Update:
The same effect also occurs when using pipewire.
Here, the solution is a bit more complex.
At first, copy /usr/share/pipewire/media-session.d/alsa-monitor.conf to ~/.config/pipewire/media-session.d for a starting point.
Change the following settings:
api.alsa.ignore-dB = false # This reduces popping sounds while booting due to hardware initialization
node.pause-on-idle = false # This reduces popping / clicking sounds before starting audio playback
session.suspend-timeout-seconds = 0 # 0 disables suspend
api.alsa.start-delay = 1024 # For older hardware
You may also comment out the line
#suspend-node
in ~/.config/pipewire/media-session.d/media-session.conf.
Second, copy /usr/share/pipewire/pipewire.conf to ~/.config/pipewire.
Then, change the following parameters there:
## Properties for the DSP configuration.
default.clock.rate = 44100
default.clock.quantum = 2048
default.clock.min-quantum = 1024
default.clock.max-quantum = 8192
These settings are necessary to avoid stuttering audio during video playback, in particular on older and slower machines.
After having applied all the settings, reboot for the changes to take effect.
The issue is discussed at loud popping sound and initial stutter when playing all media (#983) · Issues · PipeWire / pipewire · GitLab