Every once in a while when I'm playing the audio becomes very crackly. It's much more noticeable when I'm talking to someone and I have to exit and restart the game to fix it. Is anyone else having a similar problem and/or know of any way to prevent it from happening?

This happens to me every once in a while, but only when I'm in the Dwemer ruins. The machines will get real loud and then it starts crackling. It seems to go away after a few seconds.

It doesn't seem to go away without restarting the game. I haven't noticed any particular pattern as to when or where it happens most, just seems to happen anywhere at any time... Not too often though.

Common issue, on many systems. (Mostly with on-board audio, and RealTek audio.)

It is a problem of the HD mixers using software to emulate what the hardware is not able to do. (Soft-sound or soft-chips.) Too many sounds mixing, and stacking, and not releasing once looped. (Bad software interrupts.)

Solution... Bethesda has to program in more forgiving code for these limited cards, and longer delays allowing the sounds to actually STOP playing, before trying to cram another layer/effect into the mix. (Just because it is "done" does not meen the sound-slot is "ready". Usually the sound is still playing in the buffer, and throwing another sound on that buffered channel makes it adopt/mix with the other sound, creating static.)

Second temporary solution. Make sure you have the latest HD drivers for realtek or any audio-card. (Helps a little.)

Third long-term solution. Get a soundcard that has real hardware processing, not software processing, which is DX9 certified, not just compatable. These cards have RAM like a video card, and are just as large as a video-card. If your sound-card is only one-chip, it is a software sound-card. (Emulated sound.)

(Sound-blaster models)
Audigy SE = software
Audigy = software
Live! = software
Any USB sound is software sound.

X-Fi (If not USB), is true hardware sound.

I'm using the Asus Crosshair V Formula motherboard, which apparently has X-Fi for the on-board audio. Although I've read that it's really realtek hardware with a Sound Blaster/X-Fi software wrapper... whatever that means.

Have you disabled all your STEAM sound options...

- Watch microphone (Turn it to hit key, and select NONE as the key.)
- Play sounds (Any sounds like messages or anything from steam... turn them off. All have to be off, so it releases the sound-hook. Freeing it for 100% game sounds.)

Turn-off you footsteps in the sounds... That seems to have a constant compounding issue with sound.

I just SAVE the game when sounds got buggy, then instantly reloaded that save-game. That usually released the "stuck" sounds in the sound-buffer. Damn software WDM drivers are horrible. lol. Now I use an old sound-blaster 16 card, solved all my sound issues, except for delayed shouts from enemies, and other game related issues for sound. (Only fixed the hardware sound issues, like static and build-up of mixed sounds.)

X-Box 360 and PS3 both have hardware sound chips.. thus, may never have many of these issues.

That is a soft-driver... simulated x-fi. Essentially, all on-board sound chips are USB sound-cards, hard-wired to the motherboard. (If you disable all your USB port drivers... usually on-board sound-cards will die too. When you enable them, you see "Found new hardware, USB HUB... Sound-card... Modem... Network... Etc...)

Give them time... and software sound will function normally, as they do in most other games. It is an easy fix, but one they didn't have to deal with, on test machines, I am sure... as all test machines and consoles probably had actual sound cards, not dealing with the AC97 and on-board sound issues that most of us have standard. Sound-cards are a niche market again. On-board sound is the new standard.