M1330 and popping/crackling sound

Hi guys, received my M1330 a couple of days ago and have a few issues (uneven base, CPU whine- enough documentation and info for me to not make a new thread about) and the one I'm most mystified by is popping/crackling sound through the headphone port. In addition, this popping/crackling sound seems to be related to graphics drivers.

With no audio-related applications opened, pretty much every single sound effect played by a program i.e. MSN Messenger will be accompanied by a very brief crack/pop. In addition, when opening iTunes/Windows Media Player, right before the app comes up the cracks/pop would go on for about half a second and then the app starts. In addition, during music playback the sound would stutter randomly.

I read somewhere on this forum that by going to nVidia 156.10 drivers the problem would be fixed. Well, I tried it and music playback stuttering was gone but the crackling/popping was still there. Also tried the the 169.01 from laptopvideo2go.com and the same thing, but somehow stuttering is back (although not nearly as bad as the stock drivers).

It would be great to have some testimonies of people who have had similar problems, and what you did to alleviate/solve the issue.

The M1330 is such a nice laptop, it's a great shame that Dell has such poor quality control. If I could find a 12-13 inch laptop with dedicated graphics for $1800 AUD, and has no issues such as uneven base, CPU whine etc I would definitely go for it. But as it stands, the M1330 is untouchable in terms of value...