Utterly Annoying

[Tektronik]

Does anyone know how to get rid of the AM station noise coming thru on your computer speakers? Everyday I have to put up with NewsTalk 1520 KOKC coming thru loud enough to the point where I have the whole daily lineup memorized. The only thing I can do is disconnect from my computer and connect the speakers to my iPod and listen to music through it instead! When the green plug is disconnected from everything, it comes through very faintly, but as soon as it is connected to my computer, it is so loud that I have to turn up the volume to drown out the radio noise. It's as if the computer acts like an amplifier! The AM radio station will only go away completely if you turn them off with the power button, but that does me no good now does it? If anyone has this same problem, I love to hear how you resolved it, short of throwing your speakers out and buying new ones.

They are Logitech X-240, 2.1s. I'm afraid that if I buy new speakers, the same thing will happen!

[mcquinn]

Since the speakers work on your iPod I would think the problem is the soundcard in your puter.I would get a new sound card and disable the onboard one in BIOS if I were you.If you are not able to do this ,call a few computer repairpersons and get some estimates.Make sure they are all quoting a similar sound card like an Audigy.You could also try a pair of earphones like the ones for your iPod on the puter to see if you still hear it .

[Tektronik]

I tried plugging in earphones directly into the computer, and I hear nothing even when I play music. It must have something to do with the speakers themselves; they are powered, so the amplifier in it must be picking up the station, and maybe the soundcard is just making it louder! There must be some way to cancel the noise somehow...

[FTJoe]

Does anyone know how to get rid of the AM station noise coming thru on your computer speakers? Everyday I have to put up with NewsTalk 1520 KOKC coming thru loud enough to the point where I have the whole daily lineup memorized. The only thing I can do is disconnect from my computer and connect the speakers to my iPod and listen to music through it instead! When the green plug is disconnected from everything, it comes through very faintly, but as soon as it is connected to my computer, it is so loud that I have to turn up the volume to drown out the radio noise. It's as if the computer acts like an amplifier! The AM radio station will only go away completely if you turn them off with the power button, but that does me no good now does it? If anyone has this same problem, I love to hear how you resolved it, short of throwing your speakers out and buying new ones.

They are Logitech X-240, 2.1s. I'm afraid that if I buy new speakers, the same thing will happen!

That sounds like an RF issue. So when the speakers are powered, nut not connected to anything, you hear it? Here

s a search that might help...

http://www.google.com/search?q=radio+station+from+speakers+interference&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

Edited March 6, 2010 by FTJoe

[Tektronik]

That sounds like an RF issue. So when the speakers are powered, nut not connected to anything, you hear it? Here

s a search that might help...

http://www.google.com/search?q=radio+station+from+speakers+interference&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

Thanks FTJoe, looked at your search results. Something about a mains filter. Everything is already plugged into a battery backup. I just tried plugging the speakers directly to the wall and I get the same thing. One thing I did notice, my speakers does not have one of those cylindrical magnets like many wired devices have on them. Maybe that might help if I can find one that you can buy and attach yourself.

[FTJoe]

Thanks FTJoe, looked at your search results. Something about a mains filter. Everything is already plugged into a battery backup. I just tried plugging the speakers directly to the wall and I get the same thing. One thing I did notice, my speakers does not have one of those cylindrical magnets like many wired devices have on them. Maybe that might help if I can find one that you can buy and attach yourself.

Sux. I perused. I saw something about a filter on the AC but if you were plugged into a UPS, they usually filter (the better ones). Does it at least seem to static up or change in some way when you play with the AC cord or the audio lines?

[Tektronik]

No,it doesn't. I guess the whole thing is like a powered antenna for that ONE radio station! It comes in perfectly clear. Guess I'm stuck with it. Thanks for the advice.

[mcquinn]

What gets me is you said in the first post they work ok on your iPod.I cannot wrap my head around that one.You can get the ferrite filters at RadioShack or online would be worth a try ,not very expensive.

Edited March 7, 2010 by mcquinn

[FTJoe]

What gets me is you said in the first post they work ok on your iPod.I cannot wrap my head around that one.You can get the ferrite filters at RadioShack or online would be worth a try ,not very expensive.

yeah weird. I think the assumption is only the connection to the computer is acting like and amp, else only low noise that the IPOD drowns out. Love Logitech speakers, all I use. Kind of surprised. There were indications foil (not a foil hat) could help. I would go nuts if that happened to me.

