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Sound Issues

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LegionOfDarkness

Technical User
Jul 14, 2003
12
US
I am running with the following hardware: ASUS K8V SE Delux, AMD Athlon 64 3200+, Radeon 9800 XT 256 MB, and 1 GB of DDR PC3200. I am using the on board audio. I have the Creative labs dolby 5.1 analog speakers running through the On board sound. I have never had a problem with these speakers before, but after I booted up for the first time and Installed the audio drivers, I noticed a low crackling noise coming from my speakers. The sound is frequent, but not constant. Also there is a buzzing sound that comes through on occasion, even when the speakers are turned off, the sound will still come through the speakers and the subwoofer. I have checked to make sure none of my speaker wire is in direct contact with my power cords. What could be causing the problem?
 
Don't know if it helps but have noticed that touching the speaker connector to the ground on the rear of the case (with powered speakers) causes that same static sound. Some of the causes are the connector not completely plugged in, or a poor mobo-to-case ground. Try attaching an insulated ground jumper wire from the mobo insert on the back of your computer to the power supply fan housing (on the outside only) and see if the static goes away. If so you may have to slightly bend the grounding clips behind the insert to make better contact with the case. Have found that to be the biggest problem I've run into...

The test continues...
 
Are all of your components connected to the same power bar? Can be a ground loop issue.
Are the audio cables passing anywhere near by the monitor? There can be inductive pickup. And does it do any change if you shake the connectors a bit? Dirty or loose connections can also open the door to noise pickup.

All this adds to the mobo and sound card ground to PC casing that pudda mentioned.

One last important thing, the on-board audio quality of most mobos sucks, in addition to eating more CPU resources. Your system is quite a high-end, so please get an Audigy 2ZS. You will only do justice to the rest of your system.


 
On board audio usually sucks. I like Felixc's Audigy idea whether the sound works or not. My laptop has an on board AC'97 that's fair but I got a SB MP3+, and heard a HUGE improvement in sound quality.

Anyway, try connecting something that isn't surround or amplified, like headphones. If those still buzz or crackle, you've either got bad drivers or the on board chip just sucks. Otherwise, get a wire and gorund the speakers to the PC's case.
 
Thank you to everyone who posted replied to my posting. There have been some interesting new developments. First, the buzzing continues regardless of whether or not the speakers are connected to the computer. The buzzing can continue even when the speakers are shut off, and it can get quite loud. The only way to stop it completely is to unplug the subwoofer. I have tried disconnecting all the speakers from the subwoofer, and the noise continues through the subwoofer. I have taken felixc's advice and have purchased an Audigy 2. Is it simply time to get new speakers, Or is there somthing more I can try?
 
If you can hear the buzzing even with the speakers disconnected, have you tried moving the speakers/sub around to alternate locations? I've heard of speakers passively picking up radio frequencies when turned off or interference from electricity cables routed in walls. It's sometimes impossible to predict the effects of local environment with factors you cannot see. If it happens all around your room there is some other issue here.

It may be that the link cables between your speakers are acting as aerials for an unknown signal. try moving the whole lot and it may help you identify the area causing the problem. A new soundcard in this case would not be a cure.
 
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