Crackling Sound on my Acer Spin 5

Wadels

I have had my Acer Spin 5 for over a year now and there has been one serious issue with it that I constantly experience. It's come to the point where everytime that I use my laptop the sound becomes crackly for all sounds, i.e. notifications, music, videos, voice notes, EVERYTHING. Now this isn't a software issue specific to Windows as this issue has persisted across two different generations of Windows with the drivers having been updated, the sound settings have been changed in almost every way possible, effectively EVERYTHING (once again).

The only way that I can get rid of the crackling when sound is playing is to change the output device from the speakers to an external device (a plugged in screen or BT device) and back again. Now keep in mind that this crackling not only develops on my laptop speakers, but also on any output device I use.

So basically, this is a software issue, but I can't see it being Windows. I sincerely believe that it's a shockingly bad booboo on Acer's design within their software that runs the basics of the computer. I have attached an image of all the drivers being used for sound which aren't different from most other laptops. I've heard power supply can have an issue but this happens when the original cable is plugged into the laptop and when it is running on battery power. So I'm stumped. If anyone can help me, I'd really really appreciate it.

billsey

It could easily be an electrical interference issue as well, caused by a faulty power supply or a problem with the power circuit on the motherboard. Electrical noie doesn't always present with system crashes, but can affect other aspects of the system as well, such as crackly audio. Try plugging into a different outlet, running on battery and potentially using a different charger or different battery.

Wadels

Hi @billsey

Thanks for your response. So I'm going to be honest, this happens on the battery and while plugged in. It happens at my parents house, at my flat, on the original charger, on an aftermarket charger. It happens on my laptop (since I got it, it has just worsened recently) and on my brother who has an identical laptop and got it at the same time. I'd love to try a different battery but that would mean I need to disassemble the laptop to remove the current one. Do you think the chances that it is a fault on the motherboard is high? I just want to make sure before I take it to a repair centre.

Another note is that it is intermittent. In other words, it strikes at random times (quite often lately) and is switched off when I do what I mentioned in the original post. But give it a few minutes and a few pauses/changing of audio/video etc (i.e. playing a song and then going onto YouTube for example) and it will come back. It also won't start mid-audio. What I mean by that is that it will only happen if I pause or stop a song/video/etc but will not start midway through one.

billsey

It sounds like you have done due diligence in trying all combinations. I lean toward it being a hardware issue rather than software. I'd go ahead and contact Acer support and see what they say. They will likely have you step all the way through the same diagnosis process, so be patient with them. :)

Wadels

Haha, thanks @Bills@billsey. Appreciate your support. It'll be a bit of a mission but what else can we do. Have a good one

billsey

Be sure to come back and let us know how it comes out. :)