S-XPS 1640 and 1645 Audio buzzing/cracking/distortion 60-80%+ volume (to Bill for engineers)

Hey guys,

You can hear this effect around 60%-80%+ volume(varies by system) usually from the right speaker(more noticeable). It sounds like a speaker when its damaged from high volume or a bad amp you hear a buzzing/cracking/distortion sound on the right speaker usually(you can also verify it with the dell audio diagnostic, test my Dell technician even realized it). Ive had 3 xps's replaced(due to other issues) all of them had the same problem (additionally I had 2 speaker replacements and they had the same problem). sxps 1640 and 1645. I remember when a technician came and opened my motherboard I took a look at the side speakers. It seems that the right speakers are loose compared to the left ones. You can press on it and it goes a bit in and out.

I just wanted to start a new thread for Bill to bring this issue also to the attention of the engineers. I think I know what the problem is, I will be putting rubber pads in my laptop to enforce the speakers from vibrating. Someone brought this solution to my attention a long time ago.

Reference:
Post number 10(Metroline solution): http://en.community.dell.com/forums/t/19258055.aspx

Does anyone else have this problem? Verify so Bill can bring it to the attention of the engineers. Bills going to have big meeting with big players soon so post up if you do have this issue so he can bring it to the table. I didn't want to use the throttling thread for this issue.

My temporary solution is not to go about 60% volume... since it's load already but it would be nice to blast the volume and listen to music while doing other chores in the house or hang with friends but the audio quality is terrible.

Note: I can not verify this for sxps 1647 because I do not have one.

I will give you guys an update on my results, when I dampen the system with pads and reinforce it.

 

Can a mod kindly update my topic title to "S-XPS 1640 and 1645 Audio buzzing/cracking/distortion 60-80%+ volume (to Bill for engineers)"

Thank you, it seems that post edit doesn't change it.

 

Sure, all SXPS 1645 have this problem...my does as well as one of my colleague...we both tried to have it solved by Dell technician and partially it helped...

BUT it's not a speaker problem, problem is, that subwoofer causes strong vibrations and pieces of palmrest are hitting either optical drive, or card reader (that's why you hear it from the right side mainly).

TRY PLAYING SOME TROUBLING SOUND WHILE HAVING YOUR PALMREST LIFTED ABOVE THE BODY OF LAPTOP AND YOUR PROBLEM MAGICALLY DISAPPEARS!!!

EDIT: on our laptops there was also the problem that hdd screws (that holds hdd in the cage) were loose, but it didn't help very much...

 

wow I can verify that it distortion is greatly reduced till 90% volume doing that but I dont want to stress my speakers also, these speakers are damn powerful. I dont want to crack them or damage them.

 

Any progress?

 

I can confirm problems with the vibrating of parts with my speakers. They distort greatly with apps like Skype

 

As far as I know, All XPS Studio have this speaker issues....I can confirm that 1647 has it as well, I had a technician came to replace my plam rest, it didn't help, as we realized it is the sub-woofer that's making all the cracking noises...Dell is replacing my laptop with a new one...I am still waiting for it to arrive...

There has been discussion about this rattling/cracking issue in this forum already, it can be found here:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=369811

If you want to check weather your xps has this issue, play this with 100% volume, and see if you hear any rattling noises:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQqiQfsYVA8

A lot of xps owners have this issue, but choose not to say anything about it, as it appears to be a minor problem and can be solved if you have external speakers. At the same time, people don't want to go through the hassle to get a replacement and reinstall everything.... I personal thinks if I paid this much money for this laptop, I am expecting everything to work, and I don't have external speakers.....

 

That's my point...i didn't expect to have such problems with so expensive laptop (not mentioning throttling and overheating, which is just ridiculous anyway). I really feel like I've been sold a piece of cr*p :-(

One of the reasons I bought this one rather than Asus G51j or Sony F is because I watch a lot of movies with my girlfriend in bed and this laptop was told to have really good sound...so you can imagine my disappointment :-(

 

Don't get me wrong Studio XPS series by far have the most superior speakers I've ever heard on a laptop but due to poor design it fails.

 

Yes I agree, but when I watch movie and hear those vibrations I don't really care what's the cause...I'm simply disappointed...

 

It really aches my heart not being able to use them to their full potential.

 

Yea I had this problem and feel the same way. I went inside and put pads in between the sub-woofer and keyboard back. I even put some on the troubled areas, on the blu-ray drive and card reader to put more down force on them to prevent rattling. It worked but I couldn't shut my palm rest all the way so I was forced to undo the mod.


