# Speaker buzz noise from laptop



## oh-hush (Dec 17, 2002)

I hope this is the right section to post this in!

I have a Toshiba laptop and the speakers on it aren't so great, so I plug in my Harman Kardon speakers that I got with another computer. The only place I can plug-in my speakers are in the headphones jack. Whenever my speakers are plugged in, I heard this extremely annoying loud noise that is kindof similar to the old AOL Dial-up sound. This sound never goes away, and I have to turn up the sound on my music to not hear it anymore.

Weirdly, when I unplug my laptop from the power the sound stops. What the heck?

Anyway, what could this noise be? Is it sounds my computer is making, my wireless internet, some type of silver plug-in thingy? (both my speaker plug-in and power plug-in for my laptop have silver ends to plug in, if that means anything)

How can I get rid of this noise? It's really really annoying.

Thanks


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## kiwiguy (Aug 17, 2003)

You have interference, derived from a difference in the two power supplies.
The speakers have their own power source, so does the laptop.

It sounds like there is some problem between the two, the high pitched sound would be more likely to emanate from a "ripple" voltage on the laptop supply.

Try another speaker set to see if that fixes it.

The headphone socket is also the wrong impedance to correctly drive the speakers, it will be between 8 and 30 ohms, whereas the "line in" required by the speakers will be about 1,000 ohms. It will work, but it will not help with the interference problem.


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## winbob (Aug 2, 2004)

Kiwi,

You had a _'senior moment'_, you meant to say "line out". 

O-h, if the power plugs on these devices are not "keyed", or 3-prong, so that they only go in one way, try reversing ONE plug.


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## oh-hush (Dec 17, 2002)

Yeah, these speakers I have are apart of a set that plug-in to my monitor, which I use for a dual-monitor, and the power supply comes from there, and they plug in has the 3-prong.

The headphone jack is actually the only plugin I have for my speakers, nothing else on the laptop at all actually! and I don't actually have any other speakers to test.

Thank you both for your help! I at least know what it most likely is. Thanks again. 

Oh, ALSO, sometimes on my speakers when I have them plugged into my MP3 player, and I use my wireless mouse with my computer, I can hear a sound on the speakers when I move the mouse. What's up with that?


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## kiwiguy (Aug 17, 2003)

Winbob, the speaker input is "line in", it depends which side of the plug you are standing?
At my age I am allowed senior moments....

The mouse sounds simply mean that the cables (video and the mouse wireless hub cables) are radiating and the sound is picked up by the speakers. Keep the speakers and their cables as far away as possible from the PC.
It's very common with wired mice and computer speakers as well.


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## winbob (Aug 2, 2004)

Maybe it's different "down under", but here in North Texas in is in and out is out. Speakers are an output device not an input device. Check this site:

http://www.answers.com/topic/sound-card

Now quit sniffin' the sheep dip!!! 

and if you are older than me...G-d help you!


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## oh-hush (Dec 17, 2002)

Okay, thank you both very much for your help. I'll defiantly try to spread everything on my desk as much as possible, it is a small desk though.

Thank again


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## kiwiguy (Aug 17, 2003)

winbob said:


> Maybe it's different "down under", but here in North Texas in is in and out is out. Speakers are an output device not an input device. Check this site:
> 
> http://www.answers.com/topic/sound-card
> 
> ...


We drink the sheep dip, and sniff the ... <never mind>!

The Input to my speakers are Line IN. Driven from a Line OUT on the sound card ....
The speakers are an Input device to the amplifier which is then an output device to the speakers. In non-amplified speakers (real speakers) I would agree, but then they do not use Line impedances...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedant (that's me, well descrbed... or perhaps ...)

The speakers therefore require the impedance to suit *their* Line IN ...

I rest my case, my feet and my sanity.


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## winbob (Aug 2, 2004)

kiwiguy said:


> The Input to my speakers are Line IN. Driven from a Line OUT on the sound card .... The speakers are an Input device to the amplifier which is then an output device to the speakers. In non-amplified speakers (real speakers) I would agree, but then they do not use Line impedances....


Whoa Kiwi, That blurb was good enough to be in Dr Suess!!!   

Is New Zealand like Quantico Virginia (Marine base)? Do they lock up the sheep at night??


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## kiwiguy (Aug 17, 2003)

We only lock up the sheep when Texan tourists visit, as they tend to want to take them into their hotel rooms.

Or did you want to be locked up with the sheep perhaps?


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## winbob (Aug 2, 2004)

Hey I heard that they filmed 'Broke Back Mtn' in N.Z. 

Any ruth to that trumor!


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## kiwiguy (Aug 17, 2003)

I have put this one aside especially for you Bob.


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## winbob (Aug 2, 2004)

Actually she's kind of HOT....or is that a Transvestite sheep??? Only a Zealander knows for sure!!!


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## S.Appliance (Feb 11, 2006)

I solved a similar problem about 10 minutes ago. My Harman Kardon speakers are two weird shaped speakers that sit on my desk and a big woofer/amplifier that sits on the ground. On top of the woofer, there is a dial that controls the treble. I cranked that most of the way down, which of course made the sound really crappy. I compensated for this by jacking up the treble in the equalizer settings of my music player. This practicaly eliminated the whine. It's clearly not the solution for audiophiles, but it's good enough for me to play music without the high pitched whine.


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## pl32059832 (Aug 12, 2008)

unground the laptop. its as easy as only plugging it in half way, so that the ground prong gets no contact. if that doesn't work, unground the speakers also, or just the speakers. I have no idea why or how it works, but I use a compaq r3000 in my studio and I had the same problem. after hitting the chord with my foot on accident one day, it went away (finally). I noticed that I had knocked in half out, it was still running on wallwart power but wasn't grounded completely.

the sound will never completely go away. this just makes it a lot quieter.if you continue to use the headphone out. I would recommend getting a usb audio interface ($30 bucks from musicians friend). it should get rid of the noise.

and if you ever use a mixer to fix it, its completely MID RANGE. if you cut your mids ALL THE WAY its gone.


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