Clicking sound from speakers

[Air Force Jayhawk]

Recently moved my computer. Have an Altec Lansing 5.1 speaker system
with a Soyo motherboard with imbedded 5.1 sound adapter. Ever since I
moved the computer, which required disconnecting, rerouting, and
reconnecting every wire and cable, I have a very annoying clicking
sound from the speakers. I have ensured all of the connections into
the subwoofer are solid but that didn't fix it.

Before I pull everything apart...any ideas?

AFJ

 

[kony]

Recently moved my computer. Have an Altec Lansing 5.1 speaker system
with a Soyo motherboard with imbedded 5.1 sound adapter. Ever since I
moved the computer, which required disconnecting, rerouting, and
reconnecting every wire and cable, I have a very annoying clicking
sound from the speakers. I have ensured all of the connections into
the subwoofer are solid but that didn't fix it.

Before I pull everything apart...any ideas?

AFJ

It's probably due to high-drain devices on your home AC
circuit, not the PC itself, assuming no hardware, driver or
bios changes. If that is the case then the solution is to
use a different AC circuit or use a line conditioner (or
better UPS with one built-in).

 

[Air Force Jayhawk]

It's probably due to high-drain devices on your home AC
circuit, not the PC itself, assuming no hardware, driver or
bios changes. If that is the case then the solution is to
use a different AC circuit or use a line conditioner (or
better UPS with one built-in).

Except that nothing has changed power-wise. Same plug, same devices.
possible in the reconfiguration I changed what goes where in terms of
power strips.

 

[Chris Ballance]

In message <[email protected]>

It's probably due to high-drain devices on your home AC
circuit, not the PC itself, assuming no hardware, driver or
bios changes. If that is the case then the solution is to
use a different AC circuit or use a line conditioner (or
better UPS with one built-in).

The other possibility is that you have routed an AC lead from an
electrically grotty switching power supply parallel to your speaker
signal lead. Yet another possibility is that you have placed your
speakers near a very noisy source.

The simplest way to check is this is the case is to make sure the signal
cable connecting the computer to the speakers is routed well away from
power cables and make sure that the speakers are not too close (6") to
a heavy noise source (eg AC cable, computer supply, old o'scope etc).


-- Chris

 

[Gimmyagame]

In message <[email protected]>


The other possibility is that you have routed an AC lead from an
electrically grotty switching power supply parallel to your speaker
signal lead. Yet another possibility is that you have placed your
speakers near a very noisy source.

The simplest way to check is this is the case is to make sure the signal
cable connecting the computer to the speakers is routed well away from
power cables and make sure that the speakers are not too close (6") to
a heavy noise source (eg AC cable, computer supply, old o'scope etc).


-- Chris

Had similar problem it was due to bad shielding in the speakers
themselves. They would pick up CB traffic from Tractor-trailers and
Taxis on the street making the sound crackle and pop

Darren

 

[Air Force Jayhawk]

Had similar problem it was due to bad shielding in the speakers
themselves. They would pick up CB traffic from Tractor-trailers and
Taxis on the street making the sound crackle and pop

Darren

Except that the clicking started with the reconfiguration...was fine
before.

 

[Alex]

Except that the clicking started with the reconfiguration...was fine
before.

It's a far stretch, but wireless router/access point?? (it was for my low
end speakers) i just had to move it.

 

[Air Force Jayhawk]

On Sun, 24 Oct 2004 19:46:31 -0400, Air Force Jayhawk

I recently moved my computer into a new desk. I have an Altec Lansing
5.1 speaker system with a Soyo motherboard with imbedded 5.1 sound
adapter. Ever since I moved the system (which required disconnecting,
rerouting, and reconnecting every wire and cable), I have a very
annoying low frequency as well as occasional clicks and other random
noises from the speakers. I have ensured all of the connections into
the subwoofer are solid but that didn't fix it.

I would be sure it was power related except that it comes and goes
based on what is being displayed. For example the hum becomes much
more noticeable with the 3D Windows XP screen saver up. Also, when a
window is being dragged around the screen I hear another buzz,
although higher frequency this time.

Thinking it might be the monitor, I turned it off. No fix. Then I
disconnected the video cable...again, no improvement.

Just today I installed a UPS. One, I felt I needed one, but I had
hoped that the buzz would go away either by the UPS or by the fact the
lines would be all pulled apart and reconnected, possibly by chance
separating the troublesome cables. No luck.

Please note it was fine before...so environmental issues like
neighbors phones are not a player. It has been suggested earlier that
it might be my wireless router (it is closer to a speaker than it was
before) but again I point to the fact that the sound intensity varies
based on the screen display but does NOT change when I disconnect the
monitor. Could they still be related???

