Buzz/high pitch sound in headphone output

I've tried searching the forum for this issue (cause I've read about it before), but I wasn't able to find anything.

Has there been a solution yet for the buzz issue in the headphone output? Especially when running on battery, it's very annoying.

And if there is no solution so far, does anyone know if Compal is working on releasing a BIOS version that addresses this issue?

 

Are you sure you are not recieving Line Noise?

 

Don't think I know exactly what you mean...

But this issue has been confirmed by quite a few HEL80 users.

 

i have this issue too with my hgl30. it only happens when the output is NOT in use for me. when in use, i do not hear the sounds, so it's only a minor annoyance to me.

 

I have the same problem. I got used to it, and somehow after using the stand-by function a couple of times (and I do that a lot, almost never turn my laptop off) the sound you're describing goes away.

It's not a big problem for me (anymore)

 

I received my Hel80 a week ago, and am very much satisfied, especially after discovering this great forum! But I am also bothered by the same noise problem described here. Since I will be using my laptop mainly for sound synthesis and music production, this is potentially a big problem. The noise seem to be coming from the left side of the laptop, a slightly distorted high frequency tone, being a notch more audible and intense when running on battery. I have recorded the sound when running on battery, as you can hear the noise is affecting the recording internally, it is not this loud acoustically, but it is the same tone/noise: http://folk.ntnu.no/sommerse/laptopnoise.wav

When the laptop is powered with the AC adapter, the recording is much less affected by internal noise, so this is more what it sounds like acoustically:
http://folk.ntnu.no/sommerse/laptopnoise_wired.wav

The tone is altering between pulses of 1-2 seconds and longer segments, and makes "jumps" when new software operations are executed.


I really hope you can help me solve this problem!

 

Same thing here. If I've got my headphones in, I can hear it on battery and not on AC.

I've noticed the noise sometimes seems to be affected by things as simple as scrolling around in my browser.

 

Goodday all,

I don't have my machine yet so I can't try this out.

Check routing of headphone/speaker cables.

Twist wires, 1 wrap per inch. + add ferrite bead(s)

or

Use some high-q sheilded cable w/drain, say 22ga., Belden or Alpha.
( drain wire grounded at one end only )

If I get some time today I'll call up my vendor's tech support
and see if they have some thoughts.

The above "suggestion" is a common "fix".

For your consideration;
http://pdfserv.maxim-ic.com/en/an/AN3834.pdf#search="small ferrite beads"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inductor

Your thoughts? Regards, don

 

Just wondering if this problem is present on all Hel80's or if it is isolated to just a few systems. I've narrowed my choices for a new laptop to the HEL80, nc8430, and the z61m. I like the HEL80, but would be using headphones when listening to music, so this could be a showstopper for me.

Any info is appreciated.

 

I am having the same problem which is quite annoying when using headphones. I suppose many people don't notice it because the speakers are so low, but with headphones the hiss is pretty bad.

I posted more details some time ago here. No solutions so far... unless I'm listening to something I cannot stand the headphones.

Can other people with HGL30/HEL80 post if they are experiencing the same problem?

 

I for one have not had any hissing or buzzing in my sound outouts at all. Now I do know that my high frequency hearing isn't what it used to be, but my HEL80 sound is quite good after what I had heard about laptop sound in general, both on internal speakers and headphones. It obviously can't match the 5.1 system on my desktop, but I'm satisfied.

 

Since only a few people are experiencing this issue, could those of you who are please check your headphones? The problem could be with them.

 

The problem can be occuring in just some headphones. Headphones with a lower impedance tend to reveal the problem more than high impedance headphones. I'm pretty sure everyone with a Compal HEL-80 would be able to hear it when everyone would be using the same setup. This because I know 3 other people with the Compal HEL-80, and they all have the issue (although it's not that it bothers all of us).

And I'm 100% sure my headphones aren't the problem.

 

I've used three different sets of headphones both on and off the laptop. All three spit out that noise when plugged into the laptop and not elsewhere.

(This is completely unrelated, but I just got my third random compliment on this notebook's looks. Considering I don't take it out in public much, this is a good track record. ^_^)

 

I have a HEL80 with this exact same problem. Also tryed 3 different headphones, from cheap to very expensive ones, and all produce that exact noise that someone from Norway posted a wav file. When listening to music or game the noise is covered. It gets more intense when i pass my finger through the touchpad.

