As you can see, this is my first thread and I'm new to computer audio.
I am working off my own build and am experiencing a significant amount of static/noise from my speakers. The static isn't present when the speakers are plugged into my laptop, so I think the speakers are fine (Mackie MR5 MKII).
The static seems to correspond to my actions on the comp, like clicking, scrolling, loading a web page... is this my motherboard? Can the power supply cause static? I recently purchased an audio card - ESI Julia - and have the TRS line out connected to my speakers. I had hoped it was the auxiliary jack on my mobo but the static is even more present with the audio card.
Any general info/help/walk-through of how to eliminate the static would be extremely appreciated.
Thanks!
I am working off my own build and am experiencing a significant amount of static/noise from my speakers. The static isn't present when the speakers are plugged into my laptop, so I think the speakers are fine (Mackie MR5 MKII).
The static seems to correspond to my actions on the comp, like clicking, scrolling, loading a web page... is this my motherboard? Can the power supply cause static? I recently purchased an audio card - ESI Julia - and have the TRS line out connected to my speakers. I had hoped it was the auxiliary jack on my mobo but the static is even more present with the audio card.
Any general info/help/walk-through of how to eliminate the static would be extremely appreciated.
Thanks!
Its either your keyboard/mouse if you have PS/2 keyboards, try and isolate the cables of the keyboard/mouse from your line out cable by at least a few centimetres. Consider getting a USB one. Gigabyte makes a nice USB keyboard and mouse that you could get for under $20 for both.
Are you using VGA output from your soundcard? if so try and use DVI.
Could be a faulty video card or sound card decoupling capacitor.
From experience though I've found it to be the fault of cheap/shoddy manufacturing practices in the soundcard.
Volume sliders on my system are set to 1/2 way as a matter of practice, I strongly suggest that you keep the volume sliders on your PC as lonw as 1/2 way, maybe even lower, and just use your amplifier/speakers to do the amplifying and NOT your soundcard.
By putting them as high as possible you are also amplifying the noisefloor, so its good practice to simply keep them half way.
As a bare minimum I would suggest that you get a DAC and use digital/optical output from your PC, if this is financially possible.
Are you using VGA output from your soundcard? if so try and use DVI.
Could be a faulty video card or sound card decoupling capacitor.
From experience though I've found it to be the fault of cheap/shoddy manufacturing practices in the soundcard.
Volume sliders on my system are set to 1/2 way as a matter of practice, I strongly suggest that you keep the volume sliders on your PC as lonw as 1/2 way, maybe even lower, and just use your amplifier/speakers to do the amplifying and NOT your soundcard.
By putting them as high as possible you are also amplifying the noisefloor, so its good practice to simply keep them half way.
As a bare minimum I would suggest that you get a DAC and use digital/optical output from your PC, if this is financially possible.
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I'm not sure it is correct, volume should be at max for the best SNR.
If you take a low volume from the sound card and amplify that in the speakers you will be amplifying the noise but not the other way around.
The ESI Juli@ is a very good card, it should be clean.
If you are using an outboard DAC then you must be at 100% for it to be bitperfect.
I've found that it can introduce distortion, most soundcards that I have come across will go far and beyond 1v p-p on line-out.
Gentlemen, thank you for your replies. Heres some more info based on everyones feedback:
My speakers volume control knob on the back are at 50%
My player (winamp) is at 50%
The Juli@ outputs are around 50%
I am using an RF wireless mouse, could there be feeback from this? Might explain the static correlating with clicking, scrolling etc
Running win7 64 bit
Yes i can hear the same noise when running unbalanced rca out
My speakers volume control knob on the back are at 50%
My player (winamp) is at 50%
The Juli@ outputs are around 50%
I am using an RF wireless mouse, could there be feeback from this? Might explain the static correlating with clicking, scrolling etc
Running win7 64 bit
Yes i can hear the same noise when running unbalanced rca out
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I looked into that... I tried using a two prong converter on my speakers to eliminate the ground but still got static. Also, i do not hear the static at all when plugged into my laptop via unbalanced rca with the same active monitors
I think you are right... what do you mean another platform?
The static corresponds with hard drive read/write - meaning i can hear static noise that corresponds to opening/closing programs. Scrolling, dragging desktop items... performing a Windows Experience Index really made the static go nuts.
well that would be a problem with your amps or somewhere else, the soundcard should be set to 100% or as high as possible, if you have it set for 50%, you may as well forget about any audio tweaks, your SNR will be reduced as a base level far more than you can hope to improve it elsewhere in the system. the output of the soundcard should be higher than 1vpp... single ended line level is 2.1vrms. if 2.1vrm clips your amps, your gain structure is all wrong, adjust the gain in the amps, digital attenuation can be very good, but all this needs taking care of first and perhaps do the digital control somewhere with a floating point control
as for the sound danieljay, its whats called blitter noise, your audio card is possibly in a PCI slot next to the graphics card yes? try to avoid this if its causing you issues, shuffle the cards around if you can. thats what it sounds like anyway, it changes in tone depending on what colours are on the screen yes? if so its a radiated noise from the graphics processor either radiating noise into the analogue ground or signal, or simply causing ripple on the ground through transient power demand.
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I had exactly the same problem, I could hear even letters appearing in terminal (slow server connection), basically any screen change was audible. My soundcard (juli and quartet) was hooked to a small t-amp supplied by 12V of the PC power supply. Using a small independent PS with no PE ground connection eliminated the noise, idle speakers are absolutely silent now.
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