Help: Speakers are staticy/hissing!

I have Logitechs Z-5500 5.1 system mated with a X-Fi Platinum sound card. Before I moved, these speakers hissed a little bit with the volume mid to high range. After I moved, I baught some better/thicker speaker (Monster 16 guage, I think) cable to use with them since the factory cables weren't long enough to go around my room. After replacing all my factory speaker cable with the new stuff, I'm hearing the hissing a lot more at lower volumes and I'm even getting distortion in music at mid-range when I've never noticed this before. It might have actually done this after I moved with the factory speaker cable too but I never used it enough before I replaced it to notice. I need help finding out what is making my speakers hiss so badly even at low volumes.

MUCH thanks to all that provide helpful insight!

 

If it does that on any speaker, it's the sound card. The X-Fi Platinum and others have given people problems when they have installed certain drivers. Any change of driver or update? Or, better yet, have your speakers always acted up at some point, or was this down the road a ways?

 

Hi. An idea for you, here. Powering down and waiting a bit first, pull and reseat your sound card. If it seems not to fit snugly in its socket, there could be a problem there. Also, check for bad speaker connections. You did not say if the speakers are "amplified" (have their own internal amplifiers, as many desktop speaker systems do) or not. If these are amplified speakers, try some different speakers. From what you say, a change in speaker circuit impedance, low voltage to the amplifier circuitry, and noise from an external source (like switching noise from the pc's power supply) are suspect. Good night and good luck.

 

Sound can be altered when it's interrupted by anything around it. Hopefully you dont have any devices that can cause interruptions to your pc around. It could be th cable but I doubt it since you said this happened with other cables. It could be your speakers. Try headphones, if it doesn't happen while you wear those (which you can fully notice since they're on your ears), than you know it's your speakers. Check to see that the sound card is snug in the pc, and that the wire that connects to your cd drives is out of the way of every other cable... Or change the slot in which your sound card is in. Update drivers if neccessary. Contact your manufacturer with your model number if you still have problems, chances are that you still have a warranty on this item if it is ruined.

 

I know when I use my cordless wall phone I get speaker problems like that. Any wireless devices you have around?

 

Thanks a lot guys. I found out what it was and it wasn't anything you all suggested. But I still appreciated it greatly!

I found out that if I had my PC off and I turned my speakers up, the hissing went away completely even at the highest volume. So that told me that it was software related cuz the hiss would come back after I got windows booted and back to my desktop. So after going through all my audio properties and muting everything one by one, I came to the "microphone," mute it, then the sound dissappears completely. I do have a mic hooked up but not turned on so I guess it was picking up static from my mic. So here's my solution for anyone that searches for it or runs into this problem in the future!

Thanks again guys!

 

Oh yah you always gotta be careful when you have a mic hooked up. My advice to you is to always have the mic unplugged and only use it when you want to. Good news... glad to hear you figured it out.

 

Hi, I've got a squeak coming from my speakers. I don't know quite how to describe what happens but it increases as i use the computer. It gets louder as i drag a window around the screen etc. I've tried headphones with no change. I've also muted everything - including the main volume - and the noise is still there. Any ideas?