Microhone static

xianate · 22 Jan 2015 at 00:28

I recently replaced my old motherboard with a brand new MSI z97 gaming 5 with the isolated PCB to prevent interference with the sound. not sure how effective the solution would be but I defiantly expected it to be better than the cheap £30 motherboard I replaced.

So after upgrading I found that the static noise was just as bad as it used to be. I use the built in mic on the Hyperx cloud gaming headset however the mic is not the issue here. When I switch on the "listen to this device" feature and then unplug the microphone whilst the listen feature is still on, the static noise will persist at the exact same volume.

I don't really know anything about sound so I am hoping someone on the forums can help me out here. I have done some research and apparently it could be a grounding issue but isn't that what the third pin on the power plug is for?

Marsman · 23 Jan 2015 at 17:09

Are you connecting the headset directly to the motherboard or using any audio connections your case has?

BuToNz · 23 Jan 2015 at 18:26

Marsman said:
Are you connecting the headset directly to the motherboard or using any audio connections your case has?

This. Front panel audio connectors are often made really poorly and run past EMI immiting components.

xianate · 24 Jan 2015 at 14:35

The headset is plugged directly into the motherboard.

Marsman · 25 Jan 2015 at 12:24

Could be a ground loop problem. If the current board has isolated audio section to minimise interference, then I would expect that to fare much better compared to a cheap budget board, if the issue is occurring within the PC case.

for example: It's a common problem when slots for GPUs are located too close to the audio section. This is to be expected on a cheap board, but if a board has a dedicated separate audio section, then they have taken that into consideration and it should not be a problem. Otherwise, why go to all that trouble if the outcome is the same.

Have you got the PC connected to an extension lead/power strip with a lot of other devices?

Might be worth connecting it directly to the mains socket if you can, see if that makes any difference, and whether or not the problem lies externally.