Interference/static noise

Nevakonaza · 4 Feb 2013 at 00:17

Hey guys,

I'm getting interference/static noise..i can hear it through my headphones like a slight buzz..and when doing something graphic intensive like gaming or watching YouTube vids in High definition it gets louder...but just at the desktop i don't hear it.

Also,When playing with my clan guys over on Teamspeak they also said they can hear it when i press my button to speak.

Which is obviously not good!

My setup consists of..

Plantronics Gamecom 380
Little Dot 1+ Headphone Amp
Asus Xonar D1 Soundcard.

What can i do to deal with this..rough guess is my Graphics card is causing the interference,But is there anything i can do about it?

Marsman · 4 Feb 2013 at 11:32

Did this start happening recently, or has it started since an upgrade or maybe since you had the D1?

Nevakonaza · 4 Feb 2013 at 15:19

Its done it for as long as i can remember..Ive had the D1 for quite a while now...used it in a previous system,I cant recall it even making any noise before.

Then i bought the headset & amp.

Marsman · 4 Feb 2013 at 15:48

I think you're probably right about it being the graphics card. It can be a problem for sound cards. I remember some time back, one guy had no issue at all with a new graphics card he had fitted; it developed a fault, and he got a replacement. Same model, different brand. The new card caused EMI problems with his sound card.

You could try the card in a different slot, if you have one spare. Furthest away form the graphics card is best, but you may have done that already. Other than that, I'm not sure there is a great deal else you can do. It's the luck of the draw really when it comes to sound cards. It really depends on the rest of the components in the system, as to how well it works.

wazza300 · 4 Feb 2013 at 16:03

you need to test by unplugging the front case panel usb headers from the motherboard,then see if the noise stops

chances are its the usb ports leaking emi into the headphone socket and that's what you can hear

if your headphones are usb powered then your probably screwed

joeyjojo · 4 Feb 2013 at 19:36

Could also be interference in that amp - tubes are very susceptible to it. Take the amp out of the chain and have a listen.

Nevakonaza · 5 Feb 2013 at 07:09

Il try everything mentioned.

When running 3D Mark 2013 earlier though my system was making a right noise...squeeling noise like coil whine..and got loud when graphics tests were going...im going to take off the side panel while running 3D mark again and pinpoint where its comming from exactly.

Nevakonaza · 9 Feb 2013 at 00:35

Yup,The interference seems to be coming from the GPU...Theres not a lot i can do about it though,Ive moved my sound card to the very bottom PCI slot,Instead of been in the second slot closer to the GPU which may help.

Do you guys think i should invest in a new sound card,But one with those covers over it to stop EMI?

Or what about getting a USB headset?

What would be the best option?

Rebel=UK= · 9 Feb 2013 at 10:36

Ive just noticed the same thing with me new razer carcharias headset, its the new version that needs usb to power, and ive noticed when i scroll through webpages etc i can hear a very slight clicking/buzzing

Nevakonaza · 9 Feb 2013 at 14:01

SO again going USB would be useless. :/

What can i do to stop this EMI!

If i remove the GTX 670 and just use onboard HD4000 the problem is gone,But obviously this isnt A good solution.

Marsman · 9 Feb 2013 at 19:30

Rebel=UK= said:
Ive just noticed the same thing with me new razer carcharias headset, its the new version that needs usb to power, and ive noticed when i scroll through webpages etc i can hear a very slight clicking/buzzing

Other people have had this problem; too many going by what someone else said. I told one guy to use a mains USB charger, like the one that you would use with a phone or MP3 player. If the PC's USB sockets are supplying dirty power to the headset, that should stop it. For him, it didn't. It's a poor design from Razer by the looks of it. Shame really, as the previous Carcharias was a very good headset, that Razer have wrecked by making a multi platform headset.

Nevakonaza said:
Do you guys think i should invest in a new sound card,But one with those covers over it to stop EMI?

You could, but they are not the last word in stopping EMI. They can make a difference, but it's really hard to say how effective they are. Some people get EMI issues with a sound card, then buy one with an EMI shield, and claim it to be the best thing since sliced bread. On the surface it may seem that the EMI shield has worked wonders; but some people find moving to Creative from Asus, or vice versa, solved any EMI issues, even with cards without EMI shields. There are people that find an EMI shield makes no difference at all. It's hit and miss really. You can't know whether it would make a difference, until you've tried one. There are too many variables from system to system.

Nevakonaza said:
SO again going USB would be useless. :/

Possibly; but it's something you can't know for sure until you buy a USB sound device. Ideally, you want a DAC which uses SPDIF. You'd have to sacrifice the features a sound card offers though. Surround sound effect via headphones, for eg.

Nevakonaza · 20 Apr 2013 at 00:15

Still having this issue its a major PITA.

Playing WarZ today it was affecting game play..like a buzz,lag spike..frame drop of about 2-5fps..then same same...OVER AND OVER.

