Wayne Parham Messages: 18786 Registered: January 2001
Illuminati (33rd Degree)
Lightly jiggle the plug in the jack. Listen to see if the crackling sound seems to be exacerbated by movement.
I suspect it will be. Probably the most common problem that causes this kind of cracking sound is an intermittent headphone connection caused by a damaged connector. When someone yanks on the cord - by accident or by "lazy disconnect" - it can easily damage the connector or the cord.