Noise from speaker connected to PC

[koushik]

Hi,

My PC is connected to my Sonodyne Amp which drive my floorstanders. Recently I am hearing cracking, hissing noise and the sound sometime synchronizes with the mouse movement.

It is audible while the music is playing but quite irritating when nothing is playing. Any idea what is wrong?

Thanks.

Here is sample sound file.

 

[baijuxavior]

Reinstalling windows with the latest sound drivers may solve the problem. Also scan your system for any virus infection. It may also be due to driver conflicts. Have you installed any new softwares lately? If the card is pci, then remove it and clean the contacts.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

It can be DPC latency --- but I can't see why you should get that on a machine which didn't have it before, unless you have changed anything like hardware or drivers.

DPC Latency Checker. Google will find more info for you if you need it

 

[Tanoj]

IMO there are two things which would result in noise

1 . bad cable. try changing the cable , also let know which cable you are using and connecting to which ports on the amp

2. Earthing, check if the earthing is there and both the computer and the amp is getting good earthing

Cheers

Tanoj

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

the sound sometime synchronizes with the mouse movement.

This is very much the kind of problem that occurs with interrupt/dpc-latency issues. In a nutshell, you want the music prioritised, your PC OS thinks that drawing the passage of your mouse pointer across the screen is the most urgent job on its list, so it interrupts the sound to redraw the screen.

The sometimes bothers me though: you mean the noise occurs when there is no mouse or screen activity going on?

Of course, you should check all the hardware connections, disconnect and reconnect, see if you can trace any cable problem by working along it to see if you can create noise. But that kind of problem is completely inconsistent with the mouse-move coincidence. Good to rule it out though.

 

[svenkateshsmart]

2. Earthing, check if the earthing is there and both the computer and the amp is getting good earthing

+1 to the above, you should definitely check the earthing, but not when it is in sync with mouse operation!

 

[koushik]

Reinstalling windows with the latest sound drivers may solve the problem. Also scan your system for any virus infection. It may also be due to driver conflicts. Have you installed any new softwares lately? If the card is pci, then remove it and clean the contacts.

Driver conflict is most unlikely. Everything is working well. It is just kind of electrical interference sound.

It is built sound card not PCI.

 

[koushik]

It can be DPC latency --- but I can't see why you should get that on a machine which didn't have it before, unless you have changed anything like hardware or drivers.

Thanks, DPC is a new thing for me. But my machine is okay with that. Noting as such.

 

[koushik]

1 . bad cable. try changing the cable , also let know which cable you are using and connecting to which ports on the amp

I have changed the interconnects but the problem is still persisting. I am using local cable and connect to AUX port.

2. Earthing, check if the earthing is there and both the computer and the amp is getting good earthing

I touched the bare metal surface of the amp/computer with my feet on the floor. Generally this works if the humming is due to earthing failure. But no change this time.

 

[koushik]

I have added a link in my original post to the sample sound file. It is only 750KB

Please listen that may help you to guess probable solution.

Here is sample sound file.

 

[baijuxavior]

The sound seems like RF interference. Any tube light attached to the power plug? Is there any mic connected to the pc? Any cellphone near the vicinity?

 

[koushik]

The sound seems like RF interference. Any tube light attached to the power plug? Is there any mic connected to the pc? Any cellphone near the vicinity?

That is helpful idea. Actually I have wireless mouse whose dongle(RF receiver) is attached in the USB beside the PC line-out. I am at office now, definitely try after removing that. Thanks Baijuxavior!

A ray of hope for me

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Actually I have wireless mouse whose dongle(RF receiver)

Lucky, then, that I didn't immediately ask baijuxavior how, then, the noise could be caused by mouse movement! :lol:

 

[koushik]

No, actually it happens even when I use my wired mouse, that I use most of the time.

So not sure. Finger crossed.

 

[baijuxavior]

Are you sure the noise is from your pc and not from your amp? Have you checked the pc out using a headphone? Did you remove the wireless dongle when the wired mouse is used?

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Add... is there a wireless network adapter?

You ran the DPC Latency checker and got all green bars?

If, really-really-really nothing has changed on the computer since it worked silently, I begin to think about a developing hardware fault of some kind.

 

[koushik]

Didn't work:
I removed the wireless dongle but the sound is still there. I removed the BSNL landline and the modem from vicinity.

Worked
When I changed the input selector to CD. When I kept the input selector to AUX and removed the interconnects from PC. When I switched off the PC.

So the noise is definitely from PC. Does HDD isolation works? I was reading somewhere.

Also, one more concern that whether if I add any external PCI sound card, will that give clear sound or the sound is from elsewhere in the Motherboard!!

 

[koushik]

Add... is there a wireless network adapter?

Yes a Wi-fi modem is there but I have tried disconnecting/switched-off it.

You ran the DPC Latency checker and got all green bars?

Yes it were all green bars.

If, really-really-really nothing has changed on the computer since it worked silently, I begin to think about a developing hardware fault of some kind.

What that may be? Motherboard?

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

You could try booting from a Live CD Linux distribution eg Ubuntu. If it still happened, at least it rule out some Windows setting --- but I'm not sure it would 100% indicate hardware. Would certainly increase the suspicion in that direction.

 

[koushik]

Thanks. I will try that.