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Premium - Crackling, Stuttering

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Premium - Crackling, Stuttering

After a day of futzing around with this, I'm at wits end.

 

I'm using a Dell Latitude laptop (work laptop).  It has a fully updated version of Windows 7 64-bit.  Since the last update (I think) I've bee hearing crackling and stuttering in any and all tracks.  It comes and goes, there could be 30 seconds of pristine playback and then a brief crackle/stutter.  

 

After searching the forums and Intertubes, here's the things I've tried:

 

1. Resetting sound device settings, and trying various stample rates and bit-depths

2. Toggling off Hardware Acceleration

3. Toggling off Play all songs at same volume

4.  High quality streaming

5.  Downloading playlists local

 

I went so far as to drop $100 on a USB DAC that bypasses my built in Soundcard in my laptop and docking station, and the crackling still persists.  

 

It does NOT happen in iTunes, Windows Media Player, or in YouTube videos.  Only Spotify.  I'm getting really frustrated, as I'm paying $10 a month for a service that is almost unusable to me for 8-10 hours a day.  

 

It works fine on my iPhone and my several Macs at home without issues.  Only my Windows 7 machine that's causing the problem.  

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183 Replies

This is most likely due to sound card conflict/interrupt issues.

It's an old issue that plagued Creative sound cards for years.

 

I am using a Dell Latitude 6430u with Win 7 and the fix is as follows:

 

  1. Go to 'change sound card settings'
  2. Select 'speakers/headphones' and then click properties
  3. Select the advanced tab
  4. Tick the option for 'Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device'
  5. Restart spotify

 

Stuttering Playback
I have the latest Spotify client installed on my Windows computer. (Premium user)
Windows 8.1 Pro with latest Windows updates
updated video and audio drivers
Intel Xeon CPU X5650 @ 2.67GHz 2.66 GHz (2 processors)
8 gigs of RAM
64-bit OS

Whenever I start using another application on Windows that accesses the drive, Spotify starts to stutter/scratch play for seconds while something else loads. I've reset my Spotify cache, turned ON and OFF "Available Offline" and there's no difference. (rebooting doesn't fix anything either)

If I load iTunes and try opening other applications I don't experience these jitters.

I'm stomped!

I have same annoying problem...

I too have this problem and I have a one month old (i.e. new) MacBook Pro

2.6 GHz i5

8GB memory

256 SSD

 

While I too think the issue has something to do with the software since I am having the problem WITH locally downloaded files and the problem only happens with Spotify. However I've noticed the problem is improved by turning OFF the setting "sleep hard disks when possible." It is also helped when I close all other programs. But #1 files that are being listened to should no be accessing the CURRENT song from the hard disk, they should be moved to the active memory and accessed from there if they aren't already. #2 I should be able to have other programs (say 8 tabs in internet browser, and some other smaller background programs (dropbox, mail, messages, notes, etc)) open AND not have spotify studder in the background. Perhaps spotify should allow for a reserved memory/CPU load option for higher end systems reserving say 3-5% of the CPU and 100-200 MB of memory if you guys can; but I'm no software designer. My laptop (being new) should have no problems with performance on playing music locally downloaded to my hard drive. 

However even with these additions the problem still presists, just about 30% better, a small benefit. 

This does not fix the problem I've perpetually had with Spotify. I've tried all the solutions in this thread to no avail. Changing my cache to an alternative drive seems to reduce the issue, but it still occurs on a sem-regular basis.

I'm experiencing this on my iPhone 6. I signed up for their 90 day promo and was loving spotify. Suddenly, sometime last week, I started noticing the audio crackling. I mostly listen in my car so I was afraid I blew my car's speakers. After some experimenting, I relaized it only happened while using spotify. I was seriously considering being a regular subscriber after the 90 days...

Hello: In what way are you using the iPhone to listen in your car? Bluetooth, airfoil, some other app feature, direct soung cable input into the stereo head unit? Might help to maybe isolate what is causing the issue. Are you plugged into the car's power point with the power cable while music is playing off of your iPhone into the car stereo system? The reason I ask I have an old Ford truck and when I used to plug my ipod into the power point and then play music while the vehicle was running and music was playing through the trucks stereo system, I ended up with a strange static noize and low level buzzing. Things not grounded right in a car electrical system can do odd things. Just some things to consider and help in self trouble shoot for you.

