Sound of buzzing or electric vibration upon connecting the full-mic setup.
Sound of buzzing or electric vibration upon connecting the full-mic setup.
My PC is linked to an audio interface (M audio, USB-C) that controls my headphones and studio monitors. I experience constant electric interference in my headphones and sometimes just speaker noise when all three devices are connected together, especially during games on the display. The issue clears up when I close the game. Removing the speakers from the interface stops the problem, but plugging the interface with speakers into my laptop resolves it. Using my old Beringer interface (USB-B) with speakers gives no interference. Any setup other than PC → M audio interface → speakers works perfectly. I've tried changing USB ports, cables, power settings, and speaker connectors, but haven't found the cause. Online searches only mention people using direct headphones.
a faint sound through the 3.5mm audio port often points to a grounding problem in your wiring. anything plugged in nearby—like a water heater, coffee maker, or toaster—can trigger the issue. it might also stem from a faulty ground connection. using SPDIF fiber output or a wireless USB headset helps prevent this.
Consistent with each additional device in the series introduces another distinct ground potential. Since PCs typically connect their ground to your main electrical ground, you encounter these issues only when using identical USB devices on battery-operated equipment such as laptops. I've observed this firsthand when connecting external powered HDDs to my server for backups—small sparks or even shocks may occur if a finger interrupts the connection. High-quality USB DACs usually feature ground isolation to avoid linking their grounds to your PC case ground, which likely explains why other ports remain unaffected. You can also purchase USB galvanic isolators intended for this purpose.
It resembles those audio enhancements in films during channel tuning, influenced by the mouse and volume controls on my setup.