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Question

We purchased a new XPS 8950 in Feb 2022, and have been using it for about 6 weeks now. Other than the regular issues caused by Windows 11 (which Dell forced down our throats), our experience has been good.

We've used a number of front / rear ports without issue, and have been using speakers in the monitor, external speakers connected to one of the ports in back, and via Bluetooth. All good.

Yesterday I was building a Powershell script to control audio output, and for the first time, tried to plug headphones into the front 3.5mm jack. Guess what - DOA! It seems this was never tested before Dell shipped the device.

We immediately tested the other ports, which seem to be fine.

I spoke with Dell, and after troubleshooting, we determined the port was bad. To make matters worse, the Dell rep told me "all the peripheral ports on the system are integrated onto the motherboard", so the only way to address this, would be for a technician to come and replace the motherboard, which Dell was willing to do.

We'd thought everything had been tested by Dell before shipping, and having successfully used many of the other ports / optical drive, incorrectly assumed everything was OK. Had we noticed this earlier, I'd have requested Dell to swap the device, but we've already spent considerable time configuring it to our environment, so at least for now, instead of undertaking what amounts to major surgery, adding wear and tear, etc., we've decided to live without the front 3.5mm jack.

Moral of the story: This is probably obvious to most, but when purchasing a new device, conduct a thorough test of all hardware. Open the case and validate everything is as expected. Monitor operating temperature. Test all the ports before investing time configuring.

RoHe · Accepted Answer

@And Ye Shall Find - Are you sure your headphones have the right type of plug for the jack on the PC? Just because it fits, doesn't mean it's right. There are multiple types of plugs and jacks, like TRS and TRSS, etc. Don't know what type port the XPS 8950 has, but you might need an adapter plug for your headphones.

What's set on Windows Sound screen as the selected output?

Assuming the plug/jack combo is correct, make sure Waves is loading at every boot. Then disconnect the headphones and reboot PC. At the desktop, plug in the headphones and wait... Waves should pop up and ask what you've connected. Select a suitable option from the list.

Next, open the Waves control panel (icon with white W on blue in notification area of taskbar or look on Start menu). When Waves opens, click the Playback icon. Make sure the Equalizer is turned on and then scroll down the screen to Select Output Device and change it to headphones. Now click the sound test button in lower right corner and see if headphones are working.

And Ye Shall Find · Accepted Answer

Thanks RoHe.

Dell support confirmed the jack recognizes only TRSS, which happens to be what I'm using. Thanks for the link!

In Task Manager I saw both WavesSysSvc Service Application and Waves Audio Service processes were both running, Waves MaxxAudio Service was not, however.

I then went to Apps --> Startup and saw I'd set Waves MaxxAudio Service Application not to run at Startup, as I believe it was causing a periodic buzz / feedback (and sucking up 148 MB of RAM). I set the app to run at Startup, rebooted, reconnected the headset. Waves loaded as you've noted above (during trouble-shooting I tried loading Waves manually, but apparently it had to load at Startup to work as intended).

The headset is now recognized as present, and playing audio. You hit the nail on the head!

If I experience feedback issues again, I'll probably once again disable Waves MaxxAudio Service Application from running at Startup, but it's great to know what needs doing if/when I need to use this jack.

Thanks again for your valuable input. I'm going to provide feedback to Dell ProSupport so they can add this "fix" to their library in case others experience the same issue.

fireberd · Answer

The audio jack device detection and configuration is controlled by Waves MaxxAudio Pro. MaxxAudio Pro only works with the Dell model specific sound driver. If MaxxAudio Pro is not installed and/or not working the jacks will be dead.

I don't know what Dell did but before completely giving up, reinstall the Dell Realtek sound driver (new Win 11 driver dated March 2022) and then Waves MaxxAudio Pro. Then see if the ports work.

Realtek is listed under Win 11 drivers, MaxxAudio Pro is listed in the Win 10 drivers.

Support for XPS 8950 | Drivers & Downloads | Dell US

And Ye Shall Find · Answer

Thanks fireberd. I reinstalled the Drivers for both Waves MaxxAudio Pro and Dell Realtek sound, but still nothing. The Sound control panel properties shows 'This device is working properly', but 'not plugged in' continues to show on the Playback tab, even when headphones are connected.

RoHe · Answer

@And Ye Shall Find - Glad to have helped. Waves is funny that way. It can have issues if you try to start it manually after booting.

If the Waves icon isn't on the taskbar, right-click the taskbar and select Settings. Scroll down that new screen and click "Select which icons can appear..." and enable Waves. That way (a) you'll know it's running and (b) you'll have easy access to change settings when its Equalizer is turned on.

You can create different profiles for different types of music or voice, with different amounts of bass, speakers vs headphones, etc. Save each profile with a unique name by clicking the disc icon next to the trash can icon on lower right. (Don't use any of Waves' pre-set profile names.) The last profile used will be the one automatically loaded at next boot. So if you change from speakers to headphones or to a different type of music, be sure to select the right profile after next boot.

And Ye Shall Find · Answer

Thanks again, RoHe. I'll play around with Waves.

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