From my electronics experience, this type of noises are related to static and all those electronic hardware functioning, specially the harddrive. I can say this because i have a Philips Mp3 Jukebox with a 20gb 1.8'' HD and i can hear a similar noise to this one when the player changes track, which is when the HD works... Of course it is barely noticeable because of the hardware quality. Compal should have implemented hardware filters to avoid this. Maybe your resellers should say something about this to Compal. A lot of people use headphones in notebooks and this issue will NEVER be solved only with software.

Do a boot with the headphones on and you notice the noises starting to grow as the hardware starts.

It's a pity but it's not this issue that will make me quit on my HEL80, OH NO IT WON'T!

Cheers
aluis

 

How loud is the sound that you guys are hearing? Is it obvious or do you need to tune in and listen for it? The second recording by somekindofwonderful is very soft even when played at maximum volume--is it that soft?

I'm trying to reproduce the noise on my HEL80 and want to make sure I'm hearing what you are.

 

It's not very loud. I only hear it when there's no other sound anywhere near me. You should use in-ear headphones if you want to make sure you're hearing the same thing, they expose the high pitch "perfectly".

 

After reading this thread I tested out my HEL80 with my noise reduction headsets I use on airplanes. I performed this test in a quiet room, running on batteries, and with and without the noise reduction turned on. My results are NO buzz or high pitch sound. The only sound I could hear in the background (barely noticeable) was the CD spinning up and down. When I moved the MP3 file to the hard drive I had a perfectly clear song, no distracting sounds.

David

 

Well, since the high pitch is some sort of "noise" I'm pretty sure you're headset reduced it.

 

In response to chrisyano: listening in a quiet environment (at night), on battery, on headphones, the noise is very much like the first file he posted. Now, assuming the noise doesn't scale with speaker volume, that could account for it only showing up on headphones, and perhaps account for a lot of people not hearing it in noisy environments or with music blaring. I know I listen to my headphones more softly than anyone else I know.

 

The noise doesn't scale with the output volume indeed, so it's impossible to hear it on normal speakers unless you put your ear right to it.

 

Please be aware that you don't have to be playing anything to hear the noise.. just move the mouse over the touchpad..

 

Is this noise audible when you plugged in the headset or speakers in the headphone out? Or do you hear the noise all the time?

 

only with headphones it's noticeable.

 

Another norwegian having the same problem....It has _nothing_ to do with the headphones, that's for sure...it seems to me that the problem occures when updating graphics, like scolling down a page. On my computer, it's intermittent as well...earlier this morning I had the sound, then I listened to some music (it's always drowned by music..), and when I'm writing this, I can't hear any noise..(on battery)

I think the only solution as nail17 suggested, is to insulate(?) the wires going from the sound-card to the output (if it's not the internal components that catches the noise, that is..)

- Kjetil

 

yeah this is a major problem for me, i am major audophilie, was going to buy this model but i guess ill wait for fix to surface cause i would hate to buy an external sound card

 

But if you do not use a headphone, can you hear this noise too?

 

No, you can't.

 

These two shots are of a leftover internal
sound cable.

First is a shot showing the twists.
Second shot shows twists + overbraid.

This is a higher quality cable that I'm sure
many have or have had in their desktops.

Still doesn't solve why some folks have it
and others don't?

I only mention this as a "possibility" since
I don't have "eyes/ears on the issue.

Anyhow this is the type of cable I was refering
to.

Hope that helps, Regards, don

 

Now is it constantly buzzing/hissing for those of you that hear it?

And is it so loud (when you aren't listening to anything) that it's obvious?

I'm still trying to duplicate what you guys are experience. I'm now on my second pair of earphones.

 

it is intermittent, and is very noticable when it happens (I say as I listen to my headphones with the volume set as low as it will go in a nearly silent room at night).

 

Yeah, very intermittent...but it's drowned by sound though if you play music at a fair level....

The sounds appear when rendering 2D graphics like just for example moving a window or scrolling down a page.. (on my comp that is..)

 

For a good read and some nice solutions to this issue read this short essay Laptop audio recording/playback

 

I'm just about to pull the trigger on purchasing one of these machines, and this thread is causing me some deep concern; sound quality--whether via headphones or external speakers (through the headphone jack)--is a very important factor in my seemingly endless quest for a suitable laptop; if this really is such a widespread issue, it could very much be a deal-breaker for me;

...which raises the question: from reading all these posts, I'm wondering, first, for those experiencing the problem, has this sound always been present, or is it something that developed over time? secondly, has anyone with the issue purchased their machine very recently, or is it possible that there is/was a "problem batch" of these models produced that all have this issue?

I seem to recall that even the person who wrote the NR review for the HEL80 mentioned this sound..........more thoughts?

