Best way to get rid of interference sounds from pc

[U]ber|Noob

Limp Gawd
Joined
Apr 4, 2013
Messages
427
What would be the best way to get rid of interference sounds coming from a computer but being transferred from EM (i assume) to analogue cables/equipment.

I have a good quality usb dac connected to a small pc but there is still some noise from the computer (or cables or monitor) being picked up such as when windows open and close etc, so I assume it's from the monitor.

On cheaper equipment especially internal sounds cards on cheap pcs it is a lot louder.

I am assuming many people know what I am talking about, squeeling sounds happening with on screen changes, such as windows opening and closing etc.

What would be the best thing to do about it?
 
If your motherboard has a toslink optical output use that out to a DAC that accepts toslink.
 
Ok, what is the reason for the noise?

I assume it's not noise in the usb signal, since it must have noise thresholds in the usb standard otherwise everything usb would be corrupted which it obviously isn't so why does usb produce so much em noise that is picked up by analog equipment?
 
Thanks, what is the best thing to do about it? Different power supply?

It's a small form factor system with an external psu. But it was quite an expensive system overall.
 
You'll probably go nuts or broke trying to figure out which component is causing the noise. The cheapest and easiest solution is my recommendation of using a toslink optical out to a DAC. It's impossible for ground noise to travel over the toslink opical since it uses fiber optics to transmit data instead of conductive metal, at this point you're electronically isolating the PC from the DAC. The other option is if you use studio monitors you could go with a DAC with balanced outputs.
 
I was recently having this problem with my X58 system that I stuck in a box with a cheap power supply.
Switched out the cheap supply for a PC P&C Silencer 750 I had laying around and poof...
No more weird noises.
So, at least in my case the psu was the culprit.
 
I was recently having this problem with my X58 system that I stuck in a box with a cheap power supply.
Switched out the cheap supply for a PC P&C Silencer 750 I had laying around and poof...
No more weird noises.
So, at least in my case the psu was the culprit.

I thought my issue was the computer, so I built a brand new computer thinking it would fix the issue, and nope, issue was there as soon as I powered on the new computer.
pulling the ground from my speakers fixed my issue, but I still have no idea what is actually causing it.
 
Probably EM leakage. And soundcards do a very poor job isolating a lot of the time,
 
I thought my issue was the computer, so I built a brand new computer thinking it would fix the issue, and nope, issue was there as soon as I powered on the new computer.
pulling the ground from my speakers fixed my issue, but I still have no idea what is actually causing it.

Yep. Sounds totally reasonable.

Ground issues.
Isolation issues.
Common Mode issues.

It could be any or a combination.
I was only saying that in my case, a different psu solved the problem.'
I've also seen where a sound card versus on board solved the weird sound issue and I've also seen the reverse.

Hope the OP figures it out. I know it is maddening.
 
Using a separate usb to coax/optical converter fixes the issue.

But it's hard to think why because the dac is actually even closer to the pc now.
 
Isolating the DAC from your computer's power supply probably.

Were your speaker wires near your monitor cables at any point in their routing around your workspace?
 
Ground loop isolator may help but the issue is most likely crap mb. I had that issue couple times in the past and it always went away after buying new/better mb.
 
Back
Top