constant static coming out of front audio jack

[Special K]

I'm not sure if this belongs in GH or Cases & Cooling, but I have an Antec 902 case and an EVGA X58 SLI motherboard. The front HD audio plug from the 902 is connected to the HD audio jack on the motherboard. Whenever I have headphones connected to the front headphone jack and am doing something that is actively outputting audio (game, music, movie, etc.) I hear a constant static noise in the background. I don't hear the static if I'm not doing anything that is actively outputting audio.

The static is louder during games than movies, but it is present even if I mute the volume in the game, media player, etc. The static also seems to react to mouse movements. For example, if I click buttons or roll the mouse wheel, I can hear bursts of static that correspond to the mouse's movements. There is absolutely no static if I connect the headphones to the rear audio jack.

I did some searching and it seems this issue is caused by poor/non-existant shielding of the audio cable. Is there any way to fix this? Can I add some type of filter to the wire? Do I need to completely replace the wire or add some sort of shield to it?

EDIT: I just got off the phone with Antec and all they could suggest was to send me a new wire assembly for the front panel. Somehow I don't think that's going to help.

 

[jamesbond007]

I had a similar situation with my Antec case as well when I used onboard sound for a couple months. With the side of the computer open, I wiggled the cable that lead from the motherboard headers to the jack around. I noticed the farther I got away from my videocard, the less static I could hear. I eventually just used zipties to route the cable along the inside of the case and away from the videocard area. Problem solved, in my case.

Another thing you can try is go to your local Lowe's/Home Depot and look for some thin plastic shielding that you can slip over the cable. Shouldn't cost more than a couple bucks at most and could help your problem.

Of course, this is all assuming it's not some Vista/64-bit OS soundcard driver issue. 😉

 

[mpilchfamily]

I get it on ly Antec 900 as well. Its likely just poor sheilding on the wire.

 

[Special K]

Originally posted by: jamesbond007
I had a similar situation with my Antec case as well when I used onboard sound for a couple months. With the side of the computer open, I wiggled the cable that lead from the motherboard headers to the jack around. I noticed the farther I got away from my videocard, the less static I could hear. I eventually just used zipties to route the cable along the inside of the case and away from the videocard area. Problem solved, in my case.

When you say you used the "onboard sound for a couple months", are you implying that you used something else (such as a separate soundcard) later that didn't have the static problem?

Another thing you can try is go to your local Lowe's/Home Depot and look for some thin plastic shielding that you can slip over the cable. Shouldn't cost more than a couple bucks at most and could help your problem.

Plastic isn't going to shield something from electrical noise. You need a conductive layer that is connected to ground. Some have suggested wrapping the entire cable in aluminum foil, but others have tried that and reported that it didn't work. Plus that's a pretty big hassle.

Of course, this is all assuming it's not some Vista/64-bit OS soundcard driver issue. 😉

If this were the case, then I suspect I would hear the same static when my headphones were plugged into the rear jack, but I don't get any static from the rear jack.

Also I called Antec again and they confirmed that the cable is not shielded. They also said they would send me an extension cable for the front panel HD audio cable so that I could route it behind my motherboard tray.

 

[antsofthesky]

I read on a forum(Tom's hardware i think) that the 900 is known to have audio problems. Looks like it's consistent even through the resdesign to the 902.

 

[brblx]

did you try moving the cable around to see if it changed?

i would consider the tinfoil approach. sensitive wiring if often twisted and covered with a thick layer of foil-like insulation, i would imagine it is at least somewhat effective.

 

[Special K]

Originally posted by: brblx
did you try moving the cable around to see if it changed?

i would consider the tinfoil approach. sensitive wiring if often twisted and covered with a thick layer of foil-like insulation, i would imagine it is at least somewhat effective.

The cable is so short that I don't really have any room to move it around inside my case. Once Antec sends me the extension, I will try routing it behind the motherboard tray.

 

[jamesbond007]

Originally posted by: Special K
When you say you used the "onboard sound for a couple months", are you implying that you used something else (such as a separate soundcard) later that didn't have the static problem?

No - I was merely giving the onboard sound 'a try' before I went with a more serious card. I haven't tried onboard in quite a few years and was wondering how far along it has come.

Plastic isn't going to shield something from electrical noise. You need a conductive layer that is connected to ground. Some have suggested wrapping the entire cable in aluminum foil, but others have tried that and reported that it didn't work. Plus that's a pretty big hassle.

Wouldn't aluminum foil conduct and connect any circuits it may come in contact with inside a case? That sounds quite dangerous, really. That said, wouldn't a rubber/plastic sheath provide some kind of added resistance to such interference?

If this were the case, then I suspect I would hear the same static when my headphones were plugged into the rear jack, but I don't get any static from the rear jack.

I have had soundcards to some pretty crazy things with Vista 64bit. For instance, I've seen a MSI motherboard (with whatever onboard it used) cause lockups and system freezes when using the front connection, but would not experience anything abnormal when using the rear port. I believe this was due to the soundcard trying to 'detect' that headphones were being plugged in and trying to mute the rear/main speakers.

 

[somethingsketchy]

There is the possible that you have an exposed wire somewhere along the speaker wire, and that could be causing the static that you hear. If you can, try wrapping it in some heat shrink or electrical tape. That could cure the symptom of the problem.

 

[Special K]

Originally posted by: jamesbond007
Wouldn't aluminum foil conduct and connect any circuits it may come in contact with inside a case? That sounds quite dangerous, really. That said, wouldn't a rubber/plastic sheath provide some kind of added resistance to such interference?

You are correct - it wouldn't be very smart to cover the audio cable with aluminum foil and just leave it like that. If you really wanted to go that route, you would probably want to cover the wire in aluminum foil, ground the foil, and then apply another layer of plastic over the foil to prevent it from shorting anything out.

In any case, plastic/rubber does nothing to prevent electrical noise.

 

[PottedMeat]

Got any old cables with ferrite beads? Maybe you can try cutting them out and looping the cable through one or more times. Although its not really for induced EM in the audio range, try it for the hell of it. Also old VGA cables use tinned braided tubing over the wires, you could strip some of that off and stick the cable in it - then run a wire from ground to the braid - then wrap some electrical tape around it.

But nothing will help if the noise is picked up by the traces from the audio chip to the connector.

 

[Special K]

Originally posted by: PottedMeat
Got any old cables with ferrite beads? Maybe you can try cutting them out and looping the cable through one or more times. Although its not really for induced EM in the audio range, try it for the hell of it. Also old VGA cables use tinned braided tubing over the wires, you could strip some of that off and stick the cable in it - then run a wire from ground to the braid - then wrap some electrical tape around it.

But nothing will help if the noise is picked up by the traces from the audio chip to the connector.

If the noise was picked up by the traces from the audio chip to the connector, then wouldn't I also experience static when my headphones were plugged into the rear audio jack? Right I only get static out of the front audio port. The rear audio port, which is directly mounted to the motherboard, sounds fine.