Dell Studio 1555 Audio Quality

Hi, 

Some months ago I purchased a Studio 1537 and can confirm that the sound quality is terrible - really, really bad.  I would be grateful if someone could tell me whether it is fixable.

In fact this is only one of two complaints I have about the laptop.  The other complaint is that it gets very hot.  I believe this has also been fixed on the newer Studio models.

Those two issues aside, it's a pretty good machine.

Thank you for your replay. :emotion-1:

I hope some Studio 1555 user will replay as well, so i can have direct information about this issue.

Yes i have got the studio 1555, and the sound quality is not good enough. Infact inspiron series have got the good sound than the studio.

Read this:
http://niranjanthilak.com/tip-increasing-the-dell-studio-15-series-laptops-sound/

It seems to work for others.

(I have a Studio 1555 and the sound is fine. I do have a small problem with the headphones though.. I get some weird sound coming out of it even when not playing anything.)

i agree to most of the users, the studio 1555 speakers are acceptable....

I get a buzzing noise during playback of audio or videos.  It occurs randomly about every 5 minutes or so and lasts for 1-2 seconds.  Then, the audio or video continues.  It is quite annoying while listening to music on Itunes or watching a video on YouTube.  I've updated the audio driver as recommended by Dell Technical support.  My Studio 1555 is only one month old - purchased 10/29/09.  Windows 7 is the operating system.  Has anyone else experienced this problem and found a solution?

Hi

I have the same problem. I got my Studio 1555 3 weeks ago and after couple of days I notice the same buzzing from time to time. I haven't try with new drivers but according to your experience it doesn't help... Any solutions would be more than welcomed!

Thanks!

Ramic - I solved my buzzing problem about one week ago.  The virus scan program was causing the buzzing.  I was using CA Associates virus scan package that is provided free from my ISP.    I uninstalled it and installed the virus scan and spyware program available from Microsoft called Security Essentials. Just go to the Microsoft website and search for it.  It is an easy download and installation.   I enabled the firewall in Win 7.0 as well.  The buzzing sound has disappeared.  I think what was happening is that the virus scan was causing the sound disruption everytime it scanned the disk for virus.  Since the soundcard is built into the mother board on my Studio 15, it was causing the slight buzz every five minutes or so.  Also, since I uninstalled the CA Associate package,  I no longer have the problem where the computer doesn't awaken from sleep mode when I open the lid.  Give that a try and let me know how it goes.  My computer has run much quicker since I took off the CA Associates - I think it was a resource hog.  I also took it off my other laptop and desktop and installed Security Essentials and they are running much snappier as well.

Hi

Thanks a lot! I will try that. I was think to wait before I call Dell support first, having on mind guaranty period.But definitely I try with your suggestion if Dell don't solve the problem. I got McAfee installed when I bought the laptop, and to be honest I am not big fan of McAfee. But it is really relief to heard that this problem can be fixed. Beside this, I am really satisfied with my studio. Thanks  mgh0815 once again. I'll inform you about details.

Cheers!

Hi, I have a Studio 1555. I am happy with it and the sound is, was good.  i dont know for what reason, the only working sound now is when i watch blu ray movies. dvd, or even internet or anything else just ceased to work.

I really need a solution to this problem because i use my laptop alot at work, i listen to music when i work so it is kind of annoying!

thanks

two suggestions.  One, check your device manager and make sure the sound driver is functioning correctly.  If not, download the latest sound driver from Dell and install it.  Two, disable your virus scan/firewall package and try the things that aren't working.  That is where my problem was when I had a buzzing problem.  Also, click on your sound icon and make sure none of your devices have been muted.  If it worked before and doesn't now, something obviously changed.  You could also do a system restore back to the point where you had sound and that may fix it.

thanks, i will try them,

but the thing is i already went on device manager, and they all checked out fine. what are the exact programs that i need to verify? it is because there is normal sound when i play a blu-ray movie, but when i go on the net or watch a dvd, there is no sound anymore!

and a system restore doesnt erase anything that was installed prior to the last system restore u did? so i will lose some stuff right?

thanks again

a System restore will take your system back to a point in time.  Think of it like a snapshot of your systems settings at a specific point.  If you can determine when your sound worked correctly, you can go back to that date or prior and do a system restore using that "snapshot".  On device manager, you want to run click on  the bottom that will determine if the driver is functioning correctly.

I have a Studio 1555 with Windows 7 64 bit, also had some problems with audio.

I ended up uninstalling drivers for IDT HD audio and the Creative X-Fi MB audio software, now it is working perfectly.

Biggest problem I had was when trouble-shooting the audio which was locking any program using or adjusting audio, I tried reinstalling X-Fi MB and at the prompt to "automatically restart the computer" to finish installing the software; it crashed my system, in a loop of trying to repair startup, reboot..., was unable to repair, unable to restore, unable to apply a system image or recover anything, I had to do a clean install and manually recover audio/pictures and videos from other media backups.

Of course dell would not help with my two month old computer..., since it is not a hardware problem, apparently this is unique hardware in that it does not require drivers to operate?!

Dell warranties are absolutely useless, so don't waste your time, get help from other users for free...

Now I want to have some adjustment in my audio, change EAX settings and bass enhancement, but don't know if I want to format my drive again, I guess I'll have to wait for my new external drive to arrive (not purchased from Dell) so I can have a reliable backup.

This is a little ridiculous, I've had XP on my desktop for around 8 years, and on my other laptop for 5 or 6 years, I have NEVER had to use system restore or format the drive, or system recovery tools, in the first couple months with Windows 7 a complete failure of the system requiring a clean install, what the hell is everybody praising this system for?

To recover Windows, you have to be able to boot to windows and run the install from there, so if your installation is corrupt, no repair possible.  If you can boot into windows and have a good configuration (which does not need repair) then you can repair it.

A bit like Dells support?

If we can fix it quickly and easily, maybe, if we're in a good mood and we MUST to fulfill our contractual obligations.

I wonder how this approach will work with my monthly payments?

Anyways, enough ranting... don't play around with the software and drivers, even if they are "certified" by Dell, they will not support the software they certify and sell.