Razer Carcharias Headset Buzzing noise

Frozen5467

Frozen5467

Frozen5467

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16 Dec 2013
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Just got a Razer Carcharias for my PC and i am getting a terrible hissing sound through the headset. This is on my PC but on a laptop i do not get this. I know it is a ground issue. A friend of mine suggested getting an External USB soundcard to see if that works. Anybody got any experience in this and any fixes ?

Please Help
 
Are you connecting the headset through the front panel audio ports or directly to the back of the PC?

Could be unshielded/poor quality front panel connector cables. Usually with your case you'll get a ferrite ring that should go around your front panel cables to mitigate interference.
 
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You are right that it's a grounding problem, but it's the USB power that is the problem. Razer made a good headset into a poor one when they turned the Carcharias into a multi platform headset. The original Carcharias (analogue PC connection only) was very good indeed, but by adding USB power requirement, they have managed to make a mess of it really. There are plenty of complaints about this buzzing noise, most of them appearing after the new version was released.

Getting a USB sound card will be a waste of time, as they still require a USB connection, which is still going to be connected to the PC. Best thing to try would be a USB mains charger for a phone or MP3 player, or maybe a mains powered USB hub that is not connected to the PC. Using a USB mains charger has managed to solve the issue for some. If that doesn't help, I'd send it back under the 7 day DSR.
 
Hello Yeah i plug them directly into the back. The reasons somebody said a USB soundcard might work is the following.

if you understand that the signal that your current USB power is amplifying is analogue

then you will know it can pick up static and background noise

the USB soundcard will receive a digital signal and convert it to anagloue

therefore it should avoid the poor earth/ground issue

in theory

What do you think ?

Also tried the phone charger etc but did not work. So have a USB powered Hub on its way. If both of what i try does not solve the issue new headset that is not USB powered for me.
 
Frozen5467 said:
Hello Yeah i plug them directly into the back. The reasons somebody said a USB soundcard might work is the following.

if you understand that the signal that your current USB power is amplifying is analogue

then you will know it can pick up static and background noise

the USB soundcard will receive a digital signal and convert it to anagloue

therefore it should avoid the poor earth/ground issue

in theory

What do you think ?

Also tried the phone charger etc but did not work. So have a USB powered Hub on its way. If both of what i try does not solve the issue new headset that is not USB powered for me.
Click to expand...

Hey I have the same problem.

If i plug directly into the back of my PC I get a terrible buzzing noise. Instead I just plug the USB into my laptop on Standby Mode. It gives my headphones power and voila no static.
 
Frozen5467 said:
Ahh i still get static when plugged into a laptop for power and then jacks for sound. Its weird.
Click to expand...

As I said, it's the USB power that is the problem. When the laptop is running just on battery, there is no ground to create a loop.

USB isolator might work, but there is no guarantee, and they are not that cheap when you consider what the headset cost. I'd return it under the 7 day DSR. This version is poor, which is a shame as the original version was very good.
 
I will try out the USB sound card that comes tonight and also seperate power. If neither work then i will be sending it back. In talks with Razer atm to RMA it
 
Just got mine today and having the exact same issue. I'm loathe to return them though as they were a right headache to get out of the box i can only imagine how much swearing would be involved trying to get them back in there.
 
Yeah same, and I feel the exact same pain as the previous poster, what a terrible design all around. Doubly annoyed as this was a purchase to replace a previously faulty set of headphones from another manufacturer. Whhyyyyyyyy :(
 
I now run mine off of a Hudl USB plug. The buzzing has been completely eliminated. Its a shame that I had to do that though.
 
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