XPS 15 9500, audio delay issue, #2

Question

Hello there y'all,

Here with another Realtek related post. Let me take you through my story:

Recently the audio on my XPS 15 9500 has been malfunctioning. It seems like there is a massive delay on trying to reach the driver of some sort. It shows up in numerous instances like:

Trying to adjust audio level by using the slider
Opening any application that uses audio (i.e. Spotify, teams etc.)
Trying to switch output device (to internal speakers)
Opening Maxaudio Pro
And so on

When the issue arises it will take the system up to 30 seconds to reach the driver and actually perform it's task (play, switch volume, change output etc.). When I started to look into this issue I also found out my Waves Service application is using about half a gig of ram (which used to idle at around 15mb?).

I've tried numerous things, including the typical reinstall drivers yadayadaa. Believe me, I've been down this rabbithole before. A couple months ago I had issues with a super slow boot-up after restart or shutdown (up to 2 minutes!). This eventually ALSO turned out to be related to the Realtek driver. After numerous uninstalls and rollbacks they released a new version which seemed to have resolved the issue.

However, yet again, I find myself scouring the Dell fora for a solution to my new issue. A quick google search back then, and now, turns up with numerous people experiencing the same issue. Same thread here with no solution as of today.

Kind regards,

Valerian

Natte theedoek · Answer

So as I stated the response from windows and other programs is severely delayed when trying to use the audio driver.

So take for example adjusting the audio using the windows slider in the taskbar. If you move the slider and release, the window freezes and the audio doesnt adjust. It takes anywhere from 5-30 seconds before it actually does.

Another example is switching audio output from say my external monitor to the internal speakers through windows settings. When doing so it takes again, anywhere from 5-30 seconds, until the audio actually starts playing through the internal speakers (when doing this there is no audio until). Stuff like this used to be instantaneously.

Another example is opening spotify and pressing play. It takes the same amount of time until the music actually starts playing.

It seems anytime a program is trying to reach "control" of the internal speakers, some process is severely delaying this action.

Natte theedoek · Answer

When using my external monitor the system uses the built-in Intel driver for the audio and there are no issues, so that leads me to believe the issue is Realtek related.

Also I've noticed that no system (i.e. Windows sounds) are being played through the speakers when using the internal speakers. So for example adjusting the audio through the slider should play an audio que which it doesn't, but it does using Intel audio driver.

shangl · Answer

Same here for 15 9500. Reinstalling the audio driver doesn't work.

Frank.. · Answer

About the same issues on a Inspiron 7506 Windows 10 21h2.

This started a few days ago.
- Online video's have like a 5~10 second delay before starting.
- Windows audio test has a delay and doesn't work properly.
- Maxxaudio Pro opens, then has a black screen for like 10seconds and then loads the settings.
- I do NOT experience issues with the volume slider.

The only thing i'm experiencing is that as soon as i turn off WiFi everything is fast and responsive.
This stays this way even after hooking up an USB-Ethernet adapter and then using that instead of WiFi. As soon as WiFi is enabled the delays start again.

Tried as above, reinstalling audio/graphics/wifi drivers/uninstalling latest Windows updates etc..no difference.

Natte theedoek · Answer

Hi Frank,

Thanks for contributing to the thread. I also experience the issue with videos (ie youtube) taking a long time to start. Up to a point where youtube gives a prompt about it.

Very peculiar thing about the Wi-Fi. I can confirm that for me this is the same case. So if my Wi-Fi is turned off the issue seems to be gone. I feel like there is still a slight delay but not anywhere as to what it is with WiFi on.

So far I also found this which is somewhat similar to what I am experiencing (link). The solution posted there was changing the registry of the audio driver as it was the power settings turning the audio device off. However I haven't tried this yet as I am still DM'ing with Dell Support about possible solutions.

I will continue to post updates on the issue.

Kind regards,

Valerian

Frank.. · Answer

Hi Wet towel (Natte theedoek :P),Good to read that you experience the same thing with WiFi as i do.I now also experience the wired Ethernet disconnecting like every 15 mins, all other devices on the same wired network experience no such issue.Yes Youtube gives a prompt about trying to restart, which is caused by the delay in reaching the audio driver it seems. With WiFi disabled it's better but not as snappy like before.

Frank.. · Answer

Update: I've managed to fix it!I first downloaded the latest Realtek and Intel Graphics drivers from Dell. Then I disabled any network connection.Then I went into appwiz.cpl and removed every Intel and Realtek driver package there.Then I removed/'remove driver' every device in device manager except for the Intel RST VMD Storage controller drivers (don't delete those, else Windows won't boot with Raid-on in BIOS). So after uninstalling every possible system device i rebooted and when Windows first booted i first installed the Realtek audio drivers 6.0.9172.1 without any active network connections. After a reboot the audio start delay issue was gone with WiFi enabled (with Windows default wifi drivers installed). Then after this I updated all the other drivers mostly while being offline.After connecting to a WiFi network all is fine, video's load fast, no Maxxaudio start delay etc.No idea what exactly fixed it, but it did.

keyaertch · Answer

Dear All,I've got a Dell XPS  13' 9310 running on Windows 11, with a USB-C Docking, 2 HDMI Screen, a Jabra Round Table connected via USB. I'm simply typing this command in powershell, and the sound is coming about 15 secondes later.PS C:\Users\Christopher> [console]::beep(1000,500) This delay makes Teams hanging for about 30 seconds when you join a call...which is a nightmare when you spent your day in meetings like me...I tested what is mentioned above. If I turn off the Wifi... the problem is not there anymore...I re-installed the drivers many many times...

keyaertch · Answer

If I uninstall the Realtek-High-Definition-Audio-Driver_NYXRR_WIN_6.0.9228.1_A08 and that I reboot my machine, the sounds via my USB device are not delayed anymore.

Of course, I don't have any sound from my laptop speakers as no drivers, but at least we can confirm that the problem is really coming from the RealTek Drivers.... In the device manager, I've got the following three 'devices" unknow.... Is there any of out the box Windows Drivers that I can use ?

jason_m_nc · Answer

I've been trying to fix my laptop audio issue on & off for what seemed like forever. I've tried everything in every dell forum, installing old drivers & alternative drivers, shutting off audio processing services. My work-around of using my monitor speakers was less than ideal. At long last, I finally just found the answer on Reddit.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Dell/comments/tg76ua/xps_9500_maxx_audio_pro_issue/

this issue crops up if you've ever wirelessly connected to an external monitor/tv from your xps. For some reason the maxxaudio issue and audio delay issues happen even after disconnecting from the display. The key is removing the external display from your list in your PC settings and the sound should go back to normal instantly

in Device Manager with "Show hidden devices" enabled, remove the wireless display (my Miracast device).

XPS

XPS 15 9500, audio delay issue, #2

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