Echo and Sound-Quality Problems

You may experience echoes, jitters, warbling, and other call artifacts if your computer is old, your Internet connection is slow, or your computer is limited by a highly restrictive firewall. If you are using state-of-the-art equipment, the most common cause of echoes is feedback from one or more parties on a call using a microphone and speakers (instead of a headset).

If you are experiencing echoes, and someone on the call is using a microphone and speakers, try the following:

• Switch to a headset or handset.

• Turn down the volume on the speakers.

• Move the microphone away from the speakers.

For laptops that have fixed locations for their built-in microphones and speakers, the best approach is to get a headset, a USB handset, an external microphone, or a Webcam with a built-in microphone.

If none of these solutions solves the echo problem, try one of the following actions (described in the following sections):

• Turn on Skype's echo-cancellation feature (Mac OS X, Linux, or Pocket PC only).

• Reduce computer bandwidth consumption.

• Disable the capture channel on the sound card (or chip).

Turn Echo Cancellation On

The echo-cancellation preference for Mac OS X, Linux, and Pocket PC optimizes sound quality through enhanced digital signal processing to reduce the effects of audible echoes on a call. For Microsoft Windows, this feature is permanently configured on and is not available as an option.

Echo cancellation is important in situations where you are using a built-in microphone and speakers; the sound from a speaker can re-enter the microphone and cause echoes. In general, this does not happen when you are using earphones, because the sound between the speaker and the microphone is separated adequately. If Echo Cancellation is off, turn it on.