Problems with headphones... static?

[acker]

Hello,

I wasn't sure where to post this, so here i am.

I bought three months ago an AKG 66 Headphone (with a 3 metter cable) and i have a problem with "background" noise. Even if i don't play music I hear sounds (no, i am not that paranoid ) (similiar like you hear when listening to an AM Radio frequency, but not that loud). If I start playing some music I can cover that noise but it is really annoying, and i definetly don't want this as a solution. This noise starts at the same time as i turn my PC on.

I've noticed that if I plug out the headphones and insert back the cable in the soundcard there is no noise for about 10, (15 ,20?) seconds. After that, it starts again. ( if i start playing music louder, it starts exactly that moment) Both left and right phones are affected, but on the right side is a more pronunced.

This noise is influenced by moving the mouse or scrolling windows, moving windows etc. Monitor does not create this because this happens even if I turn it off. My sound card is an AC97 onboard (i know it rocks ). Could the video card interfere with the soundcard?

I thought about current on my computer's case. I've connected that case to a pipe to be sure that is grounded. No effect! I've removed my harddrive, cd-rom, I've also took out my motherboard so it won't make contact with computer's case. Still no difference.

I've tested headphones with my cd-player and it sounds ok. There is a small noise but nothing compared with this. I have that noise with all headphones.
I thought it may help setting everything (like modem, aux, mic etc) to mute in widows (and linux) but that didn't helped.

I've contacted my motherboard manufactuer but they couldn't help me. I've rewritten my BIOS, but guess what? NOISE again. I've posted my message on different computer forums but no one gave me any help.

I've noticed that if I keep about 20-30 centimeters of headphone's cable perfectly(as much as i can) straight there is almost no noise.

I've tried to tell you anything i know about the problem, but if you need more info please ask. I need a filter that would allow only low frequencies to pass? (i don't know how you call that in English).

Hope someone has a clue...

regards,
acker

PS. It looks like my ethernet card influence this although does not creates it.
Mainboard: CM33-TC
CPU Celeron Copermine (1Ghz)
128 + 64 SDRam
8 MByte shared onboard Trident Cyberblade i/1 video
1 Realtek Ethernet 10/100 card
240 W power supply
Latest BIOS available installed.

 

[surajbarkale]

Check if your power supply is underrated try replacing it with one having higher wattage. Or there may be a problem on onboard sound ckt. try using a sound card.

 

[acker]

The power source is not underrated.
It will probably work with other soundcard, a PCI one, but i was wondering if there is another way... technical one?

 

[Dazza]

Hi acker,
have you tryed replacing your stereo socket . I also have some background static coming through my stereo headphones, it has been slowly getting worse over the last couple of months. The static reduces dramatically just before I play something through them. I just put it down to old age, if it doesn't get any worse I'll live with it.

 

[Yevgenip]

maybe the earphones are defected....?
i once bought new earphones but after a couple of days I had the same problem because of shortcircuits in the wires. try checking it.

Yevgeni Plotkin.

 

[acker]

As i said before: I've tested headphones with my cd-player and it sounds ok. There is a small noise but nothing compared with this.
I do think there is nothing wrong with them. I don't understand why such a loud noise. Too long cable, resistence to big/small. I know that the soundcard is causing this problem, but in conjunction with what?

They have been tested on other computer and they seem fine.

 

[gsmaster1]

Get yourself a PCI soundcard. A simple 5.1 costs about 25-30 euros. I'm sure you will like surround sound . A stereo one is much more cheaper

 

[audioguru2]

I've noticed that if I keep about 20-30 centimeters of headphone's cable perfectly(as much as i can) straight there is almost no noise.

Hi Acker,
Maybe you have discovered the cause of your noise without realising it. Perhaps magnetic radiation from your computer is moving the coils in the headphones or inducing noise into their cable. The more distance between the radiation source (computer) and your headphones greatly attenuates the magnetic influence. Keeping the cable at a 90 degree angle to the computer reduces induction into the cable.

 

[acker]

Hi Acker,
Maybe you have discovered the cause of your noise without realising it. Perhaps magnetic radiation from your computer is moving the coils in the headphones or inducing noise into their cable. The more distance between the radiation source (computer) and your headphones greatly attenuates the magnetic influence. Keeping the cable at a 90 degree angle to the computer reduces induction into the cable.

Or maybe not . I've been 3 metters away from my PC but no difference. Also, I've used them with my CD-player while the computer is turned on. So, I do not believe that the coils (or that part of the headphones) are directly affected by magnetic radiation. I think the cable may get this electr-magnetic "crap" and somekind of resonance (I don't know) creates this noise.
Ok, gurus: what's the problem? ???

 

[audioguru2]

Hi Acker,
It's too bad that magnetic radiation isn't the cause of your noise problem.
It could be that your computer performs normally, which isn't good enough for you being a perfectionist. There is a lot of digital crap flying around inside a computer which is difficult to keep from corrupting the analog circuits. The computer was probably designed by "digital experts" who have limited knowledge about audio refinements such as using separate "audio" grounds and power supply rails.
Maybe a new sound card will be better.

 

[steven2]

[move] allso be aware that if you get the same static effect if you have the volume controll on your head phones ,that you can allso use crc to clean the dust out of the potentiometer on those headphones , to clean out that dust that makes the static like crackling niose , every time you rotate the volume controll [/move]

 

[Dazza]

steven lol,
are you trying to turn us all into speed readers ;D. You need to make it bigger and give it some colour, keep at it Steven You will work it out 8);D ;D ;D.

 

[audioguru2]

Congratulations Steven,
Hurray, you got the scrolling to work! ;D
My 486 computer makes it jerk along, is it like that on newer computers? I'll try my son's Pentium4.

Yeah, my old Sony walkman FM-stereo portable radio has bad static when I turn its dirty volume control. I'll have to clean it sometime.
But it jumps to full volume when it is set low. Maybe the ground rivets in its volume control are loose.

 

[steven2]

[move] [glow=red,2,300] ill get it right sooner or later , yes the can of crc used to loosen rusty bolts and used indistribiutor works ok for cleaning potentiometers [/glow] move]

 

[audioguru2]

Whew, Steven's message stopped moving, I was getting dizzy!

I wouldn't use an oily volume control cleaner, it would just collect more dust. I use contact cleaner.

Hey Dazza,
Welcome to the Moderator's Club. ;D ;D

 

[steven2]

audio guru and dazza now all i need to do is figure out how to make them letters big and colourfull and move, still

 

[nexus-61]

Maybe : there is a GHOST in your Heahphones?? ;D LOOOL

neways, ur sure, there aren't loose connections right near the headphone driver where the wire joins?? Maybe try opening the headphones?

 

[Yevgenip]

I guess you're not too keen with HTML?
For example if you want to make a text bold, the text should go between the "" and the "" and not afterwards.

 

[Yevgenip]

That is between the ['b'] and the ['/b']. (Didn't make it right the first time ;D)