High pitched static sound from speakers

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Pyrophyte

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May 31, 2012
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Hi all

I recently had a custom PC built a few months back, and ever since I've got it my powered monitor speakers have been emitting an odd noise only when connected to the computer. If they're connected to any other device the noise isn't there. I can only best describe it as a high pitched "static-y" sound. The noise is always there regardless of what I'm doing, and regardless of what level the computer or speaker volume is at.

The speakers are connected using an RCA to 3.5mm cable to the rear audio output of the computer. I also have a set of headphones connected to the front audio output which I use when I don't feel like turning on the speakers, because I don't get the high pitched sound out of the headphones. I've tried connecting the speakers to the front output but the noise still persists. I've tried swapping the RCA cable for a higher quality cable thinking that the issue may be interference, but that didn't help either.

This leads me to believe that it may be an issue with my computer or sound card but I don't know for sure, and if it is I don't know how to fix it.

Any advice is much appreciated, thanks for reading.
 

gunslingor

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May 27, 2013
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98.5% Solved

Alright, so I've been experimenting like mad. Currently I'm at 3x100% gain, and the noise is so faint I wouldn't even hear it if I wasn't already so familiar with the signal... its really faint, and I know how to get it that extra inch.

It was that amazing and wonderful... ready....EB Tech HumX device! Take all the other crap out, the ART DTI, the dinky grounding cable. Just that one device on the outlet to the audio equipment and its right on the cusp of golden silence (all the other crap seems to add more noise when this thing is on the outlet, quite a lot in some cases... Its almost like a whole new ballgame when you put it on the outlet). I'm sure there are many potential configurations that use this device, each system will be unique; I do wish they had a circuit diagram though. It's designed for a single device, but it costs $70 and it seems to do quite well with many... just make sure it doesn't go above 6A, I think that's the limit for the device... not sure what the effect would be to put one on each conditioner outlet vs just the wall outlet, or both... probably not good, and expensive, but who knows. I plan to buy another, return the ART DTI so that way there is one on the PC and one on the audio gear, I suspect that will get it real near 100% silence. The HumX device, I am pretty amazed and surprised... best thing is you know there's no loss of single quality since its on the power line.The guitar center guy was right, lol... let me know if this solves your issues bud!

I'm really happy, best yet... better than I thought I'd be able to achieve... really, terrific.

Updated:
This is really interesting, I have two wall outlets: one with the HumX on the audio gear and one with out it with the PC, lamp, presonus headphone splitter, lights, printer, wifi router, and other things. With the humX on the audio gear only, the Hum is gone from the PC as well! Unbelievable, every audio jack on the PC is just as good even though the PC doesn't have one of these... I'm sure it'll be even better when I get the second one. Its so close to perfect I can't wait to get the second one... brb.
 

gunslingor

Honorable
May 27, 2013
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99.8% Solved.

Got the second HumX, attached it directly to the computer... one thing I can say for sure, at this point with all 3 knobs at 100% gain, if the digital hum from the graphics card is there (on any audio port), then its about 1/4 to 1/10 as loud as the white noise coming out of the speakers, and there isn't much white noise.

I think by the time I clean all this up and lock everything down, I'll be at 100%... hell, I have no right to complain now... but I am obsessive when it comes to electronics. I'll probably try a few more things for the hell of it, but I'm not messing with much at this point. Might try:
1. shield on the sound card, good idea anyway.
2. try connecting PC power distribution outlet to humX instead of PC directly, for the hell of it.
3. Upgrade cables.

FYI connecting the dinky ground wire now makes the noise come back pretty loud, so that's getting ripped out.

I am happy, the humX is the solution... enjoy the fruits of my labor =).
 

toho123

Estimable
Oct 12, 2014
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4,510
I had this probelm and managed to sort it: Optical cable.

I had a high pitched sound coming through my speakers which would get worse with gpu and mouse usage, it was driving me nuts. I had an aux/rca cable going from the line out of my m/b into my amp/speakers, I swapped my auc cable with an optical audio cable and the sound was gone. Cost me £13 from Curry's.

Optical cables (s/pdif, toslink) are not susceptible to electrical problems such as ground loops and RF interference.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TOSLINK

Hope it helps anyone else with this probelm!
 

kapitalistas

Estimable
Feb 10, 2014
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4,660
did you see the post date you just dig a grave .where the moderators when they need them (should close this tread)

 

toho123

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Oct 12, 2014
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Well this thread came up top of my google search whilst looking for help with this problem yesterday. I found a solution and thought I'd come back to share it for people in the future.
 

mduchonie

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Oct 20, 2014
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4,510


His post was actually my exact problem and got me here today.... thanks toho, as a researcher I usually appreciate people bumping old threads, just let it sink again if it bothers you.

My problem was fixed thanks to this thread.
 

uxonith

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Jan 20, 2015
1
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4,510
Hi everyone,

Problem: I'd like to mentioned that I was just having this issue and it was driving me up the wall (forums). I had tried a few different cables, front port, back port of PC, nothing. I connected headphones to the PC: clear as day. Smartphone to speakers: clear as day. PC to speakers... bzbzzbzbzzzzzz.

Solution: I was amazed at how simple it was... I ended up switching the speakers power plug directly to a wall instead of a power strip. Just try to make sure that the outlet you are grounding your speakers on is a nice clean ground (I have no idea how to test the integrity of a ground).

I hope this helps someone down the road!
 

