Audio Popping/Crackling Win 8, Attempted everything

[Wreckdumb]

Hello. i recently bought a pair of Astro's a40 2013 Ed. after hooking them up i noticed i got really bad Popping in the headset(never noticed it till i got this headset). after a couple of days attempting to remedy the situation i returned them. buying a pair of Beyerdynamic DT990 PRO. same problem. now im convinced its something to do with my computer. so i start googling, running DPC latency & LatencyMon, updating drivers, changing windows audio Hz, making sure all my connections are in place to no avail.
after days of attempting to fix this. i upgraded my motherboard(ga-z77x-ud5h) and re installed a fresh copy of win8. first thing i tried was the on-board sound and still got audio popping. installed updates. got the sound blaster z drivers and all my devices drivers, i tried again, again to no avail.

after reading this reviewAntec TruePower New TP-750
"Then about a week later the power supply stopped all together. I had to then go out and buy a new one immediately and all the problems stopped except my motherboard now has some issues with playing sounds (it kinda pops/ cuts off)." on newegg i figured this might be a PSU issue

I attempted to MUTE my sound in windows to see if it was still there, no popping. attempted to see if the popping was in safe mode, no popping. so i believe the problem is in the drivers. after trying to everything from disabling on board sound(testing Sound blaster z Card) i still got the popping. trying on board sound through speakers and the headphones, with no SBz installed, i still got popping.

at this point i'm completely stumped on how to remedy this issue. so im seeking help from all you fine people! Should i try a new PSU or is the dmg already done to my new Mobo? do i need a amp even thou the soundblaster z has one built in? PLEASE HELP!

my computer specs are as follows

Case: Haf XB
Mobo: ga-z77x-ud5h
CPU: 3770k @ 3.5 stock
RAM: G.SKILL Ares Series 8GB stock
GPU: Nvidia 680 gtx (no audio drivers installed)
Sound: Tried both Sound blaster Z and On Board Realtek ALC898
PSU: Antec TruePower New TP-750
Headphones: Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO 250 Ohms
SSD: OCZ Vertex 4
OS: Windows 8 x64 (attempted windows 7 with same problem)


If I left anything out or need to post any LatencyMon or such results let me know. thank you for reading my long post and any feedback/ideas you may respond with!

 

[Wreckdumb]

this is a idle LatencyMon report. could the high Pagefault resolution time be the cause of these audio pops/crackling? what could i do to get this # down?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CONCLUSION
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Your system appears to be suitable for handling real-time audio and other tasks without dropouts.
LatencyMon has been analyzing your system for 3:19:01 (h:mm:ss) on all processors.


_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SYSTEM INFORMATION
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Computer name: MIDNIGHT
OS version: Windows 8 , 6.2, build: 9200 (x64)
Hardware: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd., Z77X-UD5H
CPU: GenuineIntel Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3770K CPU @ 3.50GHz
Logical processors: 8
Processor groups: 1
RAM: 16344 MB total


_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CPU SPEED
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Reported CPU speed: 3501.0 MHz
Measured CPU speed: 2467.0 MHz (approx.)

Note: reported execution times may be calculated based on a fixed reported CPU speed. Disable variable speed settings like Intel Speed Step and AMD Cool N Quiet in the BIOS setup for more accurate results.


_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
MEASURED INTERRUPT TO USER PROCESS LATENCIES
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The interrupt to process latency reflects the measured interval that a usermode process needed to respond to a hardware request from the moment the interrupt service routine started execution. This includes the scheduling and execution of a DPC routine, the signaling of an event and the waking up of a usermode thread from an idle wait state in response to that event.

Highest measured interrupt to process latency (µs): 545.463586
Average measured interrupt to process latency (µs): 3.824176

Highest measured interrupt to DPC latency (µs): 531.132371
Average measured interrupt to DPC latency (µs): 0.534285


_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
MEASURED SMI, IPI AND CPU STALLS
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The SMI, IPI and CPU stalls value represents the highest measured interval that a CPU did not respond while having its maskable interrupts disabled.

Highest measured SMI or CPU stall (µs) 9.944108


_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
REPORTED ISRs
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Interrupt service routines are routines installed by the OS and device drivers that execute in response to a hardware interrupt signal.

Highest ISR routine execution time (µs): 191.935733
Driver with highest ISR routine execution time: dxgkrnl.sys - DirectX Graphics Kernel, Microsoft Corporation

Highest reported total ISR routine time (%): 0.002661
Driver with highest ISR total time: dxgkrnl.sys - DirectX Graphics Kernel, Microsoft Corporation

Total time spent in ISRs (%) 0.003315

ISR count (execution time <250 µs): 390029
ISR count (execution time 250-500 µs): 0
ISR count (execution time 500-999 µs): 0
ISR count (execution time 1000-1999 µs): 0
ISR count (execution time 2000-3999 µs): 0
ISR count (execution time >=4000 µs): 0


_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
REPORTED DPCs
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
DPC routines are part of the interrupt servicing dispatch mechanism and disable the possibility for a process to utilize the CPU while it is interrupted until the DPC has finished execution.

