Fix for Realtek sound popping and/or high pitched tone/squeal

If you have been noticing an annoying popping sound and/or a constant high-pitched tone/squeal coming from the headphone jack of your laptop with a Realtek sound chipset whenever the sound card is inactive (no sounds are playing), here is the fix.
This problem is apparent on the Asus G73SW, and may be noticeable on other laptops wirh the same/similar audio chipset.

The sound chipset powers down after a specified time of inactivity to save power. This causes the popping noise and the high-pitched tone in the headphone jack. This can be configured in the registry under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Realtek\RAVCpl64\PowerMgnt.

The settings there are as follows:
DelayTime - time in seconds of inactivity which triggers powering down the sound chipset. Default is 10.
Enabled - enables the power management. Default is 0. Set to 1 to disable and always prevent these noises.
OnlyBattery - If power management is enabled, setting this to 1 will disable power management when the laptop is plugged in. The popping noises will only be heard when the laptop is on battery power, but this helps conserve power so the battery lasts longer.

Convenient .reg files for setting those:
Disable power management always
Disable power management when plugged in

Restart the system for the changes to take effect.

Props for Lunacy for finding this method.

 

You could click on the speaker icon in the taskbar and then on 'Mixer' and then mute the sound on the microphone. Find the microphone pin hole on your laptop, it's located somewhere in the front, could be next to the camera sometimes and test the mic ON and OFF and make sure it's off. You could choose to disable it too but you might want to use it sometimes. I had the popping sound problem but muting the MIC fixed it and I don't have any power management option for the audio chip.

 

I would be intrigued if someone could test this solution across multiple laptop models with the stated issue, though I suspect many of them will continue exhibiting the problem due to poor manufacturing quality. Any takers on this one?

 

cant say i have the problem on my 8930g

 

It probably depends on how sensitive your headphones are (or whatever you connect to it). The more sensitive headphones will pick up extraneous sounds while less sensitive ones will not. By "sensitive" I mean it requires less power to drive.

 

It's not a mic problem. The noise kicks in after the sound card is inactive for 10 seconds and powers down.
It's apparent on the Asus G73SW. May be apparent for other laptops as well, since Realtek audio chipsets are common.

 

The noise actually comes from your power brick or from the internal power supply of the laptop (in case it also happens on battery power). When the audio chipset powers down it basically leaves its outputs "floating" so they are free to pick up noise.

It will depend on many things, such as what other devices are connected to that power outlet, whether it is grounded or not, and so on.

 

Worked for me on my Dell M1530. Thanks.

 

Aha, thanks for this thread.

This is the problem I've been experiencing. Happens on the Alienware M14X as well. Possibly other models.

With my M14X though, it seems to have been coming from the sub.

Same fix, although the registry files have a different path.

Realtek power management settings can be found in the Realtek Audio Manager.

I wonder how much affect this will have on battery life.

 

Next to none.

 

Thanks a bunch sarge, +rep. I just thought I'd have to live with it, but awesome you and Lunacy found a fix. Lately with it being summer, I've been having fans on 24/7, so haven't been noticing the pops so much, but at least come winter I won't be bothered and one less negative I have about this laptop :>.

 

You guys are the best!
FYI: I had the popping sound on an Asus N73SV after I did a clean install of Win7-Pro x86-SP1. The Notebook came with Win7-HP x86-SP1 and i didn't notice the noise until after the reinstall. So I assume that the original registry settings had the tweaked settings in place in one form or another

Thanks again

 

This is common on a lot of Dell models, but you can specify whether you want to cut power to the audio when there's nothing playing in the "Dell Audio by Realtek" control panel. Quick shortcut to get there is to just plug something into the mic jack to bring up the control panel.

Here's a view of it...

Spoiler

EDIT: I guess I should point out that the models that have Realtek have this, IDK about the IDT models.

 

I'm having the same problem on my Asus N56.

I have the latest Realtek HD drivers installed but cannot find the powermgnt registry entry.

I have tried adding the registry entries anyway, but to no avail.

From what I've read, there should be a setting in the HD audio manager, but that is non existent too.

Any other suggestions? The crackle/pop is driving me nuts.

 

32bit or 64bit Windows?

 

64bit thanks.

