Noise in Monitors

[Flamin Lip]

Ok I just hooked up my cool new SP-5Bs and I have noticed that there is an audible chattering noise when no music is playing. I have never noticed it before w/ my computer speakers.

Here is how I have em set up. Soundblaster(bummer)->mini-plug to RCA w/ 1/4 jack converters->input into the back of the monitors. Any ideas?

Thanks!!!

 

[Stealthtech]

MMMMMMMMM hard to say.
Could be the SB.
Try hooking just one up mono and see what you get.
I had a set with an audiophile and no humming problems at all.

 

[mjbee]

Could be the SB.

Probably junk on the power rails, and radiated EMC inside the PC getting into the sound output. You may find that it still won't go away if mute ALL of the soundcard outputs Onboard audio and laptops are HIDEOUS for this. Some ISA/PCI cards suffer too. Does it sound like there is correlation between this noise and things like moving the mouse/running apps/hard drive activity?

Maybe time to switch to a better card?

Mike.

 

[Flamin Lip]

Yes there is a correlation between running my mouse. When I scroll up and down w/ the wheel on my mouse, the bad noise stops for a second, then it start when the mouse is at rest. WEIRD! Whazup w/ that?

 

[mjbee]

Yes there is a correlation between running my mouse. When I scroll up and down w/ the wheel on my mouse, the bad noise stops for a second, then it start when the mouse is at rest. WEIRD! Whazup w/ that?

At a guess: When the system is "idling" it wanders in and out of various levels of power saving (onboard the CPU and on the motherboard). This means variations in the supply current, which means variations in the supply voltage, which is noise

The reason it might stop when you wheel the mouse, is that the computer stays "busy" while processing the mouse/graphics updates? It's a thought.

Anyway, better soundcard needed, by the look of it ...

 

[Flamin Lip]

Thanks MJB!

Quicksoundcard question. There are some soundcards that connect via USB. Would that bypass my soundblaster?

 

[mjbee]

Yes, it will appear as another sound device, but :-

1) It's (probably, if not powered externally) still connected to the power source of the computer, although a bit more remotely, so you are still at the mercy of the designer with regard to getting clean audio

2) Check any chipset/processor issues, some of these things pop and click when used with VIA Chipsets etc.

Mike.

 

[Gunther]

I have a SB Extigy USB soundcard... it creates hum and noise and all other crap. it claims to be quiet as hell, but thats just bull shit.

My next purchase will likley be an m-audio delta44 soundcard for 200 bucks.

 

[maestro_dmc]

Try this one:

Go to the windows volume control, under options choose properties or preferences. on the playback control open that and try muting any inputs. I have found that the aux & line ins on the sound card can be noisy and if you mute those (try muting anything on there, one thing at a time) you can clean it up some.

This problem sounds to me exactly like what I heard on my system, and the noise was directly correlated with hard drive activity.

Most anything not "designed" for high end audio recording will be noisy though.

 

[jake-owa]

You aren't using the speaker out are you? You should be using the line out, otherwise you have two gain stages going into the speakers. Reverse of the problem people get when plugging a mic pre into a SB mic in instead of line in.