Tried your 1520's headphone jack?

If I have the in-home warranty, will they come to my house and replace the motherboard?

 

Yes they will. But I would stand over those techs and watch them closely. And make sure they ground themselves. You also want them to do an ops check before they go.

Remember, Dell hired them 'cause they were the cheapest the bidder.

 

True that.

 

lol dell better fix the problem please.

 

Yes, they will change the mother board for me they gave me a number for DHL to come and pick my computer and send it back this is not good for I wonder how long is going to take for me to get my computer back?

 

Maaan... I don't wanna send it back

 

People who have received replacement systems say the headphone jack issue is still there. At this point it sounds like Dell has no fix. But you can bet they know about it. I doubt they will ever admit to it because of the legal issues. This reminds me of the old creative Zen micro mp3 players that used to have head phone jacks that would lose soder connections giving you only one channel or nothing. It was pretty common and widescale but creative never admitted there was a issue. Many people were burned with that crap player. In their recent players the headphone jack issues suddenly dissapeared.

I own a 1420 and the sound is fine. However, if I were looking at the 1520 I would probably not buy one. After viewing these threads I would have to assume the worst that the issue may never be fixed. It may take a another generation or a different MOBO design modification to rid the sound issue. Maybe dell can fix it with software.... or maybe not. Remember, you only have 21 days from ship date to send it back. Unless you are willing to use a creative express card sound option etc... you could be stuck with this issue for years after the 21 days are up.

If enough people send their 1520's back you can bet Dell will speed up a fix.. even if it means a major MOBO design to do it.

 

D- Deal with crap.

E- Expect delays.

L- Lose your time and money.

L- Lose all sanity.

 

I'm having this problem too, I refuse to send my laptop back for a problem that won't be fixed with replacement. Has anybody tried to get Dell to give them a X-Fi expresscard sound card because of the problem?

HI_DesertNM: Funny you should mention the Zen Micro, I got one about 2 years ago when they were having the headphone jack problem, and it was the one worry that I had about buying one, I have never had a problem with it though, I still use it to this day.

 

If this noise is caused by poor shielding of the notebook or particular components, shouldnt it be possible to fix it by strategically placing aluminum foil inside the notebook to shield it?

I had a similar problem a couple years ago in my dorm room where my speakers were picking up radio station 88.1 and would not stop, it was quite audible too. I wrapped the speaker wires in aluminum foil and the problem went away. Maybe someone could try wrapping their headphone wires with aluminum foil? If the noise is being picked up by the speaker wires this would likely fix it and show what the problem is. Its not sightly though I know.

I am planning to order a 1520 this weekend since itll be tax free so if mine turns out to have this problem I will do some experimentation.

 

Good luck experimenting... in a month from now

 

my vostro does the same I ran rmclock and put a check in hlt OS at idele box and that helped alot but the noise is still there.

 

i'm experiencing no noise from my headphone jack. and even if i was, couldn't that problem be avoided by using a pair of bluetooth or USB headphones?

 

Wait wait wait - 21 DAYS?? What if you have a 1-year warranty??

 

Under warranty they can try to fix it. But their is no guarantee that will work. If you don't want to take the chance that Dell will not fix the problem properly, then you only have 21 days to return notebook. At this point I would try to get a free creative express card or tell them I will return it. Actually, I would not even buy it in the first place. This is the kind of issue these forums were made for. To avoid catastrophic issues that the consumer may be stuck with. This is a true deal breaker if I ever saw one. Just my 2cents.

 

I guess I'll keep it. I believe they have to fix it or replace it - anything that's wrong - be it a mobo, soundcard or anything

because when my previous laptop's (inspiron 5150) sound stopped working properly - they replaced the whole mobo for free,

If they don't fix or replace it under warranty - I will sue them

PS: it's just not much of a problem for me now, i don't use headphones that much.

 

Does anyone know how long it will take for them to fix it? I called them and they told me they would send a box in for them to fix it

 

No one does. Not even Dell. It depends on how many laptops they receive back. But I would say not less than a week.

 

they told me 5-8 days to fix my computer.

 

to "fix" your computer. Let us know if they succeed.

 

this threadshould be a sticky...

 

with the first 21 days I can get a different one (but I'm scared they with send me some refurb one) so I might go the fix it route.

"In this case I as per the warranty you have, there are two options availabe for
you ::

1) I can setup the depot service for you in which the system will be throughly
examined by our Dell technician in depot to resolve the issue in one go.

2) As per your system warranty is concerned, your system is under 21 days
customer satisfaction policy so I can set up a system exchang for you. Please
get back to me soon with your wish so that I can setup a service to get this
issue resolved without any delay.
"

 

This post should be a sticky. This is a major problem.

Remember before your 21 days you can ask for a new puter or a refund. After your 21 days, you are stuck with it and won't get a new one unless it is a complete POS and I'm sure Dell won't cal a noise problem in your headphone jack a major POS.

Don't let that 21 days expire.

I've invested a lot of time to this post and I don't even own a 1520. But I don't want to see people get hosed 'cause this noise problem is complete BS. Get what you what you paid for! Not what Dell thinks what you paid for. You worked all those long hours to save for this puter not Dell.

 

He received July 30th. Is this a sign that Dell is now making 1520's without the problem?

 

Well I don't know why, but my laptop makes noticeable noise only when I use dell's headphones.

There is no noise when I use:

1) My own headphones,
2) Built in speakers
3) External speakers
4) TV.

So I don't believe this is a major problem. I might be wrong though.

 

Would something like this solve the problem?

