You aren't the only one having trouble with Vista and audio - here is an article in this week's Guardian Technology section: Why Vista sounds worse: Changes to how the latest version of Windows handles audio playback has caused unexpected quality issues for musicians and consumers alike, reports Tim Anderson,

I bought a new computer with Windows XP just a few months before Vista came out. I've had a go at using Vista on other computers since then - and I've decided I was rather lucky not to wait until they brought out Vista before buying.

Maybe a couple of years down the road there'll be a verion that is actually an improvement.