e6500 crackling audio

For those of you using windows vista and suffering from crackling audio when wifi is active: the problem is probably caused by a service of vista where it seeks for better connectivity (don't know the exact name etc) but you can help this through a program:
WLANoptimizer (which you can download here: http://www.martin-majowski.de/wlanoptimizer/downloads.php

just run the .exe in the rar file (doesn't need an install) and click startup on windows in the options menu. normally, the crackling sounds problem is over, it worked for me.

Hope I was of any help.

Cheers

 

I solved it using this driver for my 1397 wireless card

http://drivers.softpedia.com/get/NE...397-Half-MiniCard-4312bg-Driver-5103826.shtml

God, I'm so happy right now. Vista business 64 SP2 btw, but it works for 32bit too.

 

Got an E6500 with the same problem. I read in the threads about the intel matrix storage driver.

However, when I look in device manager, I have the RIcoh SD/MMC Host controller driver instead...

Has this been wrongly installed? Any idea how I can fix this?

Thanks!

I'm on Vista 64 bit, Vista enterprise SP1

 

The Ricoh controller is correct, but it only serves the SD/MMC card slot.

The Intel controller is listed under SCSI / RAID controllers.

John

 

Hi there.

I'm also an E6400 user suffering from that crackling audio.
I tried everything mentioned so far in this post with no result.

BTW I have an E6400 with XP SP3, latest Dell drivers so far, the SATA mode is to IRRT

I even tried reinstalling windows XP but with the SATA mode to AHCI, no good, the same issues.

Since in my office I'm in charge of the IT and we have ordered several E6400, I did some testing with another E6400, but on that laptop I used our Standard XP DVD Image, which installs windows XP SP2, our company apps and drivers (the drivers are not the most recent, they are from 2008)... and guess what... as soon as that E6400 was reimaged, I did some test by using Winamp and the issue was present !

I've already created a case with Dell using email, and so far they are not giving any response.

Since that issue also was present on another E6400, and since several users that have posted has reported different hardware configuration, then all points to a software/drive issue, not hardware.

Well, hope to have a definitive and permanent fix for that, and also it would be very important to have a detailed explanation of what is the exact cause of the issue, I read a post that it's due to the assigned bandwith to the hardware... I agree, but what specific hardware?

 

Do you see the high latency problem as shown by dcplat? The latest Intel SATA matrix storage drive fixed the audio crackle for most people.

If you don't have a latency problem then perhaps your crackle comes from another source.

John

 

Hi John, thanks for your reply.

the dpclat shows only green bars, When I Start an mp3 on Winamp, I got a yellow Bar, then the dpclat remains in green between 75 ms and 300 ms.

Even when the dpclat says that my hardware can handle audio without any issue, I still hear some cracks in the sound.

 

Maybe your audio is distorting. The speakers on the E6400 are somewhat small and best called tweeters.

You can try changing the audio properties. There's also an optional SRS Premium Sound driver which is worth trying. You should be able to find it if you look through all the files for the E6400 + XP. This link should work.

John

 

Hi John.

I'm using external speakers, not the one from the E6400 (as you mention they are more tweeters).

I used the SRS Premium sound driver in the past installation but I didn't like it, either using it or not the sound crackling is present.

I've disabled at the BIOS the eSata port (I don't have any eSata device) and the internal modem (our E6400 were requested without modem). I even desabled the nVidia Powermizer and set my nVidia to permormance instead of quaility, also reinstalled the audio drivers.
The results: the sound crackling is less frequent but still present

Dell GOLD support representative has not replied any of my emails, I will give them this week and if by next Monday I don't have any answer I'll phone them.

 

Are your external speakers on a mains power supply and both the computer and speakers use earthed power plugs? If so, I wonder if you are getting an earth loop problem.

Do you have any battery powered speakers you can use to check if the noise is still there when running on battery? Alternatively, but not as good, use an extension lead to bring power from a socket in another room, which lengthens the earth loop.

John