Alienware M15X Sound Probs, please help

What about using one fo this Welcome to the world of mini 5.1 USB sound cards: Gamesurround Muse XL Pocket LT3 from Hercules®. - Flash News - Hercules . Will it fix the audio cracking problem?

 

good alternative but that eats one of the three precious usb ports on the M15x so its a toss up because the X-fi uses the express card slot and is less space consuming but that's good if your using your M15x at home almost all the time for audio etc.

 

Hey.

Im new here but i think i have the same problem with the sound having tears and cracks when using headphones especially at max volume.

Dell changed the sound card yesterday and that did not help at all so they are going to change my mobo today. I am crossing my fingers this will finally help fix the sound problem.

Question tho: if the mobo comes with the a03 bios would anybody suggest that i flash it to a05 without creating problems?

Thanks.

 

it most likely will come with A05 imo as my system was sent with A05

also how were able to tell the reps there was still a problem with the audio

 

Personally I fear the mobo replacement... The first time a dell tech came at my place to change my lcd he wasn't able to change it and despite, my lap got several scratches on the cover and the lcd... I really don't want to change my mobo, so I think i will go on with de Hercules sound card as it just costs 29€

 

i would recommend getting the X-fi audio express card imo

 

Actually the Dell technician that came to change the audio card had to follow step by step procedure from his laptop while taking apart my m15x! He said that it was his first time working with an m15x! !?

Anyhow he manage to take it apart and put it back together without scratches - thank heavens.. Still problem is still there..

Dell called a few minutes ago saying the technician will be coming today. Hope the mobo change will definitely fix this. Will update on this.

Thanks.

 

it might do the trick as the onboard audio is the suspect as it has been for many where its speculated that the connector isn't properly attached the mobo

 

FINALLY IT WAS FIXED! No more cracking and tearing sounds.

Motherboard replacement is the solution.

One more question tho, the new mobo is version a03 shall i update to a05?

Thanks.

 

hmm i wouldn't since the sound is fixed imho unless A05 is for hardware compatability

glad to hear that your sound is fixed congrats now to for mine lol

 

Ok. Will stick to a03 for the mean time. Will update for anymore problems.

Thanks for the help.

 

no problem that's what these forums are for

also right now im not at home and im playing audio very loud and for some odd reason no tearing distortion ftw or is it my cooler which i have hooked up to M15x like a breathing tube hmm will test different usb ports to see if its port problem and maybe require an i/o change.

 

Damn it! Cracking is still there although not as bad as before but still IT IS VERY IRRITATING!

Can anyone redirect me how to return and possible get a refund on this "ULTIMATE GAMING MACHINE" they call.

Thanks.

 

Flashed the bios to a05. Made it worse. Uninstalled the idt driver and used let it install a default audio driver itself and its still cracking then installed the idt driver, came up with the same problem.
I think i have done all possible means to fix this problem.

Any more suggestions guys? im calling dell first thing tomorrow for a refund.

 

get an X-fi express card for a different audio card.

 

hey anytan..

try uninstalling the idt from device manager and select the option to delete driver files from computer. Then restart let windows install the default drivers.

Go to Control Panel > Hardware Sound> Manage audio devices> Speaker Properties>Enhancements>Loudness Equalization tick it and apply it.


Go to Control Panel > Hardware Sound> Manage audio devices>Headphone Properties>Enhancements>Loudness Equalization tick it and apply it.

this might help... keep me posted...

 

i'm confused, is this sound issue on all M15x models?

 

Hi. Yep done this before - still cracking.. Thanks.

 

its an apparent issue due to the sound card that alienware/dell put into this system which mystifies me as this is an expensive laptop and would wish to see something of higher quality but im overall happy not really bothered by this as the music i listen to is flaming lips, etc. really funky music but my taste. However i will want this to end and hope something in the next bios may resolve this issue once and for all as dell has ppl on this forum. hopefully they notice this for once.

also my sound issue actually are discerned from the constant adapting by the nvidia card causing different clock levels demand more and less power causing my audio problems i seen with gpuz when the clocks drop or increase significantly the audio gets distortion. My hope is that when i eventually get the 5850 once ive got proof that its GDDR5 im betting on it to solve my audio issues.

