Headphone Buzzing Issue (Grounding?)

[Loumagoo]

I built my own computer about a year ago and lately I've run into a problem that seems to be difficult to find a solution for on the internet. My headphones, Turtle Beach DPX21, have always had a buzzing noise when above average volume. The website support says the issue is a grounding issue, and that there are many ways to resolve it, but they are difficult to do.

To quickly explain, my headphones are powered over USB, and whether they are connected to the front or back audio panels, I still get this buzzing. Further, I've tried plugging them into a powered external USB hub, but the buzzing was still present.

Is anyone an expert with grounding, or resolving grounding issues with a PC? I don't mind putting some money into fixing this problem, but I'm not sure a new PSU, new USB cards, or new audio cards will solve my problem.

 

[Harvey]

Have you tried your phones on another computer, and have you tried another pair of phones on your system?

If other phones do the same thing on your system, the problem may be somewhere in your computer setup or in your house wiring.

If your phones and others do the same thing on other systems plugged into your home AC mains, are the third (ground) terminals connected in your AC outlets, or are any of them in your system connected through a two wire plug?

Note that, if you live in an house/apartment with older, two wire AC mains, you may have to test them in another building with known good AC grounding. In some buildings that have been updated, some newer parts of the installation may include the ground lug while older legacy sockets are not.

When testing your phones (and others) at an alternate location, either in your home or elsewhere, make sure the alternate test site/unit does not have the same kind of AC grounding problems

If your phones buzz, but others don't when connected to the same system(s), the problem may be faulty shielding or ground contact in your headphone, the cable or the internal connection to the plug.

Hope that helps.

 

[C1]

Most people report hum versus buzz.

The the sound of the buzz identifies the frequency. For example, here is a sample of 60 hertz buzz: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBRPHojSGAs

You may be getting PS switching noise or even cooling fan pwm noise into the audio.

Try temporarily unplugging as many fans as possible then test the audio. Also try a different set of head phones.

A guess is to replace the PS.

Another possibility is to try using, instead, analog audio (either on board or via an add on card).

 

[Loumagoo]

Have you tried your phones on another computer, and have you tried another pair of phones on your system?

If other phones do the same thing on your system, the problem may be somewhere in your computer setup or in your house wiring.

If your phones and others do the same thing on other systems plugged into your home AC mains, are the third (ground) terminals connected in your AC outlets, or are any of them in your system connected through a two wire plug?

Note that, if you live in an house/apartment with older, two wire AC mains, you may have to test them in another building with known good AC grounding. In some buildings that have been updated, some newer parts of the installation may include the ground lug while older legacy sockets are not.

When testing your phones (and others) at an alternate location, either in your home or elsewhere, make sure the alternate test site/unit does not have the same kind of AC grounding problems

If your phones buzz, but others don't when connected to the same system(s), the problem may be faulty shielding or ground contact in your headphone, the cable or the internal connection to the plug.

Hope that helps.

Thanks for the reply. I did a bit of testing and here are the results:

When the headphones are connected to the COMPUTER via USB (for power, and chat) without the game audio jack connected, there is NO buzzing, even at full volume. When I plug the game audio jack into my iPhone, I can play music, full volume, no buzzing.

This leads me to believe that the ground loop has something to do with the USB, or the power that the headphones are getting. I can plug the headphones into a USB wall adapter, and the buzzing is completely eliminated. Likewise, my speakers connected into the same audio jack have NO buzzing. I've tried all the different USB jacks on my computer, with no change.

Is there a way to fix USB ground loops? Does that even make sense? I am considering getting a PCI-e 1x slot USB card. Since USB goes through the PCI-e bus, will the issues still remain?

 

[Harvey]

When the headphones are connected to the COMPUTER via USB (for power, and chat) without the game audio jack connected, there is NO buzzing, even at full volume. When I plug the game audio jack into my iPhone, I can play music, full volume, no buzzing.

So, what's plugged into what when it does buzz? Also, do the phones have a separate cable to connect to your machine's audio output jack, or is the audio also going through the USB cable?

This leads me to believe that the ground loop has something to do with the USB, or the power that the headphones are getting. I can plug the headphones into a USB wall adapter, and the buzzing is completely eliminated. Likewise, my speakers connected into the same audio jack have NO buzzing. I've tried all the different USB jacks on my computer, with no change.

Is there a way to fix USB ground loops? Does that even make sense? I am considering getting a PCI-e 1x slot USB card. Since USB goes through the PCI-e bus, will the issues still remain?

It sounds like you're on the right track (at least one of them). Are you sure the ground lug is connected on the AC wall plug where you plug in your computer?

When the buzz happens, is any other device plugged into the wall through a two wire AC plug? If so, and it isn't polarized (one prong on the plug larger than the other), try turning the plug over. Under some conditions, this could remove the ground loop or potential between devices.

 

[Loumagoo]

So, what's plugged into what when it does buzz? Also, do the phones have a separate cable to connect to your machine's audio output jack, or is the audio also going through the USB cable?

Sorry, I should have explained the set up a little more. This is how the headset is setup on my computer. The reason for this, is so that:

1. The headset is powered over USB connection
2. The USB connection provides a secondary channel for chat (Skype)
3. The audio connection (optical or analog) provides a main channel for game/music/desktop sound

Yesterday, I was playing around with different connections, to see what made the buzzing occur. With the USB connected to the computer, I can take the 3.5mm cable out of the computer, and the buzzing stops. If I plug the 3.5mm cable into my iPhone, I can play music at full volume, no buzzing. If I take the 3.5mm cable and make it touch the USB (that's connected to the computer, but sticking out a bit) I get the exact feedback that's been occurring. Finally, if I connect the USB connection to a power adapter (USB wall plug, for iPhone charging), and the 3.5mm connection to my computer, the buzzing is eliminated.

It sounds like you're on the right track (at least one of them). Are you sure the ground lug is connected on the AC wall plug where you plug in your computer?

I'm pretty positive that all my power cables have 3 pronged connectors. My computer, monitors, and other devices are connected on a power bar, which has a 3 pronged connection to the wall. Further, I just moved recently, and the exact same problem still occurs. My last place was a brand new house, where it still occurred. (which leads me to believe that the problem lies within my computer)

When the buzz happens, is any other device plugged into the wall through a two wire AC plug? If so, and it isn't polarized (one prong on the plug larger than the other), try turning the plug over. Under some conditions, this could remove the ground loop or potential between devices.

I will try this again. However, I've had only my computer, monitor, keyboard, mouse, and headphones connected, at a LAN, at a friends house, and the problem was still present.