Crackling speakers

Hello. Last week Dell released a bad update for Dell Support Assist and Dell Support Agent. Check in the list of programs in Control Panel>Programs & Features and if there uninstall those 2 items.

If that does not help then please reply back with your full model name such as 3138, 3148, etc.

Uninstall did not help. Inspiron model is 3147 and speakers have been crackling ever since I received the laptop 3 weeks ago

I have an Inspiron 2-in-1 7347 touchscreen laptop. This solution (changing to Windows' native audio driver) fixed the annoying crackling of one of my speakers. Thank you! 

:emotion-2:

Dear Jimco,

From the bottom of my heart, I thank you. I will never see you in person, and you are likely thousands of miles away from me as I write this message. You are a human being, with your own interesting life, and stories, values and experiences. But I will never know you for the person that you truly are. And that's okay. Not all relationships are meant to last a lifetime. But in this fleeting moment, you are in my thoughts, Jimco, because you kick ***. You, a complete stranger, has helped me, a complete stranger, without asking for reward or recognition. You dont seek fame, nor do you seek power. But you make the world a better place. I have spent DAYS trying to figure out how to resolve the issue with my crackling speakers. I was convinced it was due to some sort of signal interference, and it was beyond frustrating and irritating. It lit me on fire to hear crackling during my music. It ate away at my very soul. But, Jimco, after following your advice, you have changed my life. I uninstalled that silly Realtek driver, and I am a new, happier man, who will now listen to music in peace, and focus my attention on bigger problems facing this earth. In helping me Jimco, you have made the world a better place, and me, a better man. I thank you once again. Stay true, stay proud my friend. God bless you Jimco.

if you in warranty period then change no other option

I specifically created an account to echo this sentiment.  Worked like a charm.  

I specifically created an account to echo this sentiment.

Thank you for taking the trouble to do that. Also thanks to lonecitywolf for writing an amazing post.

Thank you , it really improved a lot the sound of my dell 5567 bad speakers! impressive!

Thank you Jimco this worked with my Dell Inspiron 13 touchscreen

Will my audio hardware perform differently if i install the native driver instead of the realtek audio driver?

The only way it will affect the hardware is that the mic jack might not be supported by the Windows native driver. In other words, an external microphone that worked with the Realtek driver might not work with the native driver. But it should not affect the internal mic, the speakers, or the headphone jack.

The sound itself might be quite different, because the Realtek driver has audio "enhancement" software that the native driver lacks. It is a bare bones driver, in that regard.

On step 7 I don't have a device with that name. I'm using a Dell Inspiron 15 3000 with crackling speakers. When I look at compatible hardware I have "Audio Endpoint" and "Generic Software Device" which one do I chose?

On step 7 I don't have a device with that name

Hello. Since I posted the instructions 2 years ago in this thread, I have received comments from others about the same problem you are having. The problems seem to occur only with Windows 10.

Here is an amended set of instructions that might or not work for you. Note that you might have to do step 7 differently from the original instructions, and the name of the native driver might show as "Intel" High Definition.

1. Open the Device Manager (find it in the Control Panel, or type devmgmt.msc into the search box).
2. Expand the "Sound, video & game controllers" and right click on "Realtek High Definition Audio".
3. Select to "Update Driver Software".
4. Click on "Browse my computer for driver software".
5. Click "Let me pick from a list of drivers on my computer".
6. Put a check in the box "Show compatible hardware" if not already checked [but SEE NOTE].
7. In the list of devices, click "High Definition Audio" (the native driver).
8. Click "Next".
9. On the Update Driver Warning box, click "Yes" (install the driver).
10. Restart the laptop if prompted. If not prompted, sometimes you have to restart, sometimes not.
[To get back to the Realtek driver, do it again but reverse the names in steps 2 and 7.]

NOTE: if you have a 2-in-1 model and do not see a "High Definition Audio" option after step 6, then uncheck "Show compatible hardware". Then in step 7, if you see 2 "High Definition Audio" devices, select the 2nd one. On some models the native driver is called Intel High Definition Audio.

I have a Dell Inspiron 15 5100 with windows 10. And when I uncheck compatible hardware I lose "Generic software device" but "Audio Endpoint" stays.