Static and buzzing....

[Etherton]

Anyone know what could cause static or buzzing when there is something bright on the screen or certain apps/games? It is coming from my JBL LSR-305 monitors. They are connected via XLR to analog cables. As I am typing this there is no noise but if I open Adobe Lightroom there will be a constant buzzing. I noticed it the other night when my son was playing Dying Light too... Could I have damaged something when I used compressed air to blow out some of the dust? Timing seems about right and that is the only thing I can think of that might have caused it. Motherboard is a ASUS MAXIMUS VI GENE LGA 1150.

Thanks for any help!

 

[Archmage]

I had to switch to an optical DAC (SMSL sd793-II on amazon + amazon basics optical spdif cable) to get rid of the noise (on mouse movement, different application screens, etc) being passed to my LSR 305's (there is still the faint constant hiss though - I haven't tested whether it's the AC power / Ground because it's not noticeable at listening distance). USB-powered DAC (micca origen) still produced the noise. Onboard audio was also noisy. I'm guessing I could have resolved the issue by upgrading my motherboard, but I'm happy with this unit.

 

[timeofmylife]

Had some similar problems, although in my case it was mostly related to graphically demanding games.

 

[B00nie]

A failing power supply can manifest itself with this sort of noises. If you have another one available, test it. Another option is that your sound card / display card is simply not well enough protected so as others said going optical will solve that.

If your active speakers are hissing, try to turn down the gain in the speakers amp. Sometimes that's all that is needed.

 

[Decibel]

PCs are noisy environments, the JBLs are sensitive. Pick up a dac. USB is probably fine, but if you have optical on your mobo or sound card already, the audiophiles like to talk about galvanic isolation.

You can spend <$30 on a cheap (but still decent) dac, or go completely nuts and spend thousands. However, great dacs have gotten fairly inexpensive. Anything above $100 - $150 and you get deep into the diminishing returns curve.

I'd start cheap, maybe one of these: Amazon.com: FiiO D3 (D03K) Digital to Analog Audio Converter With Micca 6ft Optical Toslink Cable - 192kHz/24bit Optical and Coaxial DAC: Electronics or Amazon.com: Behringer UCA202 Audio Interface: Musical Instruments or Amazon.com: Signstek HIFI USB to Coaxial S/PDIF Converter Decoder Convert Digital to Analogue Signal Mini USB DAC PCM 2704 Chipset with USB Cable: Computers & Accessories

See if they do what you want. Before spending much more, figure out how your room sounds. A $30 dac with $100 in DIY bass traps and acoustic panels sounds WAY better than a $2300 dac in an untreated room.

I really want to hear the Muse Mini. If it sounds acceptable, like the FiiO D3, and has usb and coaxial inputs, it might just be my new cheap dac recommendation. Not that the Behringer is a bad choice for USB, see NwAvGuy's (who designed the ODAC) reviews.