3 Posts
34
185926
XPS 15-9570, Audio crackling and popping
I have an issue that renders the audio on this laptop unusable.
I have a new XPS 9570, and occasionally (I stress that word because 75% of the time there is no issue) when playing audio, either through the built in speakers or through the audio jack, there is a loud popping and crackling noise that accompanies the audio. This renders any audio generated by the laptop unusable.
Because the issue is not always present, it is very hard to debug since you can't know if the issue was actually fixed, or just temporarily gone.
Testing I have done thus far:
When playing a continuous tone, such as generated by , the issue is still present.
The crackling and popping increases with system volume, so if I turn the volume up on the laptop, the crackling becomes louder.
I have reflashed the BIOS to the newest version, uninstalled realtek, reinstalled realtek, disabled wave-maxx-audio (or whatever it is called), and tried using the built in windows drivers. Nothing has worked.
And note that when playing from bluetooth, there is no issue. So it is not a software issue in that way.
Very disappointing that on such an amazing laptop (it truly is amazing), an integral part of it is basically useless.
FFlo
12 Posts
4
August 17th, 2018 13:00
Hi,
I have the same issue, maybe 2-3 times every day. This happens with laptop speakers, bluetooth headphones, jack headphones or external jack headphones. It happens with YouTube, VLC, iTunes, or any software.
I noticed it happens more often if I watch a movie/tv show and I pause the movie, when I play it back, the crackling start.
Simply closing the software and re-open it is a valuable workaround for me. Or changing the sound quality in the settings.
I tried re-installing the drivers, no success.
This is truly annoying, I keep looking online for solutions but I can. If I do, I'll update you guys here. I feel your pain...
Flo
InfinitePower
3 Posts
1
August 18th, 2018 14:00
I've had the same problem intermittently for months since getting the laptop. Super disappointing and annoying.
DELL ISSUE A FIX SOON (pls) THIS IS EMBARRASSING
RuheZone
2 Posts
0
August 19th, 2018 11:00
Just a quick update on my part, had a technician over that changed the speakers and the mainboard, unfortunately that didn't fix anything. So if Dell offers you to send a technician over you might as well save yourself the hassle.
TheBjorn
2 Posts
2
August 23rd, 2018 04:00
Another quicker workaround is restarting the audio service.
I created a bat file with the following commands:
Then I bound that file with a keyboard shortcut (es. CTRL + ALT + A) so every time they start crackling I simply press the key combination and in few seconds they come back work normally.
In my case this workaround works for a few hours, sometimes less.
Boone_
7 Posts
2
August 23rd, 2018 14:00
Same problem here. It even happens with headphones. I am really dissapointed with the quality of the sound on my new XPS 15. I thought that this may be a hardware issue, maybe the sound card is overheating but it's not. It's just a software thing and I am 100% sure about this because the happens frequently if you are messing with the MaxxAudio settings and basicaly restarting the program or pausing the song for a second solves the problem. It's a shame that these kind of issues happen on such a good laptop.
blasik
3 Posts
0
August 28th, 2018 09:00
Yea I have the same issue , trying to experimentate with Maxxaudio and see if that helps but no luck. and Yes it seems to be random when the pooping and crackling noise happens. Usually I find that it happens when my antivirus is working in the background. Or dell support assist scan
Kuichido
4 Posts
1
August 29th, 2018 02:00
Sorry for my bad english, I try to explain what worked for me.
In my case the problem was not the maxxaudio (I read a lot about it) but the Realtek's driver.
Do not unistall the driver but download the driver directly from the site of Realtek.
The automatic procedure will unistall the previous driver and install it again.
After doing that, I never had audio problems again.
I hope this could work for you
jwang815
1 Message
0
August 29th, 2018 09:00
Hello - which specific driver on the Realtek website did you download?
Tellyflubby
1 Message
1
September 1st, 2018 22:00
Any news on this issue? I recently got my XPS 15 and I've gotten the same issues with crackling. I've been doing the windows sonic toggle workaround although it happens frequent enough that it's getting annoying. Anyone find anything permanent?
Nils M
1 Message
2
September 2nd, 2018 10:00
I received my XPS around half a week ago, brand new, and I have this problem too. So if you have this problem, I do not think you should get a replacement because the problem will probably still remain.
I'm kind of disappointed that I put more than 1500 USD on this laptop to get problems like these. Dell please look at this problem seriously and fix it, it will probably save you from the trouble of all these replacement units. :)
Thanks.
jl_franch
9 Posts
0
September 2nd, 2018 12:00
I'm getting really annoyed as well. I have the Core i5 model and I was thinking about returning it if Dell doesn't come up with a solution soon. It's a great machine and it's sad that even cheaper laptops get this basic things right, most of us bought a Dell having quality in mind. This kind of things shouldn't happen in any 1000$+ laptop. Not in any device actually.
By the way, has anyone tried Linux to check if there's also any audio issues?
manroik
3 Posts
0
September 2nd, 2018 22:00
I have this annoying issue too. Occasional crackling sounds/short audio interruptions in both headphones and speakers. Tried everything I could, spent like 10 hours but issue still persists... Going to return the machine next week if Dell doesn't provide a fix for this.
manroik
3 Posts
0
September 3rd, 2018 20:00
I just did the following:
- reinstalled Windows (not a clean install from USB stick but just a reset with a complete data removal)
- after that, while setting up my account, I used a local account instead of Microsoft and didn't connect to WiFi to prevent any updates
- logged in
- uninstalled Realtek drivers
- rebooted
- installed Realtek drivers I downloaded from their website (not from Dell support page)
- rebooted
I've been using the machine for more than 2 hours and I hear no crackling sounds😮it appears the issue is gone, but now I'm not sure what actually fixed it - Windows reinstallation or new drivers.
JonnyK824
1 Message
0
September 3rd, 2018 22:00
I am having the same issue! SO annoying. Has any else tried the Realtek Driver reinstall alone??
Did it work?
Kuichido
4 Posts
1
September 4th, 2018 02:00
I think it is the driver I used.
http://www.realtek.com/downloads/downloadsView.aspx?Langid=1&PNid=24&PFid=24&Level=4&Conn=3&DownTypeID=3&GetDown=false
Have you tried it?