 

Hello,

I bought two days ago my asus n56 vz and I had the same issue.
The solution that I found and that is working for me for this last 20 minutes is to roll back the High Definition Audio device and it works now. I have a very quality sound still, but not finding the realtek software now on my computer....

Well now I just have an issue with the useless sub woofer that's not working but I don't have the courage to send back to the warranty jut for that.

Hope it will work for you

ok I have made some test yesterday but rolling back the driver disable totally Realtek and so the microphone.

The solution I have found for the moment is to disable the microphone while the laptop is on battery.

The problem seems to have disappeared. I will do a final check this evening

 

any other option then to disable the microphone (i use that every now and then)? im tried to reinstall the driver but it didnt change a thing.

 

Same problem here... I also can not find the PowerMgnt registry entry.

 

What driver version are you using? Have you tried using the provided .reg file?

 

The driver version that I'm using is: V6.0.1.6622 (the newest one)

I didn't use the provided .reg file, because I thought that I needed to find this registry entry first ''HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Realtek\RAVCpl64\PowerMgnt''

What should I do now? Using the provided .reg file or waiting till another solve to find the PowerMgnt entry?

Thanks.

 

The driver version that I'm using is: V6.0.1.6622 (the newest one)

I didn't use the provided .reg file, because I thought that I needed to find this registry entry first ''HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Realtek\RAVCpl64\PowerMgnt''

What should I do now? Using the provided .reg file or waiting till another solve to find the PowerMgnt entry?

Thanks.

 

Reg file does not work because the registry entry is not even present in the registry.

 

And if you add the PowerMgnt key manually, then import the .reg file

 

Nope, still doesn't work.

 

Onkytonk, can you explain me how you did add the PowerMgnt key to the registry, so I can try?

 

You can find the registry entry by using regedit. Or you can just use the reg file.

 

Usually these kind of settings are stored in the Local machine keys in the registry, not the current user.

Could you check if there is a Realtek key under local machine software as well.

 

Unfortunately it's not in either.

 

I've just got the N56VZ 4022 yesterday. I noticed the sound issue 2, but I think it's only on the battery.
I'll check the registry tonight.

 

Thanks, please let us know

 

Ok so no go

Didn't have the keys (powermngmt) so I created it and used the reg file, nothing.

I even noticed that the speakers have the crack when it's connected to the charger although it seems to take somewhat longer, around 15 sec to disable.

hope it's fixable through settings.

 

What are you talking about? The latest version is R2.70. Do you even have Realtek drivers installed?

A .reg key when launched adds the registry keys it contains. What's the point of creating the key manually before using the .reg?

 

there are 2 .reg files
But one only contains 1 key, the other one all three.

I added the other 2 manually, but then I saw that the second reg file contained all 3 keys.

Tried deleting them all and importing. But the software is just not checking the keys. Probably the reason they didn't exist in the first place.

 

So there is no solve for this problem?

 

I am checking the driver version via device management and I don't see anywhere R2.70 I only see the 6.xxxxx

 

This is right - the keys never existed so the driver isn't even checking these registry entries.

When I use the Windows HD audio driver the issue is resolved - However, the microphone does not work, nor does the external subwoofer.

I have been switching between the two drivers when I need the mic/subwoofer.

 

Has anyone raised this issue with Asus yet ?

I'm sure it can be fixed through a software update (driver)

 

Yeah, they weren't very helpful.
Update bios, reinstall windows, drivers etc... same crap.

 

The second .reg-file worked for me :O

Thank you very much sarge_!

 

Oh no, it's back again :s and much worser...

 

I read somewhere the crackle might be caused by throttling, so check for overclocking/undervolting software. In my case, the culprit was RightMark CPU Clock Utility. The crackle disappeared when I stopped using the software. Totally.

Sent from my Galaxy Note

 

Try this: Download RealTek HD Audio driver package R2.68, V6.0.1.6602.
Yeah, something might be going on with package R2.69 & R2.70.

The newer drivers (R2.69/2.70) don’t support my 5.1 Dolby TH/EQ software,
but R2.68 does & is very stable. No issues with Dolby TH or anything concerning
laptop speakers, headphones, or sp/dif toslink out to external audio rack.

Also check and set the Freq to 24 bit @ 48Khz in the RealTek audio manager.

