Audio Crackling on the 15x - Discussion Thread

It worked for me as well.
thanks.

just uninstalled Command Center and i have a huge improvement in sound.


i reinstalled the IDT driver which i erased last week and crackling returned, so uninstalled it again.

now i will try reinstalling CC.

 

ok. I am sure the Issue is with Command Center after reinstalling it the sound was good.
but as soon as i disabled and enabled Alienfx from the keyboard the sound crackling retuned.

now i started playing around with AlienFX with the music running and it seems once i disable alienfx i see a small improvement.

At least i know my system is fine and its a software issue.

Any of you guys who arent suffering of this issue every formatted your system? im wondering if the system does the same thing with the factory configuration

 

I tried uninstalling CC, but crackling was still there. I also tried the windows driver versus the IDT driver, but crackles are still there. I just got off the phone with AW tech support to get resolution to this problem. This was my 4th call to them for this problem. The tech said that my case has been escalated, BUT the main supervisor for my case is off on Sundays and Mondays. I have to wait till tomorrow or Wednesday to find out what they will do next.

 

Do you have A07 installed?

 

Yep! A07 is loaded. That didn't fix the crackling either. I haven't noticed any improvements on my machine with A07.

 

in my case
- IDT driver is uninstalled,
- reboot.
- uninstall Command center
- reboot (you sound should be better by this step)

 

So now my system completely locked up on me twice since I unistalled CC. WTH? Guess I'll try reinstalling CC, cause that didn't help with the crackles. Hopefully I'll get good news tomorrow from AW support.

 

Just as a reminder, do not use the resource DVD to reinstall CC.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...not-use-command-center-your-resource-dvd.html

When reinstalling CC, be sure to grab the current version from dell support.

 

Looks like after shutting down the machine it all came back Sigh !!!...

 

So I never did get my call back from the supervisor on Tues or Wed. I call today and now they want me to do a fresh install of Win7 to see if this will fix it. I'm furious!! Not just installing windows and drivers takes time, but all my other programs, updates, virus protection, ect. I think it's a huge waste of my time.....

 

I've been down this road already. They are just delaying you or trying to get you to call again coz they got no solution.

The only fix for this is just to keep your volume at under 80% on headphones.

Edit. Try the A05 Bios. Sound seem less bad compared to A07 + lower temps.

Add: Try getting a external sound card if you really want this issue fixed.

 

i get the crackling at a low volume

 

Me and Tuenkamen "thinks" its the vid cards fault. I played around with the diff. drivers of Nvidia. The best I got was it was almost fixed (very little cracking and tearing @ max volume using a ipod headphone) but came back after reboot. I bet if you can get your 260m to a 5850, that would fix it the problem "IS" DELL thinks this is wrong and unrelated and they wont listen.

 

Is there anyone on ATI cards with this kind of sound problem? or this is just on Nvidia cards?

 

i have a 5870m from a clevo and I have the problem it only happens with wav files though, never mp3 or flac

 

Yeah, I tried an external usb sound card. I still had crackling even with it. I let the tech know that I felt like I was getting the run around. So he puts his supervisor on for a feedback session since this was my 5th call and only had the pc for 40 days. I stressed my feelings about their latest solution. He comes back with that Dell recommends you do a fresh install atleast once a year. Huh? WTH is he talking about?!? Anyway, they both said that this is the last attempt to find a solution using software. Next step would be to replace parts. Duh!

So I told them I had soome backing up to do before I started the fresh install. They promised another specialist would call me back in 2 hours to do a remote session to install all the correct drivers. Well, it's 6 hours later and no one has called. I'm doing it myself now.

A quick initial test with the fresh install, media player is not crackling at any volume level, so that's a plus. Keeping my fingers crossed. The real test is when my recording / mastering software (Studio One Pro) is all loaded back in.

It is pretty nice to only see 36 processes running in task manager! I'll update later after more updates and software are loaded back in.

SD

 

i, as well as many people on this thread, have managed to fix the problem at one point or another, uninstalling Command center(my case) or Graphics drivers or sound drivers.

it is very clear to me that this is a drivers problem, the problem is which?
as soon after we manage to fix the problem the problem returns. in my case all i did was turn on alienfx other member rebooted their systems.

if you are using your laptop for music/audio and that is very important to you, i suggest not installing audio drivers, and only installing drivers that are important,(if i were you and really clear sound, would not install any driver after the windows install fixed my issues.)

 

I spoke with Dell "Technicians" yesterday and he tried to do something with wireless network setings...Strangely, it's seems it reduced my noise...?

Are those having problems use wireless network too?

 

i use wired

 

Not had this issue yet, however i did have a problem with my old Acer which i worked out in the end.

What i did was reduce the audio stream from DVD quality to CD quality within the speaker properties.

