Relentless buzzing and whining from mic and headphones

TheHolyPadlock

Honorable
Mar 1, 2016
1
0
10,510
So, this is my last ditch effort after having this problem for a long time and trying (almost) every option available.

Just to preface this, I have a custom built PC that was created in early 2013. If you want to see the specs, check my GameDebate rig here: http://www.game-debate.com/gaming-pc/index.php?r_id=562746

The problem started about two years ago (early 2014), when I encountered a high pitched whining noise coming through my headphones on my PC. The interesting thing I noticed about the noise was that it worsened when I moved my mouse around. Research suggested that this was EMI due to bad shielding of the onboard soundcard, so I resolved to purchase a proper sound card.

Fast forward to around a month ago (Jan 2016), I purchased a Creative Sound Blaster Audigy FX PCIe sound card. Initially, this resolved the whining problem, however I realised that this soon replaced it with a different problem, more of a buzzing sound. Realising that the problem lay somewhere else, here are the list of things that I have tried since then:
• Different headset
• Different OS/drivers
• Different power cord/power board
• Front panel and back panel
• Fully cleaning PC interior and re-connecting all internal cords

I even tried another computer on the same wall socket, and it produced the same whining noises. This is making me believe that there is something wrong with the wall socket. Before I spend hundreds of dollars getting an electrician to fix what I believe to be a grounding issue, I just wanted some of you guys to listen to some samples of what it sounds like, to confirm my suspicions. The other thing I should note is that the main power intake to my house is about 2 metres away from me, above my window. I’m not sure if that is relevant but some people suggested it might be.

This Google Drive folder contains the samples:
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B9D-xZLP4fFQQVhPVkZSY01ZX2s&usp=sharing

If you can’t stream them you might have to download them. I made them a bit longer just so you could hear the variances depending on what I’m doing. For example, in one of them, I’m playing CS:GO, and you can even hear some of the game leaking into the mic.
PLEASE NOTE: I actually had the mic muted using the hardware switch on the mic while recording these using Audacity, so what you are hearing is purely interference.

Thanks everyone.
 
Solution
Could not get the sounds to play....

Outlet is one potential problem but it could be the location of the gaming rig as well with respect some surrounding interference....

Can you temporarily move your rig to another room further away and test? Or perferably to an entirely different power source at family or friends?

And you can test in house in two ways: move further away but power gaming rig from the same outlet with an extension cord(s) and then in the same location from a different outlet.

Probably troublesome but that would certainly narrow the issue down to the current environment or the outlet. The whine should at least decrease moving away if environmental and stay the same if via the wall outlet.

By the way there are...
Could not get the sounds to play....

Outlet is one potential problem but it could be the location of the gaming rig as well with respect some surrounding interference....

Can you temporarily move your rig to another room further away and test? Or perferably to an entirely different power source at family or friends?

And you can test in house in two ways: move further away but power gaming rig from the same outlet with an extension cord(s) and then in the same location from a different outlet.

Probably troublesome but that would certainly narrow the issue down to the current environment or the outlet. The whine should at least decrease moving away if environmental and stay the same if via the wall outlet.

By the way there are simple plug in testers for wall outlets that can indicate if there are grounding problems. You can at least do a basic check on your own. Could be you know someone handy and into DIY that has such a tester.

 
Solution