I got one unit of Acer Aspire V5-473P laptop on the first week of December, one that is supposedly for scrappage already. But as it turned out, it was still okay. Last week I brought it home when the owner gave me the charger.
I cleaned the unit then proceeded to do checks. Nothing is spoiled, and it is fitted with a slot for mSATA SSD. A winner!
Windows was installed, license keyed in, and all other software and applications completed, I found that it is fast, so this is a good unit, I declared.
Not so fast.
Once I tried playing music via internet radio, the crackling sound from the left speaker surfaced out.
I searched, and to my surprise, this is a common problem! Not only that, but I also found that many, many websites present the same (supposedly) solutions, the steps, and the wordings. Talk of plagiarism en masse.
Let me just list them down here again:
- Change Sound Format ]
- Update Audio Driver
- Disable Sound Enhancement
- Change Power Settings
Now I have to say that none of these helped. I have to open up the laptop and take out the left and right speakers to see further what the problem could be. Sound Control check indicated that the left speaker, the one that crackles on high volume, it is softer compared to the right speaker unit. That's actually 2 speaker units in one assembly on both sides, so 4 speakers in all.
Now, I knew a bit about speakers, so I did a light tap on each speaker, and I found that the 2 speakers on the left assembly, well, they don't have the bouncy feel as compared with the right assembly speakers - which are known to be okay.
On closer inspection, I saw that the 'glue' that is supposed to attach the cone to the suspension is flaked out, with the light tap creating a high-pitched sound like 'tik', 'tik', as compared to the good speakers almost quiet and bouncy. The crackling speakers would have made the cone 'stick' on to the magnet, so there is less movement, or imbalanced movement, scraping on the sides, etc., and with the light tap, it is like tapping on solid wood already.
So what I tried is completedly detach the cone from the suspension by running a sewing pin around carefully and running a vacuum cleaner to make sure nothing got inside the tiny speakers, or that if anything got in, they'd be sucked out, leaving a clear, free movement for the cone later on.
Then, I took a paper glue, used a toothpick to apply small amounts on each side of one speaker first, a small amount enough so it dries fast, and made sure that the cone part is moving freely and correctly. Before the glue completely dried up, I did the light tap to verify my solution, and yes, now the cone is bouncy and quiet, no more 'tik', 'tik' sound. And I did put some pressure on the suspension where I applied the glue to make sure there is no gap.
I turned on the laptop and played music and voila! No more crackling sound!
I completed the fix, applying glue full circle on both of the left speaker units, waiting for the glue to dry a bit (and don't forget, apply only what's necessary, not too much) and I turned on the laptop once again to check if everything okay. And yes, the sound is clear and crisp, even at high, or higher, volumes.
Once I am sure that it won't take any time long for the glue to completely dry, I put the cover back and screwed it tight. I let the laptop sit for another 2 hours, then turned it on, and yes, the sound is so clean and clear, bass, treble and all.
N.B. Do not turn the laptop on while the glue is drying up. The charged coil will be sucked into the magnet which will pull the cone away from the suspension. The laptop must be turned off completely so the cone is attached to the suspension without any gap.
So there you have it, maybe for the first time. How I fixed the static or crackling sound on my laptop. It could be Acer or any other brand, but this worked, and it is not a copy of what's been written. I hope it helps you, too.
Till then!