Worked for me, so i guess it's worth a try for the people suffering with this issue.

 

Guys. Has caes2004 or adriana from Dell contacted you about this?

I hope they are working on this and are also looking up in this thread for new inputs that may lead to a fix.

 

Just a thought and noticed that my old Toshiba Qosmio F50 (2yo and half the price) has better sound quality through an external 2.1 Logitec speakers than my M15x esp with bass.
AW should look into this or apply this better audio quality for their Ultimate Gaming and hopefully sound system.

 

No one has contacted me. Not even the promised call backs from AW support

You would think the ultimate gaming pc would have ultimate everything in it and zero problems right out the box. Especially since we are paying $2K + for these machines.

 

Hi everyone. I apologize for not giving you an update but we are still working on this issue. Engineering is aware and I am hoping to have a solution to everyone soon. We did post BIOS A08 today which fixes the touchpad pooling rate and the throttling issue. However, we are still working on the audio crackling and the low performance on battery.

Thanks, Alienware Quality

 

audio quality (from the headphone port) has improved since i installed A08.
Audio crackling is still there, but the distortion (on max vol) seems better.
can anyone check and see if they get the same result, or is it just my laptop thats decided it is having a good day

 

The same here with my M15X, since i installed bios A08 the crackling is a little less perceptible than before (but still there is)

 

Here's an update since I did a fresh install of Win7 as recommend by Dell. Since the Dell Driver Specialist dude didn't call like they said he would, I started installing some of the drivers from the dell website. I did not use the resource disc at all. I had 3 unknown devices in Device Manager that needed drivers. I didn't know what they were, so I called AW Support for help. I should note that up to this point I had NO audio crackling! Yeepee! Finally the Driver Specialist dude calls and we hook up on a remote session for him to load the needed drivers. It took him 2+ hours to figure out the missing drivers. He asked me to put the resource disc in the pc. He then loads CC straight from the disc. I asked him why he was doing that when we have been told not to. His comment was, "I know what I'm doing, but you should not". So I take his word for it.

So long story cut short. The missing drivers were for the webcam, memory card slot and the chipset. NO audio crackling before he started. When he was finished, no missing drivers from Device Manager and CC installed. Now Audio Crackling is back!! Urghh!! No problem, I end the remote session and do a system restore to undo everything the Dell Driver Specialist did. Audio crackling gone! This should help now because I got it narrowed down to 3 items that are causing the problems. Attached is a screen shot of system restore before I actually performed that task.

For now, my machine is doing good. I'll probably contact AW support after the long holiday weekend to discuss missing driver problems. Oh, as of this post, I did not install the new bios A08, yet.......

 

I think someone narrowed it down to the CC earlier, right?

 

Before my fresh install of Win7, I uninstalled CC and it did not fix the audio crackling. I think it did for others, but not for me.

 

ah i never tried it yet

 

Ok another problem for dell techs to look into is the M17X A03 audio drivers with the A08 bios do not like using vent as i had my system crash 4 times today due to vent crashing due to a sound bug i believe as whenever i would disconnect from a server the system would freeze. So im back on windows drivers and can use vent all i want and no issues now so you've been warned if using vent and working on an important project and your system locks up.

 

why m17x drivers?

 

they are the same audio card and its a later driver release but im on windows drivers now and no problems with those so far which is better than crashing every time i change vent channels.

 

I dont think they are they same they carry different model no. the M15x is
92HD83 and the M17x is 92HD73C1

i tried to install the M17x driver on my system it didn't work. maybe i did something wrong?

 

its the R1 i believe not the R2 forgot to mention that

 

R1 and R2 have the same same sound card, i think!

 

hmm well i used the A03 version of IDT sound drivers and it installed fine.

EDIT: which is the R2 also did you use CCleaner btw?

 

UPDATE! RESOLVED.

With the help of Dell QC Adriana. +REP!

The fix is changing the motherboard to a "newer" one.

No more crackling, tearing or distortion @ max volume using headphones.

Using A08 bios, updated IDT audio driver from dell, NV 197.16 driver.


PS. Lost my FSB OC ability tho (Goodbye 3.157MHz).

 

Like we have to get the motherboard completely changed out?

 

Yep, Adriana also helped me as well get a new mother board. Audio is alot better. I was going to update the thread, but was waiting until everything was corrected first. A have a service rep coming again this morning to replace a few more parts. The first service rep chipped a cornor off of the main chasis, so they are replacing that and a few other parts. After 3 months of going round & round, it seems like I'm very close to having my pc working right.

BTW, it is very ugly to see these machines in pieces

 

Well i'd just like to post my experiences...

I too have had the audio crackling issues with my M15x when having headphones plugged in... and the volume put past 50%... However i've only experienced this once headphones are plugged in, and external speakers work fine.

