I have the same issue on a XPS13 9343 Early 2015.  Did you get it resolved?

Further to this, the audio will stutter and the mouse will momentarily freeze in times of high cpu use.  I've tried disabling Dell services which helps somewhat but has not eliminated the problem.

hello,

The stuttering issue seems to be resolved. The other issue I was having is still going on.

Periodicatlly, the audio will simply drop out. After a few seconds, it coes back. When it does, it fades in as if the volume is being turned up rapidly. Its almost like the system audio service is crashing and being restarted. I haven't seen anything in the event log.

This doesn't seem to happen when playing music. I am blind and use screen reading software. This seems to happen more when using that software. I use both JAWS for Windows and NVDA. This does not happen on any other system.

I spoke to someone at Dell and he turned off dell Data Services. I had thought this resolved the issue, but it didn't.

I have the latest dell bios and audio drivers.

I have the same issue

Hello. For best audio performance we recommend that all power saving schemes be disabled.

I've tried disabling Dell services which helps somewhat but has not eliminated the problem.

If the problem started around Feb 10 then there are several other things you can try. They are listed at the top of the Choppy/Skipping Audio FAQ

a XPS13 9343 Early 2015

We are seeing more audio issue posts about that model than any other specific model in years.

Ok, I can give that a shot when I get home.

This happens with both of the screen readers I use, so I'm sure they aren't the issue.

The audio system in this laptop is very new. Are you sure that Windows has native drivers for it?

Just don't want to wind up in a situation where I have no audio at all. Although, I guess A USB headset would get around that if it happens.

Thanks for your help!

I am not at all familiar with screen reading software, so haven't a clue if the dropouts are related to that software or the audio software.

I would say to switch from the Realtek audio driver to the Windows native audio driver, in an attempt to rule out the driver as a source of the problem. However my usual instructions for making the switch have failed with other XPS 9343 owners who have tried the instructions.

If you would like to try it, here is a method that I did not give the others. First create a Restore Point in Windows System Restore. Next, go to Control Panel>Programs and Features and remove the Realtek audio driver. Upon re-booting, the Windows native driver should be installed in place of the Realtek driver.

If that works then the test is to see if the problem ceases to occur with the native driver. If it does then the problem is being caused by the Realtek driver. But if the problem occurs with both the native and Realtek drivers then it is most certainly not being caused by the audio driver, because it is extremely rare for both drivers to have the same issues.

After the test, to restore the Realtek audio driver, use Windows System Restore to return to the configuration you had before removing the Realtek driver. However if doing that does not restore the Realtek driver you would have to download a new copy of it from your support page.

Sorry I don't have any better or simpler suggestions.

The audio system in this laptop is very new.

Sorry for the delay. I have been trying to find out if there is something substantially different about the Realtek audio codec (the audio chip on the motherboard) in the XPS 13 9343. So far I have come with with nothing. For practical reasons I cannot own more than one laptop at a time, so all of my information about new models comes from owners or researching the internet. If you have some in formation about your audio system please share it with me.

Are you sure that Windows has native drivers for it?

All of the current Windows operating systems have a native driver for Intel HD audio. HD audio has been standard on motherboards for about 10 years now. I can find no information to indicate that the standard has changed. All of the drivers on the Realtek web site are for HD audio or its predecessor (AC '97 audio). So the codec in the XPS 9343 should be an HD codec, and the Windows native driver should work with it. However in my experience with computers nothing is ever 100% certain.

Just don't want to wind up in a situation where I have no audio at all.

You should be able to undo changes regarding drivers by using Windows System Restore, or by downloading a fresh copy of the Realtek driver from your Dell support page.

Hi,

the xps 9343 lists its sound driver as "intel smart sound technology" under device manager. I do have the realtek control panel software though. Not sure how the two are related.