XPS and Precision Distorted or Crackling System Notification Sound
Summary: This article provides information about an issue with certain XPS and Precision models experiencing a distorted or crackling system notification sound.
This article applies to
This article does not apply to
This article is not tied to any specific product.
Not all product versions are identified in this article.
Symptoms
You may notice a distortion or crackling system notification sound on your XPS and Precision laptop.
Affected Platform:
- XPS 9500
- XPS 9510
- XPS 9700
- XPS 9710
- Precision 5550
- Precision 5560
- Precision 5750
- Precision 5760
Cause
This is a hardware limitation. These computers use an improved internal speaker with higher output power, resulting in the emphasized notification sound effect.
Resolution
If you are experiencing any distorted notification sounds, then adjust the System Sounds in Volume Mixer to mitigate the symptom (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Volume Mixer
Affected Products
Precision 5550, Precision 5560, Precision 5750, Precision 5760, XPS 15 9500, XPS 15 9510, XPS 17 9700, XPS 17 9710Article Properties
Article Number: 000184851
Article Type: Solution
Last Modified: 24 Apr 2025
Version: 6
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