Crackling sound while playing music in HP SPECTRE X360 Ultrabook

[TedSteel]

Dax - Sorry it's come to this for you. Please keep us posted. The crackling has not gone away for me either (and for many other it sounds like).

As you're probably well aware, an electrical hum and the continual static points to hardware, at least on the surface.  Out of curiousity, does it do it on battery alone, while plugged in to a charger or both?

Best of luck.

[daxliniere]

Hey guys,

I have just solved a different sound-related problem regarding DTS "enhancements" that won't stay off. No idea if it will help with the crackles you're experiencing, but it's still a very worthwhile fix to apply.

http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Audio/DTS-Audio-Control-Panel-Audio-Enhancements-dont-stay-off...

I even gave myself a new 'badge' for it. 😉

Enjoy! I will be spreading this far and wide tomorrow, hopefully helping lots of disgruntled HP Spectre users who've been suffering through cruddy sound from an otherwise excellent laptop.

Take care,

Dax Liniere.

[daxliniere]

Hi Ted Steel,

Sorry, it looks like the forum has stopped sending me notifications of posts.

I can't remember whether the laptop was on mains or battery at the time but, as ever, I will keep a keen ear out for the problem and take a note if it occurs again. Then send this thing back. With my luck they'll send me a new laptop for which my recent DLL fix does not work... 😕

[Zshani]

Hey Dax,

Thanks for the struggle and effort you have been through to nail those 19 files as you have mentioned in the given link. I did as you have suggested:

1. Unpacked the sound driver pack
2. Deleted the file
3. Then allowed to run the setup

The laptop booted/started twice but then the audio icon on the right bottom corner was having a red dot on it, showing that no audio device was installed.

So all I did was clicked on the icon and it started detecting the device and then the voice was back.

It is still crackling... Although the DTS disappeared from control panel but it can be accessed by RtkNGui64.exe.

I have played with the listening enhancements tab i.e., audio, music, movie/video and it is affecting the sound. Even the bass and trebble bars also affect the sound when they slide up and down.

Please suggest what you think about it.
Many thanks once again...

PS: I'll copy the same text onto your **bleep** on other forum as well just in case if you don't get it here 😋👍

[TedSteel]

Dax - no worries at all on the delay. Allow me to apologize for my delay now.

So I'm incredibly frustrated with this machine now. How many updates have we gone thru and troubleshooted and the issue remains? The sound may seem like a very minor thing... but come on, this should just work correctly in 2015/2016. It's not like it's the 1990's and sound cards just got fancy.

HP - you were on here MONTHS ago saying this was a recognized issue and it had been escalated to HP engineering. Are you still reading this thread or have you stuck your head in the sand indefinitely?

I'm getting very close to asking for a refund. My warranty runs out in April. I really had the highest of hopes that this was going to be fixed by now...

[mike6969]

crackling sound comes when speaker touches something, mainly the upper cover or keybord support...these laptops r very slim, like mine envy 13.3...sometime backcover(battery cover) dose not set properly...i have the same problem....then i give some little pressure on the cover edges behind the speakers...when the cover sit properly the creakling sound gone...

now i can see that bang &olufsen speaker r really good...if there r some software promlem then sorry for that...

[TedSteel]

Hi  Mike - 

There are two primary issues in this thread:

1) The crackling and left-channel audio pop happens on the laptop through the built-in speakers, headphones or external speakers. It's happening at all volume levels and does not change based on the level. This is happening for laptops with and without B&O speakers (I do not have the B&O speakers). Some people (like myself) bought early-model laptops that came with Win8.1 and had no sound issues with that OS. Then people upgraded to Win10 and suddenly had the issues. People who reverted back to Win8.1 are not having the issues anymore. Thus, this almost conclusively proves this is software related.

2) The DTS Audio "enhancements" automatically enabling itself every time the laptop restarts or goes to sleep. Many feel the software-driven audio enhancements do not sound as good as when they are disabled (I'm in that camp too). So having to go into the DTS control pannel every time the laptop recycles or re-awakes from sleep becomes cumbersome at best.

These issues are happening for a large number of folks within this thread. I suspect there are others following this thread that haven't spoken up yet (which is fine) who are also experiencing these issues. These issues above are not related to the thickness of the laptop, although it sounds like in your situation, you are experiencing a mechanical build and/or design quality issue. I do not have the B&O speakers so I can't speak to this.

Ted

[Zshani]

Hello folks!!

I've purchased the laptop in March 2015 as soon as it came out. I an experiencing problems on windows 8.1 and 10 both. I've installed and uninstalled birth the windows a few times to be make sure if the windows is actually causing this. At least in my case it wasn't and isn't the windows. The latency monitor shows that it's to do with the WLAN and this was already mentioned by some of victims in the forum.

The real cause is still unknown, which is quite sad and HP didn't do anything about it yet. So many BIOS and REALTEK sung driver updates have been issued but in vain. Dax suggested deleting 19 files before the actual install, unfortunately this didn't bring any fruitful results for me. I appreciate your efforts Dax, nonetheless and glad that it's working for you.

My gut feeling is that when the WiFi connects the hissing/HDD read alike and crackling sound starts to surface. As disabling the WiFi card stops all the noises, but then again it's not a solution by any means.

I've called HP numerous times but all they could offer in the end is repairs. My new laptop went for repairs came back with the same noise issue even though the motherboard and speakers were replaced. More so, before the clicking and popping noise used to cube from only left speaker but now from both the speakers. I used to think that it is software related, by sometimes it worries me as what if the whole design is flawed..🙁

Called HP again and they said to send it again for repairs. Out of desperation and frustration yet being hopeful sent it again for repairs, and revived my laptop with the trackpad replaced, which is loosely fit and rattling.

Please HP, there are so many of us attracted by this problem. I'm sure everyone is who purchased this machine but they may have overlooked it out are simply too lucky to have not faced the same problem.

I've also deleted the REALTEK driver and followed the series of steps as laid by Dax but still no success. I just hope we somehow get the solution.

Peace !!

[TedSteel]

Maybe we start a new thread in the general forums area, entitle it:

"Hey HP are you reading this thread still?" and point a lot of other people to this thread. It may raise awareness from a wider base of customers.

Having suggested this, there is a strong chance this post will be deleted or altered by HP.

[Zshani]

Yeah, coz they will find it as campaigning... Well the matter is simple. We give you money and you give us the right product with user experience as intended by this laptop.

Failing that learn something from Apple. They dummy play their customers, they help them and trails their issue. Take a faulty product to their store and they give you a replacement straight away.

I'm not an apple fun but got to admire what's good about them. Seriously, why can't HP formulate a team of even two well versed engineers to resolve this issue. It is doable, l simply don't get it....