Dell Xps 17 L702x right speaker hissing noise + sometimes it loses volume? what is the problem?

Hello. If you listen through headphones but do not get the same symptoms then it is a hardware issue. Probably replacing the speakers will resolve it.

Hello Jimco

When I use the headphones, I don;t think It happens but I did notice was when I go to the audio software to change some settings randomly the speaker will return normal then low or I have to turn the volume up a bit for it to work.  Do you think its still the speaker issue, I've run the audio test by playing left and right speaker but they sound normal

Another way to test is to change the audio driver -- if you are now using the Realtek audio driver switch to the native Windows driver, or vice-versa. If the problem goes away when you switch drivers then it is a software issue.

To install the native driver, remove the Realtek driver. Open the Device Manager and expand the Sounds controllers section. Right click on the Realtek and select to uninstall. Put a check mark in the option to delete the files, and then ok. When you reboot, Windows will either install its own native driver or a Realtek driver if there were any other versions on the hard drive. So go back to the Device Manager and check for a Realtek driver. Keep uninstalling & rebooting until Realtek no longer appears under sound controllers. At that time you will see the native driver listed as "High Definition Audio Device".

Or if you are currently using the native driver, download the Realtek driver and install it.

Hello Jim

I noticed when I turned off the maxxaudio, both of my speakers (left+right) were the same volume playing but when I turned on the maxxaudio, it will play both loud but after a short while the right speaker will be lower than the left. I don't know if software can cause this since if it was then both speakers would act similar way.

I cannot find the realtek drivers as when I visit the page it only shows the manual, I am using Realtek ALC665 audio driver

To get the Realtek driver go to the XPS L702x downloads page, enter your operating system (Win 7 or 8) in the box, then expand the Audio category. To see if there is another version of the driver you can try, click on "Previous versions" after expanding Audio.

Note that if you want to try a version that is dated older than the one currently installed, first completely remove the current one by the method I described above.

Hello Jimco

 I think I would prefer to download the drivers from Realtek's website but I cannot locate the drivers plus I am not sure if it is compatible with dell xps 17. I have uninstalled the driver and booting up then re-installing but there are no changes.

When there is a major windows update(7) every month,I boot up the laptop to complete the updates and I notice the right speaker doesn't become quieter after using for the day.

The last fresh installation I have done was at april and after that with the all the drivers installed, I would use disk cleanup tool + disk defragmenter which does boost my bootup time faster but I am not sure if disk clean up +defragmenter could influence the drivers by corrupting/deleting,causing the software to not function properly.

Hi Jim

I will try that when I get home then report back as soon as possible of the results 

I have uninstalled the driver and booting up then re-installing but there are no changes.

I suggest that you use the native driver for a day or two and see what happens. If the volume level of the right speaker still goes down while using the native driver but remains level in the headphones then I think it is a hardware problem, because the exact same problem is unlikely to be caused by 2 entirely different drivers.

To install the native driver, remove the Realtek driver. Open the Device Manager and expand the Sounds controllers section. Right click on the Realtek and select to uninstall. Put a check mark in the option to delete the files, and then ok. When you reboot, Windows will either install its own native driver or a Realtek driver if there were any other versions on the hard drive. So go back to the Device Manager and check for a Realtek driver. Keep uninstalling & rebooting until Realtek no longer appears under sound controllers. At that time you will see the native driver listed as "High Definition Audio Device".

When you have finished testing the native driver, install a Realtek driver. To get one direct from the Realtek site,

Go to the Realtek downloads selection page.

On the page click on "High Definition Audio Codecs".

Check "I accept" and then "next".

In the column named "Description" find the file named README. That has the instructions for installing or updating.

In the column named "Download", click on one of the server names to download the readme file.

Go back to the column named "Description" and select your operating system (and whether it is 32bits or 64bits) from the 1st 2 choices at the top of the list.

In the column named "Download", click on one of the server names to download the driver.

It will be compatible with your laptop. If you want one tailored for your model then get it from Dell. Dell gets Realtek to do some re-branding, for example naming the Realtek Audio Manager the Dell Audio Manager on some models. I'm sure there are other differences too but I have not done a comparison.

Using the Windows tools you mentioned will not harm the audio driver.

Hello James. I am unaware of a min/max time period between restarts. I personally do not take the elapsed time into consideration when I want to do a restart.

Hello Jim

sorry for the confusion but what I actually mean is can restarting a laptop damage its components by going via start menu then restart as I usualy turn the laptop on and switch it off once but last night I had to restart the laptop to uninstall the driver

I guess I don't understand the question. Restarting multiple times using the Windows procedure you described is normal. It often happens when doing diagnostics or manually installing drivers. It is also okay to cold boot -- shutting down via Windows "shut down", then using the power button to start, but restarting is usually the faster way.

Hi Jimco 

Thanks as I'm trying to be cautious when dealing with electronics, I am still in the process of testing the speakers.  I had a storm last night and was wondering if you can answer my question

I live in the UK and last night we had a storm/lighting which in this country its very rare to get one. I was up in my room playing a game with the room light turned off and while I was playing I seen a sudden flash(camera flash) ,coming from outside the windows(my blinds were all closed as its night time), I thought it was just someone using their camera so I took my headphones off and heard heavy rain clattering against the window.

My laptop was plugged in to wall outlet charging and has a surge protector, also I was using WI-FI and the router is downstairs. I seen 2 lighting flashes in total and then after 5 minutes the storm has ended. My laptop is facing the wall but the window is facing infront of the laptop so when I noticed the lighting flash, I can clearly see the flash bright.

The laptop is working normally as usual and the router didn't get disconnect or anything bad (touch wood) but I am uncertain/worried if the lighting flash/storm did damage the laptop screen/Hardware components since I read somewhere that a camera flash could damage the laptop screen , mines is a Matte screen.

James, that is outside of my area. I would think that if you do not notice any problems then it is okay, but if you do have concerns about it then post a question on the Laptop Video board.