Acer Aspire AS8951G-9630 Notebook PC - Intel Core i7-2670QM 2.2GHz, 8GB DDR3, 750GB HDD, Blu-Ray Player, 2GB NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M, 18.4" Display, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, 5.1 surround, black.

 

That sounds like a reasonable set of things to try - did anyone with a N56 find it helps? I'm seriously looking into getting the N56VZ and would be very interested to hear if this has been resolved.

Thanks,

 

I didn't read all that, but you didn't explain your configuration in you original post. Anyway, is the popping/tone apparent via HDMI?

 

I get an popping noise from my right speaker only, when i click on a windows link/icon sometimes, otherwise my speaker sound output is very good, and the balance during music playback seems fine, will this reg patch help?

EDIT : I don't work for me

John.

 

Hmm, popping is not good. It often times indicates a malfunctioning device i.e. speaker is broken. I could be wrong but that's been my experience. Swap speakers and see.

 

Heads up: While RealTek drivers are still at R2.70, I checked Acer’s audio drivers
for an Acer 8951G laptop. Found a driver package posted 7/11/2012. 155Meg zipped.
The RealTek driver is V6.0.1.6446. I don’t need it. But when the file is unzipped
(300Meg), the Dolby HT V4 & Dolby Advanced Audio V2 MSI programs are included.
Nice to have around for an install if anything happens. What’s Dolby HT V4? read on.
Acer Support: Downloads & Support Documents - Notebook / Aspire / Aspire 8951G

Dolby Home Theater v4:
Dolby® Home Theater® v4 comprises a suite of technologies that work together to deliver a cinematic surround sound experience on your desktop or laptop with crisp and clear PC audio. You can enjoy it on any set of headphones, over the built-in or external speakers, or through a home theater system.
Dolby Home Theater v4 fixes all the problems typically associated with PC audio—tinny sound, weak volume, and buzzing and rattling. Experience full-impact surround sound anywhere with Dolby Home Theater v4 on your PC. All the power and nuance of the cinema, all the immediacy of live performance—now from a laptop.

Dolby Home Theater v4 Benefits:
Brings Dolby 5.1 or 7.1 cinematic surround sound to your PC for all content. Makes it easy to connect your PC to your home theater system. Locks in your preferred volume level for more consistent listening. Lets you play your audio much louder over the built-in speakers, with less distortion. Provides you with total control over your PC’s audio settings.

How Dolby Home Theater v4 Works:
Sound delivered over a laptop or desktop computer has inherent audio problems. These originate in both the quality of the source material and in the playback process. Typical problems with sources include: Dull sound and unintelligible dialogue on user-generated content. Wildly varying volume levels from one source to the next. Content not produced in surround sound.
The PCs themselves are limited by physical designs that dictate small speakers and underpowered amplifiers. Problems include: Irregular frequency response with no highs or lows. Unnatural, colored sound, Volume levels typically not loud enough, Distortion and annoying mechanical vibrations when sound is turned up.

 

DHT v4 is awesome. Once it's on you don't want to turn it off like ever, the sound is so dull without it. There's possibly a manufacturing problem with your speakers or a driver conflict of some kind, or someone cracked open your laptop and messed up the speakers in the process, etc but your audio issue is nothing related with this thread.

 

Hi guys!!
I've encounter that damn f.....g popping/crackling problem with my K53SD and I've spent an entire week to find a solution!
I've just received an answer from REALTEK today and they sent me a file named rtkhdaud.dat [/B]which may help you too, I hope, to solve this prob! That damn computer almost went through the window!!

As the guy from REALTEK told me, you have to put this file in the following folder: "Windows/System32/ Drivers" and restart your computer. I'm not sure but that file seems to stop the damn power management once and for all.

Take a look at this too:
ASUSTeK Computer Inc. -Support- FAQ X53SD

The worst thing is that this only solution doesn't work!!!

I think the best thing is to install at first the Asus realtek audio driver V6.0.1.6642 here:
ASUSTeK Computer Inc. -Support- Drivers and Download Audio
and then put the file into drivers folder.

I can send you that file by mail if you send me your address in private.

If I got time, I'll upload it to some site later.

Hoping everyone of you could enjoy a damn good sound!!!

PS. Sorry for my poor english, I'm french.