Help needed - looking to borrow an ASUS Strix SOAR sound card

[Sm00thSm0k3]

So I have reasons to believe that my ASUS Strix SOAR sound card is defective - getting a constant, very distracting and very annoying buzzing sound on the left channel (when headphones are connected) whilst in-game and a lot of the time the in-game audio sounds very muddy and indistinct.

In comparison, the on-board audio sounds crystal clear with none of the symptoms being displayed by the Strix.

It's probably a long shot, but if one of the Carb members would be kind enough to borrow me their Strix SOAR, even for just a few hours, it will allow me to confirm whether my card is indeed in need of replacing.

Any assistance would be appreciated.

 

[hyperioN_za]

Hey man, I had a really similar issue with a Creative card I bought a while back, found a great thread online that helped me solved the constant humming/buzzing and clicking noises coming from the card

I'll find the link and guide this evening and post it here, hope it helps.

 

[Sm00thSm0k3]

Hey man, I had a really similar issue with a Creative card I bought a while back, found a great thread online that helped me solved the constant humming/buzzing and clicking noises coming from the card

I'll find the link and guide this evening and post it here, hope it helps.

Thanks mate.

It's a really frustrating issue and the buzzing is constantly present when my rig is under load, even when I mute the audio in windows.
I've also noticed a very feint buzz when I'm just on the desktop and moving the mouse pointer across the screen or when scrolling up or down whilst on a website.

To be honest I've tried just about everything to get rid of the buzzing:
- Tried installing the card in different PCI-E slots
- Tried different headphones
- Tried different GPU's (thought it could be coil whine from the GPU or something that's being picked up by the sound card)
- Tried different PSU's
- Tried disconnecting all non-essential devices from the motherboard to see if that removes the buzz.
- Fiddled around with the audio properties and settings in Windows and the Strix software

It's almost as if the sound card is picking up all the electrical "noise" from the GPU and/or motherboard so I have sort of concluded it must be the card itself but of course I'm open to any other suggestions.

 

[CRE4MPIE]

Thanks mate.

To be honest I've tried just about everything to get rid of the buzzing:
- Tried installing the card in different PCI-E slots
- Tried different GPU's (thought it could be coil whine from the GPU or something that's being picked up by the sound card)
- Tried different PSU's (thought it could be electrical noise from a dodge PSU)
- Tried disconnecting any and all non-essential devices from the motherboard to see if that removes the buzz.
- Fiddled around with audio properties in Windows and the Strix software

Tried different headsets ?

 

[hyperioN_za]

Ground loop isolator to the rescue

 

[Sm00thSm0k3]

Thanks for the video link @hyperioN_za.

That's sounds just like the buzzing I'm hearing through my headphones when connected to the Strix sound card.
The question is then, what could the possible source of the ground loop interference in my rig be? Since I get the same buzzing with different GPU's and different power supplies it has to be the sound card or a grounding problem on my motherboard.

I could probably go the route of purchasing a ground loop isolator specifically for use with headphones but this will simply remove the symptomand won't fix the actual problem.

I've made plans to test the sound card in another rig this weekend so I'll see how that goes.

 

[hyperioN_za]

Cool let me know if that sorts out your problem, also make sure to check the Microphone FP volume slider
It has a nasty habit of causing feedback for some strange reason.