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Old 11-11-2020, 08:53 PM   #1
natervance
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Audio has static across distributions with and without using a USB adapter


I have a desktop machine with the following audio ailment:
  • When playing audio over the headphone jacks (green, either front or back), the speakers are rather noisy/staticky.
  • When doing the same through a USB adapter (I've tried two different ones), the problem is lessened somewhat, but I still have to unplug my speakers when not actively playing something since the static is still audible. That this doesn't fix the problem seems absolutely nuts to me!

Here's what I have tried:
  • Tested the speakers on a different machine. They work well there, and multiple different known-good speakers have the same issue on the troublesome machine.
  • Tested the system across multiple OS's (Mint, Arch, Qubes) and revisited it over multiple kernel releases with no change.
  • Verified that I'm on the most recent BIOS, and have even reinstalled it in debugging efforts.

Unfortunately I have not been able to test audio output with my graphics card over HDMI due to not owning a suitable monitor (all DVI or VGA). The motherboard is a GA-F2A88XM-D3H revision 3.0, and I see that revision 3.1 boasts "Audio Noise Guard", so I'd bet that this is a common problem (though I have yet to come across someone else with it).

Do any of you have suggestions or workarounds? I'd rather not buy a new motherboard, but it seems like that would be the next step.
 
Old 11-11-2020, 09:34 PM   #2
frankbell
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It does rather sound like a hardware problem with your audio card or perhaps with the wiring from the card/motherboard to the audio jacks.

Since it's a desktop, the first thing I'd do is open the case and doublecheck the wiring. If you're lucky, it might be a loose or faulty connection between the audio card and the audio jacks.
 
Old 11-11-2020, 10:00 PM   #3
sgosnell
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I agree that it sounds like a physical problem somewhere. If the soundcard is integrated on the motherboard, about all that can be done is check the connections and wiring. If there is a separate soundcard, remove and replace it. Corrosion can build up on connections. If none of this works, try some electronic cleaner spray, sparingly applied to the connections, then connect/unconnect a few times.
 
Old 11-12-2020, 11:23 AM   #4
natervance
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The front jack plugs into some audio ports on the motherboard, and the back jack is soldered directly in. I just tried cleaning the connector for the font port, but that didn't help any.

I just ordered a cheap PCIe soundcard, so my fingers are crossed that that'll work. I'm not too too optimistic since the USB audio adapter didn't fix things... Could it be that there's some electromagnetic interfere?

Here's another wrinkle: my computer speakers are the kind with a standard audio jack for analog audio, plus USB for power. I just tried plugging the USB into a phone charger rather than the back of the computer, and presto: clean audio (when using the USB to audio jack converter, not the built-in). So maybe it's an issue with power over USB?
 
Old 11-12-2020, 12:06 PM   #5
sgosnell
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That's possible. Some USB power devices are noisy with some other devices, especially if audio is connected to the port. Having the power supply separate from the computer could certainly help. Whether it's worth changing the soundcard is up to you - whatever works and you're happy with.
 
  


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