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monitors humming

hey!

ok, here's the problem. my monitors are humming only after my computer starts up windows xp. when it is still in the process of booting up windows it doesn't hum. when i'm using the monitors with a cd player it doesn't hum at all, so it's not the cables or monitors itself.

the intensity of the humming depends on the application i'm running, for example when i start firefox hums a bit louder.

i've got e-mu 0404 pci and behringer truth 2030A. i tried different sound cards and had the same result.

when i connect my headphones to the output of the audio interface it doesn't hum at all.

anyone else had a problem like this ?
wtf it's wrong ?

i have the same problem and i hate it. if the screen is white then its worse, also when connecting another external harddrive it gets terrible. i was recomended balanced cables but atm i dont have balanced outputs on my soundcard so whatever. im stuck.

quote:

Originally posted by palm if the screen is white then its worse, also when connecting another external harddrive it gets terrible.

exactly

i dont have the problem with the mac tho so probably a problem with weak powersupply in the computer i guess.

I get this too when certain webpages are open.

Doesnt bother me much though.

quote:

Originally posted by palm i dont have the problem with the mac tho so probably a problem with weak powersupply in the computer i guess.

are you using the same audio interface on both mac and pc?

I was having the same problem however i have the same monitors just a different interface.

I am almost positive that it is due to the cables, so i went ahead and ordered some new cables recently, they should be here within the week im sure. When i get the cables i will definitely post my results here.

However are you using TRS cables or XLR, because i heard the 1/4" trs cables tend to be less durable over time.

The best thing you can do is keep your audio wires away from power wires and especially keep them from crossing.

quote:

Originally posted by djsphere are you using the same audio interface on both mac and pc?

noh on the mac im using the included (mac mini). on PC i use right now the internal on the motherboard but i had the same problem when using echo audiofire 2, the problem was even more prominent then(!). i use unbalanced TRS and i have a hard time keeping them away from the powerchords. i know it helps tho but i hope new cables and a new soundcard will help me more. if not i will have to get a better powersupply for my computer and i guess that aint easy to get any good help.

i had hum in my right speaker last week, had some other cables lying around so i replaced them and it fixed the problem.

use balanced jack to xlr cables, even if your sound out is unbalanced... Problem should be solved.

quote:

Originally posted by Zild The best thing you can do is keep your audio wires away from power wires and especially keep them from crossing.

Also, if possible, have your speakers plugged in from a different household power circuit than the computer. Especially try to avoid having them on the same power strip.

yah

I had that prob in a big way with a pc laptop apparently the generic power source is the problem.

see how yah go with some new cables

i replaced the cables and the humming is lower now.

i'm gonna switch to XLR later, hopefully fix it for good.

quote:

Originally posted by Zild The best thing you can do is keep your audio wires away from power wires and especially keep them from crossing.

Crossing them isn't that bad. Running them parallel is very bad though.

update: i bought balanced cables today eventhough i still havent repaired my external echo soundcard and uses the internal shit-soundcard on my PC mainboard. the humming is gone and im as happy as a hippo! awesome. sound is still pretty weak though as the soundcard on my motherboard is one of these surround shit stuff with minijacks out. cant wait to repair my echo now and see whether all my problems are gonne. yeah but really nice to see (hear?) that balanced cables help for the grounding problem.

quote:

Originally posted by Eldritch Crossing them isn't that bad. Running them parallel is very bad though.

Yes. Twisted pairs are made to cancel out alien cross talk between wires. Strip apart a CAT5e or CAT6 cable. Those pairs ain't straight, and believe me, it's a good thing they aren't.

In reality, whether you cross the wires or not won't matter since it's not alien cross-talk you're worried about to begin with. You're worried about external EMI.

quote:

Originally posted by Lolo use balanced jack to xlr cables, even if your sound out is unbalanced... Problem should be solved.

Uhhh... no?

The whole point of the "shield" in a balanced XLR cable is that it returns to ground. That way any EMI runs through the shield to ground. Which saves your audio signal from being the quickest path to ground. Turning an unbalanced cable to a balanced one won't solve that. I'm simplifying here, but that's more or less how it works.

Just buy a better audio interface with balanced outputs. Problem solved.

There is so much bad information out there about wiring. I design low-voltage systems (intercom, fire alarm, data, audio/visual) for schools and government buildings so I know a thing or two. (I'm currently working on getting my RCDD as well) /end ego

So to reitterate, you want balanced everything. If your monitors are self-amplified you want the output of your mixer or audio interface to be balanced signals. If you run passive monitors which require an external amplifier, everything needs to be balanced into the amplifier. Speaker level voltage is high enough that you will not notice EMI in your speaker lines.

Most of the noise you're hearing is from your computer. Beleive it or not but when your processor and RAM does "work" it pulls more current, which in turn creates more EMI. If your audio interface isn't using balanced outputs--- or worse, you're using the on-board audio outputs of your computer --- you'll hear plenty of delcious noise. I had a soundcard and motherboard so, unbeliveably shitty, that if you moved the MOUSE.... THE MOUSE!!! --- you could hear additional noise in the headphones that were directly connected to the onboard sound.

And for goodness sakes make sure all your equipment is on a common ground. (ie, plug everything into one outlet, and then the rest of your devices into a UPS or surge protector).

Peace and Love,

Adam Wrzeski

quote:

Originally posted by wrzonance Uhhh... no?

did u even read my post? i bought balanced cables and connected them to a unbalanced stereo minijack output on my mobo and the problem was solved, so indeed lolo was right! thanks Lolo. wrzonance: fuck theory, nobody cares, its whats real that matters.

quote:

Originally posted by palm did u even read my post? i bought balanced cables and connected them to a unbalanced stereo minijack output on my mobo and the problem was solved, so indeed lolo was right! thanks Lolo. wrzonance: fuck theory, nobody cares, its whats real that matters.

I'm glad it worked.

me too it has been bothering me for a long time and i didn't really believe the cables where the problem myself so im very surprised it worked. now I only need to get my Echo soundcard fixed so I can go balanced all the way instead of using this shitty mobo soundcard. Funny you mentioned that u had problems with touching the mouse, it was like this here too. and when scrolling windows, I bet it has to do with the powersupply on my computer somehow, the cabinet wasn't very expensive. Next up is to get a quiter fan in it and to fix my firewire soundcard.

Awesome thread, having the same problem, same monitors as mentioned above. Will check out for Balanced cables then.

quote:

Originally posted by MOK Also, if possible, have your speakers plugged in from a different household power circuit than the computer. Especially try to avoid having them on the same power strip.

+1 also don't plug hardware with ground plugs with hardware that don't have ground plugs.

edit: i mean on the same circuit.

okeey, I'm just talking about my own experience. Back in 2001 I had those huge Quested speakers and amp and the 01V would hum a lot like 60dB when it was switched off. Once I replaced the cables with balanced jack to xlr's, the problem was gone. No humming anymore.

I cannot guarantee that it will work for everyone, but most speaker inputs don't like unbalanced signals, it gets worse with hi-end monitoring systems. So let's hope it works. If not, the problem is coming from something else (crt monitor for example)

Don't worry about it Lolo, there wont be coming lawsuits up your ass if this doesnt work, ha ha. Besides, i suspect the cables, the monitors make this strange crackle-noise when I turn the cables who are inserted into the external soundcard so surely it's suspicious?

I had this problem to, a long time ago though! It's seems like everyone is experiencing the famous humming problem .
I found out the problem lied in the power connections. My monitors where humming when I had them connected to the same powerbox as I did my computer. So basicly when I connected my monitors to another powerbox, the problem was solved.

It could also be a ground problem though!

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