I keep reading that people have gone through numerious replacements. How? It seems so easy. I have so many issues with my 1640.A small list, extreme heat being one of them..I would love to get it replaced with a 1647.

Do you have to go through replacement PARTS before you can get a new laptop? Any advise would be great..

 

...I also have the 9 cell, so the back is lifted slightly, and thus does create some space between the base of the computer and the desktop. I don't know if it matters, it's just one more piece of the puzzle.


Sorry, I'm not seeing it. I did play your piece found at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQqiQfsYVA8.

I played it at volumes from 50% to 100%

I don't know if it makes a difference, but I do use the IDT audio control panel. I change the setting and eq, depending on what it is that I am doing whether it is watching a movie or listening to music.

For your test, i did select music and classical, and the clip sounded great to me with no vibration or "rattling."

Just sharing my experience.

Dan

 

i just got my replacement laptop.....SADLY, the rattling issue still exist......I don't know what to deal with this now...very frustrating...

 

I'm sorry to hear of your frustrations.

Did you try testing with the IDT control panel, Creative control panel, or just ole' Windows 7?

That may be something else to look at. Does everyone having this issue have the same audio components? I have the IDT audio, and have had no problems. /fingers crossed.

 

Yeah, I used IDT control and and the windows sound panel, I figured out a solution, basically, I need to disable all the bass, If you go to
IDT control panel >>>speakers/headphones >>>SRS Premium , then change the SRS Trubass to 0%, that will reduce the buzzing noise by a lot...
but then, the music doesn't sound as good as with the bass....so I wouldn't call this a solution...

 

....bummer, as I have optimize bass routing enabled; and it still sounds great.

Well, it was a theory worth pursuing.

Good Luck.

 

Hey Guys,
Even my XPS's system used to rattle like hell. It is more of a software issue i think. I did few steps and it worked for me. Try it out and lemme know does it work for you. Thanx.

Step 1: Uninstall the IDT Driver suppplied by dell and restart the computer.

Step 2: Install these unofficial drivers available from this post: Issues with Dell Studio XPS 16 IDT HD Audio. Credits to iaTa for the nice find.

Step 3: Go to IDT Audio Control Panel located in control panel and turn off SRS Premium Sound (After restart it turns on again so dont fidget around with it. Just leave it)

Step 4: Go to Sound Properties in Control Panel. In the Playback tab click on Speakers/Headphones and click Properties. Go to Enhancements and select Disable all Enhancements.

For me after I installed the new driver, Creative software got corrupted so I had to uninstall and reinstall it.

Step 5: Go to Creative Audio Control Panel. Go to Restore Defaults tab and select Audio Settings and click Restore Defaullts and click Close. Restart the computer.

I just gave these steps coz it worked for me and i have no rattling issue anymore. I do have the bleep issue. I know its not a full proof solution but that all we can do until Dell or IDT releases an Updated Driver.

 

The main trick is Disabling all Enhancements!

 

Did it help anyone?? or it doesnt work?

 

I'll try the disable all enhancements trick..

Also, what EQ settings are you using to stop the vibrations?

 

I am using none. Any eq setting I keep. Its sounds fine now. I use Itunes, Wmplayer and winamp. All work gr8.

 

So.. disabling enhancements fixed this? Really?

 

Basically, if you use the option on the Windows control panel, you disable *all* enhancements including the EQ and EAX/Crystalizer if you have Creative X-Fi MB. SRS I have found is the problem, but the option to disable it doesn't stay after a system reboot or fully disable the feature. In order to disable SRS completely, one must navigate the registry HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\IDT\Apo\LFX\Speaker1\plugins\SRS and change the DWORD "load" from 1 (for true/on) to 0 (for false/off). The other thing that helps is to get the latest driver from http://forums.laptopvideo2go.com/topic/23793-latest-sigmatel-idt-drivers/ , which are considerably newer than what Dell provides.

 

Its not like thats the only step to do. Check all 5 steps i posted. Did you try?

 

It helps but doesn't fix the problem. I still get rattle from my optical drive and card reader.

 

Oh, did you do all the steps? What do you think? Its a hardware or software issue for you?
I can play any music in full volume. Its doesnt rattle at all nw. The only issue i have nw is the bleep.

 

Wait, we should really make something clear - by disabling enhancements etc you just lower volume of the bass component of the sound (that's what SRS or how is that crap called does - makes lower frequencies louder, just like equalizer) so that subwoofer doesn't make so much vibrations...but since it's NOT a software problem (!!!) this is not a solution, just a workaround!!!

I mean you literally hear some pieces inside laptop hitting each other...from around cardreader / optical drive...

