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Level 1

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iTunes 12.1 music very crackly and won't play through bluetooth speakers

Ever since the latest iTunes update (12.1.0.71 64 bit), my music from iTunes won't play through my bluetooth speaker connected to my laptop. Every other sound the computer makes plays through the speakers while iTunes plays through the laptop's built in speakers.The speakers are also set as the default audio device for the computer. There aren't any options in the iTunes preferences that would allow me to choose an audio device to play music through.

Also ever since the update, music playing only from iTunes sounds extremely crackly. This happens if its playing through the laptops built in speakers and my headphones as well. Music from any other source sounds fine on both laptop and headphones as well.

**My iTunes is operating on a Windows laptop and the bluetooth speakers are Sony if this helps

Windows 8, iTunes 12.1.0.71 64 bit

Posted on Feb 4, 2015 9:02 PM

Best reply

hhgttg27

Level 5

5,591 points

Posted on Feb 5, 2015 4:28 AM

There is an alternative downloader for 64-bit editions of Windows here:

iTunes 12.1 for Windows (64-bit — for older video cards)

that seems to address the playback issues that some users have been reporting with the full 64-bit version (the alternative installer here is the same architecture as most previous "64-bit" versions of iTunes, i.e., a 32-bit application with a 64-bit installer). The "for older video cards" label appears to be something of a misnomer as some people have reported that this corrects problems found on current / high-spec systems.

Some users have reported that after installing this alternative version it is necessary to adjust the "Play audio using:" selection in Edit > Preferences > Playback to restore glitch-free audio.

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16 replies

Jan 27, 2016 6:25 PM in response to demmersify

I followed this post, and needless to say, I was concerned about downgrading to another iTunes, etc. Then I saw demmersify's preferences solution and it worked for me. I am still tuning the sound by cranking the bitrates, but the "direct audio" idea worked perfectly. Good work demmersify!

iTunes 12.1 music very crackly and won't play through bluetooth speakers