[iNeedCansBad]

My problem... Background noise/hum/static. No matter what level I set my speakers to this happens. 

My Speakers... Two KRK Rokit 8's with One 10" KRK Subwoofer. 2.1 setup.

My Connection... KRK's connected to subwoofer as normal. RCA audio input going to Behringer UCA222 U-Control Ultra-Low Latency 2 In/2 Out USB Audio Interface. So basically this device is plugged into a USB slot, and outputs through audio cables which goes to my speakers. This method was recommended to me on this forum.


Other Thoughts... I've tried different audio cables, basic cheap ones, and monster cables. I know people hate monster cables with a passion, but they produce less background noise/hum/static then the cheap cables did, so I can't complain as it was much worse. Still as it is right now it's pretty bad.


What are better ways of hooking up these speakers? I primarily use them on my PC, and need help getting them to work without the static. The sound quality is still amazing, but the background noise on low-medium volumes is pretty loud and annoying.


I was once looking at getting a sound card, but the price is up there, at $200 the HT | OMEGA Claro Halo XT Sound card has RCA jacks...so it would be a straight RCA-RCA connection. I wouldn't mind buying this, but only if it would 100% fix my problem. 

Any advice greatly appreciated. I just for once would like to use these amazing speakers I bought in crystal clear quality. 

The rest of my pc specs are.... i52500k, Vista 64bit, GTX 570, 8 Gigs Ram, Biostar TP67B+.....

 

[iNeedCansBad]

What I'm thinking...is the Behringer just might be a cheap piece of crap and that I should get one of a few things....
 
The HT Omega Clara XT Sound Card, the ASUS Xonar Essence ST, Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium HD(Comes with Gaming Headset), or perhaps a Aune T1.  I don't think the Aune T1 would be a wise choice as I believe my speakers already have amps built into them....  I'm willing to spend the money to clear this issue up.  I was interested in the Omega Clara for a while, but people seem to say the drivers are old(2010) and may not work as well as a new product...  The Creative Sound Blaster comes with a $50 Creative Fatality Gaming Headset which I could use for Battlefield 4.  
 
I am a gamer, I also do music editing here and there, mixes etc...
 
I've always been able to put out good mixes, but the background noise really needs to be eliminated while listening/gaming.

 

[RonaldDumsfeld]

Before you throw money at the problem it might be a good idea to see if you can identify the source of your interference. A couple of hours detective work could end up saving you considerable expense and hassle. That gear you have is far from the most expensive but it certainly shouldn't behave that poorly.
 
Start by testing each part of your signal chain individually. Starting with the speakers. Use a separate source you know to be trouble free. Maybe a DAP or your phone. If the monitors on their own are clean connect up the sub again. Still clean? Take out the Berhinger. Use the direct analogue out from your PC.
 
You get the idea? You should be able to work out where the noise is coming from. Then we can try and work out why and what to do about it.

 

[iNeedCansBad]

Well I have a Roland MV8800, and when the Speakers/Sub are connected there is ZERO interference. I mean nothing coming from the speakers at all until I play something on the machine, and then the sound is so clean and pristine unlike anything I've ever heard.  I've never used the Direct Analogue out on my PC, and I'm unsure how.  The only connections the speakers allow is RCA or TRS.  So to hook them up I have RCA's going to the Behringer.  I've adjusted the volume on the Behringer with no difference in static.  It's a constant hum/static sound.  
 
I singled out the speakers without the sub using the same RCA connections and it's an identical interference even without the Sub hooked up, tested both speakers together and each one separately.

 

[RonaldDumsfeld]

Ok. So the speakers, sub and leads are fine.
 
Now it's time to take the Behinger out. If you have a desktop PC there will be a audio line out socket on the back panel. I think it's the green one. Usually 3.5 mm TRS minijack. If you have a laptop it might be combined with the headphone out. Alternatively you could also test the UCA222 by taking to a friends house.
 
Just keep working backwards eliminating each component in turn.

 

[cel4145]

Might also be a ground loop problem. Is all your equipment connected to the same wall outlet?

 

[iNeedCansBad]

  Ok. So the speakers, sub and leads are fine.
 
Now it's time to take the Behinger out. If you have a desktop PC there will be a audio line out socket on the back panel. I think it's the green one. Usually 3.5 mm TRS minijack. If you have a laptop it might be combined with the headphone out. Alternatively you could also test the UCA222 by taking to a friends house.
 
Just keep working backwards eliminating each component in turn.

 
This is exactly why I think it's the Behringer. I had a Logitech 5.1 set up before this and it worked perfectly without any static.  Would a 3.5mm - RCA converter work? I can do that test I believe.
 

Might also be a ground loop problem. Is all your equipment connected to the same wall outlet?

 
All three speakers are connected on one surge protector just for them nothing else.  I have all speakers turned onto "On" from the rear so I can just flip the surge protector on and off to turn them all on simultaneously.  Also though before I got them hooked up to the surge protector they were connected to different wall outlets.  The right speaker and sub were connected to the right outlet in my room and the left speaker was connected to the left outlet in my room. I had the same static and noise then as well.

 

[iNeedCansBad]

So any help guys? I contacted Behringer direct and they told me to move the wires around...didn't help or change anything.

 

[cel4145]

Did you try using a 3.5mm to RCA cable to plug the speakers directly into the computer? If that works, you know its the Behringer DAC.

 

[iNeedCansBad]

Did you try using a 3.5mm to RCA cable to plug the speakers directly into the computer? If that works, you know its the Behringer DAC.

OK did some testing.  I moved a bunch of wires around and could not change the signal one bit.  I completely removed some devices all together and it didn't help at all.
 
Bought a 3.5mm to RCA cable to eliminate the Behringer DAC, and it's exactly the same, the same amount of static as having the Behringer hooked up.  So I'm thinking it has to do with my onboard audio on my motherboard, at least that's what I'm chalking it up as.  I hope a nice sound card would eliminate this problem, and if I can find any Black Friday deals I'll go for one.  Other then that I'm not sure what it could be. 
 
I did some research and found a program that measures audio latency called DPC Latency Checker.  While disabling multiple programs and trying to find any other program or source to the static, I found none.  I can't quite figure it out it seems.  
 
Actually now that I think about it I do have a Xonar DG Sound Card, and of course I just remembered that as I'm typing, so I will have to install that and give it a try, although I was quite disappointed when I had it hooked up in the past, I'm not sure if I ever used it with this set up.

 

[iNeedCansBad]

OK I had off today so figured I'd throw the Xonar DG audio card in.  It didn't reduce the background noise at all, but now the entire volume output is lower so on Max Volume it's not as loud as it used to be.  This is using the 3.5mm jack on the back to RCA plugs....
 
And for the record I narrowed the computer down to my PC by using the using the RCA-3.5mm jack in my cellphone and playing audio off of it. I get ZERO static.  It plays flawless so clearly this problem is coming from my PC.  Just trying to figure out how I can possibly fix it without dumping $200 on another sound card....and honestly that's the only option I'm seeing right now, or a new motherboard.

 

[GrandWazoo]

Just so you know, I have the KRK 8 with an HT Omega Claro XT, RCA to RCA and I've got ton of static buzz as well and I'm looking for a solution too so don't throw $200 to the sound card, it won't fix your problem.