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6 Posts
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256
January 3rd, 2024 13:32
XPS 8960, audio distorting, robotic
Purchased this XPS 8960 desktop in October and received it in November.
My headphones all go through distortion/robotic sounds. It comes and goes. Sometimes its consistent for a few minutes. Sometimes it is fine for an hour straight.
I have a wireless USB headset, and I also have wired headphones (which I have tried running straight into the computer, and also into my Focusrite interface. It happens no matter what.
I update all of the drivers. I uninstalled and reinstalled drivers. All my updates (BIOS, etc.) have been done.
If anybody has some new things I could try, I would really appreciate it.
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RoHe
10 Elder
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45.2K Posts
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January 3rd, 2024 20:22
Is Realtek set as selected audio Output on the Windows Sound screen?
Is Waves MaxxAudio Pro launching automatically when you boot the PC? XPS 8960 uses Waves as audio controller for Realtek audio. The latest version is here.
Sometimes Waves can mis-identify the audio output device (speakers, headphones) so assuming Waves loads when you boot, make sure it sees the headphones correctly on the Waves Control Panel.
And if you enable the Equalizer in the Waves Control Panel, you should be able to select type of audio being played and configure bass/treble etc too..
(edited)
Botrels
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January 25th, 2025 17:29
I'm having the same problem! I did what Ron suggested above! And it didn't work!
Botrels
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January 26th, 2025 01:11
What is the configuration of your XPS 8960?
Mine is the one below!
processor
14th generation Intel® Core™ i7-14700 (20-core, 32MB cache, 2.1 GHz to 5.3GHz)
laptop
Windows 11 Home Single Language (Portuguese – Brazil)
(Dell Technologies recommends Windows 11 Pro for businesses)
videocard
NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 4060 8GB GDDR6
memory
32GB DDR5 (1x32GB) 5600MT/s; Expandable up to 64GB
harddrive
1TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD + 1TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
Could it be because the memory is working in single channel?
RoHe
10 Elder
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45.2K Posts
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January 26th, 2025 01:28
@Botrels Are you using headphones, a headset (combo headphones+microphone, or external (eg, desktop speakers?
Botrels
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January 26th, 2025 11:59
@RoHe I'm using desktop speakers and headphones!
I've tested other speakers, checked cables and connections, and the problem persists! Could this be a hardware problem?
RoHe
10 Elder
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45.2K Posts
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January 26th, 2025 20:31
Can't rule out hardware or software at this point.
Are speakers and headphones connected at same time, speakers to rear of PC and headphones to front?
Is Windows Sound set to use RealTek, as it should be? Does Waves MaxxAudio Pro correctly recognize your speakers and headphones?
I pinged a Rockstar volunteer who's expert at audio issues. So maybe he'll respond with some helpful suggestions...
(edited)
Botrels
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January 26th, 2025 22:19
@RoHe
I paid so much for this PC to have this problem! Besides, I could have problems with the processor!
RoHe
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45.2K Posts
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January 26th, 2025 23:08
@Botrels - What version of BIOS is installed? Latest for XPS 8960 is 2.13.0,
NOTE: There are issues installing this BIOS update using SupportAssist, or manually inside Windows because of a recent Win 11 update. So follow the installation instructions at that link for Updating the BIOS from BIOS Boot Menu (independent of operating system).
Are all your other drivers up-to-date? Looks like there are recent Intel Chipset and Intel Management Engine drivers. Be sure to install the Chipset update before installing the Management Engine update.
There's also a firmware update for NVidia RTX 4060 Ti, if that's your video card. You said above RTX 4060, so this update doesn't apply if it's not Ti.
Check for firmware updates for your specific SSDs too. Long list of them...
fireberd
9 Legend
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33.4K Posts
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January 27th, 2025 16:03
If, as you say, it happens with PC audio and with the Focusrite (which has its own driver and sound) that would suggest its something other than the Realtek sound (Focusrite does not use Realtek).
However, to eliminate Realtek conflicting with Focusrite, Disable Realtek (preferably in the BIOS) and then see how the audio out is from the Focusrite. Same way to see if the Focusrite is conflicting with Realtek, physically disconnect the Focusrite when using Realtek.
marcos337
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8 Posts
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January 31st, 2025 23:23
Any solution?
I did all the tests that my friend Ron suggested, but the machine was very slow! I had to do a factory reset and it still didn't work!
Should I wait for Dell to respond? I can't have this distorted sound!
RoHe
10 Elder
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45.2K Posts
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February 1st, 2025 00:50
@marcos337 Are you using Focusrite or just Realtek Audio?
Does this only happen with headphones/headset, or with external speakers. If external speakers, are they built into the monitor and you're using sound over HDMI or over DP?
If your headphones/headset is USB, open Device Manager and expand list under USB. Double-click each USB entry and if it has a Power Management tab, uncheck the box "Allow PC to turn off.." Do that for all USB entries.
Exit Device Manager and navigate to the Advanced Power Management screen by clicking: Start>Run>(type in) %windir%\System32\control.exe powercfg.cpl,,1 and click OK.
When that opens, set Power plan to Max Performance at the top. Then disable Hybrid Sleep, USB Selective Suspend and PCI Express Link State Management. Also check that Processor Power Management>Max is set to 100% and set Min to a higher number too.
Save the changes to Power plan and reboot PC. See if that helps...