Dell XPS 13 9350 sound crackling issue

Hi,

Thank you for writing to us. I would ask you to provide us with some more information so that I can assist you  better ,

*Check if  the problem completely goes away when the computer goes to sleep and comes back.

*Is the noise heard when you try to boot into safemode with networking.

*Have any recent changes ( software/hardware) made to the system.

*Which is the operating system installed on the system and have you tried using a headphones to hear if the same issue is seen during system startup.

Awaiting your response to proceed.

Regards,

I currently have Windows 10 installed. How do I boot it from safe mode?

As far as software changes, just installed Bitdefender Antivirus and VLC. But it doesn't seem to coming from the speakers as the speakers seem fine when playing a video. 

Hi,

Apologies for the delay in response.

 To restart the system in s safemode with networking try these steps and advise the result,

*Click on the start icon and then select settings.Then select update & security.

*Select Recovery then click on Restart now.After rebooting the system, you will enter Windows RE(Recovery environment). Please select Troubleshoot.Select advanced options then select Startup Settings.

*Click on Restart and you can select 5)Enable Safe Mode with networking.

Check system performance and advise the result.

Regards,

Hi Jennifer,

I have the same issue. I followed the same steps, I got the message,

"El servicio de audio de windows y el servicio del compilador extremo de audio de windows deben ejecutarse al mismo tiempo. Uno de ellos no esta iniciando correctamente"

I have installed driver 9350_Audio_Driver_16JHH_WN32_6.0.1.7654_A03.EXE and BIOS XPS_9350_1.2.3.exe.

Help me. Thanks.

I have purchased new xps 13 9350 10 days ago and I do experience occasional crackling sound during audio/video playing. I love my laptop but bought it through Microsoft website and there would be no replacement but straight return. If I could fix this issue it would be great as so far I like my laptop very much. I've had Dell for years and had no issues until now...

Running windows 10 of course...

Any help would be appreciated, otherwise this will go back....

I have the same issue on xps 13 i got in feb. Crackling noises which sound like electric interference of some sort. Initially I thought its something odd about the laptop (was from dell outlet, hence refurbished) and had a screen, motherboard and power socket replaced by an engineer. Didn't help. Just got a replacement unit and it has the same issue. This makes me think that this is a poor laptop design and not the particular unit issue.

- the noise is quite noticeable when booting. strangely enough, the sound is louder if you do a computer restart. if you have done a proper shutdown, wait a few seconds and power up noises are still there but hardly noticeable

- similar interference noises happen when you use touch screen or even trackpad. its not apparent when its louder or quieter.

- booting into windows or ubuntu results in the same issue

- booting into windows safe mode makes touch screen interference sound more apparent

have tried different BIOS versions but makes no difference. reinstalling everything also doesn't help.

Since its a lovely laptop otherwise I might just keep it anyway and don't use it in quiet environments so cant hear it :)

I also have been experiencing the audio crackling issue since about 1 year after purchase. This has been ongoing for about half a year, to this day.

My solution has always been: 'sleep the laptop', which I assume resets the audio service at some level. I don't know the exact process that is enabling the fix. But the problem keeps coming back - especially when my CPU is under high workload, due to multi-tasking (mostly browsing and watching videos).

Dell representatives, can you please respond with any suggested fixes or any findings you have made since the original post?

Thanks!

Yes I have the exact same problem , there are forms out there but no one seems to know the exact problems in some models driver updates fixed it but not in mine . This problem generally starts when the pc is under a bit of load , and only ends with a restart or sign-out.

What is annoying is plugging in a headset does not fix the problem , the cracking sound still continues.

I wish dell did something about this because I did not pay $1500 for nothing , and they should deliver to there promise.

I am looking forward to hearing from Dell .

Hi Guys,

I bought 3weeks ago a Dell XPS 13 9350 and am experiencing this issue as the others described here.

When booting on Windows noise becomes quite loud on login screen.

Is this being nvestigate for potential fix ?

Thanks,

damien

I also have the exact same issue as Kolba described.  

It has been like this since I got it on May, 2016 and I have tried all the suggested work arounds.   I am starting to think this is hardware issue and not a software driver problem.  I just bought another XPS 13 for my Daughter who is starting University... I will have to see if the same issue is happening on hers.

I am currently using the latest driver from Dell which is 6.0.1.7829.

Ya I think this issue is of design and I think it has been fixed in the 2016 version which comes with the skylake chips.

Hello all,

I have a Dell XPS 13 9343 (the early 2015 model) and I have this issue from the beginning, while it was still running Windows 8.1.

After upgrade to Windows 10, the problem was still occuring.

I contacted Dell support (I had the 1-year Premium support with intervention on-site). They asked me to reinstall the drivers, then to perform the battery of tests (RAM, sounds, etc). Then they asked me to Refresh Windows. Nothing helped.

Then a technician came to replace the speakers. That didn't solve the issue.

Weeks later another technician came to change the whole motherboard. That didn't solve the issue.

Then Dell support asked me to send the laptop to their facility for testing and "white-glove" checking. It came back with Windows reinstalled (good thing I had backed up everything, just lost 2 days reinstalling my "setup"). But the problem was still present.

At which point, you guessed it probably, the 1-year support expired. So Dell hasn't solved my issue, has made me lost a lot of time on troubleshooting and having my professional laptop unavailable for a week of testing, and now they don't want to do anything because the warranty expired.

So I'm stucked with a laptop which sound crackles most of the time, I can't listen to music without having to disable/enable the audio device 5 to 10 times a day, I can't have long Skype calls either, I can't watch a movie in one shot...

I'm very disappointed in Dell and their support (even their Premium support is not worth it).

I'll keep looking for a solution, but I don't think there is any.

@gth2

It seems Dell doesn't have a fix for this it is a design error in the first get (Broadwell chipsets) . some type of chip set problems . there is no way to resolve it . I think this was fixed in the the skylake model i believe . The main time it kicks in is when you start using a lot of CPU power ie. having lot of tabs or multiple applications running at the same time. I would suggest upgrading to the newer gen laptop . I wished also that dell had done something for me as i too am a music listener . i have started using wireless headsets and that has solved my problem for a while (wired use inbuilt decoding which still gives the craking sound).

@mohammedtaherpatla

Thank you for your explanations and suggestion.

However since I forked more than $2,000 last year on this laptop and it was under warranty, it's hard to accept that I just have to consider buying another one. Especially since I reported the problem to Dell.