Sound on R700V

I just picked up a Asus R700V and I'm not sure if this is a newer industry standard as I haven't bought a laptop in years, but the sound is coming from the bottom of the laptop rather than through what appears to be speaker vents on the top. I assume that this is to bounce the sound off a desk to the user but I use my laptop in bed, resting on a blanket which give me almost no sound at all. Is there a way to change where the sound is coming from? I reviewed the full manual online and looked at the sound options an there's no far nothing.

 

No, it's not an industry standard. Modding things might make rerouting the speaker placement possible, but unlikely doable. Putting the laptop on a wooden surface, slightly elevated, would yield the best results. But in my opinion, it has never been ideal to place the speakers so that they're downward firing. They just bounce back into the case, muting the quality.

Now a downward firing subwoofer is fine. But I'm guessing that's not the design on your model.

 

How do you like your R700v? Where did you buy it. I may get one. Is it a true 17.3" screen?. Does it seem smallish?
You can always buy some external speakers. Cheap ones will sound better than the built in ones you have.