New video card interfering with my Audiophile 2496 sound card

[Gilden Man]

Hi,
I have purchased a new Hercules 9800SE All-In-Wonder video card.
However, it's interfering with my previously fine Midiman Audiophile 2496
sound card. This is a replacement for a Matrox G400. This new card
contains TV-tuner and very fast 3d graphics capability.
The sound is very reminisant of the hum and high freq. noise produced by
a old low quality TV. There's a high freq. hum there all the time which
can be attenuated by moving the mouse around the monitor. The darker the
overall display the less then noise. White Explorer windows cause it to
"scream" (in my mind anyway, even though this is all very low level
really). Scrolling an Explorer window causes a quick sound not unlike the
squeak of a chamois leather on a window.
I've tried to move the 2496 as far away from the vid card as possible,
but this has had no effect. The type of noise is making me think that
the TV-tuner could be the culprit.
Anyone else experienced this kind of problem?
What was the solution apart from ditch the card? Although if I do find
no solution to this then the new vid card must go, cos sound quality is
much more important to me.
Cheers.

 

[Gonk]

Try moving the speakers away from the monitor.

 

[Gilden Man]

Try moving the speakers away from the monitor.

Was that a joke? The speakers are more than 8 meters from the monitor.
The only thing that is changed is the vid card. That has produced noise
in the sound card. It's very noticable when listening to my PC via
headphones.

 

[Heinz Kiosk]

Hi,

I have purchased a new Hercules 9800SE All-In-Wonder video card.
However, it's interfering with my previously fine Midiman Audiophile 2496
sound card. This is a replacement for a Matrox G400. This new card
contains TV-tuner and very fast 3d graphics capability.
The sound is very reminisant of the hum and high freq. noise produced by
a old low quality TV. There's a high freq. hum there all the time which
can be attenuated by moving the mouse around the monitor. The darker the
overall display the less then noise. White Explorer windows cause it to
"scream" (in my mind anyway, even though this is all very low level
really). Scrolling an Explorer window causes a quick sound not unlike the
squeak of a chamois leather on a window.
I've tried to move the 2496 as far away from the vid card as possible,
but this has had no effect. The type of noise is making me think that
the TV-tuner could be the culprit.
Anyone else experienced this kind of problem?
What was the solution apart from ditch the card? Although if I do find
no solution to this then the new vid card must go, cos sound quality is
much more important to me.
Cheers.

Not an answer to your query, but a question for you. How good is the 2496? I
am thinking of using one to play AIFFs ripped from my CD collection as a
primary source. How would it compare with a £1000 CD player? (I'd get a
silent hi-quality PC to stick it in). Sound quality is the most important
issue to me.

Tom

 

[Gilden Man]

Not an answer to your query, but a question for you. How good is the 2496? I
am thinking of using one to play AIFFs ripped from my CD collection as a
primary source. How would it compare with a £1000 CD player?

That's a little difficult to answer considering I've never heard a £1000
CD player. I, of course, bore in mind the price when I made the purchase.
At £150 it sounds great to me. Well, before I installed this ATI card.
Especially when listening through Sennheiser HD600's

(I'd get a
silent hi-quality PC to stick it in). Sound quality is the most important
issue to me.

I'd suggest getting one you can return, if you're not happy. Order off the
web and use the distance selling regs to return it within 7 days?
Cheers.

 

[Arny Krueger]

I have purchased a new Hercules 9800SE All-In-Wonder video card.
However, it's interfering with my previously fine Midiman Audiophile
2496 sound card. This is a replacement for a Matrox G400. This new
card contains TV-tuner and very fast 3d graphics capability.

It also appears that it can dominate the internal buses of your computer to
the point that other important processes are interrupted.

The sound is very reminisant of the hum and high freq. noise
produced by a old low quality TV. There's a high freq. hum there all
the time which can be attenuated by moving the mouse around the
monitor. The darker the overall display the less then noise. White
Explorer windows cause it to "scream" (in my mind anyway, even though
this is all very low level really). Scrolling an Explorer window
causes a quick sound not unlike the squeak of a chamois leather on a
window. I've tried to move the 2496 as far away from the vid card
as possible, but this has had no effect. The type of noise is making
me think that the TV-tuner could be the culprit.

I've got some experience with TV-tuners in ATI-based cards and never saw any
such problems. TV tuners are typically well-shielded and also don't take a
lot of time away from other processes on your computer. The computer mostly
just sends them a relatively small number of commands to tune different
channels, and the rest happens inside the little tin shielding box.

Anyone else experienced this kind of problem?

Yes.

