A speaker question in the mobo section?

Status
Not open for further replies.

mescallw

Posts: 7   +0
Alright guys, I have come to the conclusion that this problem can only be a result of a faulty/old motherboard. Any insight/confirmation/insults are appreciated.

Problem: My speakers have been crackling on a consistent basis for the last month or two. Sometimes they are quiet for a half hour at a time, but other times they crackle constantly for several minutes. This occurs regardless of what programs are running, and crackles at the same volume regardless of the volume of the speakers. Touching the cords does not affect the crackling sound.

Things I have tried:

I swapped speakers. Three different kinds of speakers are all crackling when plugged in.

I thought the microphone might be to blame, but I have unplugged the microphone and the problem persists.

I have tried two different sound cards. The cracking continues.


ASUS A8N SLI-Deluxe Mobo, approximately 2 years old. Does anyone know what is going on? Thanks.
 
Have you tried connecting the speakers to any other audio source? That would definetly tell you if it's anything computer-related or if it's the speakers that are faulty.

You could try to connect the speakers to anything with a 3.5mm jack for headphones, like an mp3 player, cd player or stereo and maybe even a TV (Some have headphone jacks). If you have adapters you can connect the speakers to an audio source using regular RCA cables as well.
 
Thanks for the reply Coxis. I tried connecting the speakers to my ipod, and have had no static of crackling. I think you're right about it being computer related. I have a crapload of cords running around in my tower, but I'm pretty sure none of them are touching the motherboard. :(
 
You have over-driven the electronics for the audio output... and burned them out... You will need a good sound card whatever else you do.
 
So you're saying that I turned up my speakers too loud for my sound card to handle? And now the card is fried? I tried changing sound cards already and the problem persisted. Could it be a problem with the PCI slot that the card is in?
 
I am saying it is possible that somebody ran the speakers at too high a volume for too long a time... and they were damaged by heat. That is what we find usually causes the crackling sound. Real test is to borrow an audio card to install. then you can see if the noise disappears. We see it every day in our shops, and the problem is because normal computer sound systems are not of sufficient quality or ruggedness to handle sound as entertainment for very long.
 
I have tried two different sound cards. The cracking continues.
If you already tried different sound cards, that makes it very difficult. Did you plug the speakers into the new cards, or your original motherboard socket?
 
Good! You have ruled out more possible problems... which is all a necessary part of getting the issue resolved...

Any chance it is the speakers themselves... have you hooked them up to another computer?

There are no good rules for this... just plug away and narrow down the number of possibiliies.
 
I swapped speakers. Three different kinds of speakers are all crackling when plugged in.
Thanks for the reply Coxis. I tried connecting the speakers to my ipod, and have had no static of crackling. I think you're right about it being computer related. I have a crapload of cords running around in my tower, but I'm pretty sure none of them are touching the motherboard.
I believe he already has...
 
Thanks for the suggestions guys. @ hellokitty - Yeah I plugged the speakers into the sound card on each trial. My on-board sound went about a year ago and I have been using a sound card ever since. The crackling has only existed for a couple months though.

This might sound ridiculous, but is there any chance of radio interference or anything? Our remotes for the TV are really sensitive to where you aim them, and I get really poor cell reception in the room of my apt. that my computer is in. Or not?
 
The way you describe the sound, I doubt that it was caused by radio wave interferrence. Since it is not caused by over driving the audio, I would look at changes in grounding the computer, cables, etc.
Change as many components as you can... see if exchanges of optical drive, hard drive, power supply, make any difference... or is it only when you are using the installed Windows hard drive.
 
Does this problem appear to be constant... or does it come and go based on time of day, or length of use of some components...
Have you thought of trading out such components as EIDE cables, SATA Cables, etc.
 
Alright. I'll try to open it up this weekend and change out some of the cables. I'll probably change the sound card to a different PCI slot too. I'll report back after that. Thanks for the help guys.
 
Boy you must live in a very moist climate... Rusty audio port, amazing! It is supposed to be dry and arrid here, but we have had rain off and on for months every day it seems
 
Boy you must live in a very moist climate... Rusty audio port, amazing! It is supposed to be dry and arrid here, but we have had rain off and on for months every day it seems
Climate doesn't matter when you eat by your computer xD.
 
Ah, something spilled... I once repaired a laptop that had a rusted motherboard... A beer was spilled all inside the poor thing :) What a waste of a good beer
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back