Frustrating Sound Issue

[Rigd]

Hello,

I have a quite annoying problem that occurs randomly and fixes itself after a computer restart.
I neither know what the cause of it is nor how to fix it and I am out of ideas, that is why I am coming here.
I have created a custom build about a month ago and had that problem ever since.

I have no idea if anything in that build causes the problem, so here is a list of all parts:
- CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-5930K
- CPU COOLER: Corsair H100i
- SSD: 2x Samsung Basic MZ-7KE512BW 850 Pro (512GB)
- RAM: 2x Vengeance® LPX 16GB (4x4GB) DDR4 DRAM 2800MHz C16 Memory Kit - Red
- GPU: 2x 4096MB MSI GeForce GTX 970 Gaming 4G
- MOTHERBOARD: Gigabyte GA-X99-Gaming G1 WIFI
- OS: Windows 8.1
- POWER SUPPLY: Corsair Professional Series™ Gold AX1200 — 80 PLUS®
- CASE: Corsair 750D
- ROM-DRIVE: LG BH16NS40 Blue-ray

I have tried quite a lot of things trying to fix the problem which I found on either google or here.
The things I have tried so far are:
- Updating all drivers (including BIOS update, ...)
- Disabling devices within the device manager one by one to see if any of them cause the problem
- Plugging in a variety of different sound devices like headsets, surround systems, ...
- Checking BIOS settings
- Checking voltages
- Monitoring temperatures, system usage, ... to see when the problem occurs (but no luck)

Yet none of the above has helped.
My only idea left is to replace every single part listed above with a new one in case one of them is somehow damaged or w/e.
But before I do that I thought of coming here first hoping for other suggestions.

Thank you.

EDIT: I have uploaded a little example of what I am talking about which I recorded with my iPhone.
If you can not recognise what you are listening to, it is Call Me Maybe from Carly Rae Jepsen.
Recording: http/www.speedyshare.com/2WtgC/Soundbug.m4a

 

[ssddx]

a few questions for clarification:

it sounds like you are using onboard sound from your motherboard and are connecting via 3.5mm, correct?

have you tried a usb headset to see what occurs? do you experience the same sound issue on both the front and rear 3.5mm ports?

have you checked your equalizer if your sound software came with one? set it to flat eq. also disable any after effects if any are enabled.

--

what is going on?

the audio file sounds to me more like "distortion" than "crackling" (unless that is just your iphone having extremely poor audio recording... which could be the case... let me know as the tones sound way off in the recording. sounds like a heavy tonal imbalance of some sort. it might be wise to check if its just some sort of odd windows bug as well before doing any RMA.

if its distortion i'd say check the EQ first as heavy EQ changing can result in wonky sound output like that. otherwise, its an issue with either drivers or hardware on your motherboard in relation to sound. since you have tried drivers already, try eq. if it still acts up then either an RMA for the motherboard or using a soundcard instead on onboard are solutions.

if its actual crackling (didnt hear any, only heard distortion) then typically its due to either soundcard hardware on your motherboard being faulty in some manner, EMI, a bad connection on the jacks (could be faulty or i've heard of a few rare cases where the jacks/plug are sized wrong and fit loose). if you connect on the front of your pc tower and it has issues but doesnt on the rear then it could be just the jacks on the case. see if jiggling the plug has any effect on audio quality. solutions depend on if the issue occurs on both front and rear jacks but generally as above, RMA on the motherboard or using a soundcard instead are solutions.

if its some odd windows bug... try safe mode. does it occur? is it possible to boot up on a fresh install on a spare drive to test if its just a windows issue that is fixed by a reinstall? if a reinstall is an option, i'd try with only basic drivers installed and no programs and check if it occurs. if it does then its surely a hardware issue of some type.

 

[Rigd]

a few questions for clarification:

it sounds like you are using onboard sound from your motherboard and are connecting via 3.5mm, correct?

have you tried a usb headset to see what occurs? do you experience the same sound issue on both the front and rear 3.5mm ports?

have you checked your equalizer if your sound software came with one? set it to flat eq. also disable any after effects if any are enabled.

