One of the most frustrating things to have to deal with in terms of audio is when you get a buzzing sound from your speakers. This could be when you first set them up, or it might just start happening randomly one day when you’re using them. It’s a pretty common problem that the majority of us will face over the course of owning a set of speakers.
But how can you stop your speakers from buzzing? Well, there’s a few ways that you can do this to ensure that the only sound coming from your speakers is crisp audio.
How to Stop Speakers from Buzzing
If you’re trying to stop your speakers from buzzing, here’s the best way for you to do this;
- Ground Loops
- Turn the volume down.
- Check your cables.
- Switch audio inputs.
- Update your audio drivers (PC speakers only).
- Interference.
Whilst these are not the only potential causes of your speakers buzzing, they’re definitely the most likely issues that you’re going to face, and they can generally be resolved pretty easily. Let’s take a little look into each of them a bit closer, so you can find a solution for your problem.
Ground Loops
One of the most common causes that you’re going to find can cause your speakers to buzz is a ground loop issue. Although not the easiest thing to understand, essentially a group loop is a problem that’s caused by two separate device that are connected to each other, but they’re also connected to the ground as well. This forms a loop, at the frequency signal has two different paths that it can follow to get to it’s destination, which can create a buzzing sound in your speakers.
If you’re going to try and fix the problem, you’ll need a way to stop the loop from being formed. The obvious fix is to use a different form of connection aside from your standard cable – if you can connect to your speakers wirelessly, then this might do the trick. If not, then you might need to look at another resolution for your ground loop problem.
Turn the Volume Down
The first thing that you’re going to want to do if your speakers are buzzing is to adjust the volume. Why? Well, this helps us to try and decipher what the actual cause of the problem is. Sometimes, the buzz from your speakers might only occur if you have the volume on your speakers really high.
If the buzzing in your speakers only occurs when the volume is really high, then we can narrow things down a little. If this is the case, then it’s likely that the problem is not actually caused by the speakers themselves. No, in this scenario the problem may actually be attributed to your amplifier, or in some cases the source of the sound itself. So, this is the first thing that you should do if your speakers are buzzing.
Cable Check
The next thing that you’ll want to do when you’re trying to work out the cause of the buzzing is to check the cables that you’re using. This is another common cause of the buzzing you’re getting from your speakers. The quality of the cables that you’re using are going to be one of the most important things to think about here, as well as if there’s any damage to them as well.
You can easily switch from one cable to another one, so this is the first thing that you should look to do. Most of the time, the cables that we’re using for our speakers are pretty commonly used around the house (HDMI etc). You’ll also actually want to check the positioning of your cables as well, as this could also be the cause of any buzzing or humming in your speakers. You cables can still suffer from interference, so make sure that they’re in the right position too.
Switch Audio Inputs
The chances are that your speakers have more than one audio input port on them for you to use. Switch this over and see if this helps to resolve the problem, as it could be a problem with that specific port. Often times, you might not be able to connect to the speaker properly if the audio input has come loose, so it makes sense to try a different port on your speaker.
Driver Update (PC Speakers Only)
If you’re using a PC, then there are a few other things which may be causing buzzing in your speakers. One of these is the audio drivers of your computer. When these becoming outdated if you don’t have automatic updates on, then this can lead to a buzzing sound and other interruptions in your speakers.
With a Windows device, you can very easily go into your device manager to fix this issue. Whether it’s simply by updating the drivers, it’s worth giving it a go to see if it resolves your problem.
Interference
Another potential cause of your speakers buzzing could actually be related to other devices within your home. This is especially true if you’re using a wireless connection to get through to your speakers. Both Bluetooth and Wifi work at the same frequency band – 2.4GHz. This is the same frequency as many other objects in your household, like your home landline and also baby monitors.
This could be causing interference between the devices which are both trying to work at the same level. The obvious fix for this is to simply ensure that your devices are away from anything that may be causing the problem, and this might resolve your issue overall.
Conclusion
All in all, if you’re getting a buzzing sound coming through your speakers, then don’t panic too much. It’s a pretty common problem that most of us will deal with at some point, and it can happen with speakers of any quality and any ages. Fortunately, there are quite a few ways that you can fix the problem, but of course, you need to figure out what’s actually gone wrong first for you to do so.
