My stupid speaker cables make for a good antenna, any way to stop the interference?

[Spoooon]

I have those old Cambridge Soundworks 4+1 speaker system. It's got speaker wire all over the place. Any tips on preventing outside interference? Sometimes, it gets damn annoying. I pick up signals for radios and stuff.

 

[Mday]

replace the wires with shielded wires.

or cheapo method, wrap the wires with AL foil, and wrap the foil with some insulation...

 

[eelw]

OT: I was listening to a basketball game on the AM dial at 590. My girlfriend turns on the computer (PII 400.) Major interference problem.

 

[Mark R]

I'm not familiar with this speaker setup. However, these are general principles which should be applicable. You may find that the amp is built into one of the speakers.

There are 2 points where interference could be picked up: between the sound card and amplifier, and between amp and speakers. The connection between sound card and amp is shielded. The amount of interference picked up from this route should be minimal, and should not be obviously audible. Generally interference from radios is not picked up this way.

More commonly, the cables from the output of the amp to the speakers pick up radio interference. This can cause amplifiers to act like radio recievers and amplify the signal. The solution is relatively straightforward. Obtain some ferrite beads or toroids, and thread or coil the speaker wires around them a few times, next to the connection to the amplifier. The ferrite beads will block the radio signals before they reach the amplifier.