Identify Speakers Emitting Unwanted Noise

The following guide takes you through identifying the type of noise and its source:

• Can you hear unwanted, surplus, or distorted noise from your speakers?
• Are your speakers connected to a Dell device? (For example: A Laptop, Tablet, or Desktop device.)

Distorted or unwanted noise over speakers can occur due to:

• Faulty cables
• Connecting to the wrong audio port
• Interference from other devices
• Driver issues
• And more

Most speaker sets have an amplifier inside the main speaker. For these speakers to work correctly they require an audio source that is not amplified.

There is either a line-out jack or both a speaker-out and line-out connector available: (This depends on the type of sound card in the device that the speakers are connected to.)

• The sound card amplifies the speaker-out connector.
• The line-out requires an amplifier to listen to it. (For example: As with the audio output on the back of a Digital Video Disc (DVD) player.)

If your speakers are plugged into the speaker-out jack and your volume is too high or distorted, adjust the Windows volume control. Connect the speakers into the line-out jack to prevent overdriving the speakers.

Your speakers or the sound card may have an internal fault. The best way to identify if this type of problem is happening is to use a different audio source. Connect the speakers to another device and check if the issue continues? This helps test if the fault follows the speakers. (For example: You can use a smartphone, tablet, music player, a TV, and so on.)

In rare instances, speakers have been known to pick up interference from an external source. Separating out the source of the interference is difficult. Every electrical device in a house or office gives off some amount of radio frequency (RF) or electromagnetic interference (EMI) signals. Common devices that can cause such noise are:

• Monitors
• Fluorescent lights
• An uninterruptible power supply (UPS)
• Power adapters
• The computer or device itself
• Fans

Turn off as many of these devices as possible before you test your speakers. Also, if your speakers are plugged into a power strip or UPS, try plugging them directly into the wall outlet instead.

• If you are unsure that it is the speakers that are emitting the noise, see the following Dell knowledge base article: A guide to identifying the source of an Abnormal Noise on a Dell Computer