My ears! Make it stop!

April 21, 2007 9:47 PM

My PC's speakers have learned a new trick: they randomly start outputting loud, constant static for long periods of time. Why are they doing this, and more importantly, how can I stop it?

This is something that's just started happening sometime in the past month or two. At random times during the day (typically around midnight, but I'm generally not home during the day, and when I am, I've never heard it happen), my PC's speakers will start outputting this loud, constant static, and this will go on for a good forty-five minutes before it subsides. It doesn't matter if I have music playing or if there's nothing else coming out of them; all of a sudden, the static begins, and I can't seem to find the mute button quickly enough.

I've tried plugging different pairs of earphones into the speaker port in the back; the result is the same.

In my Googling, one thing I found that sounds like it might be the cause is poor grounding. However, it seems like that's something that would happen whenever the speakers have power. The fact that mine happens randomly leads me to believe it's something else.

Whatever the problem is, it's very aggravating, and I would love nothing more than to stop it.

posted by phaded to computers & internet (12 comments total)

Sometimes that happens to me when there's EM interference. Is there a cell phone nearby? An airport? You may need to buy speakers that are better sheilded.
posted by fvox13 at 10:15 PM on April 21, 2007

Definitely sounds like some sort of interference, either from the power supply or EM radiation. Try a different sound card, perhaps -- they're cheap anyways.
posted by neckro23 at 10:19 PM on April 21, 2007

it's almost definitely your damn cellphone. mine does that PLUS interferes with the mouse.
posted by tremspeed at 11:08 PM on April 21, 2007

I had this problem a long time ago (late 90s), and my random thought is: try updating your sound card drivers.
Cell phones sound different, it's like a 'dut-dut-dudut-dut' sound, and it's worst with Cingular phones. Not the static you're talking about.
posted by lilithim at 12:04 AM on April 22, 2007

Has one of your neighbors bought an electric drill lately and started using it a lot?
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 12:16 AM on April 22, 2007

Try shuffling the cords around. I had the same problem and it was driving me crazy. Turns out the surge protector was just too close to the cords.
posted by mwang1028 at 1:07 AM on April 22, 2007

I used to have interference problems on my laptop (which I use for recording and performing music, so static is a no-no).

It seemed to happen intermittently, but unplugging the laptop and running off batteries made it go away.

It turned out that it was, as you mentioned, a grounding problem (something known as a ground loop, but I don't know the physics to get all technical about it).

Try picking up one of those 3-to-2 prong adapters and plugging your computer in through that. This eliminates the grounding pin, and will solve your problem (if it's a grounding issue). If it does not, you're only out a dollar or two and you've narrowed down your troubleshooting options.
posted by Alabaster at 5:46 AM on April 22, 2007

Nth-ing the vote for EM interference.

Move your cellphone, Treo, or (especially) BlackBerry off the desk where the speakers are.
posted by enrevanche at 6:27 AM on April 22, 2007

N+1...

Here's some reading: What's the buzz, Cingular?

(The article's author provides a bunch of helpful/funny links. His favorite: the "galloping buzz" turning up over a church's PA system during Sunday services!)
posted by bodega at 9:22 AM on April 22, 2007

Bucking the EM interference trend, here...

I have an HP scanner plugged into my USB port. When it is turned on, it produces static through my laptop speakers. If I unplug the usb cable, or turn off the scanner, the static stops. Oddly enough, sometimes the scanner will simply decide to turn on at random times.

So: maybe check out your peripherals - it might be something as simple as turning one of them off.
posted by blackbeardrrr at 2:19 PM on April 22, 2007

So far, the leading candidate seems to be EM interference. Will update this thread as more develops.
posted by phaded at 8:13 PM on April 22, 2007

It's not my cellphone, as that's on the other side of the room. Blech, this is probably the most annoying thing ever.
posted by phaded at 3:04 PM on April 24, 2007