Very good questions. I am plugging into the USB port in my car. The reason I'm saying the issue is spotify is I can play any other music app and it sounds flawless. If I go into the spotify app, I get crackling popping. It's not in every song, some have almost none and some have a lot. I need to do some testing apart from my car but haven't gotten around to it yet.

One more detail, my car has spotify integration, so I can control it directly through the car's entertainment center. May or may not be relevant

Hum is there a way on your car and the stereo system to try a blutooth connection just to rule out the USB connect method?

I recently had this problem while using Spotfy Premium on Ubuntu 14.04

 

At first I thought it was my new headphone amp, but I tried a bunch things came to the following conclusion:

 

The crackling is not due to Spotify alone. It only occurs with my particular DAC (X-Fi Go! SB110) AND Spotify. Spotify on other computers sounds fine even with my DAC and Spotify, so it's combination of computer, audio device, and Spotify from what I can tell. I'm super confused right now.

 

 

Same issue here, every 45 seconds or so you get a noise that shounds like a cracked or jammed record. 

 

Tried:

Clearing cache

clean install

running Spotify with nothing else running (inc killing all non-essitual background processes)

turning hardware acceleration on and off

high quality audio on or off

AV on or off

Windows Firewall on or off

 

Machine Spec:

Dell XPS L502x Laptop

i7-2860 QM 2.5 Ghz

16 GB Corsair Vengeance RAM

Crucial 256GB MX100 SSD (Boot Drive with Windows Spotify and Spotify Cache)

Realtek High Definition Audio, Waves Maxx Audio3 and JBL speakers

Windows 7 Pro 64 bit

 

The issue happens regardless of location and connection type, speed, wired or wireless. 

 

I can only conclude its an issue with Spotify itself.

 

Any one got any idea's I've not tried 

One thing you can do is try deleting the local files and then resyncing them to your device. And/Or try completely deleting the spotty application then reinstalling. Also does this only happen on one of your devices.

There doesn't seem to be a definitive solution to this problem, from what I've seen. I'm using Spotify on an Android, Galaxy S3, and it has worked fine for over a year. All of the sudden I am getting pops and crackling in streaming and downloaded songs. Tried everything on here, and want to keep my premium subscription but will stop paying soon because the music is ruined by this problem. Am I missing something, maybe another thread?

I don't know what to do otherwise but contact spotify support directly.

Hi guys

 

I've had the same problem and I was going crazy because of it. I have a Toshiba (4 year old Tecra) with Win7 64bit and I am using a Bose Mini Soundlink as my external speaker (great sound, by the way...), linked via bluetooth. As I was experiencing some syncing problems, I changed some parameters, almost everywhere, including the speakers properties in windows sound config.

 

I solved the problem reducing the sound quality (sample rate and bit depth) from 48000 Hz (DVD quality) back to 44100 hz (CD quality) in the advanced tab of my speakers properties. Check this page where i found the solution that worked for me: http://corey.degrandchamp.com/2010/11/25/fixed-windows-7-sound-popping-cracking-skipping/ 

 

Hope this helps, at least some of you.

 

 

I have given up with Spotify client.

 

I uninstalled it on my box months ago because of this issue and I've just done a reinstall and BANG there are the little glitches.

 

I've tried all the suggestions.

 

Spotify if you are reading this you need to sort your software out.  It absolutely has a problem.

 

I have a monster of a machine here with a pro external Firewire studio mixer ...

 

Anyway, bye bye again Spotty.

MacBook Air, i7, aftermarket SSD, optioned to the max; trying out Spotify Premium, and playing to Bose Spoundlink mini, via Bluetooth.Today, first time, appalling crackling; so much so I had to stop listening. Right now, 30 mins later, excellent. What did I change? Zilch.

 

So, I will keep an ear on this; I can listen to my music via iTunes with zero distortion, so if the problem continues, that is my option. 

Exactly 3 years later and the problem still persists... Guys wake up!

It's not with our computers or internet, otherwise no other music streaming service would work (like Pandora, Google Play Music and even the defunct Grooveshark all showed no problem).

 

Everyone here in this community is only here complaining because we love Spotify.

But if you can't solve a fundamental streaming problem, the competition will steal us really soon...

I cancelled my service since they clearly don't care to resolve the issue.

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