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Why Do I Hear Static On My Computer Speaker? (Find Out)

Wondering what’s the ‘unclean’ noise coming from your computer speakers?

Static is an electrical noise that is escalated by your computer speaker system.

It appears due to interference of EM waves in the electricity passageway of your speakers. These electromagnetic waves disturb the other signals which lead to static sounds.

In this article, we’ll learn about the reasons why a static noise is being heard from your computer speakers and what’s the solution to it. So, let’s begin!

Static Noise
Static

Reasons Behind Static Noise From Computer Speakers

The crackling sound made from outdated computer speakers is common but without realizing the problem people switch to headphones.

If your computer speaker produces static noise then it is damaged from the inside or outside. You can inspect the damage and can repair it or change it. 

Buzzing and static sounds may be experienced when the wire of the speaker inside is damaged or broken. 

The audio driver causes the main issue in the speaker. It is the software that helps to communicate the system with all audio devices like microphones, speakers, and headphones.

Close distance with EM waves-producing devices

Static sounds are also been heard because you keep an electromagnetic waves-producing device near the speaker which consists of coils and it causes the malfunctioning of coils.

Keep your speakers away from electromagnetic wave-producing devices to reduce the interaction. Electromagnetic devices include cell phones and microwave ovens. 

Screen and man
Computer Speakers

You can use electromagnetic wave-reducing shields if electromagnetic wave-producing devices are kept near the computer speakers. It will help reduce noise-related damage. 

Rusty speaker audio jack

If the speaker audio jack is rusty and has carbon present on it, the speaker will make a static and crackling noise.

To get rid of it, you need to clean your speakers thoroughly with rubbing alcohol and a cotton swab. You can also clean the audio jack with the help of sandpaper.

If your speaker audio jack still sounds static even after cleaning, you need to change the audio cable.

Detach other audio devices

You may hear static noises when multiple audio devices are connected to a single computer, this interference is also called crosstalk.

It happens because of the interaction of other audio devices with your computer speakers. Therefore you hear static and buzzing noises.

You should detach all the audio devices connected to the computer and detect which device is causing the problem. Once the problem-causing device is detected you can remove it and can resolve the problem. 

headset
External Microphones

Wrong audio channel

Audio channels are defined as audio going from one point and coming to another point.

There is a microphone producing audio and a single audio speaker catches or accepts an audio channel. 

The wrong audio channel selection can cause static noise from your speaker because the audio channel can not communicate between the speaker of the computer and the audio device. If still not having any effect, you must change the audio cable.

No Grounding of Computer

Grounding of the electrical devices is the method through which you can prevent the free-flowing charge to enter other audio devices.

The computer consists of a static charge that will produce a crackling and static sound.  

You can do this process by connecting your computer to the ground with the help of any metallic wire.

This technique is also called grounding wire. The wire will discharge all the access electric charge to the ground safely.

Through this process, electricity will not enter through speakers.

Loose cable connection

You may hear a crackling and buzzing noise due to the presence of a loose cable connection and a short circuit between the computer and the speakers. The loosely connected wire is deadly dangerous, it can cause electric shock and can catch fire easily. 

It is important to plug in the cable wire carefully to make sure that it won’t cause electric shock or any other damage.

How To Get Rid Of Static Noise?

Update the audio card driver

The resulting problems can probably be caused by driver issues. This can be caused because you might be using the wrong drivers.

You can change your old audio driver and change it through any method. Try to choose the audio driver according to your respective windows.

If you are running out of time and you can not do it manually, you can change it automatically with Driver Easy.

Driver Easy will automatically detect and change the suitable audio card driver for it.

Computer Speakers
Output Devices

Troubleshooting the problem of static sound

If you are unable to figure out the problem causing static in the speaker, you can blindly trust the troubleshooter.

The troubleshooter helps you to find out the solutions to the problems. It discovers the hidden issues of the speaker and recommends better solutions for them.

Lastly, check your speaker cones

If you have tried every possible solution mentioned above but are still unable to overcome the static sound problem, then there may be some fault in your speaker cones. This is rarely found, and sound quality will eventually worsen.  

Let’s discover, how to fix the crackling and static noise of the speaker of the computer in this video:

Fix the issue
CausesOvercome
Dust in the portClean the ports
Faulty cable and portTroubleshooting
Electromagnetic wavesCables with ferrite beads
Radio interferenceInspect and fix the supply power
Faulty driver softwareChange the speaker power cables
Loose cable connectionShielding the cable
Issues in the supplied powerUpdate audio and speaker drivers
Extra audio cables connectedDetach other devices
No groundingCheck speaker cones
Rusty speaker audio jackKeep EMF away from speakers
Causes and Overcome

Summary

  • Static sound is an electrical noise that is escalated by your speaker system.
  • Hearing static and crackling sounds on computer speakers is normal. You just need to detect the issues and try to overcome them.
  • Keep electromagnetic wave-producing devices away from your computer as it will damage speaker coils. Or use an electromagnetic wave shield on the wires of the computer. 
  • Detaching other devices can help to restrict static sound as multiple devices connected to a single computer can also cause static sounds because of the interaction of other devices with your computer speakers.
  • When you experience static and buzzing sounds unplug all the unnecessary audio devices from the computer. Try to find the device which is causing the problem.
  • The wrong audio cable can cause a lack of communication between the speaker and the audio device which produce and deliver the sound.  
  • The main reason for producing sound in the speaker is that they have copper coils. Woefully, they often get affected by the interference of electromagnetic fields or the excessive flow of current from your computer to the speaker causing static sound.   
  • Rusty audio speaker jacks or having carbon on them are common and you must clean your speaker jacks with sandpaper and cotton swaps to avoid static sounds. 
  • Grounding of the computer is an essential process if your electronic device isn’t grounded it has freely flowing charges which can be the reason for the buzzing noise.  

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