Ghosting speakers...

[prawn_86]

Ok now this is frickn weird so just bear with me as i explain it...

I just got a new comp and set it all up. Everything was going fine and as expected.

Then when i turned the speakers on, it was playing a song with no programs running. Long story short, for some reason the speakers are now picking up a local (bad!) radio station.

I have unplugged everthing etc, but even when not plugged in, or anywhere near the new comp, providing the speaker power is on, it will lightly play this station.

My other sound works fine over the top, so no problems there.

Is it possible that somehow i magnetised/polarised the jacks so they are now pulling in radio signals?

How do i stop this? Never heard of anything like it...

 

[nunthewiser]

will be happy to perform an exorcism for a small fee and a box of bourbon

please pc for further spiritual advice and payment details

 

[Stan 101]

time to put the alfoil hat on... They are coming!!!


Seriously, though... That is a strange one. Is it a good channel? Can you move the speakers around the room and get Pay Per View?

 

[Naked shorts]

Maybe its like when you have a mobile phone near speakers, it makes that noise when your about to get a call or a message.

Are you by any chance living right next to where the radio station broadcasts from? You could ring up the station and ask them why you are getting their signal.

Thinks exorcism is probably the best idea.

 

[rub92me]

Stop drinking and go to bed. If it's still there in the morning, you weren't drunk after all but turned stark raving mad. If that's the case: start drinking.

 

[disarray]

yeah happened to me before (but it was really faint). i always just thought it was the cables connecting the speakers that were picking up radio signals like an antenna.

move the speakers? wrap them in plastic? make sure they aren't touching anything else metal that could be picking up signals?

you live next to the ABC tower or something?

 

[prawn_86]

Thanks guys, heaps of help there....

No i dont live near a radio tower.

Disarray, i cant not have the speaker jacks not touching anything, because they have to be plugged into the computer.

Someone on another forum has suggested ferrite rings, whatever they are

 

[jono1887]

that is really strange... even if the jacks or cables were acting like an antenna, there is still no audio decoder on the speaker to convert the radio wave to any form of audio, that theory isnt really plausible, unless those speakers have a built in radio tuner.

 

[prawn_86]

that is really strange... even if the jacks or cables were acting like an antenna, there is still no audio decoder on the speaker to convert the radio wave to any form of audio, that theory isnt really plausible, unless those speakers have a built in radio tuner.

Yeh i spent a good hour last night trying to figure out what was going on.

Its a 5.1 surround system, so there is an amp of some form built into the sub (where the leads from the comp to the sub plug into), so maybe the amp has also malfunctioned.

It just seems very coincidental that it happened when i got a new comp tower/system. I must have polarised the jacks somehow...

 

[Agentm]

the answer is very very obvious, your just missing it..

the chemtrails from aircraft are causing it, the spiderwebs in your garden will conduct the signal and screw your speakers for sure.

spiders from mars i hear are coming to take you away..

there is nothing you can do, imho you best pack your bags and run..

thats the only illogical explanation for it..

voices in your head could be a secondary explanation.. which there is no cure for.. or stop taking those party drugs

 

[prawn_86]

the answer is very very obvious, your just missing it..

the chemtrails from aircraft are causing it, the spiderwebs in your garden will conduct the signal and screw your speakers for sure.

spiders from mars i hear are coming to take you away..

there is nothing you can do, imho you best pack your bags and run..

thats the only illogical explanation for it..

voices in your head could be a secondary explanation.. which there is no cure for.. or stop taking those party drugs

Drugs? What drugs? I know nothingggg!! Bring on the spiders

*skips away laughing hysterically*

 

[KurwaJegoMac]

Ghosting such as what you describe is common with people who live close to a local radio station. If your speakers plug into the mains, then your speakers are picking up a radio signal through that. A lot of speakers don't have radio frequency filters on their mains power input anymore, due to cost cutting. That's why even if your pc is off, you can still hear the local radio station music playing.

If you're handy with a solder, get a Radio Frequency Toroid from jaycar or a similar store. They're the best for that, however if you're no good with soldering/electronics there is a RF Toroid that slips over your cable - not guaranteed 100% to work but in most cases it does (provided the local radio station signal isn't too strong to overpower it).

Your other option is to go for a mains filter with a built in radio frequency interference filter. A lot of surge protectors have these so you may even have one lying around the house without knowing it.

If you're looking at a new surge protector check the product specification and look for a line similar to this:

* Filters EMI/RFI noise up to 65 dB reduction

RFI filter is the one that you want in your case.

If the surge protector or other options don't fix it, then i highly recommend you take up some of the other options listed in this thread, specifically rub92me's post! :

 

[prawn_86]

Just an update:

I got all my speakers working properly with no ghosts. Turned out i had one of the cables plugged into 'line in' which for some reason made it pick up the radio station

Still not sure what/how/why it happened, but its fixed now