Issues with the sound on laptop

M

mihbur258

Member
Hi all,

I purchased the laptop configuration shown below two months ago and I've been having two recurring issues, which may or may not be related:

1. When doing video calls (on Zoom or MS Teams) I'm most if the time hearing crackling sounds which cannot be attributed to the speakers/headphones or audio feedback. Sometimes, after a while the computer even freezes and I have to force restart.
2. Roughly twice per day the sound slows down and staggers for a few seconds, including some crackling, regardless of the software running on the laptop at the time (video games, Youtube playing in the browser).

I tried switching between the different playback options available (Nvidia audio, Realtek with THX Spatial and tow other options called Chat (with THX Spatial) and Audio (with THX Spatial). I also tried disabling or enabling THX Spatial but it made no difference.

I ran an audio delay diagnosis tool (can't remember the name). It ran for a few hours in the background and it showed a few instances of significant lag (inside their red zone).

Any suggestions on how to fix it? I don't want to send the laptop to be serviced, I'd rather fix it myself as it seems to be a software issue.

Sorry if I missed any threads tacking this same issue.

Thanks!



Chassis & Display
Valeon Series: 17.3" Matte QHD 165Hz sRGB 100% LED Widescreen (2560x1440)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen™ 9 Eight Core Processor 5900HX (3.3GHz, 4.6GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
64GB Corsair 2666MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 32GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 3070 - 8.0GB GDDR6 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3000MB/sR | 1600MB/sW)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated SD Memory Card Reader
AC Adaptor
1 x 230W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Battery
Valeon Series Integrated 62WH Lithium Ion Battery
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Wireless Network Card
GIGABIT LAN & KILLER™ Wi-Fi 6 AX1650 M.2 GAMING + BLUETOOTH 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
1 x USB 3.2 PORT (Type C) + 3 x USB 3.2 PORTS
Docking Hub
PCS DS200 USB-C Docking Hub + M.2 Port: 2 x USB 3.0, 1 x HDMI, 1 x RJ45, 1 x TYPE-C PD
Keyboard Language
VALEON 17 SERIES RGB BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Carry Case
Tech Air 17.3" Classic Backpack
Keyboard & Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 1MP HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 4 to 7 working days
Promotional Item
Get 6 Months Founders Membership to GeForce Now w/ select RTX 30 Series Laptops
Welcome Book
PCSpecialist Welcome Book - United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland
 
ubuysa

ubuysa

The BSOD Doctor
What operating system did you install when you got it and from where did you source all the drivers?
 
M

mihbur258

Member
ubuysa said:
What operating system did you install when you got it and from where did you source all the drivers?
Click to expand...
Am unlicensed Windows 10 was already installed with all necessary drivers, which I suppose was done for testing. I just added a Windows license key which I had bought previously.
 
S

Steveyg

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
mihbur258 said:
Am unlicensed Windows 10 was already installed with all necessary drivers, which I suppose was done for testing. I just added a Windows license key which I had bought previously.
Click to expand...
yeah that's probably why you have all these issues

Test image of Windows isn't a full Windows install it will be lacking pretty much all key features. It's a barebones structure that PCS install to make sure the system works

You need to completely remove this test image and reinstall Windows from scratch
 
M

mihbur258

Member
Steveyg said:
yeah that's probably why you have all these issues

Test image of Windows isn't a full Windows install it will be lacking pretty much all key features. It's a barebones structure that PCS install to make sure the system works

You need to completely remove this test image and reinstall Windows from scratch
Click to expand...
Thanks, I'll do that.
 
ubuysa

ubuysa

The BSOD Doctor
Yep, I agree completely with @Steveyg that using the installed testing system is the likely cause of your issues. We see this frequently.
 
M

mihbur258

Member
Hello again,

I did a fresh reinstall of Windows 10 (from USB, formatted storage drive, etc), with the latest update, and I'm using the default sound drivers.
The problem mentioned before still occurs, although less often, it seems (maybe once every 3-4 days).

Any suggestions?

Thanks
 
SpyderTracks

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
mihbur258 said:
Hello again,

I did a fresh reinstall of Windows 10 (from USB, formatted storage drive, etc), with the latest update, and I'm using the default sound drivers.
The problem mentioned before still occurs, although less often, it seems (maybe once every 3-4 days).

Any suggestions?

Thanks
Click to expand...
What do you mean default sound drivers? How did you configure the drivers after installing windows?
 
M

mihbur258

Member
SpyderTracks said:
What do you mean default sound drivers? How did you configure the drivers after installing windows?
Click to expand...
Windows seems to automatically install the best drivers it can find online for the detected hardware? I didn't do any manual configuration but if I look in device manager-> sound, video and game controllers I can find two devices: high definition audio device and nvidia high definition audio. These are also selectable as playback devices in the lower right corner of the taskbar.

Would a manual sound driver installation do a more precise job? If so, how do I do this? Sorry for the noobish approach :)
 
SpyderTracks

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
mihbur258 said:
Windows seems to automatically install the best drivers it can find online for the detected hardware? I didn't do any manual configuration but if I look in device manager-> sound, video and game controllers I can find two devices: high definition audio device and nvidia high definition audio. These are also selectable as playback devices in the lower right corner of the taskbar.

Would a manual sound driver installation do a more precise job? If so, how do I do this? Sorry for the noobish approach :)
Click to expand...
So your sound drivers aren't installed yet then, they're a realtek driver. They should be available in your online account.
 
M

mihbur258

Member
Hello again,

I'm back after doing a clean reinstall of Windows 10 Pro with all the drivers taken from my account and installed in the right order.
The problem persists with the same frequency and regardless of what software is running.

Any more ideas? Is a hardware issue possible?
 
KriSta

KriSta

Silver Level Poster
Just a question on this , do you have the same issue using bluetooth audio ? Or is it just audio through the onboard speakers ? Have you tried the audio jack with headphones ?
 
M

mihbur258

Member
KriSta said:
Just a question on this , do you have the same issue using bluetooth audio ? Or is it just audio through the onboard speakers ? Have you tried the audio jack with headphones ?
Click to expand...
Thanks for the quick reply.

I am using a set of two speakers which need to connect through both USB and audio jack.

I am not 100% sure but if I remember correctly the issue appeared when using the included speakers. I will do a check with multiple hardware.
 
KriSta

KriSta

Silver Level Poster
Audio via USB and audio over audio jack is two different things . One is digital and one is analogue which means that the 3.5mm output sound is processed by the onboard Realtek card and the USB audio is handled by an DSP at speaker end ( usually ) . Realtek drivers have no influence on digital audio over USB .
 
KriSta

KriSta

Silver Level Poster
mihbur258 said:
It looks like the information is going through the 3.5mm jack and the USB is used for power.
Click to expand...

Okay ... that`s some progress . Just to check the audio in general from the laptop , can you try the same tasks but via bluetooth audio or USB only audio ? Just to see if the same issues occur there also ?
 
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