Fixing audio glitches and delay with Realtek HD audio / ALC892 and optical / toslink connected speakers
Earlier this summer I finally came around to put down some money on a new computer. This is an all work - no fun rig, kicking some six-core action and other hefty figures.
I chose an Asus branded motherboard, namely the M4A89GTD PRO/USB3. I use the onboard Realtek HD Audio / ALC892 audio chip, connected to my Logitech Z-5500 speakers via a toslink / optical cable.
Sadly, the audio hasn't been working that great for me. I had this problem where the audio would stutter / glitch, and everytime an audio source began playing, there was a delay of about half a second before the speakers recognized the stream.
The solution
The solution was simple! After some searching, I found that Realtek had updated their driver. I just removed the old, downloaded the new, installed it and rebooted. All problems had magically vanished!
[Update] Alternate solution
Brice Center had similar issues. He solved these and posted a thorough guide at his site. Thanks Brice!