 

Hello all,

Found something that "may" (tounge in cheek) help.
This was originally developed by/for SWL/DXer's
(ham radio).

http://www.dxzone.com/cgi-bin/dir/jump2.cgi?ID=9871

BR Soft DSP Characteristics:

Real time DSP filter particularly for applications of amateur radios
IIR, FIR filter, low-pass, high-pass, band-pass filter, band suppressor (notch filter) individually adjustable
noise filter, irregular signal filter, hum filter, peak filter
frequency tuning and inverting
mixer support
support of several soundcards (also virtual soundcards) e.g VAC Virtual Audio Cable
small file size
simple to use
multiple language support

If you type; BR Universal Filt into Google you'll find plenty of
sources, perhaps an updated version.

It also may be fun to play with!

Regards, don

 

juss wondering if users are still experience a high pitch sound from the output for the headphones. this is the biggest thing holding me back because i intend on djing with this laptop and using an external audigy as a secondary line level out, thanks

 

I've never had this problem with mine, but my output destination is a beefy 5.1 system... not headphones..

 

I have merged this thread with the previous thread on this topic to keep the Forum easier to search for information.

After trying to find this sound, I did notice some very slight noise in a few key situations. Nothing that I personally would find distracting and barely audible for the most part. I'm quite sure this is normal in notebooks' audio outputs.

 

The only sounds I get from my 5.1 set is a barely noticable hiss when I crank them all the way up

 

I for one am still having it, almost 3 months (and many hibernations/standby's) after buying the notebook. With speakers it's less noticeable, but with headphones it's a pain if the sound volume is low. So far I've tried with three different pairs of headphones (a quite expensive JVC noise-reduction model, a "standard" Ipod one, and a no-name set).

As mentioned by others, the pitch and intensity vary depending on CPU (and possibly GPU) usage. It does not change with audio volume or disk activity.

I used to think (hope?) that it was software related, but since no updated drivers was posted so far I can only assume it's hardware. Whether it affects everybody or just a few unlucky ones, or whether the problem exists for everybody but some are too sensible to stand it and others have no problem - those are separate topics..

Otherwise, the hgl30 I have has been doing the right job so far, so I am happy with the purchase. Just that I wish I was even happier.

 

yeah well i def cant have that expecially from 5.1 sound, guess ill be lookling elsewhere!

 

Good luck to you and I hope you find what you're looking for.

 

Just wanted to post that my hgl-30 has this exact same problem. Even as im just scrolling this website, with my headphones on, no music playing, I can hear it. Quite annoying. Seems to get worse with hard disk activity or using the touchpad.

 

No luck my friends... This problem will only be solved when Compal puts electronic hardware filters so that static noise don't interfere with the sound card.

 

Sux...at least using a sound card would fix it.

 

I hear something slight when the HD is accessed and when using scroll bars. I had to look for the sound in most cases.

It's not at a level that I would consider distracting--but if you are focusing on it I can see how it might be. I personally can go with the earphones in and no audio without hearing anything that bothers me.

 

Guess ur lucky then.

 

I borrowed a pair of $30 headphones from a friend and I still can't hear any high pitched sound, neither can my friend. I wonder if there is a problem with the connection between alot of your sound cards and the motherboard? I know this can happen with desktops and pci sound cards. Are these sound cards in the compals modular? I've not looked. If so, maybe their are batches of cards coming out with higher noise then others.

Don't suppose anyone has tried contacting Compal to see if they have an answer?

 

I don't hear a high-pitched sound. It's more of a buzz/hiss when using scroll bars and various medium-pitched sounds when the HD is accessed. I may be imagining it, but there may also be a very low hiss when nothing's going on--but if I'm not imagining it, then it's very low-volume to the point where it's practically inaudible.

Perhaps it is that some have noisier systems than others, but I'm guessing individual tolerance for slight noises may be playing a part in this as well. What I hear is quite minor in my opinion.

 

Well, as far as noisy systems go... The reason you can hear your HD and I can't is probably that I've got a 5400rpm compared to your 7200, this would cause less noise in the wiring for me. Still dont hear anything at all using the touchpad, only hiss or hum I get comes from having volume to high on the output device, but that has nothing to do with the laptop. I was shaking the walls and windows throughout my apartment with how loud I get this thing on the 5.1 (trying to find a hiss/buzz/anything that isn't just static from amplified speakers), no go :/...

I dont suppose all of you people with the problem are using 7200rpm? I know over the years I've found certain brands of HD to create lots of electrical noise that tends to get blasted over the bus.

Try booting a linux LiveCD (so your HD isn't used) and see if you still hear it while doing stuff.