Sound Static and Crackling, Possible EMI Issue

[rancechaine]

I am having the classic issue of audio static/crackling in my headphones, but cannot seem to resolve the problem through all the standard approaches.

The issue in detail:
Static and Crackling occurs when

■ Using a usb headset with its own dedicated soundcard
- front of chasis (usb 3.0 and 2.0)
- rear of chasis (usb 3.0, 3.1, 2.0)
- monitor usb hub, which I then connected to all of the above
■ Using a 3.5mm set of headphones
- front of chasis, using HD Audio
- rear of chasis, using realtek audio on Motherboard

Static and Crackling does not occur when

■ Using a 3.5mm set of headphones
- plugged into monitor audio jack, which should get sound from the graphics card

Resolutions I have tried:

■ Reinstalling/Updating drivers
- Graphics
- Realtek/HD Audio
- Checked that all other drivers were up to date
■ Changing outlets, different power strips
■ Unplugging various devices (monitor, keyboard, mouse. graphics card)
■ Monitoring DPC latency (LatencyMon thinks my computer is fine, highest DPC routine is
iaStore.sys at 300us)
■ Move system to a different room with different peripherals (keyboard, mouse, monitor)

Thoughts on the issue

■ It seems like it shouldn't be a driver issue since the problem occurs with the realtek drivers, the HD audio from the front panel, and the usb headset
■ It could be an EMI issue - how would I go about diagnosing and remedying that problem?
■ I believe this is a problem this computer has had since I built it, I simply ignored it for a while because I found my monitor workaround
■ I have my wireless router and modem very close to my computer, can those cause these sorts of issues?

Computer and Peripheral Specs
MB: Asus Z170-A
CPU: intel i7-6700k
GPU: EVGA Geforece GTX 1070 FTW
PSU: EVGA Supernova 650
RAM: Corsair Vengance LPX 16GB 3000Mhz
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken x61
Storage: 1TB Harddrive and Samsund Evo 850 SSD
Case: Phanteks Enthroo Pro
Headset: HyperX Cloud 2
Headphones: Audio Technica ATH-m50x
Monitor: Acer X34
Keyboard: Corsair k70 rapidfire
Mouse: Logitech g502 proteus spectrum

This is my first post, sorry if I've left out any important details.
Any suggestions and help are appreciated.

 

[Lutfij]

If you're sure/confident that it's an EMI issue then you will need:
a| Ferrite chokes at each end of your audio source and your audio output
b| You will need to go through the crib's wiring with a certified electrician and see if the grounding is appropriate to handle 650W's from your room(and more since you may have more appliances).

If you are certain it's not driver related, have you made sure your motherboard BIOS is up to date? Speaking of which, you forgot to include the OS and you didn't mention the USB driven headset(with it's own sound card). To note, USB driven soundcard's aren't a way of analyzing your drivers as an issue or even your wiring since the audio processing takes place on the USB end, have you made sure your USB/chipset drivers are up to date?

You should know, people on Windows 10, experiencing the same issue have ended up buying a dedicated soundcard and forgot all about the onboard Realtek audio.

 

[rancechaine]

If you're sure/confident that it's an EMI issue then you will need:
a| Ferrite chokes at each end of your audio source and your audio output
b| You will need to go through the crib's wiring with a certified electrician and see if the grounding is appropriate to handle 650W's from your room(and more since you may have more appliances).

If you are certain it's not driver related, have you made sure your motherboard BIOS is up to date? Speaking of which, you forgot to include the OS and you didn't mention the USB driven headset(with it's own sound card). To note, USB driven soundcard's aren't a way of analyzing your drivers as an issue or even your wiring since the audio processing takes place on the USB end, have you made sure your USB/chipset drivers are up to date?

You should know, people on Windows 10, experiencing the same issue have ended up buying a dedicated soundcard and forgot all about the onboard Realtek audio.

I am on Windows 10, the headset was a HyperX cloud II. However, the static was there with and without the external headset soundcard (3.5mm cord plugged into external soundcard).

After a month of trial and error, the problem still persists.

- I tried adding ferrite beads - no change
- I tested my outlet (with a multimeter and a power outlet that checks for ground) - it was grounded
- Checked BIOS - up to date
- Checked USB/all other drivers - up to date
- Bought a HumX in case there was a ground loop - no change. (Although there could potentially be a ground loop within the computer which would be very hard to diagnose)
- Bought a dedicated soundcard (Creative SB ZXR) - no change
- Bought a better PSU (supernova P2 650) - no change
- Took apart and reassembled computer - no change
- Disabled various CPU power modes - no change
- Disabled onbaord audio - no change
- Removed graphics card - no change

I'm beginning to think that it *could* be a windows issue or something... It just seems so strange that the graphics card audio output is fine but everything else isn't. It could be because the graphics card only supports one output format: 16bit 48k Hz. I suppose it could also be because the DisplayPort output is digital, but one would think that then the USB headset wouldn't have had issues either.

Next Steps I will take:
1. Reinstall windows
2. Buy another Mobo - I've been avoiding this step because it's expensive, and it might be hard to easily get an RMA... If nothing else works though I'm willing to try it for the sake of closure.

 

[rancechaine]

Finally solved the problem. I revisited using LatencyMon to check see if latency was an issue (not sure . For some reason, LatencyMon *did* detect that I had very high latency this time, maybe reinstalling windows made the error more prominent or something. I did some more googling and found https://www.sysnative.com/forums/windows-10-a/20201-audio-stuttering-popping-high-latency-brand-new-build.html which matched my problem exactly (including the HDMI audio still working fine, the most perplexing part of my problem). The end solution on that thread was to replace the Z170a (same mobo I had) so I finally caved and bough a new, different motherboard. Problem solved! It seems that the Z170A has some compatibility issues with some of Windows 10's drivers (for some people), or something of the sort.

Now I just hope Asus will accept my RMA request...