 

As I see that the mobo replace dosn't fix the problem allways and that the technicians are so crappy... (I got really bad experiences from a tech), I'm considering seriously on buying an external card, what do you thing about the one I posted before? Gamesurround Muse XL Pocket LT3 Would it's performance be worth the 29 € it costs?

 

well imo get it if it bothers you that much get it. I bought this not for playing music but playing games and i never have audio issues in games but that's me. i run games and music at the same time and don't have the audio problems so i think the audio problems imo are coming from the nvidia card(why i want the 5850 asap) because even if its forced to have max performance it will still act in adaptive mode when not running any game.

 

Im also considering this external sound card:

New Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Notebook Wireless on eBay (end time 04-Jun-10 07:25:58 BST)

This is the cheapest i have found with good reviews.

 

tuenkamen.

So its also a possibility that the cracks and tears are coming from the video card itself?

 

after directly comparing laptop->USB SPDIF->receiver->headphones sound vs laptop->headphones I would say internal sound card is not that bad. it seems disabling SRS effects make sound quality decent on internal sound card headphone output (by some reason SRS was enabled during initial testing - maybe my mistake or it might be it is enabled by default). please note that I haven't experienced any sound cracking or stuttering before or now.
To disable SRS -
1. start IDT audio control panel
2. select Speakers / Headphones
3. select SRS Premiuim
4. click on "* Enabled" below SRS logo - it should change to "* Disabled"
5. enjoy clear music without SRS effects

 

yes because whenever i get distortion its when im not in any game and so have seen it with gpuz when it downclocks itself due to the horrible adaptive tech that nvdia uses plus the onboard sound combined causes this but since the 5850 has been confirmed with GDDR5 in a couple of weeks ill find out if that is the main culprit.

 

This helped a little for me..

Im really considering the external sound card from creative.

 

ok so i was just doing a comparison between the idt drivers and hd audio and the idt are horrible as they cause constant crackling and issue now with the hd audio its far less. plus what i found that works is going to the nvidia control panel and go to manage 3d settings and forcing maximum performance seems to clear my audio problems hope this helps someone else

 

ok for people who still have sound issues and have the gtx 260m go to dells support site and go to the M17x r1 driver download page and download the beta driver it fixes all audio problems during playback and also don't have idt sound drivers installed either as it has random pops when not playing anything.

 

I recently purchased a used M15x. Build date was back in September 2009. That being said, the only disappointment I've had with this laptop has been the sound when using headphones. Like many have described the audio in general is very weak. That's an understatement actually. Not only is the quality of the sound weak (pretty thin), but the volume level is very weak. At 100% volume it sounds more like what I would expect at 70% volume instead based on every other laptop I've ever used, including my junk DELL Latitude D510 I use here at work. When getting closer to 100% volume I'm also experiencing the sound crackling issue which is very bad. That being said, I purchased a small Logitech gaming headset yesterday that came with a USB adapter. Via USB audio the volume is far louder at 100% and I have yet to hear the sound crackling though the overall sound quality is still not particularly good. That being said, would my issue with the speaker ports on this laptop point to a hardware issue? Seems that it would on the face of it. Perhaps an I/O board or motherboard replacement is in order. The owner I purchased this laptop from has already submitted the request to have the 1-year warranty transferred. Just waiting on that to go through and want to make sure I take advantage of the 4 months I have left on it.

 

ok, problem has been fixed with this driver https://www.srslabs.com/store/store/comersus_viewItem.asp?idProduct=6
download it for free and let me know if it works.

 

Nah no fix and this is not a driver are a tool for manage the SRS settings.
I talking to dell for change my vga card to a new Ati card.

 

are you using the IDT drivers or the HD audio?

and what video drivers

please and thank you

 

At the moment, i think there is no actual fix for both hardware (mob and audio card) and software (driver and bios) for the sound problem of the m15x.

In the end i bought an external usb sound card:

Sound Blaster X-Fi Go! | Creative Labs Online Store

I use this when listening to music and playing games when using a headphone.
No sound problems so far.

