[Closed] Audiophiles/Computerists/Electrical Engineers - Static Sounds from Laptop

It's normally the charging circuit noise causing interference. I had a cheapo laptop that did that once and I couldn't find anyway to fix it other than using a USB sound card that was separate from the laptop and away from the noisy charging circuit.

If I remove it from the charger, I get a high pitched whine.

It isn't anywhere near as bad, barely perceptible on normal in-ear buds - but when I hook up my Audio Technika M70s I'm being driven ****ing insane.

I had the same with a laptop and some ultrasone headphones. I ended up using a FIIO external amp/DAC which fixed it

**** it, I'll get a DAC. The cockwombles at Fishers still have my forks (had them for over 5 weeks now). Not in the mood for more warranty jobs.

You guys reckon that if I send it back, I'll get a replacement with exactly the same issue - considering the cheap onboard sound?

Hard to say, returning it might be worth a punt but it could be an inherrant design fault, I had a simmilar issue with a desktop PC with onboard sound, figured it was some kind of EM interference from another component on the motherboard, fitting a PCI soundcard and disabling the onboard audio fixed the issue for me.

Yeah, the static noise happens whenever the laptop is under load and the whining noise occurs when I remove the power supply. So yeah, I think it is interference.

Would some high impedance headphones solve it? I assume that my M50s are exhibiting more static/noise because they are more sensitive?

I'd try a ground loop isolator first. They are about £5 from eBay and often sort this sort of thing out.

If it was a ground loop issue, why would it be making more noise when it reverts to battery? The static is still there when the CPU is under load (eg scrolling a screen) but I then get a high pitched whine that can not only be heard through the ear phones, but the same sound can also be heard if I stick my ear up to the laptop. It goes away once I put the power cord back in.

I assume this is the computer going into some sort of power saving mode and causing transistor whine?

Most laptops I've had have had a similar issue. It's a symptom of poor/cheap electrical design and components not grounded or screened correctly

it was a ground loop issue, why would it be making more noise when it reverts to battery?

Without mains power, the battery is discharging and the circuit through which it discharges is poorly designed.

Also you're mixing up a safety earth/ground with electronic grounding. The earth in the power lead wall plug will not be connected to the ground plane in the laptop

I had something similar with mine. Turned out (bizarrely) to be a fault with the Wi-Fi, a driver update fixed it. Might be worth a round of device driver updates.

You guys reckon that if I send it back, I'll get a replacement with exactly the same issue - considering the cheap onboard sound?

Google the model and the problem, see if there's others with the same issue perhaps?

A full driver update certainly won't hurt, and if it works, certainly the cheapest easiest option! If you go to gigabytes website, hopefully you'll be able to download the full latest driver package in one chunk.

Without mains power, the battery is discharging and the circuit through which it discharges is poorly designed.

Also you're mixing up a safety earth/ground with electronic grounding. The earth in the power lead wall plug will not be connected to the ground plane in the laptop

Yeah the static sound doesn't occur when the cpu is under load, when the power lead is taken out. However, there is an audible whine, which is both coming from the headphone speakers and the motherboard.

So a ground loop, coupled to a poorly insulated sound board and a noisey battery circuit? If the sound card was insulated properly, I wouldn't have even noticed the whine coming from the motherboard though as I have to stick my ear right up to the computer.

So, you think solving the ground loop is the way to go after I've done one warranty return? Then try an external soundcard?

Loads of companies seem to say that coil whine is entirely normal, so I'm hesitant to return it just because of that - it's only the fact that it seems to be causing some of the audio issues that I'm bothered.

I've updated all the drives - everything. I've also rolled everything back and tried a few combinations, nothing software based seems to cure it.

Cheers guys.

Loads of companies seem to say that coil whine is entirely normal, so I'm hesitant to return it just because of that - it's only the fact that it seems to be causing some of the audio issues that I'm bothered.

Thing is,

You've every right to demand a perfect product from new, and living with a fault is going to bug the piss out of you. I'd be inclined to boot it back at least once.

God damnit, it's a simple audio jack/socket issue thats had some confusing symptoms. So I get the static noise, when scrolling etc but if I apply a tiny bit of outward pressure to the headphone connector then the issue disapears entirely. Including the high pitched whine when on battery. Yhis happens with all my headphones.

Yeah I'm going to boot it back, thanks for the help chaps. SIngletracks got some great users on it.

Hmmm maybe not, the whining/static goes away when I don't get bass. The socket still seems dodgy though.

*bashes head on wall*

I'll send it back.

Whine is not normal, it's just that most customers probably don't notice /don't care, so the manufacturers can skimp on shielding components.

If you bought a stereo system with the same issue, people would be kicking off about the poor quality. I suppose with a laptop, you've got a lot of electronically 'noisy' components crammed into a tiny space, so with audio shielding you've got extra cost, more complex design etc.

Daft questions but have you tried a different set of headphones?

First thing I tried.

Unfortunately, all the other laptops in this price range with a 17 inch screen and a decent gfx card look like something out of a spotty star trek convention.

Grrr

My reading vision isn't so great, wanted a good laptop with a big screen to study on when I do my masters and an entertainment centre for all the travel me and my missus are doing (without looking too much like a gamer nerd in the library)

Little update, so a used Creative E3 cured everything - no hiss, no static scratching noises when the CPU/GPU is under load and no whining noises except the barely perceptable coil whine coming directly from the motherboard itself when running on battery.

So the sound card insulation is either shit or non existant. Now, I rather like this external card because of the great software packaged with it - the fact that it's able to drive my M50's without having to resort to 90 percent volume and the fact that it has two audio ports and two seperate dacs so that me an my missus can watch movies together when travelling.

So, do I bother to send it back? I've read a few times that realtek cards aren't designed to be insulated against high powered laptop GPUs.

If it meets all your other needs it sounds like you should keep it and use it with the E3.

Will give it a quick think! 🙂

I'm rather fond of this little DAC now, it's tiny! I remember when USB soundcards of this quality were massive and had to be powered off a seperate mains adapter.

somouk - Member

If it meets all your other needs it sounds like you should keep it and use it with the E3.

This.

And even if they do replace it, I bet the replacement will have the same issue.

Also I don't believe it is anything to do with quality or price, I have/had various top end laptops from HP, Apple, Lenovo, Dell for work which do it. Worst of the lot is my white Macbook.

Yeah going to keep it, in a year when I'm coming up to undertaking my masters, I'll break it open and rock out some old school coil lacquer. That is, if I can be bothered as the coil whine is very very quiet.

Are you aligning it properly to your local ley-line?

😛

There's a difference between audiophiles and not wanting to clearly hear the sound of a chirping computer through your headphones. I'd have gone insane.

The motherboard coil whine is not coming through the headphones 😉 I'm not, I repeat definitely not a crazy audiophile person. Shoot me if I get to that stage.

Always use external sound cards for quality audio on laptops, the inbuilt ones always have some interference that usually waits for a presentation to 500 people before revealing itself. Sound cards are way down the pecking order these days in terms of budget spend on laptops, but that does sound like it was shagged from day 1.

Well, I lost it within a few hours of having it.

I feel like murdering someone with an axe.