Skype: No echo cancellation on Studio 1558 with IDT High Definition Audio CODEC (Microphone Array on IDT 92HD73C1 chipset)

I have a Studio 1558, which comes with IDT High Definition Audio (including a microphone array).  I ordered it with the optional Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi MB Software Suite.

When using Skype, I am unable to get the person I am talking to to stop hearing an severe echo of themselves.

In the sound control panel, I have dropped microphone boost to 0, lowered the microphone array volume to 25, verified the acoustic echo cancellation is enabled and have even gone so far as to set it for aggressive beam forming (in other words, it should only be processing sound from a 30 degree cone instead of accepting all sound).

None of this helps eliminate the echo.

Part of this may be poor hardware design, since the speakers are behind the keyboard, pointing straight up the the mics on the screen bezel.

Has anyone had any success in getting Skype to work on this model without problems of severe echo being heard on the other end?

Thanks!