Getting low-latency high quality audio playback is much harder than you’d think. Many sound drivers installed by default crackle when playing sound or have high latency when the sound device goes to sleep in an attempt to save power.
Things to try:
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Silenzio plays silence in the background, preventing the sound device from going to sleep
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Avoid any Dell XPS or Latitude notebooks because forcing it to use the standard Microsoft drivers for better sound playback is a lot of work. The poor sound drivers make them unsuitable for any sort of professional audio work or if you’re using a screen reader.
I’ve had good luck with ThinkPad models.