Possible bad ground? Buzzing through speakers...

[rage_311]

Hi,

I have a system that I built, and I'm wondering if there might be a bad ground somewhere. If I turn my speakers up to anything higher than "whisper quiet" I hear all sorts of noises depending on what's going on on my computer. If a cd is spinning up in the drive, I hear that through the speakers. If something's being rendered (especially in EverQuest II it seems) there's a constant sort of rolling buzz. I've also noticed the same thing whenever there is a progress bar on the screen. As the progress bar moves, the speakers buzz. Possibly related to CPU processing? Now, I don't know that much about electricity in general, but it seems like it could possibly be a bad ground somewhere. I would definitely appreciate it if someone else would weigh in on this. Power supply ground? Motherboard ground? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[177ine177ine]

Had the same problem but it only applied to a certain type of speaker/sound system. My other speakers were fine. Try some other speakers and see if the problem persists.

 

[TheMaster]

cheap speakers... its interference.

 

[mesarectifier]

Interference.

Cheap cables - your motherboard will ground through the PSU (as will your entire computer) and it's either grounded or it's not - touch your case and see.

I highly doubt any transformers required at this level of amplification are large enough to pick up significant interference - therefore I'm pretty sure it's the cables.

 

[chrislax20]

Can you give us some more information about the setup? Type of speakers using? Soundcard or onboard? Connections used? Cheap cables bought off ebay or wherever that aren't shielded can pick up interference very easily.

 

[rage_311]

Which cables are you referring to?

My speakers are for sure not the problem, and neither is the cable going from the computer to them. I've tried moving them far from my monitor or anything else that would cause interference. I've also tried a different set of speakers with a different cable.

My sound card is onboard. My motherboard is an EPoX EP-9NPA+ Ultra Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4. I know EPoX isn't the most expensive brand, but they're not the cheapest either. All cables in my comp. came with the components I bought. Most with the motherboard, obviously.

I'm beginning to think a few of the problems my computer is having are related somehow. Occasionally, the picture in the monitor shakes back and forth a little. It's not always doing it, it comes and goes. Also, every once in a while, just for a split second, the picture on my monitor goes all white and you can hear a little 'click' sound. That's so instantaneous that it's barely noticeable, but I can't help but think that these problems might all be related... Then again, maybe not.

Anyway, thanks for your help so far. Any more info. needed? Any suggestions?

 

[asdasd123123]

I'm going to suggest the sound card, you do not mention if it is a built in card.

If it is, I'm blaming your sound card, I've had several built in soundcards wich make noises just like you describe it.

edit: Just read that you have a onboard, try a dedicated card.
I'm 90% sure that's the only problem, I'm afraid.

 

[chrislax20]

I had a problem with my speakers where I had a bad cable that caused interference. I would suggest trying a new cable from your computer to your speakers as that could be a cheap fix. Minijack cables are not always shielded and can cause interference. If not I would say it is the onboard audio. Buy a cheap sound card if the wire doesn't fix it like this one here

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829102176

For 30 bucks it will improve your sound quality greatly, likely get rid of this buzzing, and improve overall system performance slightly. I would recommend the Audigy 2 ZS like here if you are willing to spend a little more money to get X-Fi like quality (same DAC's)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829102178

Have you tried another set of speakers to see if they still do it? It's worth trying these things piece by piece otherwise you can't pinpoint the problem.