Inspiron 15 7000 Subwoofer Issue

Question

Hello All, I purchased an Inspiron 15 7000 two months ago. I love the laptop for gaming but I noticed a vibration/crackling coming from the internal sub-woofer when listening to music. It is most noticeable when listening to bass heavy songs (obviously). I first noticed it while listening to 'Misty Mountains' from the Hobbit Soundtrack.  I called Dell Tech support and worked with them, but the rep I spoke with was very confused about my issue. We went through all the trouble shooting step for audio problems and I ultimately returned the laptop to Dell for repairs. I received the laptop back stating that they replaced the 'IO/Daughter Board' and 'Replaced Cables' however I still notice the issue. I have checked to ensure the drivers are the latest version and even deleted the Dell Support Assist as mentioned in the FAQ post. Since the laptop was shipped like this I am beginning to question if the sub-woofer is broken or if it is just a cheap speaker that can't handle playing music. All my other laptops have handled my music fine but none of them have had an internal sub-woofer either. The vibrations do not make the music un-listenable, in fact the majority of people probably wouldn't even hear it, but to me it is annoying, especially since the laptop is brand new.  Does anyone have experience with the internal sub-woofers? Are the cheap speakers that vibrate or should I be getting a nice clean sound comparable to a moderately priced stereo system? Thank you.

Jim Coates · Answer

hould I be getting a nice clean sound comparable to a moderately priced stereo system?

Hello. The speakers in a laptop are necessarily tiny, so I don't think you can expect the sound quality of a moderate priced stereo. [I don't have a woofer in my laptop so can't compare.] Pic of "sub-woofer":

they replaced the "IO/Daughter Board" and "Replaced Cables"

If the speaker is defective neither of those parts would have corrected it. The I/O circuit board has usb ports and the audio port, but no speaker.

Sorry that I can't offer anything more definite about the issue.

31Charlie · Answer

Thank you for the reply. That is what my subwoofer looks like. I took the bottom plate off of the case and it is right there. While I am not expecting my laptop to fill my room with rich deep sounding music, I would at least expect to be able to listen to music at a normal volume without getting any sort of vibration from the subwoofer.

Is it possible to purchase the part from Dell and replace it myself? That way I will know for sure if it is broken or not?

Thanks again.

Jim Coates · Answer

I should have said that Dell didn't sell spare parts the last time I checked.

Jim Coates · Answer

Dell doesn't sell spare parts, but you can get a salvaged one with 1 yr warranty from the parts people. You might ask them if they think replacing the speaker will solve your sound issue.

31Charlie · Answer

Thanks so much. For $20 bucks, why not get it and see if that fixes the issue. At least that will get it off my mind. Wish I would have come here before wasting several hours on the phone with tech support and two weeks without my laptop.

I appreciate you answer everyone's questions on this forum.

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