Crackling sound while playing music in HP SPECTRE X360 Ultrabook

[SusanC0425]

I am also getting a popping sound in the left speaker and left earpiece when on headphones.  Thought I would join the conversation so HP can see more people coming to this forum for a solution.

[BinaryJay]

By the way, my workaround note is to just listen with Bluetooth headphones like my parrot zik or jabra revo. Sounds perfectly fine no matter what that way bypassing all of the ultrabook built in audio hardware.

Still waiting for a solution from HP......

[hfidek]

i think the main issue is the very bad quality of the speaker in this laptop.

even when playing with the dts setting i can still ear the speaker cracking.

hp? are you here?

[BinaryJay]

It has nothing to do with the speakers.

[marcolorenzo]

Read the previous comments. It has already been established that it is a driver problem, not a hardware problem. Otherwise we wouldn't be getting similar problems whilst using headphones. IMO, the speakers on this machine are actually quite good considering the form factor.

[TedSteel]

I actually thought that the latest Windows update from a week-ish ago might have fixed this as it was behaving itself for a bit. I'm still getting an intermittent pop from the left speaker, although it seems less frequent since the update. I've also been more diligent about recycling the machine more frequently (not claiming this fixes it...). Lastly, I've been using this for work about 8-10 hours a day and not doing a lot of audio/video stuff so I may not be giving the problem as much opportunity to present itself.

[Johne4U]

Has anybody noticed a recent change.  My audio at 100% is hardly loud enough to hear.  I think there was a recent bios update.  Is anybody else experiencing this?

I have had my 360 for a couple of months now.  The audio issue was really frustrating me, and I could see from the many forums that many other 360 owners where expereincing the same problem.  I had assumed (naively) that as this was clearly a fundimental issue with the laptop (rather than the odd user issue) that HP would be on this very quickly; particularly when you consider the premium price we have all paid.

I am so dissapointed that this has not been the case; indeed to insult us all, it seems HP simply refuse to aknowledge the issue at all, rather, prefering to send us all on a merry-go-round of reinstalling device drivers, windows OS, sending the laptop back etc. etc.  All to no avail (except wasting there cutomers valuable time).

The recent changes to the consumer rights act means we are entitled to a full refund if the item is faulty.  I feel this situation clearly falls into that bracket. 

I will be contacting HP this week with a view to seeking a full refund.  As the updated law allows the supplier at least an attempt to repair once, I suppose I will have to play that game, BUT, after that first attempt I will be demanding a full refund, as is my right.

The way HP have treated their customers on this matter is an absolute disgrace.

[Oye1994]

Just adding to the list of people that are having this problem. HP we are calling for your help, or I will turn to legal compensation as well! (Asking for a full refund)

[TedSteel]

My vantage point: I'm not sure I'm ready to threaten HP to take my laptop back. I suspect it's not purely an HP issue. Do a search without the Spectre x360 keywords and you'll see other manufacturer's laptops having similar issues.

I just found this article though:

http://www.tenforums.com/general-discussion/12589-windows-10-popping-sound-speakers.html

...and downloaded the LatencyMon tool referenced in that thread. It gives a bit more insight into the issues at hand than the previous tool I was using.

As BinaryJay said several posts ago, I think it's network/WLAN related and not necessarily the audio driver. In fact, after letting LatencyMon run for about 10 minutes, then going to the driver tab and sorting on "Highest execution", the RealTek driver (RTKI2SAC.sys) had no latency issues. The worst offenders, however, are Mircrosoft and McAfee Lifesafe related. Check out the attached screenshots.

Summary:

Worst Offenders:

RealTek Driver:

I will try messing around with various settings (power mgmt, etc.) and see if I can find a bandaid.

Ted

[Johne4U]

So I called HP support last week, even took a day off work so I could spend the inevitable 2 hours being told to do things I had already done!

Well guess what.... no acknowledgement that HP are aware of this issue, despite my referring the support assistant to the many forums (including this one) detailing users frustrations.

So I let her do what she insisted she needed to do; she remotely connected to my laptop, uninstalled the audio device driver, then installed an older version of this driver.  Unsurprisingly my sound worked (as it always had done), so she concluded that I needed her support no further. 

"But wait" I asked, "the issue has not been resolved; the crackling noise will reoccur any time between now, and the next few hours".  She then insisted that she HAD resolved the problem.

I persisted, to the point where she insisted that the laptop needed to come to HP "for a technician to repair it", I was informed they would have my laptop for between 7 to 9 business days!!!!!

I informed her that I was not prepared to be without my laptop (which I used for work), and that I felt that this was a known issue not with my specific laptop, but the x360 generally, and I therefore would prefer a full refund.  She told me that she would then escalate my support call and I would be contacted by a manager at HP within the next 1 to 2 Business working days.  I asked for a confirmation email of this, which I was assured I would receive.

3 working days have now passed.  I did not receive the confirmation email, nor I have had any contact from any manager, or indeed any body at HP.

I will have to wait until I can once again take a day off work to call them and insist that somebody that actually knows what they are doing, and has the authority to approve my refund, talks to me.  I am not looking forward to that conversation.

Oh, and the crackling returned within 15 minutes of the support call ending!