Question Strange problem with MSI Z170A onboard audio

saihv

Honorable
Oct 19, 2013
28
0
10,530
I have an MSI Z170A Gaming Pro motherboard with a Realtek audio chip. I have been experiencing a strange problem with the onboard audio for the past week or so. I usually connect my speakers to the rear jack - Occasionally, the volume goes down by a lot, and the sound becomes muffled. When this happens, I notice a lot more static/popcorn noise than usual and the audio quality on the front headphone port also becomes horrible (glitchy and choppy). And after a few hours, this problem rectifies itself, and both front/rear jacks function properly. This is happening on multiple operating systems, and the speakers work fine on other computers. What could be the cause of this?