Audio balance and crackling, also missing bang & olufsen controls

[plskier23]

Hi, so i recently got my laptop and love it, but it has a few sound issues I cant find a fix for. One, the sound balance  goes in and out between the middle speakers and side ones, which causes the volume to go from quiet to loud back to quiet, really annoying. Also theres a crackling noise sometimes coming for the front speakers it sounds like. And lastly I can't find the bang & olufsen controls anywhere, as if they weren't factory installed. I want to fine tune my eq and bass and maybe it would fix the sound issue. Please help 🙂

[A4Apollo]

Hi! @plskier23, Welcome to HP forums.

I understand you have audio issues with your laptop. Also, the B&G control panel is missing from your PC.

Don't worry I'll try to help you out.

Did you make any software or hardware changes on your laptop?

Please share the product number of your PC to assist you better.

Excellent description and a great diagnosis done. It is greatly appreciated.

Please try the steps recommended below.

Go to Windows Device Manager > Sound, video and game controllers section.
In the list of audio device drivers, look for Conexant High definition Audio. This is the device driver for BeatsAudio (a little bit sneaky, wouldn’t you say?).
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.)
Right-click and select Update Driver Software.
Select Browse my computer for driver software.
Select Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer.
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.
In the Model box, highlight High Definition Audio Device (this is the substitute audio device driver) and click Next.
At the Update Driver Warning window, click Yes. You should see a confirmation window with High Definition Audio Device displayed. Click Close.
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 Conexant High definition Audio.
At the prompt to reboot, click Yes.

If the issue still persists try the steps recommended below.

Is the loudness equalization off? If not, please:
Right, click the speaker icon
select 'Playback Devices'. 
Highlight the default device
Click Properties
Click Enhancements tab
Next to 'Loudness Equalization' take out the check mark in the box.
Click Apply
Click OK

If the issue still persists uninstall the audio driver from the device manager and install the drivers using the HP recovery manager.

Refer this article to know how to restore drivers using HP recovery manager.

Let me know if this works!

Have a great day! 🙂

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