 

This is one issue I don't have with my XPS16.. Thank God!

 

Maybe I missed something, but Bill/Todd/Brad are you aware of this issue?

Thx

 

I don't get it, so many people have SXPS 16 and so few have this problem, but me and also my colleague we have exactly the same problem with vibrations. Technician came to replace palmrests, subwoofer and speakers on both of our systems because of this and it still happens for both of us...
Also the technician admitted that it's a design flaw...
And it IS a hardware/design problem, since there is no such problem when I lift a palmrest (with speakers) above the body of the laptop so that no piece can hit anything...

So are people just so undemanding or what's going on?

 

You're probably spot on. Frankly, I've had my 1645 since December and have never once had my volume past 40%. Anytime I actually want louder volume, I either use overpriced headphones or external speakers. No matter how great the sound on the 1645 could be, it'll never compare to my Klipsch

In other words, I doubt many people are playing audio loud enough to exhibit this issue... even though the underlying problem most likely affects all units.

 

Sounds like all we need is a soft "buffer" in between the speakers and the rest of it.

 

Trust me for both of us me and my colleague those vibrations happen even at a really low volume and I can guarantee you that everybody who ever watched a movie on this machine had to have the volume louder than this...

th3van: Indeed I also think that this (done in a right way) would be a solution, but I don't want to screw something up by elaborating on this so that I'd really like Dell to have a look at this...

 

Should I consider myself lucky then? At 40% volume, I'm not hearing any buzzing, cracking or rattling.

Between this and the flickering reports, apparently my vision and hearing at failing

 

For example try this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsxHuW26rc8 and this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dPS-EHl-FE&feature=related

Try tuning your volume up and down and tell me where the vibrations kick in, it happens only due to some certain tones (frequencies), so be patient, maybe it will be at 60% for you, but I don't believe you don't have any...

EDIT: Also are you sure that your subwoofer works at all? Do you feel it "subbing" under your right hand???

 

solution to the problem!

check out the thread

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=465501

 

HeadHunter, at no point have I said that my system is free of this issue. In fact, I mentioned earlier that all systems likely suffer from the exact same design flaw. What I am disagreeing with is your comment that "vibrations happen even at a really low volume." I consider 40% volume reasonably loud and I'm not experiencing any of the issues you've described. Would I notice something if I bumped my volume up to, say, 60%? Maybe, but again, I'm not really concerned about that because I'm entirely satisfied with 40%.

You asked:

And I responded...

If it's not a matter of volume and instead frequency, then I'll consider this a problem when I actually experience it in normal usage. Playing music pretty much every day for the last three months, I have never had any issues with my configuration. Your mileage may vary, of course, but I'm merely providing another perspective on why this issue may not be gaining as much traction as you think it should.

 

Found a surefire reproducible way to test this (at least on my machine).

Go to http://www.gieson.com/Library/projects/utilities/tuner/

Play the "d" note (or just hit the letter d on your keyboard)

Listen to all that buzzing! I've also figured out that it appears to be generated on the right side of the notebook, as if I clamp any part of the right side with my hand, the buzzing seizes immediately!

Maybe something is just loose?

 

Now realize that subwoofer is actually slightly on the right side of the laptop and there is also card-reader and optical drive and voila you know what/where is the problem...but nothing is loosen I can tell you, I reassembled it several times...

 

Just an update to this issue:

I had a dell technician just come out and replace my whole palm rest. Didn't fix the issue and may have made it slightly worse. I'll look into metrolines solution but this is a very sad flaw on the XPS 16. This is a HARDWARE flaw so anyone trying to post solutions such as disabling audio enhancments, updating drivers and the like, is dead wrong. These will not fix the issue and i am very upset that my $1800 laptop sounds like something from the junkyard.

Just pitiful

 

Mine has this problem too. It gets less when I deactivate the sound enhancements in IDT control panel. But they get back activated after each restart and each speaker plugged in or out. Very annoying to deactivate it every time.
Meanwhile I wished I could give it back to Dell and get my money back and buy something else. But that won't be so easy, I believe...

 

Yeah the buzzing is pretty lame..

 

I have a couple of somewhat different issues, but can reproduce what is being discussed here...
(crossed posted this in the thread i have going to log issues with my 1645
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=6130068)

1) Popping noise when adjusting volume
- While listening to some music I started to notice that when I adjust the volume up or down there is a popping noise associated with touching the sound buttons, this come from both the left and right side, sometime louder than others. Seems to become noticeable starting anywhere from 10-60% vol, depending on output and music. Also makes popping noise when changing volume from task bar, or when switching stations in itunes.
- Popping follows through to external speakers and/or headphones, although to a lesser extent.
- This reminds me of a dirty rheostat in old stereo equipment, but this is all electronic
edit: SOLVED 04/19/10 - Updated to IDT Driver 6.10.0.6267 from dell and this seems to have cured the popping noise while adjusting volume.

