Dell Studio 15 sound problems

I just bought a studio 15. All well and good until yesterday when I plugged in my usual external speakers to watch a movie. When I unplugged them sound no longer came through the laptop itself. I plugged the speakers back in and it came through the speakers fine. Then later it stopped coming through the speakers too. Now there is no sound from anywhere. I have checked the levels - nothing is on mute. I can see the sound level is coming into the mixer but nothing is coming out anywhere. I have tried both the jack sockets and headphones don't work either. This applies whatever program/site I am using - whether its media player or you tube etc..

When I look at payback devices I am given three options:
1) Digital Output Device (HDMI)
2) Speakers/Headphones IDT High Definition Audio CODEC
3) Independent RTC Headphones IDT High Definition Audio CODEC

I have it set on the first one at the moment but have tried the others to no avail.

Has anyone else had this problem or can anyone think of something I can try? It would even be handy to know what playback device settings people have on their studio 15 so I can see what might have gone wrong! I have tried to call tech support but am greeted with "Welcome to technical support" and then it just plays hold music at me with no other information. How useful.

Many thanks

Claire

 

*bump*

Now got the external speakers working but still, when I unplug them, the internal laptop speakers do nothing....signal coming through but not coming out the laptop. I am guessing the internal laptop speaker is the HDMI Digital Output Device. Any hints?

 

Try plugging the external speakers back in and unplugging them again several times. I've heard something like this before, and it has to do with the jacks. I think.

 

Try these 3 things...

Go in Device Manage and see if the audio device is working properly.

Plug your speakers in the MIC input. A program called IDT Audio should open up... try playing with the settings in there.

If that doesn't work, try uninstalling and reinstalling the audio driver.

 

HI

Even I face the same kind of problem woth sound with dell studio...When i switch on the sound comes and then it just goes whem i use google talk,skype or even vlc...i have troed reinstalling everything...but no use..does anybody has a soln

 

Thanks guys. no luck unfortunately! The keyboard is now going...can only just type this and also the mouse touchpad now does not work since having an external mouse connected. its going back! not impressed.

 

I have a Studio 1535. It has two headphone jacks on the left hand side. If I plug in the rear one then unplug it the laptop speakers do not work. To get them working again I plug in the jack to the forward one and unplug it again.
I supppose this is a dell rather than vista problem?

 

Mine is doing the exact same thing. It is a piece of junk. Wait until if starts freezing up everytime you try to watch a video on the internet. I guess I will have to send the thing back. The mouse is also screwed up. I ordered mine with a backlit keyboard, which it didn't come with, but I was willing to over look it since it took me over a month to get it.

 

I am having the same problem. On mine the one closest to the network port is the one that gives me a problem, put the Headphones in and when you take them out....No sound from speakers. but when you put it in the one closest to the card reader and take it out it fixes it. I have also had the problem with one one of the 3 audio drivers shows up and i have to reboot to get the other 2 drivers back....weird.

 

I have a Studio 17 that I am experiencing the same problem with - but have NEVER been able to get sound out of the internal speakers, except with the Dell Diagnostics application CD that I downloaded and burned.

I have now been on the line with tech support for over an hour and he has been unable to get them working. He doesn't seem to want to listen to me though when I tell him that it appears the sensor in the jack is bad..

How do I know this? This is what my IDT Control Panel looks like with the Dell included drivers with nothing but the power plugged into the laptop.




Notice the Right Side Panel - the far left jack, which is synonymous with the far front jack on the right side, thinks there is something plugged into it.

If I plug in headphones into that front jack, it works fine. If I plug in external speakers into the same jack, it works fine.

When I plug into the middle jack, the 2nd port gets larger and "bolded" - when I unplug it, it goes back to normal size. When I hover the cursor over that far left jack, it says that headphones are plugged in.

Downloading the latest Dell drivers does nothing - just gives me the HDMI option now in the IDT HD Sound control panel applet.

I've had the laptop a week - long enough to know that I love it, but I NEED to get this sound working, as I am not going to lug around headphones or speakers everywhere I go!

I'll let everyone know what tech support does - if anything - and if they issue an RMA.

