Grounding issue with PC - receiver connection

 

New member
Username: Dgarcia_213

Cherry Hill, NJ USA

Post Number: 1
Registered: Aug-05
I need help...Here's the issue...

I got a Yamaha receiver supporting a 5.1 JBL surround sound system. I got my XBOX, TV, DVD and PC connected to the corresponding inputs. Eveything sounds good except for the PC audio. To describe that connection, I got a headphone cable connected from the PC sound card output to a RCA adapter which splits two RCA cables L & R audio to the receiver inputs. All I hear is a low level humming sound, like bass.

I know it's not my sound card, receiver, speakers, or cables. It might be a grounding issue, but I don't know a safe way of eliminating this noise. By the way, this used to work with my last PC, which was a Gateway, with a standard sound card. I could play my mp3 files using this same setup, same cables and everything, with no problem. Now I got a Dell with a standard Sound Blaster Live! sound card and I'm having problems. Any suggestions?
 

Silver Member
Username: Chitown

Post Number: 233
Registered: Apr-05
Dan take a look at your settings on the sound card. Make sure the output for the card is not set to digital.

 

New member
Username: Dgarcia_213

Cherry Hill, NJ USA

Post Number: 2
Registered: Aug-05
The sound card properties are not set to digital, although there is an option for it. No matter what I do, the same thing happens. I toggled the advanced settings from "no speakers", "headphones", or "5.1 speakers", but the same thing happens. I tried switching to another input on the receiver, no progress. I tried a different cable in case it was a defective cable, same thing. I'm about to just install the sound card from my old PC and see what happens.
 

Silver Member
Username: Chitown

Post Number: 236
Registered: Apr-05
Does a regular headphone work?

Have you tried to connect the RCA's to your speaker connections?

 

New member
Username: Dgarcia_213

Cherry Hill, NJ USA

Post Number: 3
Registered: Aug-05
Headphones do work and I also connected the desktop speakers that came with my old computer (Gateway) to the new Dell and the audio comes out fine. So my sound card is good. The speakers aren't equipped with RCA jacks, just speaker wire holders.
 

New member
Username: Dgarcia_213

Cherry Hill, NJ USA

Post Number: 4
Registered: Aug-05
Update...

I installed the sound card from my old PC but no change, the humming sound is still present when trying to play mp3 files from my PC to the receiver & surround sound system.
 

New member
Username: Dgarcia_213

Cherry Hill, NJ USA

Post Number: 5
Registered: Aug-05
I still need help...

But I finally got the humming sound to stop when I play mp3 files from my computer. Only thing is now when I turn on the subwoofer included in the 5.1 surround sound system, my TV gets distorted and lines appear on the screen. I don't understand what is going on here. First the humming sound with the mp3 playback and now that I eliminated that, the TV gets static with the sub.

Help!
 

Silver Member
Username: Touche6784

USA

Post Number: 587
Registered: Nov-04
move the sub away. the magnet is probably not shielded.
 

Gold Member
Username: Project6

Post Number: 3326
Registered: Dec-03
Use a ground loop isolator.
 

New member
Username: Landon_schrock

Post Number: 1
Registered: Aug-05
Hello,
I ran into similar trouble 2 years ago. Is your setup connected to cable tv? If it is, try unhooking your system from the coax connection. If that clears up your problem, you need a ground loop isolator like Berny suggested. I bought a jensen transfomer cable tv isolator,model VRD-1FF. http://www.jensen-transformers.com/iso_vid.html

It worked perfectly for me.

Good Luck
 

New member
Username: Dgarcia_213

Cherry Hill, NJ USA

Post Number: 6
Registered: Aug-05
Yeah, thanks guys...I got a ground loop isolator from Radio Shack and connected that to my computer sound card. I moved my sub to the other end of the room away from the TV and everything works fine now.

Thanks again. It's like I learn something everyday. Now how do I end this thread?
 

Gold Member
Username: Project6

Post Number: 3376
Registered: Dec-03
nothing else.
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