[bangraman]

Does anyone have an Aureon 7.1? It's based on the EnvyHT24 chipset.


After sending back the faulty 1212M for a replacement (yet to arrive, grr) the Aureon 7.1 I'd also ordered turned up. The problem is that the analog front two channels feature 'system crap noises' too horrible to listen to. Various bloops, glepps, neep-neep-neeps and squlepples (the closest I can get...

).


(Terratec support sucks. IMO. Not a patch on Creative.)


The built in C-media whatever sound on the desktop I'm trying these soundcards on is actually better, and RMAA is complaining that the output is too low to make measurements. The ATH-D1000 is performing perfectly fine out of the digital out with no extraneous noise, although I would have to say that the sound, although OK is not particularly arresting (with the onboard clock at 44.1khz).


What am I doing wrong? Or is THIS faulty as well?


Driver version is 5.1.2600.11.

 

[breez]

Try muting all inputs.

 

[bangraman]

Have tried muting everything but Wave. The problem doesn't change. In fact, I can mute everything and I still get the neep-neep-neep buzz-buzz-buzz squeerple.

 

[breez]

What was the fault with 1212m? Anything similar to this?

 

[bangraman]

No, that was clearly a product fault. I've just managed to connect to the Terratec website and am now using .14 drivers. No change.


The SPDIF output is fine... noiseless to all practical intents and purposes and very good in isolation, but in a direct square-off against several Discmen, let alone better sources I feel there's something a bit missing... it could be imagination at this stage as I'm p##d off fiddling with computers. We'll disregard that for the moment.


You know the background PC-borne interference you can find in really cheap and nasty soundcards? That's what I'm getting with the Aureon's analog output. I can remove the soundcard, re-enable the onboard sound and I get a lower 'squeerple factor'. This card is very well reviewed.... but did I buy yet another lemon?

 

[breez]

Yup, I know the interference (my TV tuner connected to sound card makes it happen, gotta live with it while using the tuner). You could try it in another computer and if it doesn't work right take it back

 

[CingKrab]

I don't know if this has to do with anything, but my Z-560s hooked up through the Audigy 1 has the horrible hissing, and I can also hear a radio station in the background sometimes if I turn the volume up to max. I think I need some shielded cables for them.

 

[Jasper994]

What kind of computer are you running on? Is it something you built yourself or is it like a Dell or something? A really crappy psu could be part of the problem. You might also turn the volume of the card down a bit. I know Soundblaster cards are particularly craptacular when played at full volume. What else is plugged into the computer? breez is right, cable and computers don't generally get along as it will generally result in a ground loop.

 

[bangraman]

I know the interference you mean. I don't think mine is external: it's all from within the PC. For example, I can hear windows open and minimise/maximise with a mid/high pitched 'meep'. Keyboard typings, etc and other ancillary systems actions all result in a different type of noise (I will of course say that I haven't assigned system noises to those actions

).


Things like the window openings I can definitely tell using a PX200 at reasonable listening volumes, and there's a constant beating hum in the background as well, which sounds not unlike radio inteference, but much more precise.


The PC in question has an Enermax PSU with the fan control knobs. And as I said, switching to the onboard sound (cmi8738?) results in a reduction of extraneous sounds, although the generic inteference (the aforementioned beating noise) is still there... but significantly less than the Aureon.The card is installed at the last slot (tried others), so it's furthest away from the GPU.

 

[breez]

Yes, I actually meant noises from video card (Ati AIW with TV tuner) through the audio cable from the card to sound card input. It's really hilarious to maximize/minimize windows: maximizing window makes a raising pitch noise while minimizing makes a lowering pitch noise

These noises are fortunately only video card related (Hear What You See(TM)) and for example HDD access doesn't manifest itself as any stupid noises

 

[bangraman]

I may have not mentioned I can hear HDD accesses as well.

 

[Jasper994]

Well, I'm at a loss...

Maybe the thing just has really crappy noise filtering... I know the E-MU was defective, but did you notice any noise with it?

 

[djooky]

You can try to plug your sound card in another pci slot.

 

[ooheadsoo]

Yeah, try what djooky said. I had that problem with my sblive, but that's about it.

 

[Jasper994]

He already tried moving it around...