Sporadic Static Electrical Sound Acer Swift 3

Elbereth

Dear Acer Community ~

I bought an Acer Swift 3 (15.6inch i3 4GB/16GB Optane Silver 1TB £459.99) from Argos.

Within a few days it began to make a sporadic electrical static sound which happened mostly when pausing or playing videos on Netflix, BBC iplayer, Youtube, etc but also happened sporadically when there was no activity on the keyboard.

The faulty sound comes from the laptop speakers but is more noticable through amplified sound...i use 3.5mm jack cable audio output to mini cd system speakers.  The sound is intermittent, crackly, sharp and disturbing.  The laptop was tested through three different stereo systems with good quality cables (3.5mm jack) ..it was also tested through a mini rig speaker.  Two other laptops have been previously used and again recently tested on each of those stereos and they work perfectly.  

Argos said the issue was not their responsibility, Acer initially said the same as i did not buy it from them them.  I was however provided with a replacement by Argos but annoyingly, within a few days, the static sound began again.

I got another exchange (my third laptop) and exactly the same happened..!

Somewhat bewildered i wrote up a short report and sent that in with the laptop to the Acer Repair Centre.  Frustratingly it came back with a new fan (which was not the issue) and the faulty sound continued.

By this point i was finding it difficult that i was unable to deal with Acer Store UK directly given that they didn't supply me with the laptop.  Argos didn't have a vested interest in the specifics of the issue so i sent back the laptop and got a refund.

I began to feel like i'd inadvertently stumbled upon a wide-ranging technical glitch and felt as though it was not being taken seriously, which is really worrying.  So i visited the Acer Community Forum and discovered reports of similar issues, this fact was reported back to Acer Technical but sadly without any effect.

So, given that i love everything else about this laptop, i borrowed the extra money and bought the Acer Swift 3 (15.6inch i5 8GB 1TB Gold £899.99 -£200 offer code) from Acer Store UK

My hope was that the upgrade would steer me far away the issue with the previous laptops. To my complete shock, again after a few days, the new laptop started with the exact same electrical static sound.  This time i made a recording of the issue and sent it via email to a member of the team at Acer Store UK, the laptop was then returned directly to him.  I was informed that he identified the issue i reported but could not diagnose it with the facilities available to him and that the laptop is being sent to the service team for further assessment..i have asked to be contacted when the issue has been identified.  At this point i am awaiting a replacement and am fretful that i will yet again find the same issue.  This situation has been time consuming and very stressful, especially that i live a relatively simple and quiet life due to health issues.  I just needed a new laptop. 

Can anyone out there possibly offer any guidance..?

Is there a particular brand of 3.5mm jack stereo cable that is recommended for these ultra thin laptops..?

Would it be better if i used USB port speakers..? 

If you have taken the time to read this i thank you sincerely, i am feeling quite lost.

JackE

The solution posted in this link seems to have helped some folks https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/638812/#Comment_638812

Basically moderates the frequency response till the issue resolves without materially affecting perception of speaker sound output.

Jack E/NJ

Elbereth

@JackE ...Thank you for your response and link..i will see how my replacement laptop performs when it arrives.
I've been reading other comments on this issue and i'm still confused as to why Acer are not doing more.  It is all very disheartening.

JackE

It seems to be more software- than hardware-related. Specifically, the rapid-fire major Win10updates (on ~6 month cycle) are outpacing new drivers to deal with them. Major Win10 updates are like previous Windows versions, they are almost like entirely new Windows versions and service packs released twice a year. Jack E/NJ       

Elbereth

@JackE ...i really appreciate your input.  I only know the very basics of computing and so much of this is a foreign language to me.  My first laptop was an Acer Aspire; i bought it, switched it on, and used it without any problems at all for about nine years, until it got tired!  When i came to buy a new one i just did not expect to have such an overwhelming drawn out stressful process. 

JackE

>>> When i came to buy a new one i just did not expect to have such an overwhelming drawn out stressful process.  >>>

I dreaded it because of Win10. That's why I my two new machines are now running Cinnamon-flavored LinuxMint as default. I only occasionally boot them into Win10 for using Windows only software like Rufus and Irfanview.  Mint can be easily set up to have virtually the same look, feel & stability of Win7, arguably the last half-way decent Windows version. Jack E/NJ     

Elbereth

@JackE ~
Still a foreign language but if i used this Mint set up you speak of do you think the static crackling would still be an issue..?
Thanks. . .

JackE

Neither of mine seemed to have these audio issues in either Mint or Win10. Different models from your's though so I can't say. And they still boot into the original ACER-flavored factory Win10 version. I've blocked or 'hid' major Win10 updates because they were causing other device issues.  Jack E/NJ        

Elbereth

@JackE ...Thanks ...i just don't understand why Acer do not want to help their customers with this issue.

JackE

I just don't understand why Microsoft does not want to help their customers with these issues.    Jack E/NJ

Manny-Acer_Retired

Hello Elbereth,

 

I'm sorry that you're having issues with your Acer Swift 3. 

Did you returned the unit to Acer UK store or Acer support (repair center) ?

Can you please send me a PM with the S/N of your unit or any Acer case number provided when you contacted the UK store representative?

Note: Please keep in mind that this is not a direct portal to Customer service, many Acer employees read the various topics posted here and you will notice that some Acer employees interact with members when appropriate, but primarily we want the community to be a place where members can exchange their own advice and ideas (peer to peer community).

Thanks,

Acer-Manny

Elbereth

@Acer-Manny ..Thank you for your response.  Yes, my experience with return is in my original comment above, and the exact same issue was present in each laptop i had so obviously a more widespread problem. 
Just feeling confused about why Acer aren't able to address this ongoing issue.

Jameseo

In addition to the solution posted above, I found that disabling "enable audio enhancements" under the advanced tab of speakers properties fixed the problem. 

Elbereth

@Jameseo ...Thank you for your suggestion i really appreciate it.

Under the advanced tab of speaker properties i have two boxes...the first is headed 'Exclusive Mode' and there are two options in that box:
'Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device' and
'Give exclusive mode applications priority'

The box below that one is headed 'Hardware Acceleration' and the only option in that box is:
'Allow hardware acceleration of audio on this device'

Could you possibly advise me further..?

skybutter

JackE said:

The solution posted in this link seems to have helped some folks https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/638812/#Comment_638812

Basically moderates the frequency response till the issue resolves without materially affecting perception of speaker sound output.

Jack E/NJ

Thank you.  This seemed to fix my audio static issue.  

Elbereth

skybutter said:

JackE said:

The solution posted in this link seems to have helped some folks https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/638812/#Comment_638812

Basically moderates the frequency response till the issue resolves without materially affecting perception of speaker sound output.

Jack E/NJ

Thank you.  This seemed to fix my audio static issue.  

It works for me too, but i have to do it every time i switch my laptop on..! So frustrating

JackE

Elbereth

Open ControlPanel. Search 'button'. Click 'change what the power buttons do' in left pane. Click 'change settings that are currently unavailable'. Scroll down and uncheck the box for fast startup. Shutdown Windows normally. Turn machine back on. Jack E/NJ