Impossible Ground Loop?? Tried for months.

KennyTroy

Hello, first I want to thank you for reading this and offering any advice possible.

I have been struggling with a ground loop issue for months now since building my PC, and I have read nearly everything and tried 85% of solutions suggested on the internet - nothing seems to work.

I will give all relevant information as neatly as possible, followed by solutions I have tried.

My PC Build

Motherboard: TUF Z270 Mark II
Graphics Card: GTX 1050 Ti
Power Supply: EVGA 550 G3
Cooling: Corsair H60
Memory: 16GB TridentZ RGB (8gb x 2)
Processor: i7 7700k
Internal Soundcard: Audigy Rx
Monitor: Samsung CF591 27" Curved
Speakers: Yamaha HS7's

** Please note that I purchased my internal Audigy Rx soundcard as a "solution" after already having experienced this buzzing for several months via my graphic card's audio card.

How I'm Connected

I have a lot of wires running between my computer, monitor, and my TV which is wall-mounted directly above my desktop build.  I assumed this was a problem, so for simplicity I disconnected everything and only connected what is necessary to solving this problem.

Wall Outlet -> Power strip with three connections: (1) computer power supply, (2,3) power cords for both Yamaha HS7 speakers

I am connected from the speakers to my desktop via dual 1/4" to 3.5mm aux.

What I've Tried, What Doesn't Work

- Disconnected all other wires that are not my computer's power supply, and my two Yamaha HS7 speaker power cords, does not work
- Purchased an internal Audigy Rx soundcard, does not work
- I have tired three different outlets in my room, and even tried outlets in other rooms, does not work
- My computer is placed on a cardboard box so that it is not touching carpet, does not work
- Tried external USB adapter, does not work
- Tried a second pair of 1/4" to 3.5mm cables, does not work

Other Connections That Work
- Plugging the dual 1/4" to 3.5mm aux into my phone
- Plugging the dual 1/4" to 3.5mm aux into my laptop, with the laptop power cord plugged into the same [or different] outlet as the speakers

What the flying fudge is happening?

I am at a total loss. I was going to buy one of those Hum X ground loop adapters, but I am SO HESITANT to continue spending money on solutions that seem to not be working.

Is there a hardware problem?
Is it a problem with my 1/4" cables?
Is there incompatibility somewhere in the electricity field?
Am I totally fudgeed?

Thank you guys so much.

URL

Hi

An isolating transformer is not always ideal but for a tenner i would give one a go.

Not sure if Halfords still sell them...


David

mushii

Your inputs on your HS7's are Balanced both XLR and 6.3mm Jack that you are feeding with an unbalanced signal from your sound card. Are your cables and plugs that you are feeding them with balanced or un-balanced at each end ?

Christian 71

My suggestion is to take out of your house and plug in at a friends before spending more money. Could be localised electric issue. Buzzing drove me wild one year and it turned out to be a dodgy energy saving bulb in another room.

Sounds like it’s not your speakers as the buzzing would happen with phone or unplugged so if it’s not the electric it’s likely your pc, maybe the power supply or motherboard dirtying the signal that powers the DSP or something. Happens enough with guitar amps and pedals so guess a dodgy cap or resistor somewhere in a PC could do something similar.

Backspace

Hi, since I don't see any more about it whether it's resolved or not. I may be late but I'd like to try something. I don't know how your 220 volt wall outlets work but do you have hot and neutral in your wiring like we do? Our 110 volt wiring are black=hot and white=neural.

There is what we call a reversal. Our plugs are polarized so that the wide prong has the white wire. A lot of time the plugs are not polarized and it wouldn't matter. Someone could wire the sockets wrong and reversed the wires. Here it's w=w (wide equals white).

Another reason is AC hum. That means the power supply of a component have bad caps (filters). Your PSU is made by Super Flower which is one of the best makers on the market so I would wonder if it slipped through the QC somehow or it just crapped because of defects.

It happens to the best. Try another PSU.

WonkyEwok

I think you might get success by breaking the ground loop between the PC and HS7s, by cutting the outer sheath of the cables just by the 1/4" plugs. That way the PC and HS7s don't share a hard ground any more, and as long as the HS7 balanced inputs are floating then they'll not mind that the  ve and -ve are bobbing up and down together.