When will the widespread Surface Studio Laptop audio issue that has been plaguing this laptop line for over a year be fixed?

Question

Hi there,

I purchased a new surface studio (i7 500gb ssd) laptop three months ago and since then have encountered an issue with the audio.

It started with all headphones, wired or blue tooth, not producing sound despite the fact the laptop was displaying these external audio outputs connected. This was incredibly inconsistent and sometimes it would work, sometimes it wouldn't. I found that if I swapped the between external and internal output devices it would work for 3-5 seconds before becoming mute again. Alas, this wasn't good enough.

Everything recommended by Microsoft Support; forced restarts, uninstalling and reinstalling audio drivers, using the Microsoft troubleshooting app, etc, did not work.

After some digging, and found at least five threads of people with the exact same issue who have all attempted the same things to varying degrees without success.
(I have linked to some below)
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/forum/all/wired-headphones-not-working-on-surface-laptop/dc9466f8-5c0f-4c19-af31-641c81bbf819
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/forum/all/surface-studio-laptop-issues-with-external-audio/e2afbf4d-0bec-40fd-a5b2-83dd1ce1b6dc
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/forum/all/35-mm-audio-jack-on-surface-studio-2-input-doesnt/1102f535-6a87-46ca-bfa5-2052754fd5f5

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/forum/all/wired-headphones-not-working-on-surface-laptop/dc9466f8-5c0f-4c19-af31-641c81bbf819https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/forum/all/surface-studio-laptop-issues-with-external-audio/e2afbf4d-0bec-40fd-a5b2-83dd1ce1b6dchttps://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/forum/all/35-mm-audio-jack-on-surface-studio-2-input-doesnt/1102f535-6a87-46ca-bfa5-2052754fd5f5IA reddit post from ONE YEAR AGO that discusses this issue and lo-and-behold has found an obscure fix for the issue, in which the poster went through four new surface studio laptops, all of which had the exact same issue. https://www.reddit.com/r/Surface/comments/q3lm5m/surface_laptop_studio_headphone_bug_possibly/

My question is, are we ever getting a fix for this issue? As a student I saved for six years to afford a new laptop, spent my scholarship money to get one, and the one I get has an IN BUILT audio issue that has persisted for over a year?

Answer 1

Hi IJustWantToWatchMyLectures,

Thank you for reaching out Microsoft Community. We are aware of how upsetting it may be to have audio problems while using headphones with a Surface device. This is definitely not the experience we want you to have with your Surface. We'd like to consult this internally; therefore, we'll need to collect the information listed below.

May I know what build version of Windows are you on?

Does this occur only with certain audio apps, or does it happen with all applications?

I hope to hear back from you.

Kind regards,

Lavenia

Answer 2

Hi Lavenia,

I am currently on Windows 11, version 22H2. OS Build 22621.1413

This issue is present on all external audio. I have tried three separate headphones using the 3.5mm audio port, USB-based external audio speakers, and I have also tried blue tooth headphones. This applies to all applications.
If the audio is muted or at zero prior to connecting external audio devices, no audio will be produced even after adjusting the volume or unmuting. Switching from the external, to internal, to external device via the settings without unplugging the external audio will produce sound for 3-5 seconds before the external audio disappears again.

Thanks,

Answer 3

Thank you for confirming IJustWantToWatchMyLectures. I am communicating with our internal team regarding your issue. We appreciate your patience with us.

Is your device currently run the factory image that it came with?

Answer 4

Hi Lavenia,

I believe so. I'm not entirely familiar with what a 'factory image' is, but I haven't altered anything in a significant way. I have uninstalled and reinstalled the audio drivers to try and remedy the issue, but the laptop is otherwise the same besides the other apps I have installed.

Please let me know if you need more detail on this,
Thanks,
Anna

Answer 5

Thank you for addressing all the questions that I ask. Kindly try to manually update the drivers and firmware for your Surface. Here's how:

Go to Download driver and firmware for Surface, choose Surface Laptop. Then click the link next to Surface Laptop Studio then click Download on the next page. Choose the .msi file that matches your current OS Build and click Next. After downloading, run and install the .msi then Restart.

Let me know how it goes.