New HyperX Cloud 2 popping/crackling sounds

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jdk4sabres

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Feb 11, 2015
13
0
4,570
I just received my Cloud 2's in the mail and upon plugging them in(They are wired and USB only) I've noticed that when I'm in a game or watching a video there is a frequent popping or crackling noise. It's not too loud but it doesn't happen with my PX22 Turtle Beach headset or my actual Speakers. It also does not occur when sitting idle, or with mouse movement or anything like that.

I tried updating my Realtek Drivers, tried changing the audio quality in properties, disabling Razer Surround Pro software in case it was conflicting somehow. I'm not sure what else to do.

Update:

If I disconnect the headset from the on board driver and use them as headphones for my phone and play music or watch a youtube video then there are no popping sounds. So it's either the on board driver or my computer.

Update 2:

Hooked them up to my Brother in law's pc and they still pop, so it's not specifically my PC causing some sort of interference or software conflict. Maybe I should return them? Seems like there's an issue with the on board driver. I don't know...

Update 3:

Since the popping doesnt happen with my Turtle Beach's or my speaker system, I'm assuming it's a driver issue and while I did update my Asus realtek audio driver yesterday, that driver was from the 5th. Today I see a new one(11th) so hopefully that driver will fix it.

Update 4:
The driver didn't change anything.

Update 5:

I tried the DPC latency program and I do get one red bar indicating one of my drivers is causing the crackling issue. I hope I'm on the right track now.

Update 6:

I tried disabling drivers one at a time like the DPC latency program says to do and nothing seemed to stop it. Not sure which driver it is.

If it matter my specs are:

Asus M5a97 R2.0 motherboard(brand new)
Sapphire R9 270 Dual X OC edition(few months old)
AMD fx 6300(brand new)
8gb ram
Corsair CX600 psu
NZXT Guardian Case(brand new)
and a CM Hyper 212 evo cooler soon
 
Solution
They have finally fixed it. I wrote to them through technical support about the popping/crackling in my headset like the others in this thread have done and they have finally fixed it with a firmware update, the update was provided to me through a link to their website that they sent me through email.

To check the popping problem I used audiocheck's Sine Sweep - Full Spectrum sound files which very easily reveal the popping problem.

The new firmware updates from version 0003 to version 0005 and it finally solves the issues that persisted in previous versions, to get the update, just ask them through the technical support. I could also post the link they provided if anyone asks for it, but I don't know if I'm supposed to share it.

Mapleine

Estimable
Feb 12, 2015
6
0
4,510
Exact same problem, did the exact same troubleshooting across several PCs.

The first Cloud was amazing, except the mic and it's static

They fixed that and broke something else, I suppose. Done with Kingston now and I guess I'll look into returning them to Amazon.
 

jdk4sabres

Estimable
Feb 11, 2015
13
0
4,570
I've started a Technical support ticket with kingston's website explaining what the issues are and what i've done to try and fix it so far. Waiting for an email response. We'll see what they say.
 

kingstonhq

Honorable
Mar 11, 2013
9
0
10,540
Hello jdk4sabres and Mapleine,
I'm Jewel with Kingston US Technical Support. We apologize for the issue experienced with the HyperX Cloud II USB sound card. We would like to further investigate this issue and of course set up a warranty replacement to get you a properly working USB sound card. Email communication can be delayed and responses can take up to 1 business day. For immediate assistance, please call us at 1-800-435-0640 (USA and Canada only) M - F 6am - 6pm PT and I or another available Technician will assist you.

Thank you for choosing HyperX.
 

Mapleine

Estimable
Feb 12, 2015
6
0
4,510
I set one up on the phone yesterday, the man was very nice and was one of the few tech support reps who didn't treat me like an idiot (but having a boyfriend in tech support I absolutely understand why they often treat users like idiots) but I have yet to be contacted back.

Id love to have it fixed, much like the mic issues with the first gen Cloud it's heartbreaking to have an otherwise fantastic product ruined by one issue. I feel like it's a hardware defect though, not a simple bug, it's especially not on my end considering I've done everything possible to remedy and test it.
 

jdk4sabres

Estimable
Feb 11, 2015
13
0
4,570
So after going through the technical support via email they determined I need a replacement USB dongle. So hopefully the new one resolves my issues. I'll update once I have the new one.
 

Mapleine

Estimable
Feb 12, 2015
6
0
4,510
Yeah, theyre sending mine out now I guess.

Did my last round of trouble shooting, tried everything and I mean everything concerning interferance, static, latency, etc.

Trying my last idea in a bit which is a powered USB hub, as my power supply is straight up garbage and an idea is an idea. Ive always had a few pops every now and then on other headsets, but it was like on changing volume and the like never on actual audio consistently like this.

