Speakers Crackling on Windows
The presence of loud crackling or interference noises coming from your speakers or headset can cause severe frustration, especially if the user has no idea where to start to fix the issue. This particular problem can be caused by different reasons. The first place that users should check, however, is the speaker or headphone wires. It is quite common for the wires to get severed in one or more places across their length. The loosened connection will then begin to manifest itself as loud and annoying interference noises. If the wires are all in working order, the next place to check is the connection ports. If possible, try to plug in a different device and see if the problem persists.
On the software side of things, users have reported success in dealing with the problem after changing their audio format. To do so, first right-click the speaker icon on the Taskbar and then choose 'Playback devices.' In the window that opens, select your audio device and click the 'Properties' button. In the 'Speaker Properties' window, open the 'Advanced' tab. Now, choose the sample rate and bit depth to be used as the 'Default Format' option. When you have made your decision, click on 'Apply' to save the change and then 'Ok' to exit the 'Speaker Properties' window. You may have to try several times until you find the right format that will not produce any popping and crackling noises.
Audio problems and interference can also be caused by software enhancements. Although such enhancements are designed to improve sound quality, they oftentimes have unintended side effects. To check if the crackling noises are caused by sound enhancements that are not working properly, right-click the speaker icon on the Taskbar. From the available options, select 'Playback devices.' Select your audio device from the list and click the 'Properties' button. In the new window that appears, open the 'Enhancements' tab. Disable specific ones or simply tick the 'Disable all enhancements' checkbox. Click 'Apply' to save the changes and then 'Ok' to exit the window. Hopefully, the crackling noises will have disappeared.