I got my Framework 13 DIY last December and only recently really tried its speakers for the first time. I noticed that the sound quality of the speakers were really unpleasant. When the volume is medium to high, certain high frequencies sound clipped and rattling. The issue was so bad that I had to turn the volume way down during a video call in order to actually be able to understand what was said, otherwise it would have been too distorted.
I was wondering if this was “normal” or if this is a possible hardware issue with my specimen. The bad sound quality also seems to eminate mostly from the right speaker.
The distortion seems like a common problem, specifically in the left speaker. I also created a thread about it: Rattling / Buzzing in left speaker
There are a few things you can try if you google around (like re-seating the speaker). What I went with was putting some folded up cloth between the speaker and the palm rest. This allows me to crank the audio a bit higher with minimal distortion. It’s still not great though, and it’s no my list to open it back up and try foam instead of cloth.