Dreaded high-pitched whining in speakers

[MrSquished]

I am flummoxed. I have a bunch of stuff plugged into a highly rated power strip:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LYHEC16/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

PC. Monitor. USB DAC. Headphone Amp. Desklight. Cell phone charger. PS4. FIOS Box. Router.

Now I also have this set of self-powered small studio monitors. I can't get rid of the high pitched whining coming out of the left channel. I have tried a 3.5" ground loop isolator from the pc to the speaker output cable. That didn't work. I tried plugging the speakers into an extension cord from a different outlet in the room. That didn't work. I bought this ground hum reducer:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002E4YI8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Now that's not working. My headphones have zero whining in them - they are running through an optical out on my soundcard to the DAC. When I ran the DAC through its USB input then I had whining. THe optical fixed that.

I can even unplug the speakers from the pc and I still get the whining.

What the hell can I do?

 

[LTC8K6]

Get some new speakers, I would think.

 

[Muadib]

Get some new speakers, I would think.

I agree with this guy!

 

[DaveSimmons]

One thing is to make sure the PC is causing it -- try connecting the speakers to the headphone jack on a phone or tablet, or anything else with analog out. Turn off just the PC. Does the whining stop?

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Ground loop is usually a low pitch. High pitches are caused by something else. (Coil whine, interference in the wiring, bad connections, etc.)

You didn't say what kind of studio monitors you have. WAG:

If your speakers are the type where all the inputs and the amp are built into speaker A, and speaker B connects to A with a single wire, and if the left speaker (the one hissing) is speaker B, then replace that wire.

 

[MrSquished]

I went to the power strip and started unplugging things one by one to see what was causing the issue and couldn't figure it out. Then I plugged everything back in, probably in different slots, and now the whine is all but gone. It still pops up but at a much lower volume and just here or there vs all the time.

Power strip is possessed?

 

[MrSquished]

the whiney noise is back.

speakers are presonus eris 3.5" speakers

I'll try a new wire from the right speaker that goes to the left

 

[fralexandr]

you could also try using some ferrite beads though i think they only work for certain frequency ranges.

a person on amazon used these for a crackling issue on their eris 3.5.
https://www.amazon.com/Wellcn-Pcs-F...8&qid=1527530038&sr=1-4&keywords=ferrite+bead

 

[MrSquished]

Tried a new speaker cable from the right to left speaker, that didn't work. Just got the ferrite beads and I put them on the speaker wire from right to left plus the actual plug of the right speaker. Let's see if this works.

 

[corkyg]

Try the speakers in different locations. IMHO, you have an EMI situation.