Bang & Olufsen (B&O) Audio Distorted on All Audio Playback

[TravelerHere]

Please, please, please, please. Can anyone help?

The headphones audio is not working properly. Quick backgrounder: The audio was working perfectly until last night when I received a Facebook Messenger call on my laptop (not unusual and has worked well until then). The call did not connect properly, and no audio could be heard, so it was disconnected on my laptop and I called the person back on my phone.

After the call, I went to playback a video in iTunes, and the headphones audio was suddenly severely distorted: I can hear highly distorted music and scene sounds (such as car doors closing, falling debris, traffic, etc.) with static, but voices/vocals/dialogue is nearly non-existent. When I turn the volume up, the distortion increases, but the voices/vocals/dialogue does not. This is now the status quo for all video and audio playbacks, including: iTunes; Netflix (in any browser or app); Hulu (in any browser or app); YouTube (in any browser); Vimeo (in any browser); Spotify (in any browser or app); Amazon Music (in any browser or app); and any websites or apps with sound, such as Noisli (in any browser or app).

Before commenting or offering solutions, please know that:

(1) This is not a hardware or headphones issue as the "Test" run on the headphones through the Sound Properties reflect they are working perfectly (the headphones work perfectly on other devices, but no other headphones work properly when connected to the laptop); and

(2) I have already done ALL of the following recommended steps without a resolution:

(a) Unplugged and reinserted the headphones jack (multiple times);

(b) Tried other headphones (basic Skullcandy earbuds, nothing special);

(c) No, it is not a volume issue;

(d) Changed System Sounds and restarted the computer with each change (multiple times);

(e) Updated the audio driver through Properties, the Device Manager, and Windows Update (it was already current);

(f) Uninstalled the device driver, restarted the computer, and reinstalled the driver (multiple times);

(g) Performed a hard reset (twice);

(h) Reset BIOS to defaults (once);

(i) Updated BIOS (it was already current);

(j) Ran the HP PC Hardware Diagnostics Audio Test (multiple times), which reported no issues;

(k) Ran the Windows Audio Troubleshooter (multiple times), which reported no issues;

(l) Configured audio devices, except the headphones, which doesn't allow "Configure", even as an administrator;

(m) Contacted Windows Support, who told me to do all the things I have already done, then told me it is a hardware problem (it is not a hardware problem);

(n) Contacted HP Support, who also told me to do all the things I have already done;

(o) Adjusted the HPAudioSwitch controls for General, Input, and Output devices, which only eliminated all sound from headphones when I turned off "Multistreaming" in the General section;

(p) The B&O Play Experience is only adjustable for the speakers and is grayed out and turned off for headphones;

(q) The speakers sound works perfectly and didn't change.

The following are the devices listed under the "Audio inputs and outputs" section in the Device Manager:

--Headphones (Realtek(R) Audio): enabled and updated

--Mic in at front panel (black) (Realtek(R) Audio): enabled and updated

--Microphone Array (Realtek(R) Audio): enabled and updated

--Speakers (Realtek(R) Audio): enabled and updated

--Stereo Mix (Realtek(R) Audio): enabled and updated

The OS is Microsoft Windows 10 Home, version 10.0.18362 Build 18362 (registered, not pirated)

The system type is x64-based PC.

Last updates occurred end of October 2019 (the issue began 05 November) and did not affect any audio.

All software is current and updated.

Thank you in advance to anyone who can help.

[Riddle_Decipher]

@TravelerHere That was a lot to read, and do excuse me if I missed something, that said, here's a few things that should help you resolve the issue:

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. Enjoy your music now with no compression.

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