PeterWeb

Distinguished
Dec 22, 2011
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18,510
Thanks to those posting answers on this thread, even after all this time. It gave me the hints I needed.
For those seeking a simpler solution, I moved the USB power takeoff for my speakers from the PC to a small generic USB charger/power supply plugged into a power board. Cost $1.50 from dx.com. That did the trick - annoying random staticy noise (clearly driven by the onboard graphics card) instantly became very faint hum -- just fine by me.
 

limbophonic

Estimable
Feb 25, 2015
2
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4,510

Hi..it sound like a ground loop problem, i got it with my music PC and external sound card, you say you have powered monitors, i have adam a7's , i solved it by using ballanced cables from sound card to adam speakers, your monitor should have XLR connectors at the back, you can buy stereo 6.3mm/1/4 inch jack to XLR cables, i assume you have external sound card with 6.3mm/ 1/4 inch sockets?

other solution would be a ART hum isolation box check DV247 music shop

 

limbophonic

Estimable
Feb 25, 2015
2
0
4,510
Hi..it sound like a ground loop problem, i got it with my music PC and external sound card, you say you have powered monitors, i have adam a7's , i solved it by using ballanced cables from sound card to adam speakers, your monitor should have XLR connectors at the back, you can buy stereo 6.3mm/1/4 inch jack to XLR cables, i assume you have external sound card with 6.3mm/ 1/4 inch sockets?

other solution would be a ART hum isolation box check DV247 music shop

 

ChevDogZ

Estimable
Mar 27, 2015
1
0
4,510

i am having the same problem and my pc build was 3K and i am using a pair of Mackie studio monitors which i purchased for around 700 dollars for the pair, these are also active amplified,it sounds like a ground loop kind of static :/
 

rrodwell

Estimable
Apr 4, 2015
1
0
4,510
I have had this problem with a brand new pc. But didn't start happening straight away, took about 1 month before it started happening at high volumes, on both my speakers and headphones.
Both of decent quality.
I had recently (1 week ago) re-managed my cables behind the desk. I zip tied all the cables together to tidy it up, including my speaker and headphones.
They ran with the power cables for most of my devices. I removed the speaker and headphone cables and moved them to another space away from the power cables, and it has increased the volume i can get to before the hum kicks in dramatically.

I am about to try fully de-powering the systems and then re-booting after all the juice has been used to see if it drops all the static in the lines.
 

bnb4kds

Estimable
May 31, 2015
1
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4,510
There seem to be 2 unique problems being discussed in this thread. 1. - Low level hum or "noise" thru speaker monitors that may worsen with certain conditions such as intense gaming ... and 2. a higher pitch "static like noise" coming thru monitors when performing functions such as mouse movement and web page link selection etc....

My problem was the latter and was solved by using the Ebtech Hum-X.
With a new build using an ASUS Z97 Pro gamer, I had the identical problem covered in some of the above posts... static like noise coming from studio monitors whenever the mouse was moved, web pages loaded, rolling mouse over links, or scrolling pages etc..... Was considering replacing the MOBO, but was convinced this must have everything to do with a noisy power line and ground loops.
I repeated many of the posted processes in this forum to troubleshoot with no success, I was running off of my motherboard audio and also tried an ASUS Xonar Essence sound card in my attempt to eliminate the noise.
I purchased the Hum-X, connected the PC POWER SUPPLY line to it and problem solved. No more noise from mouse movement, etc.....
I tried a few other options that DID NOT work with the Hum-x: connecting the Speaker power line to the Hum-Z - or the APC Battery Back-up to the Hum-x. Neither eliminated the noise. But placing the PC Power cord into the Hum-X has solved this problem for me.
We also use the Hum-X in our church sound system by plugging the mixer into it and it substantially reduced the common 60hz hum that was coming from the main speakers.
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/HumX


 
The Ebtech is considered a low-quality device that will help with hum/AC(alternating current) buzz but it also affects overall sound quality. Cheap isolators don't do the job well. You don't have to spend a lot to get a better product, but you get what you pay for. The most common problem is the house electrical is grounded, then the CATV guy comes along and grounds the cable too. Which causes the loop.

bnb4kds, I'm glad you brought up this old thread because people still have problems like the issues that you mentioned. For a church sound system, something like the Ebtech might be a good solution but for home use, due to the fact it really filters out high and especially lows, it isn't a good solution.

If you want to delve into some facts and solutions on hum and buzz. I read this interesting PDF on this subject.
http://web.mit.edu/~jhawk/tmp/p/EST016_Ground_Loops_handout.pdf

Happy listening, the Prisoner...
 

MattiG

Commendable
May 12, 2016
1
0
1,510
Almost 3 years after the fact, I realize, but I just wanted to say that out of the vast sea of misinformation on this topic from seemingly savvy sources online, this was the only post I found in hours of searching that was accurate and helpful. Thank You.



 

ShonkaiDJ

Commendable
Jun 20, 2016
1
0
1,510
Ok. My 50 cents.

I had the same problem with an ASUS Sabertooth X79, i7 and my onboard and PCI Soundblaster Xfi soundcard. Connecting my USB soundcard (Xone DB2) amplifies the hissing sound and adds a high pitch to it.

I live in an old house where only some power boxes are grounded. I happen to have one on the far side of my studio room and one on the side where I'm sitting, opposite of where my audio-setup is placed. I've tried many combinations of where to plug what. None of them worked. Until I bought a power distributor with a HF filter on every plug.
Brennenstuhl_overspanningsbeveiliging_met_HF_filter_6-voudig.jpg


I connected my Audio setup which consists of many devices to this Brennenstuhl and my PC to the grounded wall outlet (without the filter) on the other side of the room and now every disturbance is gone. I tried it with an unearthed wall outlet and that worked too, yet left a little more basic noise than what I'm listening to now.

Now all I need to get rid of is the high pitch sound I get on the analogue circuitry when I attach my USB sound card. The last setup mentioned connects the grounding from one circuit to the other, so there is some logic to it. Yet there must be a way to make this noise disappear as well. It's a few bucks cheaper than the Hum-X solution and leaves you with more filtered outlets.
 
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