While contacting Dell abotu a dozen times to get the problem fixed.... I've tried the following:

1. Tried all audio drivers under the sun
2. Tried 5 diffrent types of headphones.
3. did a fresh windows install
4. had the I/O audio board changed.
5. had the internal audio cable changed.
6.had the motherboard replaced.

Still... while changing the mobo helped only slighty (it was now only noticeable over ~60% volume... the issue was still there)... the biggest improvement was by installing the following K-lite Codec pack on the system as recommended by a DELL Engineer. This brought clarity all the way up to 80-85% which is much better than the previous 50% wall i used to hit.

So here's the link :

MajorGeeks.com - Download Freeware and Shareware Computer Utilities.

Let me know if the following has improved the sound distortion/crackling with this fix, as it should give you noticeable improvement.

However, even 80-85% wasn't satisfactory enough for me. The Dell Engineer said while testing for the problem in the lab with 3 diffrent M15x's... he said he was able to reproduce the problem i was describing on all 3 laptops... and that the problem is really specific to the M15x ... and even if he were to send me a replacement system... the new replacement would probably still do the same.

It is because of this, that the lvl 3 tech support+Dell engineer decided the only way to solve the problem i was encountering was to replace my M15x laptop with a M17x-r2 ... which doesn't have any audio issues with it at all.

Of course, i took the offer up, and i am awaiting a confirmation emails with the specifications and configuration of my New replacement M17x-r2 .

 

the latest bios update (a08) improves the situation.

@Shannon D, can you tell us which bios version your older motherboard was on, and which are on your new motherboard?

 

I searched this thread and didn't see any mention of this, so sorry if it's redundant, but I had this problem a while back when I first got my machine. I'm sure this isn't everyone's problem, but when I had Virtual Surround enabled under enhancements I had the audio crackling. Turning it off completely fixed my problem and I haven't dealt with it since at any volume level.

Right click the speaker > open volume mixer > select speakers/headphones under devices > click on the speaker icon > under enhancements, make sure that Virtual Surround is disabled.

Again, sorry if this is redundant or obvious but I hope it helps someone!

 

Okay, so if I have the volume even all the way down, plugged in and on battery, I still experience some slight audio hum. When i turn up the volume and play games or listen to music I don't notice anything while there is sound playing over the headphones, but whenever everything is quiet I can hear lots of very noticeable static. Does that mean I have to have the whole motherboard replaced? What is the average turnaround time on that? I have the 4 year Advanced Service Plan and it's less than a year old.

Edit: And is the only option still an M17x or have they made a new mobo for the M15x?

 

Both mother boards where on A08. My first MB went thru A06, A07 & A08 and did not help. The only thing that helped on the previous MB was to trash the IDT driver and use a microsoft driver, but didn't total fix it. My machine would lock up at least 2 -3 times a day.

So today the service rep showed up with a box full of parts. Almost enough to build a whole M15x. BTW, on the first service call, the service rep chipped off a piece of the aluminum chasis. This was to be replaced and after 2 more service calls, they show up with the wrong part AGAIN to fix the chipped chasis. They sent a new replacement keyboard in a different language A specific Dell rep was supposed to contact me weeks ago and has yet to do so. I can go on, but I'll stop here.

 

PLEASE let us know of the config when you get confirmation. Because currently the alienware site only offers crossfire or sli options on the M17x. I love my M15x but I would be more than willing to trade up for an M17x if its gonna be an upgrade. Otherwise, my M15x is already clocked at a 5870 and I prefer the size of it.

 

Size was one of the main reasons why I went with the M15x in the first place... But apparently it's only a little bigger , as I searched YouTube for comparisons .... Plus have the ability to expand to 2x 5870s and 2x hdds is nice .. Numpad...4x usb slots... 1200p rgb led screen... Hdmi & dp out ... Audio outputs for full 5.1 ... Is all nice.... Also the 240w ac adapter allows you to fully take advantage of overclocking the extreme processors... As the 150w psu on the M15x limits this...

I always loved the M15x... But the M17x should be fun as it is a whole new experience

Also I think alot of ppl r reporting different issues... I was talking about a real distortion problem when having headphones plugged in n volume over 50%... Which happened with any driver any bios any program .... Even changing the mobo n soundcard didnt fix it...

 

I had also ordered an alienware M15x currently. So would i also be having this problem? Also i read somewhere that guyz with ati cards arnt sufferring from audio crackling. Can any1 shed a light on this. I ordered i7 740 wid ati 5850.

 

I have an ATI 5870 and I have crackling

Not everyone has it, seems to be some batches that get the bad end of the stick. I have A08 bios and latest drivers

 

ok thnx. So not everyone suffers from that problem, right?