crackling issue with brand new HP Pavilion Desktop PC

[gareth7706]

hi, i just can't get my audio crackle free. Tried allsorts in settings but everything crackles, youtube, ableton and even the testing beeping noise has crackling. Any ideas please. Many thanks.

[Nal_NR]

Hi @gareth7706,

Welcome to the HP Support Community. 

I'd be glad to help you! 

I'm sorry you're experiencing this issue with your brand-new HP Pavilion Desktop PC. Let's get some clarity to help pinpoint the problem. Here are a few questions:

• Does the crackling occur with both external speakers and headphones or is it limited to a specific audio output?
• Have you tried connecting your PC to a different power outlet or using a surge protector to rule out electrical interference?
• Are you using the integrated sound card, or do you have an external audio interface or sound card connected?
• Does the crackling issue persist in Safe Mode or when booting from a live operating system (e.g., Linux USB)?
• Have you updated or installed any third-party audio drivers, or are you using the default drivers provided by Windows?

Did you update on the latest drivers from the HP website? Click here to check. 

If the issue persists, please try the below steps:

1. Go to Windows Device Manager > Sound, video and game controllers section.
2. In the list of audio device drivers, look for Realtek High Definition Audio or Conexant (depending on what driver you have).
3. Right-click and select Disable. The downward arrow displays on this driver, indicating it is disabled. (NOTE: At this point, you won’t be able to play any music files.)
4. Right-click and select Update Driver Software.
5. Select Browse my computer for driver software.
6. Select Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer.
7. You should see a window that says Select the device driver you want to install for this hardware. NOTE: If you see a window that says something like This is the best driver for this device, exit the window and repeat steps 4, 5, and 6.
8. In the Model box, highlight High Definition Audio Device (this is the substitute audio device driver) and click Next.
9. At the Update Driver Warning window, click Yes. You should see a confirmation window with High Definition Audio Device displayed. Click Close.
10. In the list of audio device drivers in the Sound, video and game controllers section, you’ll notice that the High Definition Audio Device now displays instead of Realtek High Definition Audio.
11. At the prompt to reboot, click Yes.
12. check if it works fine.

Keep me posted for further assistance

Please mark this post as “Accepted Solution” if the issue is resolved and if you feel this reply was helpful click “Yes”.