Crackling Sound

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hartzofspace
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19 Jul 2011, 4:36 pm

I have a Dell INSPIRON D530 computer which I purchased in 2009. Lately, I have been noticing an annoying crackling sound when I listen to music or watch movies. I thought it was my earphones, but using a different pair netted the same results. I am not very hardware savvy, so I was wondering what I should do to find out what the problem is? Any help would be appreciated.

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orchidee
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19 Jul 2011, 5:48 pm

Is it an issue with your CD drive on your computer at all?

This might be really "out there" because I have never heard of this suggestion before and I am not tech-savvy in the slightest, but when I listen to things on headphones and do things that make a lot of static electricity (like wearing a lot of wooly clothing, petting static-y cats, brushing my hair - mostly in the winter for me), it disrupts the sound and makes it kind of crackle-y like you described. Is it very dry/full of static where you are? This might have something to do with it.

Otherwise, it could be your headphones jack on your computer, though I'm not sure what would make it have a crackling noise.

StevieC
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19 Jul 2011, 6:16 pm

it could be a multitude of things, namely:

the internal volume or gain levels on ur mixer output (Wave out, Master, CD player etc or Software/app) are too high, thus causing the audio to clip

the jack socket is faulty - try a USB or FireWire sound card to remedy this

the TV shows/music is ripped incorrectly - thus it is causing "clipping" to occur (the audio is distorted)

your graphic equalizer may be set too high on each frequency, again causing clipping to occur

What OS and which version are u using?
what apps do u use to play media?

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hartzofspace
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19 Jul 2011, 6:57 pm

StevieC wrote:

I am using Windows 7. and I use VLC to play media.

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Last edited by hartzofspace on 20 Jul 2011, 11:54 am, edited 1 time in total.

MasterJedi
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19 Jul 2011, 7:24 pm

sounds like it might be an internal wiring issue.

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Oodain
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19 Jul 2011, 9:37 pm

can also be faulty software, try updating your software driver,
again some specs might be help.

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greengeek
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03 Sep 2011, 9:46 pm

I would try it on the internal speaker or speakers and see if the sound clears up, as the headphone jack's contacts might be dirty. Dirty connections can make the sound crackle. I have an old Composite computer monitor with an RCA plug audio in and when ever I adjust the volume control the sound crackles and occasionally drops out as the volume control pot is dirty. I live with it as the only time I use the sound on it is when I plug a DTV converter box into it, as it is basically an old style TV but beige and with no tuners inside.

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Knifey
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05 Sep 2011, 8:26 am

if you plug in usb headphones and the crackle is not there then it is your soundcard or soundcard drivers. If it is there still with usb headphones then it is motherboard/chipset drivers (or a f****d motherboard). enjoy.

also RC7/CRC lube spray stuff does not conduct electricity so feel free to squirt it into your earphone socket and clean it with an ear bud etc. you never know

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hartzofspace
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05 Sep 2011, 11:53 am

I'll try these ideas, guys. Thanks!

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