 

Well that was well over an hour (if not 2 hours) wasted...

I've already done a complete restore of the PC back to the Dell factory image that it was shipped with - now he wants to call me tomorrow and spend lord knows how long hand re-installing Windows Vista from the ground up - not from the Dell image.

I'm sorry - but - there is a SERIOUS problem if the Dell restore image doesn't fix the problem - this is not a settings issue - this is a HARDWARE issue!

I'm getting back in touch with my sales rep to see what they can do - this is a horrible waste of my time.

 

Yes. That is def a hardware issue. Looks like the audio board on your Studio is stuck 'ON' for that first jack...



http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/1735/en/sm/audioboa.htm#wp1032066

If you were to remove the audio board connector that would allow your notebook speakers to work by disconnecting those jacks altogether if you are looking for a quick solution while you wait for the Tech to come and replace that audio board...

 

I'll have to give that a shot! Unfortunately though, by not paying extra for the on-site support, my only option is to ship it in.

At this point though I'll do whatever I need to do in order to get the internal speakers working!

I'll post the results after I try it!

 

Yes, please do and post your results. I'd try disconnecting the audio board cable on the system board side first and verify if the internal speaker works.

If so, reconnect the system board side of the connector and then disconnect the cable on the audio board end. This would further troubleshoot by isolating the cable or the audio board itself as being good/bad.

If you determine the audio board is defective and since on-site repair isn't avail in your case, another option would be to use the Dell email support Parts Only Service. Just register your service tag on the Dell website and then select request service for your system. I've used it in the past for other Dell notebooks since I'd rather replace the parts myself rather than send the whole notebook in. As long as your confident in working on the notebook yourself since the service manual that leads you step by step is posted at Dell's site anyways.

With POS, your account will show a charge for the parts sent but as long as you return the bad part to Dell the charge won't be incured. Dell with include a DHL return label along with the replacement part.

 

WOW - I just got a message back from my sales rep that I have been "venting" to - because of the issue and the run-around I have been getting, they are going to side-step the process and send me a return label and let me do an exchange or full refund... Honestly, I like the machine enough to get another one just like it - as long as it works fine!

On that note, my wife has the exact same setup - she has no problems with hers, so I know it's not across the board with the entire product line!

 

I failed to respond to this part earlier.

By running the Dell Diagnostics that are NOT Windows based which I downloaded from Dell's website and burned onto a bootable CD, I was able to confirm that the speakers themselves are not the problem - sound does indeed come out of them.

I am still working with my sales rep to get a return shipping label - they are going to do an exchange.

I have nothing against people of non-US origin, but really hate calling a US based company and getting someone in India who has given themselves an Anglo name and struggling to understand them - and them not understanding me.

 

Sometimes you can actually get someone you can understand. Usually I just call until I get someone who understands me and that I can understand unless I am pressed for time. I find email or online chat to be easier and not as time consuming at calling in.

 

wow whats up with the QC at dell? this product is kind of based on what I would think to be tried tested and REVISED designs. I mean they had a chance to learn from xps designs and a chipset thats been around for ages, yet it seems almost scary that the studios are acting like some new cutting edge tech product. I have a second one on the way for various issues with the first one which I would like to chuck to shipping damage but this kinda worries me. is there anyone who can say their headphone jacks work fine ?

 

Actually, we didn't buy just one, but TWO of the Studio 17s - one for my wife, one for me.

Hers works perfectly...

Just as fate would have it - this is the 2nd time we bought 2 of something and mine had issues - last time it was our cars - 2007 Dodge Chargers - hers worked perfectly , mine had engine issues that came about at around 7000 miles.

I had to take legal action to get it corrected, as ended up taking off 15 work days last year just for them to keep saying they either couldnt hear the problem, or that they fixed it but they really didn't.

 

Dell does not give its Reps pseudonyms and recommends that Reps should give their legal names, unless they are really difficult to pronounce. You might have spoken to Christian in India or Philipines.

