Audio crackling and popping issues (Realtek)

[LaLiLuLeLo]

I recently started having audio problems only through my headphones. Crackling and popping sounds during Youtube, Video files playback, even music and games. Pretty much everywhere. My first guess was that I had bad drivers because I had recently updated the Realtek high definition drivers from the Asus website (Z170 Pro gaming). So I installed an older version and found that there were no more problems but they came back the next day. So I tried the basic drivers from the Realtek website. Problem solved again. But they were back again the next day. That's when I noticed that any drivers reinstall did fix the problem but only temporarily. 

 

After thinking about everything that could have changed on my PC from the moment I started having these issues, I remembered that they started just after the Windows 10 Creators update. Has anybody else had this problem or anything similar? Any solutions? And I have already tried doing a few things that I found when I googled this but none worked.

 

1. I reinstalled the drivers, old & new, like I said but it only temporarily fixes the issue.

2. Checked latency with Latencymon. No issues there.

3. Different ports. Both front and back no difference.

4. I don't have any Asus audio software installed (Sonic Radar etc.)

5. Turned off real time programs. HWinFO 64 etc. No change.

6. Disabled all audio enhancements, nothing.

[kelvinhall05]

Happened to me with my laptop, and at the same time, my speakers stopped working. I tried different drivers, and after hours of research, deemed it to be the headphone jack failing. I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case.

[LaLiLuLeLo]

3 minutes ago, kelvinhall05 said:

Happened to me with my laptop, and at the same time, my speakers stopped working. I tried different drivers, and after hours of research, deemed it to be the headphone jack failing. I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case.

I don't know about that, atleast in my case. Both audio jacks at the same time? Also, my problem fixes itself but only temporarily after a driver reinstall. Its really weird. 

[kelvinhall05]

Hmmm...I'm not sure. Maybe it's the headphone's fault? Try another pair.

[Voxels-Box]

I had a very similar issue on my asus x99-ws-e. I solved the problem by downloading the drivers direct from realtek, booting into safe mode, uninstalling existing realtek drivers, then installing the fresh ones.  I remember it taking several tried to fully uninstall the old drivers.

[ricksteendam1]

49 minutes ago, LaLiLuLeLo said:

I recently started having audio problems only through my headphones. Crackling and popping sounds during Youtube, Video files playback, even music and games. Pretty much everywhere. My first guess was that I had bad drivers because I had recently updated the Realtek high definition drivers from the Asus website (Z170 Pro gaming). So I installed an older version and found that there were no more problems but they came back the next day. So I tried the basic drivers from the Realtek website. Problem solved again. But they were back again the next day. That's when I noticed that any drivers reinstall did fix the problem but only temporarily. 

 

After thinking about everything that could have changed on my PC from the moment I started having these issues, I remembered that they started just after the Windows 10 Creators update. Has anybody else had this problem or anything similar? Any solutions? And I have already tried doing a few things that I found when I googled this but none worked.

 

1. I reinstalled the drivers, old & new, like I said but it only temporarily fixes the issue.

2. Checked latency with Latencymon. No issues there.

3. Different ports. Both front and back no difference.

4. I don't have any Asus audio software installed (Sonic Radar etc.)

5. Turned off real time programs. HWinFO 64 etc. No change.

6. Disabled all audio enhancements, nothing.

can you type out the sequence of the beeps a _ is a low sound - is a high sound a white space is a second where there is no sound 

for example - - - _ - - - _ - - - 

[LaLiLuLeLo]

9 minutes ago, Voxels-Box said:

I had a very similar issue on my asus x99-ws-e. I solved the problem by downloading the drivers direct from realtek, booting into safe mode, uninstalling existing realtek drivers, then installing the fresh ones.  I remember it taking several tried to fully uninstall the old drivers.

Tried Realtek webiste and Asus website drivers both with same results. Although I haven't installed through safe mode I made sure windows didn't install generic drivers by disabling Auto Device installation in advanced system settings, then Uninstalled through Device manager and only then installed the proper drivers. I checked and after the reinstall, its all good. Its only after a day that the problem comes back.