2) The 2nd headphone port in has its low frequencies clipped, 1st headphone port has way more base. This is very noticeable at moderate volumes with a pair of Grado Labs SR60 headphones.
edit: SOLVED 04/17/10 -The IDT control panel has different frequencies outputs to do 5.1 channel.

3) I can reproduce similar issues to what is discussed here, at around 60-70% I can start to hear scratchy distortion/rattling happening on the right hand side, not real bad until 80-90%, this really just reminds me of speakers that are being overpowered, most laptops I’m used to having to crank the audio all the way up…the 1645 limit seems to be around 60% power. The solution link didn't solve the problem, perhaps muted it to a lesser extent...
edit: SOLVED 04/19/10 - partially solved...when the tech replaced the DVD drive, he must have tightened up some stuff, the rattle associated with heavy base is all but gone, sound tight now...BUT i can really notice certain tones and especially voices make the right size vibrate/rattle like crazy...

Given all that for the most part the audio still sounds pretty good, it just has issues that a $2k laptop probably shouldn't have...

 

Hi Guys,

Me too, i'm reaaaaaaaally frustrated with my beautiful over-expensive piece of high tech that sounds like a fifty-second hand 1950's radio...

Has anyone dismantled their dell to tighten/fix/glue/whatever their speakers with success ?

Does the dismantling include any "Garanty void" seal breaking ?

I bought a Dell hoping that it would be best buy possible. In the end, my old cheap Asus still has better sound with 3 years of age....

 

I believed I found a solution to the rattling and cracking. Now this is a fix for the speaker and not if you have screws loose already. Although this does fix how much it rattles because you don't have distorted sounds getting fed into your sub. Basically the main problem is caused by two things first the creative sound blaster files cause distortion when used with the IDT drivers (you would think dell would have known this). Second the sub needs to be crossed over to cut out low frequencies ( this is not that important but if you want to eliminate all distortion you need to do this with separate software)

OK first thing to do is uninstall all the following:

IDT Audio Drivers
Sound Blaster X-Fi
Creative Audio FX ( think thats what is called)

Secondly restart the computer and let it install the default drivers. Once complete download the following IDT package here and install http://ftp.us.dell.com/audio/R280657.exe

After this is done you can enable SRS and everything should be clear and no bad distortion coming from the sub to cause rattling.

This step is optional but I found it tightened up the base and gave much clearer sound. I installed Breakaway audio enhancer from here Breakaway Audio Enhancer - Free software downloads and software reviews - CNET Download.com

If you want to use the SRS included with the IDT package then when installing select safe mode and choose that as your source.

This program will cut most of the low frequencies of the sub out so you don't get sounds that the speakers cant even handly which cause the distortion and in turn rattles everything around it.

These are my settings on breakaway the last two are the most important:
Range 100
Power 50
Speed 75
Bass Cut -50 (important)
Bass Shape -50 Low (important)


This is simply what i did to stop the rattling problem on my 1645. I orginally only had very little rattling coming from the cardslot beside the sub but now that the sound is clear and loud i barley here it although I still think one of these days i am going to open it up tighten some screws and maybe put foam spacers.

Let me know if this worked for anyone else.

 

I will give this a shot, but jsut to clear it up. You have the IDT SRS enabled and also the Breakaway settings? Thanks again for the guide.

 

Well the best results I found are with just IDT and Breakaway but if you want to use SRS with breakaway just hit safe mode at the beginning when installing breakaway and use the Speakers/Headphones as the source and then you can enable or disable SRS as you please. If you dont hit safemode you can use Line 1 i believe but the SRS wont work. You also can just use IDT and SRS. I personally just found the creative drivers really caused a lot of bass distortion.

 

Seems like this takes over the windows controls. How can I adjust the volume properly? Thanks

 

Well after some more testing and another replacement of my sub woofer from dell i decided to play with the IDT equalizer and to my surprise i found simply putting the 125 hz to -4db and almost eliminating the 250 hz at -8 db and finally the 500hz at -3db it seems to have eliminated all distortion and now i feel i have quite a bit better quality of sound. I still have the Creative uninstalled and I am running without breakaway as it does seem to mess with the volume controls as stated above. So just letting others know if they are still having problems.