Rog Strix Z590-E Gaming Wifi sound issue

[Cool_Barn]

EDIT : It turns out the problem was my DAC, not the motherboard. See my final post for the exhilarating story.

Hello there.

I'm having issues with the optical audio on my new Strix Z590-E Gaming Wifi. I have tried both the Asus and Microsoft drivers, and with both drivers the sound will cut out momentarily every 5 - 10 seconds or so.

Normally the first thing I do upon installing a new motherboard is a fresh Windows install, but for a number of reasons, I am yet to get around to it. I tried running Ubuntu Live to make sure it was software rather than hardware, but that didn't play any sound at all when selecting the Realtek USB option.

I have just updated the BIOS with the most recent version that has just been released.

I can't say for sure whether it's hardware or software, but I'm 95% sure it's driver-related. Probably a fresh install will fix the problem, but if anybody else has experienced this, could you please let me know (and a possible fix 🙂 )

Thank you for your help!

[narsil06]

I don't suggest to upgrade new sound firmware.
I have z590-e motherboard and upgraded sound firmware. I have an issue to use front audio panel. When i use front 3.5mm jack, i am getting static sound. Back panel has not any issue.
Before upgrade new firmware, i don't have this issue. One friend also mention above that aux port has static noise when he upgraded firmware.

What i try to solve this issue (and not successful):
-Format windows and clean installation
-Try to use all realtek and windows drivers. (clean remove and clean install)
-Try to change some sound setting on windows (hibernation, sound effects etc.)
-Try to install old bios (0605)
-Try different headphone (new and old) on the same jack.

Temporary Solution:
This sound does not appear next to an active sound. (no matter volume was high or low or mute)
If you open youtube or play song or playing "Audio Troubleshoot on windows10", this terrible static sound is gone.
I think it is related power issue. Sound card is sleeping or something.

I need downgrade firmware. But there is not any file on asus download page.
I hope Asus help me...

[iisd]

narsil06 wrote:
I don't suggest to upgrade new sound firmware.
I have z590-e motherboard and upgraded sound firmware. I have an issue to use front audio panel. When i use front 3.5mm jack, i am getting static sound. Back panel has not any issue.
Before upgrade new firmware, i don't have this issue. One friend also mention above that aux port has static noise when he upgraded firmware.

What i try to solve this issue (and not successful):
-Format windows and clean installation
-Try to use all realtek and windows drivers. (clean remove and clean install) ( Thanks to @MoKiChU)
-Try to change some sound setting on windows (hibernation, sound effects etc.)
-Try to install old bios (0605)
-Try different headphone (new and old) on the same jack.

Temporary Solution:
This sound does not appear next to an active sound. (no matter volume was high or low or mute)
If you open youtube or play song or playing "Audio Troubleshoot on windows10", this terrible static sound is gone.
I think it is related power issue. Sound card is sleeping or something.

I need downgrade firmware. But there is not any file on asus download page.
I hope Asus help me...

So it does not solve the issue for analog output, but actually makes it worse, because they didnt pay attention to the people with analog who reported this issue and only cared about the ones with optical, and believed the casual analog users here who tried to claim analog doesnt have this issue.
Thanks for sharing, Ill skip this until they fix their crap, or even switch to a different mainboard. This is getting ridiculous.

[Blake1]

Dear all,
Please refer to below link
https://rog.asus.com/motherboards/rog-strix/rog-strix-z590-e-gaming-wifi-model/helpdesk_bios
under BIOS& Firmware there is an update
"ALC4080/ALC4082 audio FW update tool
Fixed SPDIF playing music is noisy"
Please kindly install it.
Thank you so much

[JuicyFruitSweeT]

Blake@ROG wrote:
Dear all,
Please refer to below link
https://rog.asus.com/motherboards/rog-strix/rog-strix-z590-e-gaming-wifi-model/helpdesk_bios
under BIOS& Firmware there is an update
"ALC4080/ALC4082 audio FW update tool
Fixed SPDIF playing music is noisy"
Please kindly install it.
Thank you so much

Today I installed this update and it fixed my Z590-A Gaming Wifi motherboard's audio problem with the SteelSeries Arctis 5 headphone. It always disconnected when I bootup my PC. I hope this is the permanent fix for it.

Edited: Turned on my PC today and the Headphone USB said "Not Connected" again. I guess my USB port problem still exist.

[disenter]

So looks like im not the only one still having some issues with this... I run optical to some reasonably high end klipsch powered studio monitors, and there is constant popping at random intervals happening since the bios update. It fixed the static issue that it previously had, but this is quite annoying also. While there is no sound, out of nowhere little pops. Before you try to blame power or even my speakers themselves, i run a surge board, Seasonic Prime Titanium 1000w psu, and i use a Cyberpower Pure Sinewave UPS. My power can't get any cleaner, and this issue does NOT happen if I switch to bluetooth input on my speakers, and connect them that way. Only while using optical. Yes I've tried different leads. It would seem the sound driver / firmware is not quite fixed. Can we please have this followed up by Asus, and if the issue is not fixable beyond this, then suggest a recall / replacement with a board equally as capable that does not use this sound chip. Sorry guys, but you seem to have dropped the ball with this and frankly i expect better of the RoG and Strix brand.

[iisd]

While this is surely mainly Realteks fault, Asus (and other manufacturers) should have tested this chip properly before choosing it.
This "let the customer beta test it"-mentality is getting out of hands.

[MauroDiogo]

I recently made a thread about sound issues I'm having with my Z590-A Gaming Wifi too but yet to get an official ROG response or any type of support. It's been a week now...
So I'll just post it here too since we already got some ROG responses on here and people have been posting about all types of sound issues:

Greetings!