You could always subscribe for Gold Tech support, which is handled by native english speakers, but yeah that costs extra $$

 

Hi, I've had the same or very similar probs with my 1535 audio until just now, I found a bios upgrade on the dell drivers download page from A02 to A05, I installed this and then the latest IDT driver for the audio and everything is working hunky dory, infact the whole machine seems much happier. Hope this solution helps others

 

This machine was received with A04 on it, and it has since been re-applied by the Dell tech support.

I'll check to see if A05 is available for the Studio 17.

 

Nope :-( A04 is the highest available for the Studio 17.

 

WOW - I must have really pissed someone off at Dell..

Now the sales person that I have been working with to reach resolution won't return my phone calls or emails.

I have had one of the other sales persons confirm that she was in both yesterday and today but voicemails and emails have gone un-responded to. I'm not sure what the deal is - everything I have said was completely professional and in a business-like tone.

I hate to even fathom this, but I may have to take it up the tailpipe and spend X number of hours on the phone with tech support again just to confirm that what I told them in the first place is true - that reinstalling the operating system from the group up isn't going to fix this :-(

I have sent in an email to their technical support department requesting escalation now since my sales person is ignoring me - hopefully someone with a brain will review the case and let me send it in for repair - it's better than nothing I guess!

 

FINALLY - Satisfaction!

I am at home sick today, so I decided now was the perfect time to call in and waste the time doing the hand reload.

The technician I got on the phone spoke nearly perfect English, and was one of the nicest people I have ever dealt with in tech support - I wish my tech support employees were as nice as her!

She reviewed the case and went over all of the troubleshoot steps that have already been done and decided that the reload wasn't necessary - her words were "If you have re-imaged the computer back to the factory load and the problem still exists, it is NOT a software problem."

THANK YOU !!!!!!!!

I explained to her how many hours I had invested already in troubleshooting the issue, and then how many hours had been wasted by the last tech support people. She went and spoke with her supervisor and came back offering me a free upgrade to on-site repair service for 1 year, and would arrange the service call immediately if I decided to accept the offer.

Well, DUH , let me think - send it off and take a chance of it not coming back fixed, or have someone here who I can hold accountable and see whether it's fixed or not before he leaves? Ummm - YES - I'll take it!

I then got the opportunity to speak with the supervisor. Again - ****ed near perfect English! I thanked him for the upgraded service warranty, and gave kudos (I hate that word - but thats the only thing I could think of to describe it!) on the level of support given to me by the young woman I worked with. I also made sure he was aware of how unhappy I was with the idea of doing a hand reload to fix what was obviously not a software issue - he agreed, and said that option should not have even been mentioned.

Dell has my respect again - lets see how their on-site support does now!

 

i noticed something really weird with my studio 15. I was watching a movie through the speakers then wanted to use the headphones so I plugged them into the centre headphone jack. But when I pulled them out again, there was no sound coming from the speakers. But I found that if I plugged the headphones back into the other headphone jack (located on the right) and unplug, the speakers work again! Has anyone had this issue?

 

Not personally, but on the Dell Community Forums I've read about something similar. I want to say that there is a driver update or bios update for the Studio 15 that corrected that.

 

Update - on-site service replaced the motherboard and the sound daughterboard - issue resolved.

 

My GFs laptop has the same problem. I just did this and it worked.

How stupid. I don't know whether I should sell it or not now. This is a ridiculous problem to have.

 

My studio had no problem playing sound from the headphones... until the plastic circle that supports the jack fell off for no apparent reason 20 days into owning the machine. So now it is back to the factory (it had a variety of other issues, like the sound skipping, media button dysfunction, etc etc) and I will be looking at other laptop companies to purchase from.

 

Hello, i have xp installed on my studio. Everything is working just fine, except the audio driver...brrrr its horrible

Already downloaded a dozen of drivers, but only one its for xp and 1535 studio - idt audio.

Idt audio suckss, my laptop internal speakers are very quiet as well as my 5.1 logitechs I have no subwoofer working and very bad sound quality. Pls help me, i need decent audio driver for xp !!!

 

i have read that if you uninstall the Dell drivers from control panel, and allow Vista to install its own drivers, there is a drastic improvement in sound quality. this may also solve the other problem?

