Pavilion static ‘crackling’ noise from headphone out

[WhiteNoise1]

Dear HP customer service,

A few months ago I acquired a HP Pavilion 15-bc035nd laptop.

From the start I’ve been experiencing a static ‘crackling’ noise from the headphone output.

It’s not a very loud noise but it’s loud enough to be annoying, especially when listening to quieter genres of music and is ruining the listening experience.

I’ve done some research and found that I was far from the only one experiencing this problem.

I’ve tried all the suggested fixes such as updating the audio driver software, scanning for malware etc but none seemed to affect the noise issue.

I was wondering whether you have come up with a permanent solution to this problem.

[Jeet_singh]

Hi @WhiteNoise1,

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I understand you are having an issue with static noise from the headphone. I would like to assist you today with resolving this issue. I appreciate the steps you have performed and have certainly done a good job.

To provide you with an accurate solution, I'll need a few more details:

Did this come with Windows 10 installed or did you do an upgrade to Windows 10?

Have you done all your Windows troubleshooter?

Have you ran the  HP Support Assistant?

Have you done all your Windows updates?

Does it happen even when listening from speakers?

Check those headphones with an alternate device such as a Smartphone, laptop, etc... If they work on the alternate device, check if the Headphones are enabled as a playback device.

To do this, please see the steps below:

* Click the Start Pearl and then type Sound in the Start Search Box.

* Select Change Sound Card Settings in the Start Menu Options.

* Next, under the Playback Tab, right click and select Show Hidden Devices and Show Disconnected Devices if available.

* Select Headphones and enable

To Increase the volume on your headphone:

Method 1

* Right-click the volume icon in the notification area.

* Click Open Volume Mixer and increase the volume for Headphones.

Method 2

* Right-click the volume icon in the notification area.

* Go to Playback devices and right click Headphones under Playback.

* Go to Properties and set the volume to the maximum under Levels tab.

* Click Apply and OK.

For more details, click here

Let me know if those steps worked for you. If they did, that’s awesome! Give us some reinforcement by clicking the solution and kudos buttons, that’ll help us and others see that we’ve got the answers! Good Luck.

Regards,

[WhiteNoise1]

Hi Biswajeet,

Thank you for the quick response.

To answer your questions.

Yes, the laptop came with Windows 10 installed, did all the updates and ran HP Support Assistance, still nothing.

I’m using a high quality pair of headphones and haven’t experienced any noise issues on other devices and didn’t notice any ‘crackling’ sound when playing music through the speakers.

Not sure how increasing the output volume is going to fix the issue, I have plenty of volume already, it’s the static noise that’s really bugging me out.

[Dvortex]

Hello, @WhiteNoise1

Thanks for the reply! I would like to jump in with a suggestion 🙂

Let's try the steps below which will definitely help you fix the issue:

Solution 1:

• Right-click the speaker icon in the Taskbar and select 'Playback Devices'.
• Left click the default device once to highlight it ( it's usually 'speakers & headphones' ) then click the Properties button.
• Click the Enhancements tab and put a tick in the box next to 'Loudness Equalization'.
• Click Apply to save the change and then click OK in all remaining windows and see if this has helped at all.

Solution 2:

• Right-click the speaker icon in the Taskbar and select 'Playback Devices'.
• Select the Communications tab up the top.
• By default ‘when windows detects communications activity’ is set to ‘Reduce the volume of other sounds by 80%’.
• Change this to ‘Do nothing’.
• Press OK.

Let me know if these steps helps!

Good luck 🙂

Please click "Accepted Solution" on the post that solves your issue to help others find the solution. To show appreciation for my help, please click the "Thumbs Up Icon" below!

[WhiteNoise1]

Hi,

Thanks for the tips.

I tried both proposed fixes and still get the static noise.

Even with the volume turned all the way off that noise is still there, so the issue might not be audio related at all, but something is definitely interfering.

Whatever it is, it’s very annoying.

Still hope there’s a solution to this problem.

[Dvortex]

Hello, @WhiteNoise1

Appreciate your efforts 🙂

I understand that you tried these headphones on different devices, but how about testing a different headphone with this PC?

I know it sounds silly, but there might be some sort of compatibility issues at times, especially when you cannot hear this crackling noise from the speaker. Hence please try a different headphone/earphone and let me know the result.

Thanks, I'll watch for your reply!

Cheers 🙂

Please click "Accepted Solution" on the post that solves your issue to help others find the solution. To show appreciation for my help, please click the "Thumbs Up Icon" below!