Tip #4532 - Sound Distortions
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Q:
Every once in awhile, some unusual sounds come out of my computer
speakers. The exact noise is kind of hard to explain, but it's definitely
a distortion. Do you have any idea what could be causing it? If so,
please help. Thank you!
A:
I'm glad you asked! I'm sure we've all gone
through this at one time or another. You know, you're sitting at your
computer just working away and all of the sudden, some strange noise
comes out of your speakers. Perhaps it's a crackling sound or a constant
buzz or maybe it sounds like fingernails running across a chalkboard.
Yikes! Either way, it's some type of sound distortion and you need
to take care of it right away. And that's exactly what I'm going to
help you do today. Let's get started!
First up, let's
talk about that constant buzzing sound I mentioned earlier. If you're
hearing a buzz, it's likely that your computer speakers are not plugged
in all the way. External speakers hook into the back of your computer,
so just check to make sure the connectors are all plugged in tightly.
That should do the trick!
Now, if your speakers
are making some sort of crackling noise, especially when you adjust
the volume, you may need to clean the contact on your volume knob.
Most computer stores carry contact cleaner just for that purpose.
Once you have some, unplug your speakers from your computer and then
spray the knob with the cleaner. You can then just wipe around the
knob with a soft cloth. That should clean out any grime that may be
sitting there and it should resolve the crackling noise.
Sound distortions
can also be caused by a Y-splitter, if you use one. If you're using
a Y-splitter to split the audio between your speakers and another
device, you may want to do away with that and just make one connection
to your speakers. For example, if you're using a Y-splitter between
your computer speakers and a microphone headset, disconnect the headset,
but leave your speakers as they are. That should help!
Now, if your speakers
are internal, you can do some additional troubleshooting along with
what we've already discussed. To do so, go to Start,
Control Panel and click on the Sounds, Speech
and Audio Devices link. From there, click on Sounds
and Audio Devices and then hit the Hardware tab.
From there, find your speaker set in the list and click on the Troubleshoot
button. Choose the option of "The sound is distorted
or scratchy" and click Next. That should
get you going in the right direction!
One last note:
If you think your sound problems are coming from your computer itself,
you can rule that out by plugging your speakers into something else,
such as a CD player. If you get the same kinds of sounds, you'll know
there's a real problem with your speaker connection or the speakers
themselves. On the other hand, if the speakers work properly, the
problem probably lies within your computer and you'll want to do some
more troubleshooting for that.
I hope these suggestions
help you to get perfect sound once again!
~ Erin
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