text: As an old techie, I tend to look at the hardware, or more specifically the connections.\n\nIf your connections are in an area that has gotten dusty over time, clean it out with appropriate dusting measures or canned air.  Unplug your computer, unplug your speakers from the computer, whiz out the connector with canned air, clean both ends with alcohol on a cotton swab, whiz out with canned air again, make sure you have a secure connection (if loose, tape steady in the squarely-in position), and then restart the computer and see if your problem is resolved (suggest you clean all other connections while you're back there).\n\nBest wishes! :)