Not expecting it to work but who knows. If it doesnt then absolutely all I can do is wait for the replacement USB card. If THAT doesn't work, then I guess ill just send it back to Amazon.

This is frustrating. Buying a headset is impossible, I swear to god. Either the mics are noise factories, they break, etc, etc, its always something, this market is SUCH a racket, it makes mobile service look genuine.

All I want is a passably sturdy, decent sounding headset with a noise canceling mic and a mediocre amp so I can ruin my ears a little faster for ~80-125ish. Why is this impossible?
 

Mapleine

Estimable
Feb 12, 2015
6
0
4,510
Ick, apparently I have to pay for shipping myself and send it out ahead of time to get the replacement.... I don't even know if it'll work, so I've kind of lost interest.

Will just return to Amazon and switch brands. After feeling pretty burnt by both iterations of the Cloud we are done with Kingston for awhile
 

alexgrist

Estimable
Feb 12, 2015
1
0
4,510


I believe I've been experiencing the same issues, great sound but the microphone is disappointing. After emailing Amazon about the issue of it being possibly defective they have sent out a replacement that should arrive tomorrow so I'll hopefully know whether it is indeed a defective USB sound card. I'd also like to add that I plugged the headset directly into my Asus Xonar DGX sound card using an adapter to make it separate audio & microphone jacks and it resulted in a noticeably clearer sound from the microphone.
 

Mapleine

Estimable
Feb 12, 2015
6
0
4,510
Just a final heads up: an external, powered USB hub did not fix the issue. So it's not a problem of dirty power.

It's either just broken or a hardware fault. After the unusable Cloud 1 mic (the static, not even the quality) i dont trust anyones opinion on the problem either sadly.
 

blakextrem3

Estimable
Feb 13, 2015
1
0
4,510
I had the same problem when i first got mine. I just plugged the USB into a different port on the front of my tower instead of in the back and the static stopped. Hope this helps :/
 

johnson336

Distinguished
Sep 11, 2011
1
0
18,510
I received my new pair of cloud II's a couple of days ago and after initially being blown away by the high quality packaging and sleek build quality I was very let down by the significant popping sounds heard when using the USB dongle. The cans themselves appear to be fine since plugging them into the PC's 3.5mm directly solves the popping issue, however being a microphone/stereo combined jack means they have compatibility issues with some of my other devices. (Moto X 2013 and Nexus 9 both will not play audio from them, moto x actually sends a constant throbbing/pulsing sound into them)
I tried all the usual troubleshooting methods of updating drivers, testing on a different PC, running the DPC latency checker, all to no avail.
After coming from an excellent pair of Audio-Technica AD-ATH700's I cannot stand the frequent popping/hissing, so I guess I'll be returning them for a different option.
 

Mapleine

Estimable
Feb 12, 2015
6
0
4,510
Yeah, this is too many people having the same problem now, I've seen several on another board too. It's another defect so I went ahead and sent Amazon my return notice, the same way I had to return my original Cloud's to them. Such a waste.

Decided on getting an Asus Xonar card and a Sennheiser headset, more money but at this point I just want a product that works.
 

elweros

Estimable
Feb 15, 2015
1
0
4,510
Just want to put this out there for anyone that runs into this thread.

I got this headset on 02/13, and like everyone was impressed with the quality all round. Today 02/15 I began hearing the same crackling described in this forum. Disheartened, i was prepared to ship them back to amazon since some of the comments mentioned having to pay to get a fix from Kingston.

I unplugged the headset and just out of curiosity, i switched USB ports just in case mine was flaking out or something. Luckily by moving the headset to another, the crackling was gone. Curiosity led me to switch the headphones back to the other USB port to confirm that it was going crazy. Well lo and behold, the headset no longer crackles in that USB port.

In conclusion, I'm gonna have to say that this is purely a driver issue, perhaps an issue with re initialization from a sleeping computer or something odd. I no longer have any more crackling and the headset is working great.

Just throwing this out there in case it helps someone else who doesn't really want to deal with Kingston :p
 

jdk4sabres

Estimable
Feb 11, 2015
13
0
4,570
I'm still waiting for my new USB dongle to get here. I RMA'ed the first one Friday and as far as I can tell the new one still hasn't shipped to me yet.

In the meantime I did another test to make sure the headset itself was working correctly. I already knew they were fine when plugged into a phone or tablet etc with the 3.5mm jack. So out of curiosity I plugged the Cloud 2's into my Turtle beach PX22 usb dongle and The Cloud 2's made no popping noises at all when connected to the TB dongle while playing the exact same video I was using for testing the noises previously. So at this point I'm pretty much certain that the USB driver I got originally was in fact bad.
 
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