 

awesome glad to hear but the method i stated before with the M17x nvidia drivers on dells site has solved my issue along with hd audio instead of idt audio.

also how far does the X-Fi Go stick out of the laptop i like to keep my system as clean as possible.

 

Hi, i'm using the windows default drivers. I know this is more of a software enhancement but it works well when i'm not using my Sound Blaster X-Fi notebook card.

 

Yesterday Dell change my M15x Mobo and the problem no are fixed, i talking to dell for a change NV260 to Ati, any have idea this is the final solution?

 

it should as i have claimed again and again how that gpu is the cause for everyone's sound probs as they only ever seem to have the 260m.......

but ive found a fix for my situation however once i update my bios and drivers to see if the fix is there i will then start to hassle the techs and demand to talk to a manager also ive got screen shots of how the gpu downclocks/upclocks causes my audio issues and can replicate without using the 197.31 drivers(M17x nvidia beta drivers from dells site)

 

tuenkamen, what exactly did you do to fix the problem?? what drivers did you download and what 3D setting did you put on the nvidia settings menu to make it work full power. The SRS drivers work really good put I will like to fix the problem without having to contact dell. I really like this computer, but i do think that for the price this problem should never exist. I like windows and try to stay loyal to the brand, but problems like this are the ones that make me look at apple products.

 

ok heres where you go

M17x nvidia beta drivers

also to have perfect audio uninstall the idt drivers(junk dirvers)

the driver is optional for the M17xR1 but i highly recommended this driver for any 260m M15x owner.

 

Also just would like to mention... for me the audio problems go away when I use the fixes discussed in the M15x Throttling thread.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-owners-lounges-guides-large-threads/439546-aw-m15x-throttling-issue-investigation-stock-clocks-overclocked.html

There are a few methods mentioned on that page.
The one involving ThrottleStop and Riva tuner will not add crazy amounts of extra stress to your comp or anything. Just use the proper stock clocks.

also please post here if ANYONES advice helps.

 

yes that is a an alternative fix but since i want to still have adaptive clocks for better battery life i opt with this method with using the 197.31 drivers.

also now nvidia has a fix for the audio issues in the new beta drivers 257.15 available for download on their site by going to search for beta/archive drivers.

 

Hello, the new NV beta drivers 257.15 fix the problem of audio? i have install this drivers, last IDT driver and the last Bios A06 and the sound continue cracking all time, any idea?

I have the resource dvd of my m15x and i boot, i make the test and all pass, all are ok but the audio cracking, cracking speakers and two outputs of audio.

Another question the posibol fix are change the NV 260 to Ati 5850?

 

uninstall the IDT drivers trust me youll have perfect audio once you do that
upon reboot windows HD audio is installed which is a lot better and gets rid of the audio issues
the IDT drivers are horrible.

EDIT: also very important set the playback Mhz to 44100 (cd quality) this is very important
to do this go to control panel, sound, properties of each sound output(headphones, etc.) and go to adavanced playback and check to make sure the mhz is the one above and not dvd quality

 

Nice tips tuenkamen, I hate the audio crackling I get sometimes.

 

i try to test now...

 

Another question the posibol fix are change the NV 260 to Ati 5850?

 

yea i don't have this anymore after all of my tweaks its nice to have a perfect system if anyone else is having these issues after what ive listed in this thread let me know ill guide you through exactly what you need to do.

this is only for 260m owners and possibly 240 but haven't seen anyone come here so far with it having audio issues

 

yes that is but atm there are apparent driver issues to be resolved will be looking into this. its on my things to find out(ocd).

To the mods please put this in the sub forum as this is a valid fix for audio problems with the M15X configured with the gtx 260m

 

Sound problem somehow fixed.

Installed the new NV beta driver (256.15) then uninstalled the IDT driver then restarted. Let windows install its own sound driver then downloaded the latest IDT driver from dell then installed. Problem somehow fixed because there is very little cracking and tearing sounds when using a headphone.

I think tuenkamen was right all along about the sound problem coming from the video card. Kinda wierd tho.

Ill try to install the a06 to see what happens.

 

Also noted max sound volume increased as well.