Relentless Microphone Interference - Could it be PSU?

[chris10123]

Hi all

My issue is that I am trying to use a headset microphone for streaming and recording purposes, but I am plagued by a mic hissing noise that just won't seem to go away. I'll list my PC components below.

- HyperX Cloud (this headset's mic is what I am using)
- Corsair Builder CX500M PSU
- Intel i5 4690k (not overclocked)
- EVGA GTX 1060 (6GB)
- 16GB HyperX Fury 1600MHz RAM
- Kingston SSD
- 2 x WD Blue 1TB HDD
- Gigabyte Intel Z97P-D3 motherboard
- Creative Sound Blaster Z PCIe sound card

I have tried the following:
1. Motherboard's onboard audio with HyperX Cloud (front panel)
2. Motherboard's onboard audio with HyperX Cloud (back panel)
3. Sound Blaster with HyperX Cloud (front & rear panel, onboard audio disabled in BIOS as well)
4. All of the above with GTX 1060 completely removed from the system
5. All of the above with HDDs shut down
6. All of the above with a different mic (beam forming microphone provided with Sound Blaster)

So, the conclusion I have drawn is that it is definitely not an interference issue related to the graphics card or hard drives. I have tried different microphones and the hissing remains. Even if there was some interference from components floating around, I would have expected the Sound Blaster Z to be shielded better than the motherboard's onboard audio. The noise levels when using the onboard sound card and Sound Blaster are nearly identical.

I don't know enough about PSUs to make any statements here, but I have read that the Corsair CX PSUs are prone to failure.

So I guess my question would be whether the PSU could be causing the hissing noise when audio is recorded? If so, would an external USB sound card fix this issue (Asus Xonar U7)? If not, are there any other sources of interference I could test for?

Thanks in advance for the help!

EDIT: Not sure if this helps, but in addition to the hissing there is occasionally a squealing/chirping noise as well - sort of as if a bird was being electrocuted next to me.

 

[dudio]

Try the headset on another sytem and rule that out.
I suspect some kind of power issue..if not the PSU, then the power outlet which may have a bad ground.
Try the system in a different outlet..do you know of any power issues in your home?
Also bypass any power bar you have for a brief test.

 

[chris10123]

Try the headset on another sytem and rule that out.
I suspect some kind of power issue..if not the PSU, then the power outlet which may have a bad ground.
Try the system in a different outlet..do you know of any power issues in your home?
Also bypass any power bar you have for a brief test.

I have tried the headset on my MacBook Air and there is still a bit of a hiss, although looking at other mic tests for this headset I think that is fairly commonplace for its microphone. However, if I unplug the headset and simply plug in a dead-end 3.5mm cable and test the jack, the same loud hissing noise is still there.

I have tried the system through a power strip and then without the power strip in the same room but different plug. I don’t know of any power issues, but this interference issue has existed since I built the PC and I’ve lived in a few different locations since then.