XPS 13 9350 sound and microphone issues

Do these exist in this Laptop to start with?

Yes. Look at the XPS 13 9350 Specifications document to see the features of that model. Click on "Specifications", the "Audio" to see that it has 2 speakers and a microphone array.

Click on "Views" to see the location of the mic "array" (dual mics).

Go to the XPS 9350 13 Support page/drivers and read the notice about the docking station. You can get drivers by clicking on Guide Me or I just use "Find It Myself", but you have to click on the blue "Change OS" button and select your operating system, in order to get the correct drivers. I would update the BIOS, the docking firmware and/or driver, and the Realtek audio driver.

Dell UHD port replicator

I googled that but couldn't figure out exactly what it is, under that name. If it is a usb device like one of Dell's usb-3 docks, then it would show itself in the Sound properties as a usb audio device, as in your screen shot.

What I mean is this, the Realtek audio chip in your laptop is essentially a DAC (digital to analog converter) and a ADC (analog to digital converter). The chip converts the digital signal to analog, which goes out the headphone jack. But analog audio cannot go out over a usb connection, so to get to the usb replicator, it has to remain a digital signal. It only gets converted to analog inside the replicator, meaning that the replicator has its own DAC & ADC, separate from the laptop's Realtek converters. So it shows on the Sound properties as USB Audio, not Realtek audio.

Not ever having used one of the usb replicators, I am not sure exactly what one would expect from it, but I would think that the Sound properties would show all of the audio devices in the overall system, not just the usb device.

Go back to the Sound properties and right click in the blank white area under the usb Speakers listing, and check the boxes to show disabled and disconnected devices.

If doing that does not produce any more devices in the list, unplug the replicator and restart the laptop. Then check the Sound properties again. Normally you would see something like this:

where it says "Realtek High Definition" under Speakers, and

The "Microphone -- Realtek High Definition" in the above screen shot would be the one to make the default device in order to use the laptop's mic array, or the laptop's headset jack mic function. When selected as the default device, it would default to the array, until a headset is plugged into the jack, then it would switch to the headset's mic.

Do I have to purchase a separate microphone with a USB plug in to the dock perhaps?

In your first screen shot, "Microphone -- usb audio -- not plugged in", when selected as the default device would enable whatever analog microphone jack the replicator has, or headset jack if it has that instead of a separate mic jack. It does not mean that you have to connect a usb mic. It say "Microphone -- usb audio" because the laptop "sees" the replicator as a usb audio device.

So after disconnecting the dock, you restarted the laptop, checked the sound properties, and there is nothing there, just blank?

I have to log off now. Will check back in the a.m.

Is the operating system Windows 10?

Hi again Jim. The Docking Station is a Dell Docking Station USB 3.0 Ultra HD 4K Model 3100. I have disconnected the Laptop from the docking station and checked the sound properties which do not show Realtek Audio device still, in fact no audio devices are showing in Device Manager even. It seems the speakers and microphone are simply not being detected by the system at all? Disconnected it is prompting me to plug in the audio devices and the only plug in I have is to external speakers connected to the Docking Station output. Could it be a BIOS problem perhaps? I am totally stumped.

About the BIOS, most Dell BIOS don't have a setting for audio, but some do, so check it and see. You could also check to make sure that Windows Audio Service and Endpoint Builder are on.

Hi Jim running Windows 10 64 Bit as supplied with laptop. I did check the bios and there was settings for sound which appear to be correctly set. When I remove the laptop from the docking station there is no option for DELL Audio. However, I notice in my programs Tree Dell Audio appears under Dell as being installed. When I select it however, nothing happens. Realtek options do not appear in either playback or recording options? Finally I cant seem to locate where The Dell Docking Station shows, it does not appear to be in the Device Manager. Looking at this forum audio issues seem to be a common problem with Dell. I really cannot afford to send it back for service as my business programs are all loaded on it and are vital for my business.

I did notice this warning symbol for Intel Audio this morning when I was checking Device Manager.

Hi Jim. Have now updated BIOS to latest available. Still no change. Please see images for connected to Dock and Laptop alone re Device Manager. Notice no audio inputs when laptop only.

when I was checking Device Manager

What do you see in the Device Manager under Sound....Controllers?

Looking at this forum audio issues seem to be a common problem with Dell.

I don't know if Dell laptops have more or fewer audio issues than those of other manufacturers, but I wouldn't draw too many conclusions from the number of posts here about audio issues. This board, the Laptop Audio board, is solely for discussing audio issues with Dell laptops, so posts about audio problems are common. Having said that, as a person whose main interest in computers is their use in audio applications, I could wish that Dell placed a greater emphasis on preventing audio issues, and making their correction a high priority.

The Intel High Definition Audio driver is the Windows native audio driver, but it should be under Sound...Controllers, not Other Devices.

If I understand correctly, you said you did download and install the Realtek audio driver?  I don't know why it is not showing up in Device Manager. The laptop should have left the factory withy the driver properly installed and functioning -- they don't leave the factory with just the native driver. So I would perform a system recovery (reset to the factory image) and check if the Realtek driver is installed as it should be. If not, then the factory image was defective. However that seems unlikely as I haven't seen posts from other owners of that model, discussing that the Realtek driver is missing.

You probably don't want to perform a system recovery. A lesser option is to try doing a Windows 10 "reset" that saves your data, but that option also removes some drivers and apps you installed. You could go to the Recent Issues FAQ -- the XPS 9350 & 9550 section -- and try some of the solutions other owners have used, although none of them reported the same issue that your laptop has. And you could contact tech support and see if the representative has any ideas that might help.

Hi Jim we have sound! Did a system reset then rang Dell Tech support who talked me through a diagnostic process of the motherboard. They then sent me links for the latest Realtek audio driver A06 and the latest Intel Chipset driver. Voila.

Could have sworn I had done all of that but who cares. Have now connected back to D3100 Dock to link to large screen and still no problems.(touch wood).