[LaLiLuLeLo]

1 minute ago, ricksteendam1 said:

can you type out the sequence of the beeps a _ is a low sound - is a high sound a white spade is a second where there is no sound 

for example - - - _ - - - _ - - - 

I can't do that because, the sounds are completely random. In music for example its very few. But in videos and games there are a lot more and very random. And they're not beeps but more like pops and crackles (hence the title), as if the connection isn't good. But I doubt that because after a driver reinstall its perfect again.

[ricksteendam1]

Just now, LaLiLuLeLo said:

I can't do that because, the sounds are completely random. In music for example its very few. But in videos and games there are a lot more and very random. And they're not beeps but more like pops and crackles (hence the title), as if the connection isn't good. But I doubt that because after a driver reinstall its perfect again.

oke as helpful, I would say its electronic interference made in your case and not a drivers problem. 

[LaLiLuLeLo]

Just now, ricksteendam1 said:

oke as helpful, I would say its electronic interference made in your case and not a drivers problem. 

But wouldn't that problem have presented itself from the very beginning? Right after I built this PC? What I mean to say is I'm getting this sound issue after almost 2 years and I haven't added any new hardware recently. I upgraded to GTX 1070, but that was last year. And I swapped out a defective PSU (Seasonic Plat 760) with a new one (Corsair AX 760), and that was months ago too. Rest of the PC is exactly the same as the day I built it. Also the Z170 Pro Gaming model is supposedly shielded according to the product description. I really hope its not a hardware issue and I'm stumped. 

[NinjaQuick]

16 minutes ago, ricksteendam1 said:

can you type out the sequence of the beeps a _ is a low sound - is a high sound a white space is a second where there is no sound 

for example - - - _ - - - _ - - - 

CPU oc'd? What all is plugged into the motherboard. That sounds like interference.

 

Get a roccat juke and see if it fixes it.

[ricksteendam1]

1 minute ago, LaLiLuLeLo said:

But wouldn't that problem have presented itself from the very beginning? Right after I built this PC? What I mean to say is I'm getting this sound issue after almost 2 years and I haven't added any new hardware recently. I upgraded to GTX 1070, but that was last year. And I swapped out a defective PSU (Seasonic Plat 760) with a new one (Corsair AX 760), and that was months ago too. Rest of the PC is exactly the same as the day I built it. Also the Z170 Pro Gaming model is supposedly shielded according to the product description. I really hope its not a hardware issue and I'm stumped. 

fans get older and they use more power and the way those work they create a magnetic field making electronic interference 

[LaLiLuLeLo]

31 minutes ago, NinjaQuick said:

CPU oc'd? What all is plugged into the motherboard. That sounds like interference.

 

Get a roccat juke and see if it fixes it.

Yes 4.5ghz (6600k Air cooled). Only my GPU. No sound cards or anything else. I use the on-board sound. I did have everything on default after a BIOS update (my problem was there even before that), which I did because of that Intel ME vulnerability.  I didn't keep the settings at default for long though so I guess I'll have to try this. I doubt it because I've been using this OC from the beginning but its worth a shot. Now I gotta wait for the problem to show up again because I did a driver reinstall to use my headphones right now. Anyway, thanks and fingers crossed. 

[LaLiLuLeLo]

On 8/12/2017 at 10:59 PM, NinjaQuick said:

CPU oc'd? What all is plugged into the motherboard. That sounds like interference.

 

Get a roccat juke and see if it fixes it.

Tried both OC & non-OC. Still get the same problem. Only thing working so far is reinstalling drivers. But, like I said, its only temporary.  

[BruceLeeFan88]

No ones found a fix for this yet? I've tried disabling all audio enhancements, uninstalling and reinstalling drivers, switching default formats, turning off quick boot, reinstalling MSI drivers, installing Realtek drivers, disabling all non-Microsoft startup items and services, turning off Bluetooth, disabling my wi-fi, uninstalling all audio devices and letting windows sort it out. Nothing, the problem still persist after about 30min of use. It was fine a few days ago and I'm damn certain that I didn't change anything hardware based. This is insanely aggravating for such a trivial issue. My system restore isn't even working properly and to lose quite a few games due to an audio issue is quite a bummer. I know the threads quite old but it contains the most relevant information according to the issue I'm having. So to start a new one would be silly. All the other threads about this issue are most likely experiencing the same problem and don't seem as thoroughly investigated as this thread does.