[mcquinn]

I would go to Logitech website and get ahold of the support people and ask them ,they might even send you something.I have a lot Logitech products ,very good stuff.I have one of the programmable remotes and that is way cool.

[Tektronik]

Ok, check this out:

Green minijack of speakers not plugged into anything= Rusty Humphries speaking about the democracy of early Greece faintly

Minijack plugged into computer= Rusty Humphries ranting off energetically and arguing with a caller loud enough to distract me from creating powerpoint slides for my online class

Minijack plugged into Ipod= Soothing Trance music from the Balearic Islands off the coast of Spain and No Rusty Humphries! The iPod is not plugged into power source and is running off its own batteries.

Minijack plugged into Ipod and Ipod plugged into white data cable which is plugged into usb port= Balearic Trance with Rusty Humphries talking to Brad from Nevada about the growing conservative movement in northern Nevada.

It's like there's two sources here. The logitech speakers picking up the AM radio, plus the computer picking up the same station and increasing the volume when the two are combined. This is why i'm so annoyed.

My wife's iMac in the other room has a pair of creative speakers that are also powered. They don't pump out talk radio at all!

[GDub]

Ok, most of my experience with RF interference is with dedicated audio interfaces and fairly long cable runs, but what I can tell you is shielded cabling is your best friend. If you onboard soundcard is part of the problem the shielded cables won't eliminate the interference, but as others have mentioned that can be remedied by purchasing a new, and most likely much better card with high quality D/A converters. There is a reason the high end audio cables cost so much money, and in my opinion cables are never a place to skimp on the budget. Unfortunately it sounds like your Logitech speakers have the cable hardwired into them, so it can't be easily replaced.

[Tektronik]

I have a good home theater system, and all of my cables are well shielded. The way I see it, with all those wires behind the tv all so close together, they should be well shielded from each other as well as from outside interferance. Maybe I construct a large EMI cage around my desk and crawl in it! Your inputs were much appeciated.

[mcquinn]

I looked at Logitech forum and this is a common occurance for thier speakers.I never really did see anyone offer up a solution.I suppose I would just try another kind of speakers.

[FTJoe]

I looked at Logitech forum and this is a common occurance for thier speakers.I never really did see anyone offer up a solution.I suppose I would just try another kind of speakers.

Unfortunately it appears to be the best solution...sorry tek

[Brandon]

A subject I'm very interested in.... I'll chime in with the little bit that I know.

Shielding is indeed highly underrated; it's needed in pretty much all devices nowadays due to all the EMI and RF garbage we pump into the atmosphere. But there's a unique problem here.

Most PC speakers inherently suck in this department even though the signal cable itself may be well shielded. The problem is that the drivers (cone/voice coil/magnet assembly; just commonly called the "speaker"), the crossover (if there is one) and amplifier are *not* shielded. Not having the drivers and crossover shielded is not that big of a deal, case in point your main entertainment center's drivers and crossovers aren't shielded and you probably don't get any interference there (though if you live very close to a transmission tower, you can have problems. I've seen it firsthand).

So the main culprit is the internal amplifier. If you're lucky, the speaker enclosure is made of wood (MDF to be exact), but most PC speaker enclosures are made of plastic. In either case, this is nonconducting material so it won't provide any shielding.

I saw a nice mod over on the PartsExpress tech talk forum once a couple years ago. Guy had your exact same problem, so he shielded his speaker enclosures. Aluminum flashing cut to fit and glued with epoxy to all sides (and as much of the front as possible). Of course you have to actually ground it to earth too otherwise it does no good, so he made his own AC plug for the PC amplifier and soldered a wire from the aluminum shielding into the safety ground of the new AC plug. Painted the boxes flat black powder coating and viola! They looked great and cut out ALL interference (even the handshake protocols from his cell phone; and we all know how annoying it can be to have your cell phone really close to your PC).

I think the project cost was somewhere close to $15 total, but of course it would take quite a bit of time. A perfecct DIY project if you're into that thing

EDIT: I forgot to mention that if the AM station is coming in that strong on your PC speakers, you're in a prime position to get *EXCELLENT* reception on a crystal radio!

Edited March 7, 2010 by Brandon

[Tektronik]

I suppose I'll stay away from Logitech speakers the next time around. Either that or move.... Thanks fellas!

[FTJoe]

I suppose I'll stay away from Logitech speakers the next time around. Either that or move.... Thanks fellas!

Or try again for $10?

http://dealnews.com/Logitech-S-120-Speaker-System-for-10-free-shipping/352075.html