Sudden poor audio quality--buzzy

[wittrockli]

The audio quality on my laptop is suddenly very poor. Everything sounds very buzzy to the point where it's hard to understand when watching a show. This is only with the laptop's speakers. The sound is fine when I use headphones. I've tried uninstalling and reinstalling the audio drivers, updating everything, removing battery. Nothing has worked.

[A4Apollo]

Hi! @wittrockli,

Have you tried playing audio from a different audio player or a different browser?

Try the steps recommended below to solve audio issues.

Change Sound Format 

1) Right-click the sound icon at the bottom right corner of your desktop and select Playback devices.
2) Highlight your default audio device, which should have a green tick on its icon, then click Properties. 
3) Go to the Advanced tab. Select from the drop-down box 16 bit, 44100 Hz (CD Quality). Then click Apply and OK to save the change. 
If CD Quality option fails to help you solve the popping sound issue, try to choose another audio format and see what happens. 

Disable Sound Enhancement

1) Right-click the sound icon at the bottom right corner of your desktop and select Playback devices.  
2) Highlight your default audio device, which should have a green tick on its icon, then click Properties. 
3) Go to the Enhancements tab. Check the box for Disable all enhancements. Then click Apply and OK to save the change. 

Also, 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 Realtek High-Definition (HD) 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 Realtek High-Definition (HD) Audio.
At the prompt to reboot, click Yes.
If the issue still persists try the steps recommended below.

Lastly, try running an audio test from F2 system diagnostics page under components test select audio test and check if the hardware components on the PC are functioning correctly.

Refer this article to know more information about running system diagnostics on your PC. Click Here

Refer this article to know more information about audio issues. Click Here

Let me know if this works!

Have a great day! 🙂

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[wittrockli]

Thank you for the suggestions! Changing the sound format did not help, nor disabling sound enhancements. I tried switching to the high defintion audio device and the audio is noticeably different. The buzziness is much less but still present, but the sound volume is also much lower now even at max. Diagnostics show everything working correctly.

[A4Apollo]

Hi! @wittrockli,

Thanks for the update.

Try updating the BIOS and audio drivers on the PC to the latest version and check if it helps.

Update the audio drivers using this link. Click Here

Update the BIOS using this link. Click Here

Have a blessed day ahead!

Take Care! 

Please click “Accept as Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.

Click the “Kudos, Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!