Here are some pretty specific descriptions of what is probably the same
basic problem:

http://www.rme-audio.com/english/faq/alarm.htm

http://www.nomad.ee/micros/digitalaudio.html
"What does the video card has to do with audio? If you get glitches in audio
every time the image on your monitor changes (or at least most of a time)
then it is your video card - or more precisely, video drivers that hog down
PCI bus to 'improve' video performance so that the card fares better in
video tests performed by magazines. Fortunately, most of manufacturers by
now recognize that it is a bad thing to do and most drivers have a way to
turn off this behavior. Some require you to write something to registry (or
even INI files), on my old Cirrus 5446 PCI card, upgrading to somewhat newer
drivers and moving the accelerator setting slider down two notches was
enough. For my purposes the video output is still snappy enough, and my MD
deck is now happy even if I surf the web with Netscape Navigator while
listening music with WinAmp"

http://www.zefiro.com/vgakills.txt

What was the solution apart from ditch the card?

Some video card drivers have options that allow you to selectively disable
hardware and driver features that cause this problem.

Although if I do find no solution to this then the new vid card must go, cos sound
quality is much more important to me.

Good luck finding the right video card options to tweek. The ATI web site
may be able to help you.

 

[Gilden Man]

It also appears that it can dominate the internal buses of your computer to
the point that other important processes are interrupted.

Thanks for all that info Arny. I'll peruse it and hopefully find a
solution although mine isn't quite related to that.
Sorry, I should have been clearer. This interference is audible when
listening on heaphones when no audio is playing on the card. I'm just
listening to what was previously the silence of the card. This is now
being attenuated by whatever is on the display. Open a white explorer
window and the high frequency noise increases alarmingly. Scroll a window
and get rather strange little HF squeaks.
Otherwise audio plays perfectly. Only in quiet passages of music is this
interference audible. There are no break-ups per se in the flow of data to
the 2496.
This sounds like RF interference from the vid card being picked-up by
the 2496. I can only think that some sort of shielding of the 2496 is
going to alleviate this problem?
Cheers.

 

[Bruce Tyler]

Hi,
I have purchased a new Hercules 9800SE All-In-Wonder video card.
However, it's interfering with my previously fine Midiman Audiophile 2496
sound card. This is a replacement for a Matrox G400. This new card
contains TV-tuner and very fast 3d graphics capability.
The sound is very reminisant of the hum and high freq. noise produced by
a old low quality TV. There's a high freq. hum there all the time which
can be attenuated by moving the mouse around the monitor. The darker the
overall display the less then noise. White Explorer windows cause it to
"scream" (in my mind anyway, even though this is all very low level
really). Scrolling an Explorer window causes a quick sound not unlike the
squeak of a chamois leather on a window.
I've tried to move the 2496 as far away from the vid card as possible,
but this has had no effect. The type of noise is making me think that
the TV-tuner could be the culprit.
Anyone else experienced this kind of problem?
What was the solution apart from ditch the card? Although if I do find
no solution to this then the new vid card must go, cos sound quality is
much more important to me.
Cheers.

Many years ago, in my Ham radio hobbies, I bought and expensive Icom
receiver (approx $2500) and it had a high pitched sqeal eminating from
somewhere inside it. It drove me nuts everytime I fired up the set.
It seemed to go right through my head and make me feel a little ill
after about half-an-hour of being within a couple of feet of it,, so I
would have to either step away from it or turn it off. After a few
weeks I phoned the shop I bought it from and the guy said "Yes - these
sets do sometimes develop this squeal but it was a 23Khz squeal and I
should not be able to hear it but it usually developed over a period
of time and always got worse". During that first few weeks, I actually
took off the top cover and poked around and found that the circuit
board for the L.E.D display was the culprit and that moving it with my
finger would make the sound go away but as soon as I let it go, back
it came. I tried jamming a piece of cardboard alongside of it to give
it that slight bend and stop the sqeal but it would always return and
I would have to move that cardboard slightly..

The service-guy told me it was one defective capacitor on the L.E.D
display board which caused it and they replaced the whole board and
soak-tested it for 3 days without turning the set off and then gave it
back to me "fixed".... It never happened again...

All circuits make noises but most of them are way to high pitched to
be heard by the human ear. Most of the noises come from transistors
and capacitors and they trigger or transfer electricity to and from
other components... Sometimes as different values of electricity enter
and leave these components they produce spuious (extra and unwanted)
noises which can manifest themselves in other parts of a system or can
annoy the other part,, therefore giving the impression that something
else is at fault... Some other times, parts are just NOT compatible
for this very reason...

I wonder if you have a similar problem with your new card.... Perhaps
you can take it back and exchange it for another one...