How to Eliminate Video Noise From PC Audio
Your discerning ear has detected a problem. Every time the sound is turned up on your computer, you can hear noise that seems related to the video monitor. Turn the video monitor off and the noise goes away. Perhaps even when the video monitor is off, you can hear speaker noise that seems related to computer activities. With the computer sound card placed so close to other computer components, interference can occur from radio waves generated by many electrical sources. Fortunately, you can take steps to eliminate radio frequency interference (RFI).
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Instructions
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Eliminate possible ground loops. Make sure there is only one grounding path for components plugged into the computer.
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Move your headphone or speaker cords away from the video monitor cable. Avoid placing audio cords directly next to video or power cables. Where they must come in contact, make sure they cross one another at a 90-degree angles, instead of running parallel.
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Move your speakers farther away from the video monitor. Older CRT video monitors generated a great deal of RFI causing interference with audio components placed near the monitor.
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Upgrade your sound card. A poorly designed sound card produces unwanted noise from improperly shielded or poorly designed circuits.
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Upgrade your speaker cables. Many computer speaker systems are cheaply designed using thinly shielded wire to connect the speakers to the computer. Replace the cord connecting your speakers with audio cable that has improved shielding.
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Tips & Warnings
Ground loops occur when electrical components can be grounded in more than one way. For example, the computer uses a grounded power connector. The audio cord from the computer plugs into powered speakers that also use a grounded power connector. Now the speakers have two grounding paths that complete a circuit, or "loop." This loop can cause unwanted hum or audio distortion. For this reason, power cords for audio speakers seldom use three-prong power connectors, since they are grounded through the audio cable connected to the computer.
Video monitors that include integrated speakers with an audio cable that plugs directly into the video monitor are especially susceptible to audio noise caused by grounding loops or other sources of RFI. Use speakers that are separate from the video monitor.