[blue2kid3]

I had the the dac chip go out on my mobo sounds like what might be happening. 

[LaLiLuLeLo]

15 hours ago, BruceLeeFan88 said:

No ones found a fix for this yet? I've tried disabling all audio enhancements, uninstalling and reinstalling drivers, switching default formats, turning off quick boot, reinstalling MSI drivers, installing Realtek drivers, disabling all non-Microsoft startup items and services, turning off Bluetooth, disabling my wi-fi, uninstalling all audio devices and letting windows sort it out. Nothing, the problem still persist after about 30min of use. It was fine a few days ago and I'm damn certain that I didn't change anything hardware based. This is insanely aggravating for such a trivial issue. My system restore isn't even working properly and to lose quite a few games due to an audio issue is quite a bummer. I know the threads quite old but it contains the most relevant information according to the issue I'm having. So to start a new one would be silly. All the other threads about this issue are most likely experiencing the same problem and don't seem as thoroughly investigated as this thread does.

Unfortunately, I still haven't found any permanent fix either. I have even tried reinstalling Windows 10 with no success. Like I've mentioned in my other posts, reinstalling Asus Realtek drivers is the only solution that works for me, sadly only temporary. For me it fixes the issue until the next reboot. Then its back. So every time I need to use headphones I reinstall drivers. But from what you've mentioned I see this isn't a viable option for you. Sorry I can't be of more help. But if you do find a permanent fix, please share it here. Anyway, my guess is something in the Windows 10 creator update caused this. I think that's the first time I noticed this problem.

[Guest]

Welcome to the forum, @LaLiLuLeLo . When you get these nasty scratching noises, are you adjusting any physical knobs? A slider-switch? Or even a software-generated adjustment e-knob?

 

Just in case you haven't seen this sticky post yet: (it's a 2016 article about tracking down bizarre noises), by @SSL . I used it on my e-toys. Clear, concise, coherent.

 

If you need a second opinion, How To Geek had an articles that I also used. 

...a 2017 article....

https://www.howtogeek.com/298252/why-are-my-pc-speakers-making-weird-noises/

 

...a 2016 article....

https://www.howtogeek.com/285429/how-to-fix-crackling-or-popping-sound-on-a-windows-pc/

 

Good luck, eh. Remain calm. 

 

[TheMLGTurtle]

I know it has been a month since this thread has been active but have you tried setting your minimum processor power state to 100%? I heard this is a work around. I have experienced the same issue but haven't tried this yet. Will do so tomorrow. Also, try turning off fast startup in windows. To do this, go to power plan settings, go to your plan settings, and change advanced settings. Scroll down to processor power management and set the minimum to 100% To disable fast starup in windows, go back to the main power plan settings menu and hit "choose what the power buttons do" on the left. hit change settings that are currently unavailable and uncheck fast startup. This isn't needed when you have an SSD

[LaLiLuLeLo]

On 3/8/2018 at 2:49 AM, TheMLGTurtle said:

I know it has been a month since this thread has been active but have you tried setting your minimum processor power state to 100%? I heard this is a work around. I have experienced the same issue but haven't tried this yet. Will do so tomorrow. Also, try turning off fast startup in windows. To do this, go to power plan settings, go to your plan settings, and change advanced settings. Scroll down to processor power management and set the minimum to 100% To disable fast starup in windows, go back to the main power plan settings menu and hit "choose what the power buttons do" on the left. hit change settings that are currently unavailable and uncheck fast startup. This isn't needed when you have an SSD

I have an SSD. I have an unexpected development though. Since the latest Windows update, the issue seems fixed. Been using my headphones without reinstalling drivers for a few days now and no crackles or popping, both in games or movies etc. Yeah, just like that and it only took almost 9 months.  No idea what actually happened here, I'm glad its over and hopefully its gone for good this time.