--

what is going on?

the audio file sounds to me more like "distortion" than "crackling" (unless that is just your iphone having extremely poor audio recording... which could be the case... let me know as the tones sound way off in the recording. sounds like a heavy tonal imbalance of some sort. it might be wise to check if its just some sort of odd windows bug as well before doing any RMA.

if its distortion i'd say check the EQ first as heavy EQ changing can result in wonky sound output like that. otherwise, its an issue with either drivers or hardware on your motherboard in relation to sound. since you have tried drivers already, try eq. if it still acts up then either an RMA for the motherboard or using a soundcard instead on onboard are solutions.

if its actual crackling (didnt hear any, only heard distortion) then typically its due to either soundcard hardware on your motherboard being faulty in some manner, EMI, a bad connection on the jacks (could be faulty or i've heard of a few rare cases where the jacks/plug are sized wrong and fit loose). if you connect on the front of your pc tower and it has issues but doesnt on the rear then it could be just the jacks on the case. see if jiggling the plug has any effect on audio quality. solutions depend on if the issue occurs on both front and rear jacks but generally as above, RMA on the motherboard or using a soundcard instead are solutions.

if its some odd windows bug... try safe mode. does it occur? is it possible to boot up on a fresh install on a spare drive to test if its just a windows issue that is fixed by a reinstall? if a reinstall is an option, i'd try with only basic drivers installed and no programs and check if it occurs. if it does then its surely a hardware issue of some type.

Yes, I am using onboard sound. And yes, I am connectin via. 3.5mm.
I have not tried a USB Headset yet, but I'll see if I can get ahold of one.
The issue is the same for both the motherboard ports (rear) and the case ports (front).
The motherboard came with Sound Blaster Recon3Di but removing it from the system/playing around with settings did not help either.
The audio file is pretty good, it sounds pretty much exactly like that, I was not sure how to describe how the sound sounds like so I chose crackling, it might aswell be distortion, no idea.

I'll try to get ahold of a USB Headset and will buy a soundcard tomorrow to see if any of these help.
That might take a while tho as I have no idea how to cause the sound issues and they randomly occur either after a few minutes or a few hours.
Thank you for your answer.

 

[ssddx]

well, a usb headset uses its own soundcard so effectively bypasses onboard sound. a soundcard bypasses it as well. both would be a solution (although a soundcard is a more full featured solution if you intend to use speakers or headphones not just a headset).

when i mean distortion, to me it sounds like many of the tones are completely screwed up in such a way that they sound unnatural and deformed though it seems like its only on part of the spectrum which is why i said perhaps it was an eq issue.

 

[Rigd]

well, a usb headset uses its own soundcard so effectively bypasses onboard sound. a soundcard bypasses it as well. both would be a solution (although a soundcard is a more full featured solution if you intend to use speakers or headphones not just a headset).

when i mean distortion, to me it sounds like many of the tones are completely screwed up in such a way that they sound unnatural and deformed though it seems like its only on part of the spectrum which is why i said perhaps it was an eq issue.

Alright, I'll get both of these tomorrow for sure and will test them then.
The sound is indeed screwed up yeah, to me it sounds like the real sound is still behind there, just lower in volume and some weird sound parts are just put in front of it.

 

[Rigd]

Alright, so I have tested a soundcard today and the same issue came up after about an hour.
After that I have also tested a USB headset but no luck either.
I guess it is hardware related then and I have to replace parts, or anyone has an other idea?

 

[ssddx]

if possible, try a full system reinstall after backing up any data you do not want to lose. i'd fully format the drive too before reinstalling. could be just a screwed up windows install causing bugs. this would be my next thing to check.

on the bright side, you eliminated some possible issues as to what the cause is.

 

[Rigd]

if possible, try a full system reinstall after backing up any data you do not want to lose. i'd fully format the drive too before reinstalling. could be just a screwed up windows install causing bugs. this would be my next thing to check.

on the bright side, you eliminated some possible issues as to what the cause is.

I have done a full reinstall yesterday and the same issue came up so I drove to the closest branch of the company I bought my parts from and got a replacement motherboard straight away, guess the extra 15€ for the extra service of getting them back from the store instead of the product's factory was worth it.
Just got done with doing another complete reinstall like an hour ago and getting the system back to what it was at on my first install.
Until now I have not experienced the bug, wish me luck it won't happen again and the issue is finally gone.

 

[Rigd]

After around 3 days of testing the issue never came up again, had I just went to get a new motherboard right at the start... that would have saved me a lot of investigating

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