Hi Cliff,
Thank you for your query, I will do my best to help.
If the volume is good with the VLC player, then the drivers are correct. It is most likely a settings. I would uninstall the speakers from device manager and then scan for new hardware. By uninstalling the device, it will remove all the settings. When you reinstall, you will be starting fresh. Have you updated the Codec files for Windows 8? You can try using the built in troubleshooter in Windows 8 to help resolve issue. You can also try the HP Support Assistant to help resolve issue and look for updates.
