Strange sound problems

[Dawdygod]

Lately (within the last few months) I've been hearing this strange sound coming from my speakers on my computer. Its kind of a mix between a beep, a screech, and even perhaps a squelch there's usuall 5 or 6 quick pulses followed by a longer pulse at which point it stops... for awhile. The strangest thing about this problem is that I hear this same problem on my walkman, usually while listening to a cassette tape.

Also when it happens on my computer I can see a little distortion happening on the monitor that seems to coincide with the sounds.

Anyone have any clue what these sounds are?

 

[Ryoga]

Sounds to me like EMI. Do you happen to live near a power station or high tension power lines? How about a radio station? And HAM radio operators in your neighborhood?

 

[VirtualLarry]

A friend of mine used to hear a local radio station coming faintly out of his computer speakers. I finally realised what it was, because at that time - the computer was off. Wierd stuff. Now I can truely see how someone could "hear the radio" in their braces, for instance.

 

[imported_raybay]

Do you have an electronic hobbyist in your immediate area... less than 1500 feet away? Fire department or police relay. The crystal in your sound unit is picking up some RFI. If it is a radio station, it could be 5 miles away. Public Radio transmitters are infamous for this because they have too many guys doing amateur broadcast engineering. Security systems are also frequently found guilty.

However, remember that computer speakers and sound cards are the second highest failure items next to a floppy drive. If you have been pushing either your sound or your Walkman to extremes, you could have damaged both badly enough to pick up RFI that other healthy systems cannot detect.

 

[Ryoga]

Originally posted by: raybayHowever, remember that computer speakers and sound cards are the second highest failure items next to a floppy drive.

Where are you getting this? IMX, hard drives fail more often than any other component. Floppy drives aren't used often enough anymore, and speakers and sound cards are pure solid state devices -- I've never seen either one fail. Hard drives, OTOH, are in use 24/7, and are susceptible to mechanical, electrical and magnetic damage.

 

[ss284]

It can only be one thing:

ALIENS

 

[GregANDTCH]

ALIENS

Yep!
And they want our peanut butter.
Go hide your "Peter Pan" right now!

 

[GregANDTCH]

BTW Ryoga,
Actually my speakers have gone bad.

 

[promposive]

Cell phones cause this all the time, I used to keep my cell phone on charge and set it under my monitor.. When someone would call, text message, and sometimes just randomly it would mess with stuff...

Make sure your computer is properly grounded too, dont use those adapters where you can get rid of your 3 prong ground... Thats not good for computer equipment

I agree, never had a soundcard go bad... But speakers.. my logitech z-640's went bad... when bass hits, static comes out all other speakers heh... hard drives, ive had numerous numerous go bad...

MHO
-C0BRA99

 

[Dawdygod]

Well I would have to agree that this is somehow related to cell phones, sometimes (too often to be coincidence) this sound comes from my speakers just as I'm receiving a cell phone call. And no I don't live near any towers or anything like that. Besides... the sound still comes from my walkman speakers whether I'm downtown on the bus or 30 miles away where I live. So in essence it sounds like there is no way to fix this problem except to complain to the FCC about interference.

 

[oldman420]

is your source media damaged ?

 

[Dawdygod]

no. Cause it happens on my walkman whether I'm listening to a cassette tape or listening to the radio. It happens on my computer whether I'm playing a game or even if its just sitting idle.