Highest DPC routine execution time (µs): 863.368181
Driver with highest DPC routine execution time: nvlddmkm.sys - NVIDIA Windows Kernel Mode Driver, Version 313.96 , NVIDIA Corporation

Highest reported total DPC routine time (%): 0.021938
Driver with highest DPC total execution time: rspLLL64.sys - Resplendence Latency Monitoring and Auxiliary Kernel Library, Resplendence Software Projects Sp.

Total time spent in DPCs (%) 0.050583

DPC count (execution time <250 µs): 32246206
DPC count (execution time 250-500 µs): 0
DPC count (execution time 500-999 µs): 420
DPC count (execution time 1000-1999 µs): 0
DPC count (execution time 2000-3999 µs): 0
DPC count (execution time >=4000 µs): 0


_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
REPORTED HARD PAGEFAULTS
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Hard pagefaults are events that get triggered by making use of virtual memory that is not resident in RAM but backed by a memory mapped file on disk. The process of resolving the hard pagefault requires reading in the memory from disk while the process is interrupted and blocked from execution.

NOTE: some processes were hit by hard pagefaults. If these were programs producing audio, they are likely to interrupt the audio stream resulting in dropouts, clicks and pops. Check the Processes tab to see which programs were hit.

Process with highest pagefault count: msmpeng.exe

Total number of hard pagefaults 532
Hard pagefault count of hardest hit process: 350
Highest hard pagefault resolution time (µs): 48847.534419
Total time spent in hard pagefaults (%): 0.000835
Number of processes hit: 8


_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PER CPU DATA
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CPU 0 Interrupt cycle time (s): 141.264109
CPU 0 ISR highest execution time (µs): 191.935733
CPU 0 ISR total execution time (s): 3.166609
CPU 0 ISR count: 390029
CPU 0 DPC highest execution time (µs): 863.368181
CPU 0 DPC total execution time (s): 29.390476
CPU 0 DPC count: 28759763
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CPU 1 Interrupt cycle time (s): 137.405104
CPU 1 ISR highest execution time (µs): 0.0
CPU 1 ISR total execution time (s): 0.0
CPU 1 ISR count: 0
CPU 1 DPC highest execution time (µs): 159.127107
CPU 1 DPC total execution time (s): 0.009472
CPU 1 DPC count: 1766
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CPU 2 Interrupt cycle time (s): 99.585084
CPU 2 ISR highest execution time (µs): 0.0
CPU 2 ISR total execution time (s): 0.0
CPU 2 ISR count: 0
CPU 2 DPC highest execution time (µs): 236.677235
CPU 2 DPC total execution time (s): 7.222971
CPU 2 DPC count: 1282407
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CPU 3 Interrupt cycle time (s): 502.944647
CPU 3 ISR highest execution time (µs): 0.0
CPU 3 ISR total execution time (s): 0.0
CPU 3 ISR count: 0
CPU 3 DPC highest execution time (µs): 165.937732
CPU 3 DPC total execution time (s): 0.107687
CPU 3 DPC count: 30623
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CPU 4 Interrupt cycle time (s): 68.724006
CPU 4 ISR highest execution time (µs): 0.0
CPU 4 ISR total execution time (s): 0.0
CPU 4 ISR count: 0
CPU 4 DPC highest execution time (µs): 233.65010
CPU 4 DPC total execution time (s): 7.330583
CPU 4 DPC count: 1424585
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CPU 5 Interrupt cycle time (s): 407.248084
CPU 5 ISR highest execution time (µs): 0.0
CPU 5 ISR total execution time (s): 0.0
CPU 5 ISR count: 0
CPU 5 DPC highest execution time (µs): 301.772065
CPU 5 DPC total execution time (s): 0.027908
CPU 5 DPC count: 1724
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CPU 6 Interrupt cycle time (s): 64.098788
CPU 6 ISR highest execution time (µs): 0.0
CPU 6 ISR total execution time (s): 0.0
CPU 6 ISR count: 0
CPU 6 DPC highest execution time (µs): 245.730934
CPU 6 DPC total execution time (s): 4.204176
CPU 6 DPC count: 740283
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CPU 7 Interrupt cycle time (s): 418.181647
CPU 7 ISR highest execution time (µs): 0.0
CPU 7 ISR total execution time (s): 0.0
CPU 7 ISR count: 0
CPU 7 DPC highest execution time (µs): 216.521280
CPU 7 DPC total execution time (s): 0.029586
CPU 7 DPC count: 5475
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

[jaqie]

sound blaster is and has been since the original live the absolute worst card to get for sound quality, and the company that makes them has been the subject of several class action lawsuits to such ends.

