Muffled and distorted Audio

[j_pfeiffer]

Hi all,
about 3 months ago I installed a driver update that either came through Windows update or the Intel driver and support assistant. Since then the audio playback through my speakers (Realtek Audio) and through my monitor (3.5mm audio out of a Samsung ViewFinity S65UC, connected to laptop via USB-C) is really bad. The quality is muffled and distorted, sounding like from a really bad plastic case with the cheapest speakers ever. Be assured that I know that the speakers within my laptop and the Bose speakers connected to my monitor can sound better (using it also with other laptop- no issues there).

By accident there was one driver update where the audio quality was good and normal again, but with the one of the larger Windows 11 updates (25H2 upate?) this was back to terrible. A reset to the last recovery point didn't solve the issue.

It seems like the Intel Display Audio driver messes up with the Realtek device driver. I have read a lot of articles about it, but never found a solution. Can you please help me to have good audio again? THANK YOU in advance

PC is a Fujitsu U9313X with an i5-1350p, graphics driver 11.03.2025 installed through clean install

[VonM_Intel]

Hi j_pfeiffer,

Thank you for posting in our Community. It does sound like the problem could be related to a driver conflict between the Intel Display Audio driver and the Realtek Audio driver, especially after recent Windows or driver updates. Let’s work together to narrow this down and find a lasting fix for you. However, I understand that you have a laptop. Since this is an OEM (Fujitsu U9313X with an i5-1350p) original equipment manufacturer device, please take into consideration that our support may be limited since we are not familiar with the technology, settings, customizations, custom drivers, and features that the OEM has designed and installed in your system, nevertheless, I will do my best to assist you with your concern.

To help me better understand the situation, could you please confirm or provide the following details?

• Could you check which specific version of the Intel Display Audio driver and Realtek Audio driver are currently installed on your system?
• When the issue occurs, does it affect both the laptop’s built-in speakers and the Bose external speakers in the same way?
• Have you tried performing a clean installation of the Realtek audio driver directly from the Fujitsu support page or from Realtek’s official site?
• Does disabling the Intel Display Audio device under Device Manager (temporarily) improve the audio quality?
• You mentioned one update where the sound was normal again. Do you recall which driver version or Windows update that was?
• Have you tested if audio quality improves when connecting headphones or a Bluetooth device?

I've reviewed the steps you've already taken as outlined in your thread. To build on that foundation, what other troubleshooting approaches have you tried? Please let me know the details so we don't cover the same ground twice.

Additionally, I'd like to delve deeper and verify full specifics and any system errors. Utilizing the Intel SSU tool will enable me to collect detailed information about your system setup, which could aid in identifying the underlying cause of this issue.

Have a nice day!

Best regards,

Von M.
Intel Customer Support Technician