Notebook Audio

Hi all,

I bought an HP ENVY x360 Convertible 13 about 3 months ago. About a month and a half ago, I heard faint scratching noises coming from the device. The scratch sounds have no specific patterns or intensity as they occur for random lengths of time at random instances. Sometimes the noises occur only once a day and then do not happen for a few days, in other cases, they occur multiple times in a span of an hour. The only thing that I can definitively say is that the scratching sounds come from the speakers regardless of if some audio is playing or not. It does not hinder the regular audio and is often quite faint. But when occurring consecutively, the noises become increasingly loud. 

Here is a 10-second audio clip of the scratching noises: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NLtj-lQwzkpO2_ha5_dx61dhlnjn7kGy/view?usp=sharing

I have tried changing the playback devices, using alternate audio outputs, and reinstalling audio drivers, but nothing seems to work. Upgrading to Windows 11 did not change anything either. I will be tweaking the audio settings a bit more but until then, I am suspecting it is a hardware issue. However, other posts in the forum show that it could still be a software issue. How should I troubleshoot this? My warranty is still active, should I send the device for repairs? 

Thank you.