Any other ideas?

This is driving me absolutely nuts!

AFJ

 

[L David Matheny]

On Sun, 24 Oct 2004 19:46:31 -0400, Air Force Jayhawk

I recently moved my computer into a new desk. I have an Altec Lansing
5.1 speaker system with a Soyo motherboard with imbedded 5.1 sound
adapter. Ever since I moved the system (which required disconnecting,
rerouting, and reconnecting every wire and cable), I have a very
annoying low frequency as well as occasional clicks and other random
noises from the speakers. I have ensured all of the connections into
the subwoofer are solid but that didn't fix it.

I would be sure it was power related except that it comes and goes
based on what is being displayed. For example the hum becomes much
more noticeable with the 3D Windows XP screen saver up. Also, when
a window is being dragged around the screen I hear another buzz,
although higher frequency this time.

Thinking it might be the monitor, I turned it off. No fix. Then I
disconnected the video cable...again, no improvement.

Just today I installed a UPS. One, I felt I needed one, but I had
hoped that the buzz would go away either by the UPS or by the fact the
lines would be all pulled apart and reconnected, possibly by chance
separating the troublesome cables. No luck.

Please note it was fine before...so environmental issues like
neighbors phones are not a player. It has been suggested earlier that
it might be my wireless router (it is closer to a speaker than it was
before) but again I point to the fact that the sound intensity varies
based on the screen display but does NOT change when I disconnect
the monitor. Could they still be related???

Any other ideas?

This is driving me absolutely nuts!

AFJ

Go into the control panel (mixer) for your sound card and try muting
the inputs one by one to see if one of them makes the sound go away.
If you have an analog audio cable connected from your CD or DVD
player, try disconnecting that, and if that helps try rerouting the cable.

 

[JAD]

move the power cords to another circuit. You may be on the same as the
Heater/Ac or washer and dryer...the timers for these appliances can
cause clicks.

 

[Wayne Stallwood]

On Sun, 24 Oct 2004 19:46:31 -0400, Air Force Jayhawk

I recently moved my computer into a new desk. I have an Altec Lansing
5.1 speaker system with a Soyo motherboard with imbedded 5.1 sound
adapter. Ever since I moved the system (which required disconnecting,
rerouting, and reconnecting every wire and cable), I have a very
annoying low frequency as well as occasional clicks and other random
noises from the speakers. I have ensured all of the connections into
the subwoofer are solid but that didn't fix it.

I would be sure it was power related except that it comes and goes
based on what is being displayed. For example the hum becomes much
more noticeable with the 3D Windows XP screen saver up. Also, when a
window is being dragged around the screen I hear another buzz,
although higher frequency this time.

Thinking it might be the monitor, I turned it off. No fix. Then I
disconnected the video cable...again, no improvement.

Just today I installed a UPS. One, I felt I needed one, but I had
hoped that the buzz would go away either by the UPS or by the fact the
lines would be all pulled apart and reconnected, possibly by chance
separating the troublesome cables. No luck.

Please note it was fine before...so environmental issues like
neighbors phones are not a player. It has been suggested earlier that
it might be my wireless router (it is closer to a speaker than it was
before) but again I point to the fact that the sound intensity varies
based on the screen display but does NOT change when I disconnect the
monitor. Could they still be related???

Any other ideas?

This is driving me absolutely nuts!

AFJ

Do you have front audio sockets on your machine ?

I had the same problem on a MSI K8T NEO AMD 64 machine running Linux

With the speaker volume turned up I could hear a light throbbing sound when
moving windows and on some 3D apps (like screensavers or games) I got a
very odd buzzing/clicking sound. Muted all inputs, moved speakers, rerouted
signal and power cables.

In the end I discovered that it was due to a front panel audio connector,
the cables on my case are obviously low quality and not very well screened,
the way front panel audio is usually wired when nothing is plugged in the
front audio signal has to go up to the front connectors through a shorting
switch (that is only shorted when there is no plug in the front panel) and
back down to the main board to go out of the rear connector. That adds
quite a bit to the audio path (and all through unscreened cable in a
"electrically" noisy tin box).

I didn't need the front audio sockets so I unplugged the cable and replaced
it with the two original shorting links on the front audio header..Not only
have the funny noises gone but the general sound quality seems a little
better.

Just remember that you need two jumpers to short the left and right in's and
outs if you yank out the leads for front audio (otherwise you will have no
sound at all) your systemboard manual will tell you the correct placement.

