My sound is crackling? What does this mean?

SkScotchegg · 3 Nov 2007 at 21:24

Hi people, wondered if you could help me with my sound card, sometimes my sound is all crackling and its really annoying, I have had the sound card like 5 years so maybe its dying I dont know?

It happens on the desktop even with nothing open, no games, music or films, its just a constant cracking. Sometimes it doesnt do it untill I go in a game. But other times it just does it from the moment I turn on the PC and reach the desktop.

It doesnt do it when I start the computer up in the bios screens, just at the very moment I see the desktop for the first time. Then it will just do it constantly for the rest of the night.

The thing is though, whats really strange...sometimes I turn the PC off and back on again and then its gone, and doesnt come back, and then the next day I turn the PC on and its back again. So I dont understand why that is.

I have an Audigy 2 Platinum x, its pretty old now but its been a good card, it was probably like £200 when it first came out.

Any help is appretiated,

SkScotchegg

Andeh · 4 Nov 2007 at 12:11

i could be dying. I know if I used XP32bit my Audigy 4 has some strange crackling sound when i play mp3's and stuff and when i play games. Although in XP64bit I have no crackling at all.

SkScotchegg · 6 Nov 2007 at 18:47

Are there no programs I can run to fix it?

Cheers in advance,

SkScotchegg

ChrisD. · 6 Nov 2007 at 18:57

Try removing it and carefully clean the contacts on the card and PCI slot with a rubber, then reseat it.

Kezmo · 6 Nov 2007 at 23:08

As above, id take it out give it a good clean, uninstall the drivers , stick it back in and download and install the most recent drivers

_Jimlad_ · 7 Nov 2007 at 10:23

tried replacing the cable from the card to the speakers?

Aero · 8 Nov 2007 at 22:17

Andeh said:
i could be dying.

Whats up?

schumi84 · 9 Nov 2007 at 18:54

Lol, wondered if anyone was gonna pick up on the typo.

Antar Bolaeisk · 13 Nov 2007 at 10:02

Have you checked all the wiring for any damage?

Sounds silly (If you'll excuse the pun) but had a similar problem with an older soundcard, checked everything drivers, contacts etc and when I put it all back together I found one of the wires to the speakers exposed leading to bad sound.

When the crackling and popping occurs have you tried plugging in some headphones to see if you can hear the distortions on them.

Also, check your volume control panel and mute everything and anything that isn't in use such as line in, line out etc to eliminate that from your investigation. Again, had a bad souund problem on my x-fi and found that I'd left the aux/line in 2 on full volume adding it's own white noise to my music pleasure.