Get something better... not more expensive, just better.

 

[Wreckdumb]

sound blaster is and has been since the original live the absolute worst card to get for sound quality, and the company that makes them has been the subject of several class action lawsuits to such ends.

Get something better... not more expensive, just better.

any recommendations? something that will handle my headset Ohms? and if i need it, recommendation for a headphone amp?

 

[jaqie]

if you are that into good pro audio, check out the HT OMEGA claro series. They have one specifically for high impedance headphones.

 

[Wreckdumb]

never accually read the report before

Hard pagefaults are events that get triggered by making use of virtual memory that is not resident in RAM but backed by a memory mapped file on disk. The process of resolving the hard pagefault requires reading in the memory from disk while the process is interrupted and blocked from execution.

NOTE: some processes were hit by hard pagefaults. If these were programs producing audio, they are likely to interrupt the audio stream resulting in dropouts, clicks and pops. Check the Processes tab to see which programs were hit.

i tried turning Virtual memory off but still receive these hard page faults. any way to get this number down.

again my memory is G.SKILL Ares Series 8GB (4 x 4GB) at stock speed

 

[Wreckdumb]

if you are that into good pro audio, check out the HT OMEGA claro series. They have one specifically for high impedance headphones.

after looking at Comparison chart of HT OMEGA sound cards

im guessing i would need one of the halo ones? preferably the XT for the 7.1 correct? since i like to use speakers every once in a while too?

 

[jaqie]

Yes.

 

[Wreckdumb]

Yes.

after reading for the past hour. this HT OMEGA Claro Halo XT PCI Sound Card is beast and should last for years to come. im going to return my sound blaster z(if i still have time) and invest in this. thank you for your help and responses

 

[Wreckdumb]

being as anal as i am. id still like to get my hard pagefaults down. any recommendations

never accually read the report before

Quote:
Originally Posted by Wreckdumb
Hard pagefaults are events that get triggered by making use of virtual memory that is not resident in RAM but backed by a memory mapped file on disk. The process of resolving the hard pagefault requires reading in the memory from disk while the process is interrupted and blocked from execution.

NOTE: some processes were hit by hard pagefaults. If these were programs producing audio, they are likely to interrupt the audio stream resulting in dropouts, clicks and pops. Check the Processes tab to see which programs were hit.
i tried turning Virtual memory off but still receive these hard page faults. any way to get this number down.

again my memory is G.SKILL Ares Series 8GB (4 x 4GB) at stock speed

 

[jaqie]

step one: remove the SB and it's drivers from your system.

99% of the time, that will fix it.

 

[cheez]

Sounds like dirty power going through your PC. I would try replacing your power cord with an aftermarket one for your PC. That will affect all of your components ins the PC.

cheez

 

[Wreckdumb]

Sounds like dirty power going through your PC. I would try replacing your power cord with an aftermarket one for your PC. That will affect all of your components ins the PC.

cheez

After reading about dirty power, this kinda makes sense. I tried my computer in another room and got the same results. What could I do to remedy this? Would a power conditioner fix this issue? Or should I contact my power company?

I tried a couple different power cables with the same results
Now if this the problem, could my computer be damaged ?

 

[jaqie]

I dont know what that poster was smoking, but a power cord will make zero difference.

If you are truly worried about dirty power (which very seldom can affect a good pc power supply by the way) you can get a line conditioner, or a line interactive filtering or online UPS to fix it. I have both, because I am a nut when it comes to this stuff, and used to be an electrician too.

I will just short of guarantee you it's not dirty power unless you are using a craptastic power supply. Any good one will filter that crap out and be just fine with it. Your antec is just fine, BTW, unless it's defective which I quite seriously doubt at this point.

 

[Wreckdumb]

I accually remembered I got a old power conditioner in a old rackmountable audio setup I got. I'm gunna give it a try and ill respond with the results

 

[Wreckdumb]

I tried out the power conditioner. I could tell the audio was cleaner but the audio pops still existed. if it was a power issue, wouldnt the pops still happen if i was in safe mode or had the sound muted? while it was hooked up to the power conditioner i recorded a example to maybe narrow it down.
Popping examplesorry the the spam of annoying windows sounds lol
shouldnt be to hard to tell what im talking about.


again i thank you guys for your help and any ways i could fix this.

hopefully i can put this issue to rest when my HT OMEGA gets here Wednesday.

 

[jaqie]

<< not a guy.

no problem. my net is a sad joke right now so Im not going to check that file, but even if I did I would bet you money that it really is the sound card.

Sound muting and safe mode can or can not have an affect on it, but more often than not the sound blaster crap puts them out only when not muted.

and congratulations on the purchase of a real sound card!