I've bought this ROG Strix Z590-A Gaming WIFI Motherboard less than two months ago. It worked great for a while. I have my consoles plugged into my monitor via HDMI and then using the Headphones plug, I have a Line in 3.5mm cable that connects to the Motherboard itself. So I can use the same surround speakers and control the console's sound in my computer.

This setup has always worked perfectly and it did work with this Motherboard too... Until about two weeks ago.
The Line In just stopped working. It's not picking up anything going in and it's not sending anything out either.

I've tried all sorts of things, including following the steps found in this other thread:
https://rog.asus.com/forum/showthrea...sue#post829877

- I've performed a clean Uninstall and installation of all the drivers, all the devices.
- I've tried it with "Listen to this device" in the Line In options Enabled/Disabled.
- I have unhidden enabled/disabled devices in the Sound panel and played around with Digital Out too enabled at the same time as Line In.
- I've unhidden disconnected devices to see if there were any extra devices that could be causing this.
- I've also installed the recent FIRMWARE hotfix: "USB_Audio_FW_Update_Tool_20210521" and it didn't work either.
- I've tried plugging just headphones straight into the headphone jack on the monitor and sound works PERFECTLY this way. So it's not the sound being carried by HDMI (would be a console or HDMI cable issue then) and it's not the Monitor itself.
- I've bought two new different Line In audio cables and while they work on other computers, they did not work here either. So it's not the previous cable's fault. It's the Line In itself.

I'm at a loss of what else to try here. I've tried sound without the ROG interface. Without DTS installed. Without Sonic Studio. Nothing has worked.

Thanks in advance guys!

[Zardoc]

MauroDiogo wrote:
I recently made a thread about sound issues I'm having with my Z590-A Gaming Wifi too but yet to get an official ROG response or any type of support. It's been a week now...
https://rog.asus.com/forum/showthrea...sue#post829877

- I've performed a clean Uninstall and installation of all the drivers, all the devices.
- I've tried it with "Listen to this device" in the Line In options Enabled/Disabled.
- I have unhidden enabled/disabled devices in the Sound panel and played around with Digital Out too enabled at the same time as Line In.
- I've unhidden disconnected devices to see if there were any extra devices that could be causing this.
- I've also installed the recent FIRMWARE hotfix: "USB_Audio_FW_Update_Tool_20210521" and it didn't work either.
- I've tried plugging just headphones straight into the headphone jack on the monitor and sound works PERFECTLY this way. So it's not the sound being carried by HDMI (would be a console or HDMI cable issue then) and it's not the Monitor itself.
- I've bought two new different Line In audio cables and while they work on other computers, they did not work here either. So it's not the previous cable's fault. It's the Line In itself.

I'm at a loss of what else to try here. I've tried sound without the ROG interface. Without DTS installed. Without Sonic Studio. Nothing has worked.

Thanks in advance guys!

Hi MauroDiogo,

I feel your pain. I have the same set-up as you. My line in works except it takes almost 30 seconds for audio driver to load in Windows. No drivers, 30 seconds less. Do you have that issue ?

I am a firm believer in ASUS. Have been using their products for more than 20 years. They make great products, however, when it breaks, support is confusing because Chinese to English is not the best communication highway. This forum is also full of Asus support staff so it's not like we are talking in the wind. They will appear if the issue is big enough. :rolleyes:

Realtek is all but invisible for support and nothing on their site about the sound chip. This is really annoying when you want to find answers. Everyone is quick to sell but hard to find when problems arise. Imagine, Realtek is releasing drivers on their FTP for ALC products like hotcakes but hardly anything for USB 408X codecs. Only insiders have access to those sites. That also is a pain..

So in conclusion, you can wait like I am doing an telling my customers not to buy any Z590 products and hope someone is kind enough to fix this soundchip mess and get back to other more important things in life like selling and building more machines, or you can dump your board at a lower price to someone who doesn't care that much about boot times or sound quality. 😞

[Nuckels]

Z590-E gaming wifi board owner here, tried multiple drivers and still have the same basic issue: Audio starts up delayed, anything as simple as a discord ringing noise or adjusting the volume and getting feedback from the windows .wav file is delayed by as little as half a second to as bad as 30seconds. Having a hardware accelerated application open resolves this issue, for example a game or youtube in firefox. I have contacted support and they are unable to recreate the problem yet multiple posters on this forum and even in this thread have decribed the same issue: https://rog.asus.com/forum/showthread.php?118522-DRIVERS-Realtek-USB-Audio-(MB-Intel-5xx-amp-AMD-TRX... for example this post.

Some form of acknowledgement that asus/realtek are aware of the issue and working on it be awesome.

I have tried to reinstall windows, and only install the driver posted on the motherboard page, and this issue still occurs. Either something is seriously wrong with a few boards or there is a problem with the drivers. Hope to hear something soon.

[narsil06]

Nuckels wrote:
Z590-E gaming wifi board owner here, tried multiple drivers and still have the same basic issue: Audio starts up delayed, anything as simple as a discord ringing noise or adjusting the volume and getting feedback from the windows .wav file is delayed by as little as half a second to as bad as 30seconds. Having a hardware accelerated application open resolves this issue, for example a game or youtube in firefox. I have contacted support and they are unable to recreate the problem yet multiple posters on this forum and even in this thread have decribed the same issue: https://rog.asus.com/forum/showthread.php?118522-DRIVERS-Realtek-USB-Audio-(MB-Intel-5xx-amp-AMD-TRX... for example this post.

Some form of acknowledgement that asus/realtek are aware of the issue and working on it be awesome.

I have tried to reinstall windows, and only install the driver posted on the motherboard page, and this issue still occurs. Either something is seriously wrong with a few boards or there is a problem with the drivers. Hope to hear something soon.

I also have this issue. New firmware makes this issue.. No reply and support by Asus yet...