Vostro 1500 - Has DELL fixed the headphone buzz/static for anyone?

Hi,

My Vostro 1500 arrived yesterday, yet after emailing Dell a few weeks back before ordering asking if they had fixed the headphone static/buzz issue to which they said yes, mine has the problem.

Has anyone with this problem returned it to Dell and them actually fixed it? I haven't seen any posts saying they have... only that people have returned it and got a new one back with the exact same issue. I'm kind of reluctant to send it back, A. because they probably won't even fix it, and B. because that is the only problem I've noticed with the laptop (screen is fine, no 'whining', etc.) so I might end up with an even worse one in return.

However since I listen to a lot of audio lectures it's very irritating (not when playing music, just quiet lectures) - Does anyone know if I bought http://svp.co.uk/product/usb_virtual_71_channel_sound_adapter_55367 that if it would bypass the problem? If not, are there any alternatives?

Any help will be greatly appreciated, Thanks!

 

The headphone buzzing issue has not been fixed by Dell.

Using USB headphones or getting an ExpressCard Sound Card will bypass the problem.

 

Ah, pretty bad that they haven't fixed the issue yet, but thanks for the reply.

One thing I just noticed when testing different sets of headphones is if you have a separate volume controller on the actual headphone set, and have it set at about half volume (then if you want it louder adjust it on the laptop, not the headset) you don't hear the noise at all, so I'm happy.

I have a £3.99 budget set of 'ross' headphones and when on half volume the noise is completely gone, but you can set the volume on the laptop as loud as you want.



Now I just need to find a decent set of 'in-ear' ones with that volume control and hopefully it won't affect them either.

EDIT: It doesn't make any noise when using the in-ear headphones supplied with a Nokia N95 either. So I'm doubly happy .

 

I have the buzzing issue on my 1530 and there is no fix for it yet either

 

No buzzing here on my 1520

 

Is this a hardware problem or can this be fixed with a simple software update in the future?

 

I have long forgotten about this problem so I don't even know, or rather, remember, if my Vostro has this problem. In short, don't know and don't care. lol. Ignorance is bliss.

Ok seriously though, it's hardly noticeable. I really have to pay attention to actually hear it. If I didn't know of the problem beforehand, I probably wouldn't have been able to find out about it myself through just my own usage. At least that's the case with me. Might just have poorer earphones, or worse, ears lol.

 

I have it very slightly on mine, not noticeable when there is actually sound being played through the speakers.

It's common on lots of laptops, not just Dells. It's merely the cabling for the headphone port picking up noise from the components on the machine. I'm sure there's a guide on this site about isolating it.

 

Yes there is: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=197809

You have to literally tear it all the way down to isolate the interference. This guide explains why the problem is variable and can be really bad for some...slight for others or not even an issue. An ex dell employee had emailed me an internal dell document where they basically admitted to the issue and there was no resolution. But the guy that put this guide together did fix the issue. Its a shame that dell could not do the same. Many, including myself thought the reason for the 1525 was to fix the problem since many people had been returning their 1520's. But they keep the 1500. Maybe dell thought that mostly business users bought the Vostro and were not concerned about the issue on the 1500. I'm thinking the return rate was not as bad as the inspiron so they keep it? At any rate, they should have fixed it.