Crackling in left ear cup

[1BangBang]

Voyager 80 UC. I have crackling in left earpiece when I activate ANC. Any help please. 

[NonSequitur777]

@1BangBang,

Welcome to our HP Community forum!

I dug around -here’s what I could find about similar crackling / buzz / noise problems with the Poly / Voyager Surround 80 UC (or close models), plus what people say fixed it (or didn’t). Might help you diagnose whether you’ve got the same known issue.

---

What People Are Reporting:

1. HP/Poly support forum: “Buzz noise sound of left side of headset (Voyager Surround 80)”
   Someone complained of a buzzing/noise on the left side when using the Voyager Surround 80. The advice from support was to reset the headset via the Poly Lens app. If that fails, contact HP Support. (see: https://www.hp.com/us-en/poly/headsets/bluetooth-headsets-and-earbuds/voyager-surround-series.html).

2. Poly’s “software release notes” for the Voyager Surround 80 Series
   I saw that the release notes mention resolved issues, including cases where “the ANC state … will not change when …” etc. That suggests HP / Poly are issuing firmware fixes for ANC-related behavior. While I didn’t find a specific mention of exactly left ear crackling when ANC on, the fact that firmware has been updated for ANC issues means there might be newer firmware addressing noises/distortions. (see: https://docs.poly.com/bundle/voy-sur-80-rn-top/page/resolved-issues.html).

3. Troubleshooting KB for Voyager Surround 80
   The official HP / Poly troubleshooting page includes steps like toggling ANC modes, ensuring good earcup seal, updating firmware, re-pairing, etc. These are somewhat generic but align with what users report helps. (see: https://btpi.com/headsets-telecom-products/kb/troubleshoot-voyager-surround-80/).

---

Known or Suspected Fixes That Users Say Helped:

From what I found, here are solutions people have tried that seemed to reduce or remove the crackling / buzzing (especially on one side):

Fix                            Evidence / Anecdote                        May Be Helpful To You

Firmware update	HP/Poly release notes show resolved ANC-related issues. Also support recommends updating first.	High chance — if your firmware is not up to date, some issue in ANC processing may be causing distortion.
Reset via Poly Lens / software reset	In the “buzz noise left side” case, that was the first recommended step.	Worth doing. Clears any temporary config glitches.
Ensure ear cushion seal	Official KB suggests that poor seal reduces ANC effectiveness, which can indirectly lead to strain or noise artifacts.	Definitely try. If one side has a worse seal (pad seating, cushion damage), that might be triggering crackling when ANC tries to compensate.
Toggling ANC modes / reducing ANC strength	While specific examples for crackling are fewer, the docs suggest trying Mid / Max / Off ANC to see behavior.	Good test: if crackling only appears in “Max,” maybe limit to “Mid” or Off. Could be a hardware limit or driver distortion at high ANC gain.
Re-pair / reset Bluetooth / connection	The KB and forum posts mention re-pairing or removing old Bluetooth pairings. Sometimes the connection/audio profile / codec negotiation might be off.	Good idea, especially if using with different devices, or if the buffer or codec isn’t stable.

---

What Isn’t Clearly Documented / Still Unknown:

• I couldn’t find a definitive public report that exactly matches “crackling only in left earpiece when ANC turned on” for the Surround 80 UC, beyond the “buzz noise” case which sounds very close.

• It is also not clear whether it’s always hardware (driver, mic, internal wiring) or sometimes just firmware / signal processing.

---

My Recommendation (Based on This):

Putting together what’s known, here’s a plan that has good odds of resolving things (or at least narrowing the cause):

1. Check firmware version of your headset using Poly Lens; update if there's a newer version.

2. Do a full reset of the headset (via Poly Lens), then pair it fresh with your device.

3. On the left side, inspect the ear cushion: is it well seated? Any deformation, tear, or uneven cushion density that could affect seal?

4. Try listening with ANC Off, then with Mid, then Max. Note at which point the crackling starts (if it does).

5. Try with another device (phone, computer) to see if the behavior is device-specific (maybe the device’s Bluetooth stack or power settings matter).

6. If under warranty, and nothing else works, contact HP/Poly for support -since user reports indicate support is recommending warranty / replacement in some cases.

Kind Regards,

NonSequitur777