Strange noise on my ASUS notebook speakers

Question

I just bought an Asus K56CB notebook. I immediately replaced original platter hard drive with my SSD I had in my previous laptop (no re-installation, just remove from previous and replace in new). I'm not sure whether Windows automatically installs new hardware drivers when turned on or not, but I would expect it to do so.

Anyway. When I turned notebook on it worked without any hiccups except for the sound which was working but with additional noise (as if some sort of crosstalk but just loud enough to be annoying) and crackling sound. I tried connecting to external speakers and sound was fine.

Few things I tried or I should try:

1. Muting the built-in microphone in case it would be picking up some internal noise but there was no difference. Mind that these noises are only present, when audio is being used and not all the time...
2. As I've read on the web some people were experiencing (in words) similar issues but there was a difference when they had battery plugged in. So I tried the same but no difference either.
3. I may try installing a different OS to see whether audio drivers are the weakest link here although I doubt as connecting external speakers works fine
4. If there's actually some cable crosstalk at play I may disassemble the notebook and reposition speaker cables (if any)
5. Most likely I should turn this computer back in and get it serviced or even better get it replaced. Not sure about void warranty as I've opened it already to replace the hard drive.

I strongly suspect it may be faulty notebook internal speakers but I'm not sure how should I troubleshoot this if at all?

This is the sound from my notebook built-in speakers because it will be easier for you to hear what I'm trying to explain in words. You can also hear mouse clicking and default Windows notification sound for sound level comparison.

Any ideas?

Configuration: Asus K56CB, intel i5, 6GB RAM, Crucial M500 256 SSD, Windows 7

Answer 1

Computer came with no OS on it. I am assuming that it could be a speaker problem, because when I plug in the jack-aux connector to radio, sound works fine. No strange noises or smth... I will try again with Ubuntu for starters, but also I am going back to seller...

Answer 2

You listed all the things that I would try. First I would see if there's any drivers for the speakers and if there are, download and install them. If that doesn't work, then the next step would be to boot into a different OS (e.g. any linux distro from a live cd) and see if you still get problems. If that didn't work, and if you can open up the laptop without worrying about warranty, open it up and check for physical problems like frayed wires. If that doesn't work then yeah replace it or the speakers.

Answer 3

Did the original HD (with windows I'm guessing?) make the same sounds? If not, maybe there's a special or updated hardware driver you need, ASUS should have some drivers available to download, maybe it's missing from your other old Win7 install.

But, if the original HD and OS still makes the sound, that's as far as I would go for troubleshooting a brand-new computer. Brand new should mean easy full-money-back returns, and a good warranty. Usually the hard drive is a user-replaceable item, so there shouldn't be any "do not remove - voids warranty" stickers that were broken. Any further dis-assembly to unplug things likely would break some secret sticker or something, and then a return or warranty would be difficult if not impossible.

Could be a bad speaker that could be replaced, or a bad motherboard component (have to likely replace the whole thing), but right now that should be the manufacturer's problem