 

I'm upset, because the noise problem is really the only thing I dislike about the laptop. My screen is flawlessly gorgeous (WXGA+), and the speed since I reinstalled Vista w/o bloatware is fantastic.

Really, though, I've been looking for an excuse to buy a bluetooth headset, so...mayhaps I'll just bite the bullet. Have we actually CONFIRMED that a bluetooth headset doesn't have the problem?

Alternately, I would consider opening my laptop up and shielding the cable with aluminum foil if I wasn't afraid of shorting something. Quick, someone bolster my confidence so I can tinker!

 

Isn't that going to ruin your warranty?

 

Probably...do they have any seals or stickers anywhere that would be broken if the laptop was opened? Maybe I can request a motherboard repair, and when the tech comes, ask him to do it. The one tech that I had on my last laptop was pretty chill, he probably would've done it.

 

Usually there is some sort of protection - but I don't think Dell has any

like http://youtube.com/watch?v=qFoBuJr2l_M

 

Are you guys sure this isn't just a stethoscope effect? I have the same problem on my desktop with the onboard sound when I use earbuds, but not other headphones. This is perfectly normal although quite undesirable.

My Inspiron 1520 is set to arrive soon, I hope this is bearable..

 

It varies with the activity of the computer; I'm pretty convinced it has to do with the c2d processor as previously stated.

 

I plan on ordering a 1520, or Vostro 1500 tonight. To me it sounds like a bad ground. I work as a AV technician, and in almost all computers there is a sound like this when they are hooked to high powered speakers. We use what is called a direct box to fix the problem, which can lift the ground all together(i think thats how it was explained to me). Anyways, when using this box, we no longer get the noise. I have also had some time to experiment with this issue on my previous notebook. When plugged in, the noise was horrible. Upon unplugging the notebook from power, the noise completely disappeared. Using the direct box i could use the headphones and lave the laptop plugged in and not hear any noises. The box has the option of gnd/lift. The lift option is what kills the noises. To me, it sounds like either a shielding issue, or a grounding issue, but then again, im no professional

 

Mine has it unfortunatly.
I remember some threads a while back about some fixes but can't seem to find them anymore.

 

I don't know what the cause is, suffice to say that mine improved very slightly, if at all, when the power supply was unplugged. I'll call Dell sometime tomorrow evening, most likely, to see what can be done to resolve this problem.

 

This is horrible this issue is the only thing stopping me from enjoying my laptop, besides that annoying whine that is due to the Power States. I am going to call Dell and see what they can do if nothing I will return my laptop.

 

BTW I know not everyone will want to do this, but you can always buy the ExpressCard X-Fi Extreme Audio for about 60-70 bucks (same that you would pay when configuring your system) afterwards. Not that you should have to, but I do want to say you can.

Does this issue occur on regular headphones too or just earbuds, the ones that go deeper in your ear? Because if it's only the latter of the two, then I can say that is a flaw of earbuds rather than the notebook, and it's really more about how sound transfers because of the stethoscope effect.

 

Are you thinking about RMClock?
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=147118&page=2
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=141100&page=8
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=148591
http://forum.tabletpcreview.com/archive/index.php?t-3516.html

 

Has anyone confirmed if this is a grounding issue or not? Has Dell successfully fixed anyone's NB yet? Just wondering if Dell finally has a grasp on this thing or not.

 

its caused by bad grounding... i think dell is skimping on the AC adapters that only have 2-prongs (no ground).. my older 700m came with a 3-prong adapter and has no issues

 

Now it's quite clear... I'll try to use my old Inspiron 5150's BIG HEAVY Brick-like adapter to see if that'll solve the problem.

 

That's what I thought all along. Out of all the Dell's I've seen, I never seen one with a 2 prong adapter. And I've seen several Dell 15.4 NBs. And all the ones I seen had 3 prongs adapters.

In fact my 4 year old 14" NB has a 3 prong adapter.

 

Is that the right wattage?
Isn't the adapter for the Dell 1520 a 90 Watt and for the 5150 a 130 Watt?

 

i tried a 1420 at the dell store today it also had the noise in the headphone jack.
NO OTHER LAPTOP I TESTED HAD THE ISSUE.

Dell is just ****ed up with something...b/c i didnt hear the issue on similar Sony's, Hp's or lenvos.

 

I don't know,

but both laptops say 19.5 V (on the label) not sure about the wattage though

Should I try?

 

k, guys sorry to butt in again. I got several private messages from dell1520 owners saying that disabling c4 state has fixed the cpu whine noise(i am not sure if this will fix your headphone jack noise,it could)

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=138778&page=2
end of the page-my settings. it works

oh and disabling c4 state will take out 10-15min of battery life

 

Hmmm .....

 

Wattage really won't matter in the short run Davron. Wattage rating is really a rating on how well the transformer can disapate heat, and since you only need to do it for a few minutes it shouldn't matter. The only thing I don't know is how these laptop power supplies work in conjuction with the laptops themselves. I understand that your old power brick has a ground (as all good transformers do), but does that ground connect to the laptop itself or does it stop at the transformer?

Also, my older Gateway 200x has a two prong adapter and has alot of static background noise on the headphones when plugged in. Running on the battery, it doesn't have any issues. I never cared that much because when I was plugged in, I was normally at home using the external speakers. The only time I used headphones was when I wasn't near an outlet (i.e. on an airplane).

 

I am really confused... I tried the old 3 prong adapter = no noise,

then I plugged the 2 prong back in = no noise. Battery = no noise,

No I'm in the library and there is a little noise. CPU usage was not even 10/10%. The noise is like ultrasound and is noticeable from time to time but not always.

Weird...

 

That is pretty weird.