Dell Inspiron Audio

Post the exact model Inspiron 15 and age of the computer and maybe someone familiar with that model can help. Try checking and changing the Audio settings.

Since there are several threads regarding sound problems with the Inspirons, I have started doing some intense listening to see if I could pick up such variances or distortions.

I believe I have heard the volume variance as you describe on my new 17 7779 model.  It is way too early to have any conclusions but it seemed worse on one particular Headset.

But I was thinking if there were not some standard questions to ask with sound problems.  

Have you used the Groove Music app?  What are you using to play the sound and does it matter what type of file is being played?

Have you tried disabling the Internal microphone to stop any feedback?  I have even seen cases of mechanical feedback involved in certain situations.

Is Cortana set up and listening?

If you check the Windows Volume mixer, how is the volume of the output device set in relation to the primary output volume?

I am still trying to understand the meaning of the volume level meters in regard to the grey part which extends above the green area.  It doesn't seem to mean the same thing as the old red overdriven did.

I really like my Bluetooth headsets.  I don't have to worry about the plug in popup message and they seem to bypass the speaker output.

I tried, nothing worked.

Model is Inspiron 3521. Realtek driver just updated prior to posting question here. Bios is 2015.

Groove, Power media palyer, WMP, MuicBee. All the same output. Cortana is disabled. Volume mixer? System sounds is disabled (no sound).

Kindly guide me on how to disable (and re-enable) Internal microphone).

nothing worked

It would be helpful if you supplied more details. Does "nothing worked" mean that you tested the audio driver by switching to the native driver, and the result of the test was that there was no difference?

If so, it means that it is not a problem being caused by the Realtek driver. Volume fluctuation is not a known issue on the Inspiron 3521. Did the problem exist before you updated to Windows 10?

Another test: lower the volume to about 50% and determine if the volume is still fluctuating.

Try checking the box "disable all enhancements".

Possibly some type of protection, although I don't know why.

That's why I suggested the test of lowering the volume. If the fluctuations cease at the lower volume then that would suggest protection.

The Volume mixer is on the speaker icon right click.  I have been keeping it open for testing.  Get back to that in a minute.

The Internal Microphone is also on the speaker right click and select Recording devices.  Right click and select disable.

I was hearing the volume changes yesterday.  While watching the volume mixer it appeared when the sound level of the playback utility reached its peak the volume level would change.  Possibly some type of protection, although I don't know why.

The strange thing seems to be the grey levels represent what the volume level would be if you had it turned all the way up.  But it appears the grey bars reaching their max value could also be tied to the volume changes.  See attachment.  So for me, at this stage, I am not certain the computer is the culprit..

Hi sir.

I am also facing issue with Dell Inspiron N5010 speaker sound.

Behavior:

No sound from internal speaker. Changing speaker volume in

Windows changes headphone volume which is very surprising. In the list of

devices in device manager, both headphone and speaker are listed though

I did ePSA tests and clicked No to hear the error beeps but there were no beeps

even at that time.

One thing I am guessing is that I had given my computer to technician for

fan cleaning and possibly he left some speaker wire unconnected. Could it

be the case? Why would windows show speaker in device list then. I dont see

any red crosses on volume symbol on taskbar which is characteristic of sound problems.

The native driver works fine. Thanks for the guide.

I'm sorry sir, I was too excited to jump to the other options mentioned.

I tested both on my mp3's and movies and I just realized Realtek hd works well with movies as it has clear dialogs while bass and loud sound effects are controlled especially on scenes like crashing cars which is why it's not good for music - at least on my computer. The native driver has better bass for my mp3's.

Are there any alternative to Realtek you can suggest which is good for all kinds of sounds that I can try?

Most of the Dell laptops with Realtek audio come with some version of WavesMaxx audio enhancement software. The enhancements only work with the Realtek driver, not with the native driver. The difference you hear between the two drivers might be due to WavesMaxx.

Suggest you open the Dell Audio panel (look for it in the Windows Control Panel -- if it is not there, Saltgrass might explain where to look. He says that in the newer models it is no longer in the Control Panel).

In the Dell Audio panel there should be some controls for WavesMaxx. If you see one for MaxxLeveler, turn it off as it could  cause volume fluctuations. Try the settings for music to improve the bass. This screen shot is from a Latitude E5550.

Are there any alternative to Realtek you can suggest which is good for all kinds of sounds that I can try?

As far as audio drivers, your laptop has a Realtek audio chip on the motherboard so you have to use the native driver or some  version of Realtek driver. For Windows 10, Dell has only released one audio driver for the Inspiron 3521, and that was the Realtek 6.0.1.7520 a year and a half ago. That should be the one you have now.

Dell has released one driver for Windows 8.1 and two drivers for Windows 8. One of those might work in Windows 10, but you would have to completely remove the 6.0.1.7520 version from the system first, and turn off  Windows Updates. Might or might not have to use compatibility mode while installing.

You can find all of the drivers that Dell has released on the Inspiron 3521 html page.

You can also get a Realtek driver directly from the Realtek site.

1.Go to the Realtek downloads selection page. http://www.realtek.com.tw/downloads/
2. On the page click on "High Definition Audio Codecs".
3. Check "I accept" and then "next".
4. (optional) In the column named "Description" find the file named README and download it. That has the instructions for installing or updating.
5. In the column named "Description" select your operating system and whether it is 32bits or 64bits from the top 2 choices in the list.
6. In the column named "Download" click on one of the server names to download the driver.

Another option is to install a system-wide equalizer with pre-sets that you can select for various kinds of audio. There are not many system-wide eq's available. I am using one called Equalizer APO with Peace on my Latitude with Windows 7 and find it to be a great tool, but Windows 10 handles audio differently from 7 so don't know how good it would work on that OS. Also it can be a little tricky to install.

I did ePSA tests and clicked No to hear the error beeps but there were no beeps

That means that the speakers have failed or become disconnected. The problem with the speakers is not related to Windows, drivers, or other software.

One thing I am guessing is that I had given my computer to technician for fan cleaning and possibly he left some speaker wire unconnected. Could it be the case?

Sure.

Why would windows show speaker in device list then.

It doesn't literally mean the speakers. Windows has no way of knowing whether the speakers have failed or not. It means the output from the audio chip to the speakers, the signal path, which is probably working fine in the chip.

Yes it is MaxxSense on my computer, I have experimented with its MaxxLeveler and bass enhancers but it simply doesn't sound good, it sounds muffled even vocals on music when unticking some options and maximizing bass. It's just not good for music but fine with movies as I've said. The native driver output for music is better but not for movies though.

Is it safe to uninstall Realtek without losing sound completely? Maybe try to reinstall.

Is it safe to uninstall Realtek without losing sound completely? Maybe try to reinstall.

If you right click on the Realtek driver in Device Manager, and select "uninstall", but do not check the box to remove the driver files, then when you reboot, Windows will rebuild the same driver from the files on the hard drive. It will be the same Realtek driver but all of the settings will have been restored to their defaults. That's one way to re-install the driver.

If you right click on the Realtek driver in Device Manager, and select "uninstall", but do check the box to remove the driver files, then when you reboot, Windows will not have a way to rebuild the Realtek driver and so will install the native driver in its place.  [An exception to this is if other versions of the Realtek driver had been previously downloaded. If Windows finds those files then it will build that version of the Realtek driver.]

I noticed one 2013 and two or three 2015 Realtek when trying to install the native driver. I'd like to uninstall Realtek from Programs and Features. Would it be OK as you've mentioned Realtek has a chip on the motherboard - if I understood that correctly? I mean I'd like to remove all Realtek on my computer and try to download and re-install it again.