An additional installation option is available for Epic Games Store, Xbox Game Pass, and Non-SKSE Users.
It can be located under "MISCELLANEOUS FILES" – the first option.

A case-by-case treatment that includes minimum distance, attenuation curve and maximum distance settings. For example, the audible range for weapon impacts has been increased by roughly 200%. The range for an NPC biting an apple is still close to what it used to be. The overall the chance that you hear what you see and expect has been increased significantly. The world is more alive as a result.

The game is about 10-15% louder (as much as the engine allows). Adjusted amplitudes across the board for optimal balance between gameplay relevance and immersion, and a more dynamic and airy mix (the difference between quiet and loud is more prominent). The changed frequency content of many sounds for a more balanced and dynamic sound spectrum. More high range detail, less cluttered low-mid, low and sub-range frequencies. Instead of just a collection of individual assets the soundscape now functions better as a whole.

With the reverb changes, different environments now have a much more present, realistic and varied space response. Not just increased volume of reverb, but remodeled reverbs for all different environment types for optimal balance between reverb sound quality and the core of each environment atmosphere, as much as the engine allows. Reverb is now enabled in exterior locations, meaning there are outdoor reflections now. Explosions (runes, fireballs, dragonfireballs) now have special outdoor reflection tails as you would expect from a loud sound.

An almost complete overhaul has been undertaken for all humanoid, and some creature's footsteps, utilizing over 1000 unique sounds. Worn armor types (cloth, light, heavy) are now coherent and always present for different surface types and movement speeds.

New magic sounds have been designed from scratch, with additional modifications to spells for increased variety. There is more clarity between casting, projectile and impact sound and more aggressive, snappy, punchy impacts and explosion design that makes throwing projectiles at enemies more satisfying and responsive. Sustained destruction sounds are now more intense when dual cast by adding additional layers and you can hear magic projectiles flying by your face no matter the distance it had to travel.

Weapon impacts have been redesigned for better distinction between weapon types and more presence in the mix. Daggers now have unique content, no longer reuse sword assets. Redesigned bows firing and arrow impact sounds, made from real medieval bow recordings. Arrows now have projectile sounds. Changes to make sure the game uses the right content intended for different situations instead of falling back to generic samples.

Roughly 500 new ambient sounds throughout Skyrim, chosen and placed with care in terms of location. These sounds are subtle, non-intrusive, but significantly more vivid and varied compared to what is available in the base game. Vanilla sounds have had their timing and presence adjusted to prevent overlap. Out-of-place sounds have been lowered or even removed, with others added to emphasize the character of the environment.

More focus on animated objects in the environment such as fires, waterfalls or windmills. You hear what you see and can use your ears to find things which you might otherwise miss, more than before. Adjusted content and timing of randomized ambient sounds (like birds, insects) in most exterior and interior regions. Lowered or even removed some sounds that were out of place or annoying, added others to emphasize the character of the environment. Remixed heavily. Many really good vanilla Skyrim sounds were hardly noticeable before, some others stuck out too much.

Lots of traps have been made snappier and louder in order to hopefully scare you more.
Igniting oil is much more intense.

New sound design and many modifications for various creature types. Changes reach from small modifications, like foxes, to complete redesigns, like frostbite spiders. Special attention to things that are big and epic. Dragons biting, landing, flying by, tail whips, stampeding mammoths, groaning centurions, etc.

Performance had been taken in consideration from the beginning of the project. For a majority of users, there will be no performance hit using AOS. Many vanilla Skyrim sound bugs have been fixed either directly or as a side effect of the other changes. All changes relevant to AOS have been forwarded from USSEP.

Thank you to Alt3rn1ty, fadingsignal, isoku, itsfutile, keithinhanoi, michaelrw, Nelly and Jinn (who know who they are and what they did), raphou112, T3nd0, and UnmeiX. Thank you to AthrunNailo, EmancipatorJCH, OrmrSnaethorsen, Silverylos, snow, syentism for Beta Testing 2.5.0.

David Jegutidse for letting a guy you didn't really even know take over maintaining and supporting Audio Overhaul for Skyrim 2. I know it took a few years, but I'd like to think I held true to a lot of my original promises. And I'm so happy hundreds of thousands of people get to experience this classic project now and long into the future!

aers for fixing the sound category bug for me back in 2018, allowing custom sound categories and volume sliders to properly exist in Skyrim. Something that had been bothering me for years up until Engine Fixes came along.

Doodlezoid for taking me up on my proposal and bringing to life Sound Record Distributor. I'm so happy to have a tool like this available for mod authors and users-alike who may have felt intimidated by installing audio mods in the past.

Thank you to everyone who has provided translations for Audio Overhaul for Skyrim over the last few years.