 

[Ruel Smith]

On Sun, 24 Oct 2004 19:46:31 -0400, Air Force Jayhawk

I recently moved my computer into a new desk. I have an Altec Lansing
5.1 speaker system with a Soyo motherboard with imbedded 5.1 sound
adapter. Ever since I moved the system (which required disconnecting,
rerouting, and reconnecting every wire and cable), I have a very
annoying low frequency as well as occasional clicks and other random
noises from the speakers. I have ensured all of the connections into
the subwoofer are solid but that didn't fix it.

I would be sure it was power related except that it comes and goes
based on what is being displayed. For example the hum becomes much
more noticeable with the 3D Windows XP screen saver up. Also, when a
window is being dragged around the screen I hear another buzz,
although higher frequency this time.

Thinking it might be the monitor, I turned it off. No fix. Then I
disconnected the video cable...again, no improvement.

Just today I installed a UPS. One, I felt I needed one, but I had
hoped that the buzz would go away either by the UPS or by the fact the
lines would be all pulled apart and reconnected, possibly by chance
separating the troublesome cables. No luck.

Please note it was fine before...so environmental issues like
neighbors phones are not a player. It has been suggested earlier that
it might be my wireless router (it is closer to a speaker than it was
before) but again I point to the fact that the sound intensity varies
based on the screen display but does NOT change when I disconnect the
monitor. Could they still be related???

Any other ideas?

This is driving me absolutely nuts!

Since you didn't give any info on the motherboard, I'm guessing it's a Via
based board? I have a Soyo SY-KT600 board that gave me similar results
under SuSE Linux, but not Mandrake Linux. I've never tried Windows, as it
has its own computer, but I've read in the past about problems with onboard
sound on Via based motherboards.

 

[kony]

Since you didn't give any info on the motherboard, I'm guessing it's a Via
based board? I have a Soyo SY-KT600 board that gave me similar results
under SuSE Linux, but not Mandrake Linux. I've never tried Windows, as it
has its own computer, but I've read in the past about problems with onboard
sound on Via based motherboards.

Many sound subsystems suffer from these kinds of problems,
not necessarily Via any more than other alternatives like
cmedia or nforce.

I'd have to wonder though if it's just the speaker power
supply letting noise in through the AC, OR an noisey analog
input, that might be tested by muting all inputs then
unmuting one at a time.

 

[Ruel Smith]

Many sound subsystems suffer from these kinds of problems,
not necessarily Via any more than other alternatives like
cmedia or nforce.

Via has been notorious for onboard sound problems. Supposedly, they're much
better now, but in the past, around the time of the VT8233 southbridge and
before, it was pretty bad.

 

[Air Force Jayhawk]

On Sun, 24 Oct 2004 19:46:31 -0400, Air Force Jayhawk

I recently moved my computer into a new desk. I have an Altec Lansing
5.1 speaker system with a Soyo motherboard with imbedded 5.1 sound
adapter. Ever since I moved the system (which required disconnecting,
rerouting, and reconnecting every wire and cable), I have a very
annoying low frequency as well as occasional clicks and other random
noises from the speakers. I have ensured all of the connections into
the subwoofer are solid but that didn't fix it.

I would be sure it was power related except that it comes and goes
based on what is being displayed. For example the hum becomes much
more noticeable with the 3D Windows XP screen saver up. Also, when a
window is being dragged around the screen I hear another buzz,
although higher frequency this time.

Thinking it might be the monitor, I turned it off. No fix. Then I
disconnected the video cable...again, no improvement.

Just today I installed a UPS. One, I felt I needed one, but I had
hoped that the buzz would go away either by the UPS or by the fact the
lines would be all pulled apart and reconnected, possibly by chance
separating the troublesome cables. No luck.

Please note it was fine before...so environmental issues like
neighbors phones are not a player. It has been suggested earlier that
it might be my wireless router (it is closer to a speaker than it was
before) but again I point to the fact that the sound intensity varies
based on the screen display but does NOT change when I disconnect the
monitor. Could they still be related???

Any other ideas?

This is driving me absolutely nuts!

AFJ

Lot's of responses (Thanks!) but most involved computer components
which have not changed from when everything was fine...

 

[Air Force Jayhawk]

Since you didn't give any info on the motherboard, I'm guessing it's a Via
based board? I have a Soyo SY-KT600 board that gave me similar results
under SuSE Linux, but not Mandrake Linux. I've never tried Windows, as it
has its own computer, but I've read in the past about problems with onboard
sound on Via based motherboards.

Dragon Lite