Speakers Crackling on Windows
Audio issues on a Windows system can stem from a variety of sources. Crackling audio and issues related to hissing and crackling sound playing from the speakers are one of the common ones.
The source of the issue when it comes to similar audio problems can be both hardware and software related. This article will give you a few ideas you can try to eliminate any unpleasant audio crackling issues you may be experiencing on your Windows system, whether it's a laptop or a desktop PC.
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Table of Contents
Make sure audio format is appropriately set
It doesn't hurt to start with the software side of things. You should check that your Windows is set to play sounds at a high enough frequency and in a sufficiently high-fidelity format.
To do this, right click your speaker icon in the taskbar and select "Sounds". In the new window that comes up, click the first tab named "Playback". In the list of devices, find your default speakers or audio output device and right click it, then select "Properties".
Click the "Advanced" tab and in the dropdown box, select "16 bit, 44100 Hz, (CD Quality)" if the dropdown shows a different setting. If your setting was a lower bitrate or a lower frequency, this may be causing crackling and popping issues with your sounds.
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Use the Windows audio troubleshooter
Right click your speaker icon near the system clock again and choose the last option named "Troubleshoot sound problems". Follow the interactive onscreen instructions and let the troubleshooter finish, then test for sound crackling issues again.
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Check for hardware issues
A lot of the time similar sound popping and crackling issues are caused by problems with your hardware.
First and foremost, check your audio jacks and make sure they are plugged in well. Wiggle the jacks around in the plugs as you play a song or a video, to check if the issue goes away in a specific position of the jack or cable connection near it.
A lot of the time worn, older cables will produce similar issues and the solution is as simple as replacing the worn cables.
Lastly, your speakers may also be the source of the issue. If you can, try connecting a new set of speakers or headphones to your system and see if the crackling issues persist there as well. If they do not, then your speakers may have some components in them that have burned out or have become otherwise faulty. In this case, your only option would be replacing your speakers or headphones with new ones.