 

[Wreckdumb]

<< not a guy.

no problem. my net is a sad joke right now so Im not going to check that file, but even if I did I would bet you money that it really is the sound card.

Sound muting and safe mode can or can not have an affect on it, but more often than not the sound blaster crap puts them out only when not muted.

and congratulations on the purchase of a real sound card!

Didn't mean to offend. I do appreciate the help and quick responses thou!
So when I reinstalled win 8 about two days ago without the SB z and my gpu installed, Was the audio popping/crackling due to the Realtek not being able to supply enough power to these headphones (250 ohms)? And could a ssd cause this issue. The ssd, psu, and CPU are the only pieces I haven't replaced/removed Testing fixes for this issue

 

[cheez]

I dont know what that poster was smoking, but a power cord will make zero difference.

I haven't smoked a cigar for several decades. I don't smoke weed either, no cocaine stuff. I drink water, fruit juice, Japanese green tea, coffee (with no sugar) that's it as far as drinking is concerned. No I don't drink pops or any alcoholic beverages... I used to drink some a few years ago but I stopped it as it kills healthy body cells.... this can't be good.

If you are truly worried about dirty power (which very seldom can affect a good pc power supply by the way) you can get a line conditioner, or a line interactive filtering or online UPS to fix it. I have both, because I am a nut when it comes to this stuff, and used to be an electrician too.

I will just short of guarantee you it's not dirty power unless you are using a craptastic power supply. Any good one will filter that crap out and be just fine with it. Your antec is just fine, BTW, unless it's defective which I quite seriously doubt at this point.

Line conditioner can help to some degree but getting the right power cord is also very important. I run into quite a few incidents where a power cord causing horizontal lines moving up the screen causing serious video display issues. Electrical noise can also cause computer to generate clicks and pops for audio. Reducing the electrical noise in the system can lower your pop tart sound. OP, I would try investing a Wireworld Stratus power cord ($75) and try it. I bet you will notice the difference. If the result is not satisfactory you can either return it for a refund or plug it to your TV screen for superior PQ improvement.

jaqie's profile:
Golden Member's cool location


Location: 127.0.0.1

Dude, it's localhost.


cheez

 

[jaqie]

I can't tell if you're intentionally trolling or if you really believe that tripe.

 

[jaqie]

Didn't mean to offend. I do appreciate the help and quick responses thou!
So when I reinstalled win 8 about two days ago without the SB z and my gpu installed, Was the audio popping/crackling due to the Realtek not being able to supply enough power to these headphones (250 ohms)? And could a ssd cause this issue. The ssd, psu, and CPU are the only pieces I haven't replaced/removed Testing fixes for this issue

That part is just dumb motherboard design. if you look on the motherboard the audio chip is past the network chip and the audio signals as analog have to go past the network chip onboard and a bunch more to get to the audio ports on the back of the computer. I personally bought a gigabyte brand motherboard that specifically designed their motherboard in that area for very low signal to noise ratio, and even then I get some noise floor problems with my sound system. (ga-990fxa-ud3) Bad sound cards are bad sound cards whether they are from bad design (creative labs) or bad PCB design (asus motherboards).

One more thing, go into your bios and enable all of the spread spectrum options you can find. That will lower the noise floor further. The PSU could still be your problem, but the sound blaster card was definitely *A* problem, a big one.

a low impedance driver driving a high impedance load can cause the issue too, but it mostly just waters the music down and makes the volume levels quite low.

 

[Wreckdumb]

One more thing, go into your bios and enable all of the spread spectrum options you can find. That will lower the noise floor further.

i couldnt find any of these options anywhere in the advanced bios settings.

The PSU could still be your problem,

more and more i think its this.

but the sound blaster card was definitely *A* problem, a big one.

hopefully my new sound card fixes it.

if the problem remains after i get my new card. i think ill try installing windows on a old SSD. THEN if it still remains. i think ill try a new PSU.



so i busted out my old kill a watt, im getting voltages right around 122.3-122.6. and i notice the power conditoner(falman RP-8D) is anywhere from 120-121 volts(seen it go up to 122 once). is this normal?

 

[jaqie]

yes.

 

[Wreckdumb]

hopefully my new sound card fixes it.

sadly to say, the HD OMEGA Claro Halo XT didnt fix the problem. although shit does sound ALOT better through my headphones.

Ordering High Current Pro HCP-750 750W

gunna see if removing Sound blaster z + drivers fixes my Hard pagefaults.

its come down to 4 things i havent replaced/removed

1. SSD (OCZ Vertex 4)
2. PSU (Antec TruePower New TP-750)
3. CPU (3770k @ 3.5 stock)
4. Computer Case (HAF Xb)

ima be able to build a brand new computer all said and done. lol

 

[jaqie]

have you disabled the onboard sound in the BIOS?