Surface Book 2 audio - Crackling sound in Zoom meetings

Anonymous
2020-04-15T05:20:04+00:00

Hello Microsoft Community, 

I am experiencing exactly same issue as highlighted in this post;

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/forum/all/surface-book-2-microphone-starts-crackling-after/0f27fa1b-3bec-4927-8c5b-303522bad118

When I am in a Zoom meeting with 1 person it appears ok - but when a meeting with multiple attendees (hence higher CPU load) are in progress all of sudden other participants get loud crackling noise when I speak, and it has happened on a regular basis.

I have used both

  • the built in mic array, as well as
  • a separate Logitech USB headset & a Plantronics USB headset

but when the crackling jumbled sound starts to occur, it doesn't matter which mic I am using - and it continues on and off.

I have updated the drivers to the latest packages available, but the issue persists.

I have seen a post talking about unchecking "Enable audio enhancements - Signal enhancements" on Reddit 

https://www.reddit.com/r/Surface/comments/3dgdkw/how_to_fix_audio_cracklingdistortion_on_surface/

but I don't see that option in my Surface Book 2 13" i5 model (with the latest Windows 10 patches)

However I do notice a checkbox with "Enable Hardware Acceleration". If I uncheck the box what would it do?

Regards,

Jihong

Surface | Surface Book | Sound and camera

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  1. Anonymous
    2020-05-28T04:45:55+00:00

    Exactly the same problem. Microsoft even sent me a replacement for Surface Book 2. No luck.  I have spent HOURS on Microsoft support. I have done everything. Yes, even used an ethernet cable, wired mic, bluetooth, you name it. Always comes back.  Also i’ve had to switch to my ipad in the middle of a meeting or class i’m giving. No problem. My wife uses her Mac zoom throughout the day. No problem. I’ve been accused of a Darth Vader voice but mostly fading out or crackling audio. Very random because not on every call.

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  2. Anonymous
    2020-05-26T14:46:03+00:00

    ...

    If it helps you, since posting my original message, I've been using an external microphone plugged into the usb and that seems to have solved the issue. I happened to have access to one which made it easy for me.

    I had an old Jabra 510, tried to use it as an external microphone but problem remained

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  3. Anonymous
    2020-05-23T03:58:48+00:00

    Just started using Zoom a few weeks ago.. some for work but  mostly to keep in touch with family and they all complain about terrible sound. When I use my Mac (2011 AirBook) it's not present, not present when I use my phone either. I've tried everything everyone has mentioned above aside from an different external mic.  I'm up to date with patches, just downloaded the newest Zoom client this evening and the sound issue persists...

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  4. Anonymous
    2020-05-20T00:27:08+00:00

    I have the same issue with a Dell Laptop

    Any ideas yet?  I believe it is a settings issue.  Not many technical terms will come from me, I believe the "signal processing" or similar is trying to be smart and causes the issue.

    I have the issue in either Google Meets (a.k.a hangouts) or Zoom and it happens with web version of the app and it happens in Chrome or Edge.  

    I was on with Costco tech support, updated microphone driver and computer bios.  Tried other updates, no luck.  On either application it shows microphone options even though there is only one actual built in microphone.  If I switch from one to the other it will work for a short while and the crackle will come back.  

    Very annoying 

    Again - forward those ideas..

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  5. Anonymous
    2020-05-17T13:09:54+00:00

    I'm having the exact same issue. The problem is it is intermittent and hard to diagnose. 

    I'm trying to pinpoint when it happens but not 100% sure. It seems to happen within the first 30 mins of my device being turned on, but that could be because that's the time I do most of my speaking.

    One time I rushed to plug in my Surface dock to use ethernet cable (thinking it was bad wifi) and it appeared to fix itself but when I tried that again another time it didn't work.

    The weird thing though is sometimes on Zoom it will tell me my bandwidth is low, when in fact I have 100/40 nbn and sitting right next to the modem. Could the 2 issues be linked?

    I mute/unmute myself and turn on/off original sound on Zoom which does something, but then when I think it's fixed it will happen again. Frustrating to say the least.

    On Google hangouts my colleagues would get a sudden loud feedback blast from me (so embarassing since I have the most spec'd out machine) 

    Hope you can shed some light on this issue and get it resolved asap especially as a lot of us are working from home and using video conferencing daily. Thanks in advance

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