XPS 13 9365, crackling sound

I suppose a question might be, does this static continue or just when the sound starts up?

My 7th generation processor system will do static initially or the first time and will stop if the sound continues.

Also, check to see if you have SmartBytes installed. 

Hi Saltgrass,

What does static mean? When the crackling sound started in the middle of nowhere, it didn't stop.

And nope, I do not have the program SmartBytes in my laptop. Is it a program that has to be purchased separately?

Many thanks

Hi Salt,

How can I check on the updates for SmartBytes and  Bios, 2.4.1 please?

Also, I noticed the crackling sound happen whenever I turn up the volume (eg. above 50 without my earpiece). I could still hear the dialogues in the videos but the crackling sounds are overpowering as disturbances.

Thanks!

You may not want to go to the new Bios just yet, I am having some volume variances I will be checking out today.  The volume just went up by itself and it sounded some type of bubbling sound distortion with local music playback.

Is there some particular videos I could test to see if it was related to something that might involve your network connection?

I don't have SmartBytes installed so I think the uninstaller would be on the Apps listing or in the Programs and Features of the Control Panel which can be opened by searching in Cortana.

I got my system back to normal and no more loud and reducing volume problems with associated distortion.  I reinstalled the current driver which removed the installed driver, rebooted and then installed the same driver and rebooted again.

One other thing you might do with your situation is to right click the speaker icon and open the volume mixer.  You will see levels on each device, such as iTunes and your output device.  There will be a green and grey level with the grey level being an overdriven type of situation.  Distortion should not be created until the grey gets close to the top of the volume indicator. 

You could adjust the output for the sound producing device and try to get any distortions to be minimized or eliminated.

Hi Salt,

Can I ask how do I uninstall and reinstall the sound driver? I tried your method on the Sound mixer but it doesn't work. Perhaps my laptop gets heated really quickly (it's incredibly warm after two hours of running) and that is causing the sounds to crackle? I realized it doesn't matter whether the sounds came from the videos or even internally when I am pressing some buttons or applications; both get me crackling disturbances.

When  I did this last one, the install stated I could repair or uninstall so I chose to uninstall.  It went through that process, rebooted and then I installed normally.

Not all installers will offer the same options and that may be a option for certain installers, but it worked in my case so I assume the same installer will allow you the same selections.

i brought a new xps 9365 3days ago , it was on a earlier version of windows & audio and was working perfectly , but , today after i updated the laptop to the latest version possible, that is with feature update 1803 now i am facing the exact same audio issue as stated in the thread  , there is disturbance like some crackling sound playing when i  watch a video  in youtube , prime video etc... & also play songs in online/offiline music players ,also when a device is unplugged the harsh crackling sound comes back. this sound is more prominent when i connect an earphone via headphone jack . the earphones are mainly affected by the crackling sound .

because , this started after i did the windows update , i am sure it isn't a hardware issue at all , also i did the deep 40 mins dell test to confirm the same & found no issues with the hardware . uninstalling/ reinstalling the realtek  audio driver doesn't help . i tried every possible fix for the audio drivers , now you only can release an update to this bug .

this issue is really annoying , dell please provide a fix asap  , these kind of problems arent expected on such expensive laptops. also , i found more than 5 more people who have written about the same .

https://www.dell.com/community/Laptops-General-Read-Only/Dell-xps-13-speakers-crackle-every-few-days-audio-driver-install/td-p/5130821

https://www.dell.com/community/Laptops-General-Read-Only/XPS-13-9365-touchpad-issues-and-eerie-crackling-sound/td-p/5113887

https://www.dell.com/community/XPS/Speakers-crackling-on-XPS-13-2in1/td-p/6078805

https://www.reddit.com/r/Dell/comments/8eaum8/audio_crackling_on_xps13_2in1_9365_anyone_got_a/

Hi Keith, I found and updated this driver from the Product Support page in this website.

9365_Realtek-ALC3271-Audio-Driver_9720G_WIN_6.0.1.8519_A01

I'm facing exactly the same issue and I suggest not using your earphones or we could be deafen; it's not good for ears. I'm not sure how long will this driver sustain the quality but the noise did minimized.

Since I don't have the newer model with the 8th generation processor, are you using your service tag to look for drivers since they could be different from the older models?

Make sure Smartbytes is not installed, if you haven't already..

No sure if you guys have tried this solution yet.  But it looks promising.

Link to you tube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4twbyNdwhf8 

Yes, I've had multiple fixes and two replacements.  It's a systemic issue and they have communicated to me that the fix is in engineering - unknown how long to fix.  It is indeed a problem and annoying given the price of this laptop.  I asked to exchange to a different model to be done with it - even if I had to pay more but was denied.  

This video is about a hardware related issue. I think most of us are searching for answers to a software problem. Still searching...