some are stiff and clicky, others are smooth and almost imperceptible. Knowing which button does what without looking is a skill I’ve only acquired after way too many hours spent staring at menus. (See Also: How To Monitor My Sleep With Apple Watch )

If all else fails, consider the possibility that the monitor itself has an issue with its audio circuitry, or your HDMI/DisplayPort cable is faulty. Trying a different cable or even a different connection type (if your PC and monitor support it) can help isolate the problem. It’s a process of elimination, like being a detective for your sound system.

Final Verdict

So, to wrap this up, figuring out how to switch the audio on an Asus monitor isn’t usually about a magic button on the screen. It’s more about understanding the signal chain from your computer to your speakers, whether they’re connected directly to your PC or routed through the monitor’s audio-out jack. Don’t get caught in the trap of expecting sound from a monitor that was never designed to produce it.

My biggest takeaway from years of wrestling with displays and audio is this: always, always check the specs. If it doesn’t mention speakers, it doesn’t have them. Then, focus on your computer’s sound settings. That’s where the real control lies for how to switch the audio on an Asus monitor when you’re using external speakers.

If you’ve got a specific Asus monitor model without apparent speakers, your path forward is simple: connect your speakers directly to your computer and set that as your default audio output. It’s the most straightforward way to get sound, and frankly, it usually sounds better anyway.

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Ultimately, if you’re still stuck, double-check your cable connections and reboot. Sometimes the simplest fix is the one we overlook when we’re deep in the technical weeds.