Not sure whats going on,I might put back on the stock cooler on my card,Im sure that's the cause of the noise,But that doesn't explain the lag.

I'm running dual monitors now,So i guess this does not help either with extra load on the card.

AbsenceJam · 20 Apr 2013 at 00:49

Marsman said:
Possibly; but it's something you can't know for sure until you buy a USB sound device. Ideally, you want a DAC which uses SPDIF. You'd have to sacrifice the features a sound card offers though. Surround sound effect via headphones, for eg.

I think with most hardware you're able to get DSP's working via S/PDIF.

Nevakonaza · 20 Apr 2013 at 02:57

Do you guys think it could be my motherboard is just very sensitive to EMI?..
I think my graphics cards causing the noise...then its going through the mobo through into my sound..it happens on both Integrated audio (Realtec HD) AND my Xonar D1.

Marsman · 20 Apr 2013 at 12:01

It's possible. The real headache is that it can be a particular brand or model that is causing the problem; as it was with the guy who had issues with a GPU replacement, I mentioned in a previous post. As there are so many configurations of PC components, having knowledge of which particular brand or model will cause EMI sound issues within any given system, is going to be nigh on impossible. It's a lottery really, you just have to hope with each particular component you buy isn't going to affect the sound card.

There is another thread where someone has microphone EMI problems with his Xonar Essence. That shows how effective EMI shields can be. Some people think they are like force fields that repel all EMI. That's marketing guff for you though. Anyway, he has replaced quite a few components in his system and still has the problem.

Are you getting any microphone interference, or is it just audio output only?

AbsenceJam said:
I think with most hardware you're able to get DSP's working via S/PDIF.

You're right. I was probably thinking of USB DAC when I wrote that.

melmac · 20 Apr 2013 at 12:18

This may sound a bit drastic, but take your whole computer apart. Take out the graphics card, sound card, motherboard(you don't have to take the CPU or cooler off the motherboard). Clean everything with some compressed air. When you have everything clean put them back into the case. Really pay attention to cable management. Try to keep it as neat as possible using as few cables as you need.

This might sound like a lot of work. But my brother was having the same problem as you, static noise, and it was driving him nuts.We tried everything to get rid of it, but eventually I said to try a complete rebuild and it worked. No static or interference at all.

Might be something worth considering. But of course the problem is that I can't promise it will work for you :-(

Nevakonaza · 20 Apr 2013 at 21:40

Marsman said:
Are you getting any microphone interference, or is it just audio output only?

Well the once i was on Teamspeak with the clan they told me it sounded like i had a vibrator going on in the background,However they have not mentioned this again so im not sure if it still does it now,I have heard myself played back in a twitch stream and i couldn't hear any interference then so it might have just been a one off thing with the Mic.

melmac said:
This may sound a bit drastic, but take your whole computer apart. Take out the graphics card, sound card, motherboard(you don't have to take the CPU or cooler off the motherboard). Clean everything with some compressed air. When you have everything clean put them back into the case. Really pay attention to cable management. Try to keep it as neat as possible using as few cables as you need.

This might sound like a lot of work. But my brother was having the same problem as you, static noise, and it was driving him nuts.We tried everything to get rid of it, but eventually I said to try a complete rebuild and it worked. No static or interference at all.

Might be something worth considering. But of course the problem is that I can't promise it will work for you

Interesting,Well my my system is due for a good clean as its quite dusty in there so might as well give it a try.

Marsman · 20 Apr 2013 at 22:47

Well the once i was on Teamspeak with the clan they told me it sounded like i had a vibrator going on in the background,However they have not mentioned this again so im not sure if it still does it now,I have heard myself played back in a twitch stream and i couldn't hear any interference then so it might have just been a one off thing with the Mic.

If you're not getting any problems when using microphone, then unless there is a solution that works without having to replace various components, might be a good idea to get a DAC. That would certainly be a cheaper solution than replacing GPU, etc, which may make no difference at all.

Nevakonaza · 22 Apr 2013 at 07:17

Dacs are expensive though,Doesn't my current Headphone Amp have features to stop the interference?

Little Dot I+

I have contacted Asrock (my mobo manufac) to see what their suggestion is about this,because i have removed pretty much everything that doesn't need to be in there (Gpu,Sound card etc)run off onboard and still get the interference.

Marsman · 22 Apr 2013 at 11:10

No, because it is just an amp. An amplifier will amplify any sound, even if it's just static and interference noise.

DACs are not expensive at all. They probably were more so at one point, because I guess they were mainly aimed at enthusiasts. Granted you can pay silly money for one, but that can be said of any audio equipment. It used to be the case that to get one with optical input, you had to pay more than USB variants. FiiO D3 can be had for £30, of there are some on eBay for around the £30-£50 mark, although they are mainly from China.

I can't remember if this has been discussed before; but does this interference occur when you have headphones connected to the sound card itself? Wondering if there is a ground loop between card and amp.