Noise from HS7s

[Fornicras]

Hi all,

This might not be the correct forum to post this but I couldn't find anywhere else to post.
My problem has been happening since I moved to a new house ("studio") about 5 years ago and I still can't solve it.

I have HS7s connected to the Presonus 1824c which is connected to my gaming PC case (which has 1200W PSU) and when I turn on HS7s, there is a very annoying constant noise (like sizzling). It is somewhat inaudible when music is playing but as soon as the music stops the the noise makes my ear bleed, it's almost that much.

What I have tried to get rid of the noise:
- I bought a red USB-stick like noise killer and connected the 1824c through it to the computer, I don't remember the name of it but on the web, it said it removes all the noise related to the electric noise. It is a USB stick with USB input on the behind and you also connect an adapter to the side of it.
It reduced the noise but didn't completely get rid of it.
- Tried to run the HS7s, PC and 1824c through a UPS.
- Tried it with Focusrite 2i2.

Nothing above has worked.
However, when I connected the 2i2 to a Macbook and powered the monitors, there was absolutely no noise. Tried Macbook with both on battery and also connected to power.

So, this leads me to believe that Audio Interface and HS7s are okay, problem is on the PC, I guess the PC is creating that noise (magnetic fields, etc.?)

I don't know what can I do to get rid of that noise, any ideas?

[Synthman2000]

First thing I would try is ensure your cables from the sound card to speakers are balanced.

[Fornicras]

First thing I would try is ensure your cables from the sound card to speakers are balanced.

I'm using balanced cables. Also, if they were the problem I think when I plugged them to Macbook, I would also hear the same noise. I used the same cables on my PC and Macbook.

[T-CM11]

So, this leads me to believe that Audio Interface and HS7s are okay, problem is on the PC, I guess the PC is creating that noise (magnetic fields, etc.?)

Have you tried moving the PC away from the audio interface and speakers - using a long enough USB cable?

[BBFG#]

First thing to check is your receptacle grounds and confirm wirings are correct. Check the circuit to see if they're tied to the lighting as well which is often not grounded. In that regard, anything plugged in on the same circuit that is not grounded (heaters, fans, lights, etc ) should be plugged in on a different circuit.

One other thing is that depending on your location, electrical transformers may be the root of the problem and may make it intermittent and dependent on the neighborhood draw. And there's not much you can do about that. Although of you're not getting the full push, maybe a line conditioner could help. But grounding and circuit isolation is generally the first thing to check.

[Synthman2000]

Are you getting the same noises through headphone output ? I guess that is likely given a totally different interface makes the same noise if I read your first post correct.

Maybe a few turns on a ferrite choke of the USB lead (need a reasonably long one to
wrap round a choke if there is EMF noise on the USB cable. Might be worth a try they are not too expensive 13mm one would get a maybe 4-5 turns through it. This kind of thing



If you are competent with mains cabling (high voltages) you could carefully check the plug as was suggested but that seems a bit unlikely. Albeit not completely impossible the earth cable to pin has worked loose.

Also remove any input leads just to see if it changes anything (ground loop with another piece of kit, mic pre/mixer etc).

[Amon1973]

What kind of noise is it? There is one kind of noise which is particularly difficult to get to the bottom of: CPU voltage switching, which 'finds its way' through the mothoerboard's common ground and USB. Of the last 3 computers I had, 2 of them had this.
This noise is more noticeable when running multi-threaded applications, when moving the mouse, with higher CPU or GPU loads, with very bright images, specific games, etc. While it's barely audible with monitors connected to the built-in audio, it's horribly annoying with a USB ASIO card.

No clue if this fits your case, but it is basically a grounding issue, a little more annoying to resolve due to the origin of the noise.
I eventually made sure it was it by ruling out ground loops, using ferrite chokes, using USB noise cancelling devices, using an UPS to connect everything to a clean power supply with a common ground, replacing and checking all cables, using a PCIe USB expansion, using a different ASIO soundcard, etc, etc... was so bored of looking for a solution that I eventually just disconnected the shielding on the XLR cable (monitors' side). Not elegant, but it worked. Would have been a nightmare to trouble-shoot 100%, due to having other devices and mains sockets in that room.

Like in OP's case, the problem did not affect the Mac.

[EnGee]

So, this leads me to believe that Audio Interface and HS7s are okay, problem is on the PC, I guess the PC is creating that noise (magnetic fields, etc.?)

Have you tried moving the PC away from the audio interface and speakers - using a long enough USB cable?

+1
Mostly this is the reason. I have the same monitors and I had noises from my usb interface (Tascam 4x4 US HR) till I placed it faraway from my PC (I'm not using turbo mode for the CPU or high performance in Windows).
Try to have the components (PC, audio interface, monitors) few meters faraway from each others and have 3 meters balanced cables connecting the audio interface with monitors and usb extension or long enough usb cable to connect the usb interface.
Also, try to put the modem/router and your phone away from the audio interface and monitors (any internet wireless activity).

I also have Mac mini M1, and have no problem with noise. I use it mainly now for music production and general use, while the PC is mainly for work (not music related) and gaming.