New Speakers Hissing =(

[macromp]

i just recieved my sound blaster audigy 2 zs and creative megaworks 550 5.1 thx speakers, but all of the speakers are making a quite hideous hiss, i installed everything like it said in the manual, any ideas?

 

[Teddy]

Weird..exactly the same problem as http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=17208018&highlight=megaworks

Some suggestion there that might be worth considering.

 

[Graebob]

I'm not familiar with the model of speakers, but I own a SB Audigy and had a couple of problems when I first got it.
From a card to speakers point of view, are you sure you have the speakers plugged in to the correct port on the card? Presumably cos its a 5.1 system its not just a simple line out type affair.
The other thing I would try doing is going Start -> Programs -> Creative -> Sound Blaster Audigy 2 and running the speaker calibration tools, it may just be that the card is sending the wrong info to the setup.
As a last resort you could just lower the volume on your system and raise the volume on the speakers, or vice versa. This might work: if the card is outputting a very high signal you will lose quality, and if the card is outputting a very low signal you will have tto amplify it using the speakers, increasing any background hiss.

Post back if your still having problems

 

[Petros]

Are you using stock cables, or some of your own? I bought some cheap cables for my Klipsch Promedia's and they gave me the "Digital Snake in the Speakers".

 

[macromp]

i'm using the cables that came with it. checked all cables were in the correct ports, i ran the calibration software and it said that my left rear speaker had the cables in the wrong way round...which it didn't =\ i might have to contact alienware and see what they have to say about it

 

[Xie]

I'm no expert but I believe power things w/ other things plugged into the same outlet can cause interference. Also EMI can probably do the same thing ... keep speakers away from your monitor if possible.

 

[Unleashed]

If the drivers are set for digital output and they're analogue speakers you'll just get a load of hissing.

 

[macromp]

well i tried moving the speakers away and there was no change there, the drivers were set to analogue anyway, when it's on digital there's no sound at all...looks like they're going back after 17 lovely days of waiting for the damn things to get here

 

[MIKEYK255]

Hiya, sorry bout reopening a year old topic, but did you manage to fix your hissing speakers? I just sent a set back for doing the exact same thing, hope i dont end up getting another hissing set back again.
From the company who's been with computer audio since its birth, you'd expect creative could put a low pass filter onto there amplifier to get rid of this noise?? i hope this is just a defect and doesnt happen on the entire megaworks line because i refuse to own a set of decent speakers that ruin everything that isnt played at high volume.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, if you found a way of fixing this let me know by email so i can do the same! (to other members; plz no input comments, its nothing to do with input)

 

[macromp]

oh i never said how i got on with this...well, i sent them back, got them replaced, same hiss...so i sent those back and this happened again until i'd been through 5 (yes, i'm not joking...5) sets of these speakers, after the 4th set i demanded a refund but this was when they said they'd upgrade the speakers to the 7.1 set, fully tested by creative and give me some crap 128mb creative mp3 player too, so i agreed, hoping that these would be better...and what arrived on my doorstep? the same 5.1 speakers, 1 of the speakers had been tested (the other 4 were still perfectly sealed) and no mp3 player. so that was that, they went back, i got my money back and spent the extra £50 to get the logitech z-680's from overclockers.co.uk...result = amazing, absolutely no hissing, much better bass (the creative set seemed overpowered, far too deep) and i've also got these plugged into my xbox via the optic cable (not available on the creative set) so halo 2 and dvds sound like they should do. i thought the same as you, since creative are known for making the best sound cards (as far as i knew anyway) i thought why not go for the speakers too, i wont make that mistake again.

 

[Kush]

try changing it from digital to analog in the control panel or vice versa?

 

[Zedric]

and i've also got these plugged into my xbox via the optic cable (not available on the creative set)

...and here I believe is the culprit. EMI causes interference in the cables causing hiss. This is very common, but has different effects in different speaker sets (i.e. if you hear it or not). Changing to digital removes the effect of any interference since the digital information isn't changed. No hiss.

So, either use digital or use better shielded cables.

 

[LordOfLA]

I recently read (ie last night) that some voltage regulators and filters on mother boards can be the culprit to hissing as well especially if placed between pci ports check around for 3 pin mosfet look-a-likes near your audio card and move the card as far away as is possible. Its not necessarily the speakers or cables...

 

[MIKEYK255]

Noooo thats the point, these speakers hiss even when unplugged from the pc, i tryed power conditioning already and a ground loop isolator with no luck. Next time i think ill try some ferrite coils on the speaker/remote wires but after that i give up, i think the case is that the gain is set so high in the amplifier that it amplifies its own noise to much

 

[LordOfLA]

ah there is that I suppose...

 

[macromp]

yeah the gimp from alienware told me to try the speakers in another room not plugged into anything, i even took them to my neighbours house and they still hissed!