 

I have a Dell 1537 and have similar problem.
In some forums people say it's software problem and with the correct drivers everything will be fine. Others say that it's hardware problem.
Please tell me what to do .. Is there any chance to fix this by myself because I'm from Bulgaria and leaving the laptop to tech service it not an option....

 

I recommend uninstalling the IDT drivers entirely, rebooting and let Vista install its own HD audio drivers. This will fix the issue of the headphone jacks thinking that there's still something in them, and it will make your speakers much louder and clearer.

The only disadvantage: the middle headphone jack no longer works. The microphone port and the other headphone jack work flawlessly, though, better than ever before.

 

Thanks mate .. I'll do that
At the end of the day I use only one headphone jack. Personally I don't get the idea of putting 2 headphone jacks on the machine. I'm not talking only about Dell but also for HP and more... I'm sure there's some logical reason though.

 

It's a neat feature if you want to watch a movie with someone in a relatively quiet environment, like on an airplane or something, so you can both have headphones plugged in.

The loss of the 2nd jack is really not a loss to me at all, since you can accomplish the same thing with one jack and a $3 splitter from Radio Shack.

 

Hey,
Just like you said I uninstalled all sound drivers that I had. I did not find IDT driver but anyway after the uninstallation there was no sound just as expected. After i restarted the machine Vista installed the default Microsoft sound driver. But after that there was still no sound !!!
When I check control panel> hardware and sound> sound
it shows me that the device is working properly... but there is no sound coming true either from the speakers or the headphone jacks.
Do you have any idea how to fix this or what can I do?
Thanks

 

Right click the Volume icon in your taskbar, and select Playback devices. Make sure that your speakers are selected as the default device, and that the volume is up.

Also, it goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway. Make sure you don't have it muted, and that the master volume is up.

 

It's not this
The speakers are the default device and they're not muted... When I play a song I can see the ups and downs on the grid next to the speaker icon. There's just no sound...
I'm open for suggestions It's not hardware problem cuz before the exercise couplae hours ago there was sound.... I'll try to find what should be done or what I've done wrong. If I don't I'll give it to somebody to look at it.
Thanks for sticking around and trying to help

 

That's certainly interesting.

Try re-downloading and installing the official Dell audio drivers from the downloads page for your model and see if the sound works. If it does, try uninstalling and rebooting one more time. If the Vista drivers don't work again, then there might be some issue interfering with the Vista drivers producing sound.

 

I thought the same thing but didn't had time to do it yesterday. I'll try tonight when I come back from work.
It's very interesting problem indeed. Everything tells me that my speakers are working but they don't. All sound settings looks good and even skype found the speakers/headphones and ask me if i want to use them for calls.
I'll share the results later.

 

Yahoo !
It's Fine now.... and the sound is a lot better than before.
Thanks for the help Mastershroom.
Cheers mate

 

Glad to help.

 

Has someone resolved the problem with the studio 1535 and the audio drivers for xp?

 

I have a "nasty" resonance coming from the speakers when playing certian songs, even al low volumes. The laptop I had before had it too, now this one has it too.
How to fix this problem? (I have the Vista HD drivers)- Dell 1537

PS: Try "Kings of Leon-True love way", to see for yourself how it sounds.

 

Can anyone help. The audio jacks are loose so I have to push my headphone jack up to hear anything in full sound. I've contacted Dell who have said its a wear and tear problem. However, I told them this was an issue when I bought it and it's gotten to the point in which it is unbearable to use. Any suggestions on what to do?

 

Hi,
This issue actually caused by HW. Probably electrical root cause. After some attempta , I did found the solution:
1. Shutdown your laptop
2. Disconnect AC power supply
3. Disconnect a battery for 1 min.
4. Connect a battery back.
5. Power on a laptop.

The sound will work.

Good luck

 

thanks guys.

i managed to pull of the battery and sound is coming back.
i am in the middle repairing my colleague dell studio 15 3435.
the best solution will be uninstall Realtek HD audio driver from
program & features (from control panel).

do not uninstall from device manager since the problem is not
the driver...its the software itself.

so now, i could pull on/off the headphone jack w/out having
the same problem.

 

Hey this is the same problem i got yesterday,now my laptop speakers are working.