Audio driver issues with both RealTek and Windows HIgh Definition Audio Device drivers

[Salanaar]

It seems like no matter what I do,  one issue or another appears with my device's audio drivers. 

With preinstalled RealTek drivers, my computer experienced an audio delay issue. It's a common one where there is a 2-3 second period of silence after the computer does not play audio for ~30sec. I ended up changing to the Windows driver in hopes it would eliminate that issue.

With the Windows High Definition Audio Device, the delay was thankfully removed, but something worse took its place. The left audio channel of my headphones crackled and popped with varying strength with any audio being played, especially from sites like YouTube and social media sites. 

I ended up going back to RealTek drivers, and now that awful static and popping is gone, but the latency issue is back, with a period of silence before audio resumes.

I have tried the fix with editing the ConservationIdleTime, IdlePowerState, and PerformanceIdleTime values with Registry Editor; any changes I made reverted after I restarted my computer to actually implement them, though.

These issues are not to do with my headphones - it persists across types of headphones and they work normally with other computers. I even replaced them to see if it would help; it didn't.

I can't go back to the HDAD driver with its awful static in the left audio channel, and the audio lag is driving me mad. Is there any way I can either remove static from HDAD, fix the RealTek audio latency with a different method, or stop Registry Edit from reverting its settings when I restart? Or any alternative solutions?

I have run the preinstalled Windows troubleshooter many times as well.

[Echo_Lake]

@Salanaar
Thank you for posting on the HP Support Community.

I have a few troubleshooting steps we could try to fix the issue:  

Perform Windows Update and HP Support Assistant:

To check for updates now, select the Start button, and then go to Settings  > Update & security  > Windows Update, and select Check for updates.

Install updates from HP Support Assistant: Go to Download HP Support Assistant to install the tool.

1. To open the HP Support Assistant, double-click the HP Support Assistant icon .
2. Click My devices in the top menu, and then click Updates in the My PC or My notebook pane.
3. Click Check for updates and messages to scan for new updates.
4. Review the list of updates. Updates with a yellow information icon are recommended. Updates with a blue information icon are optional.
5. Click the update name for a description, version number, and file size.
6. Select the box next to any updates you want to install, and then click Download and install.

Use the troubleshooting tool in Windows

The audio troubleshooting tool in Windows can automatically fix common audio recording and audio playback problems with your computer. Run the troubleshooting tool using the following steps:

• In Windows, type find and fix audio into Search, or right-click the speaker icon  in the taskbar and select Troubleshoot sound problems.
• Select Find and fix audio playback problems or Find and fix audio recording problems from the Search results.
• Click Next.
• Select the device you want to troubleshoot and click Next.
• Wait while the troubleshooter detects problems and makes changes (or prompts you to make changes).
• When the troubleshooter is done, the Troubleshooting has completed page is displayed, listing any problems found and what changes were made to the computer.
• Click Close.
• If a recommended action is displayed, select Apply this fix.

Restoring the audio driver in HP Recovery Manager:

1. In Windows, search for and open Recovery Manager.
2. Click Reinstall drivers and/or applications.
3. Select the audio driver in the list, and then click Install.
4. Wait for the driver to reinstall. When the installation is complete, click OK.
5. Close HP Recovery Manager and then restart your computer.
6. Test for sound. If the audio problem persists after reinstalling the driver, try updating the driver using Device Manager.

Updating the audio driver using Device Manager:

Make sure the audio device is enabled and then update the audio driver using Device Manager as follows:

1. In Windows, search for and open Device Manager.
2. Double-click Sound, video and game controllers.
3. If a sound device is listed with a down arrow, the device is disabled. Right-click the sound device name and select Enable to re-enable the device.
4. With the sound device enabled, right-click the sound device and select Update Driver Software.
5. Click Search automatically for updated driver software.
6. Windows checks for and installs any updated drivers found. The window displays whether the computer already has the latest available driver or if Windows was able to successfully update the audio driver.
7. If a window opens asking you to restart the computer, restart the computer.
8. Test for sound. If the audio problem persists after updating the driver, continue to the next step.

If you completed these steps and the latest driver was already installed, use the following steps to uninstall and then reinstall the driver:

1. In Windows, search for and open Device Manager.
2. Double-click Sound, video and game controllers.
3. Right-click the sound device and select Uninstall.
4. Restart the computer to reinstall the driver.
5. Test for sound. If the audio problem persists after reinstalling the driver, continue to the next step.

BIOS Update: Follow steps from the link: https://support.hp.com/in-en/document/c00042629

Hope this helps! Keep me posted for further assistance.
Please click “Accept as Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.