What Causes Hissing Sound from Speakers?

What Causes Hissing Sound from Speakers? Ever hear music hissing when you’re listening to it? You could think a snake was slithering around if you didn’t know any better, but when I hear hissing, I can tell what’s going on. Hissing is a sign that something is wrong with your electronics when you’re listening to music. It certainly isn’t music to my ears, and if you liked it, you probably don’t either, since you’re reading this.

What Causes Hissing Sound from Speakers?
What Causes Hissing Sound from Speakers?

What Causes Speaker Hissing Sound?

In essence, it occurs when heat causes the electrons to deviate from their intended course. They act as little gremlins, changing the output signal voltage and making an audible noise that we hear as a hiss, especially when the equipment’s quality is poor.

When they anticipate it, many people find that hissing to be enjoyable. The sound is the same as what you hear on white noise apps or in white noise devices.

 

Given how well it works to put newborns to sleep, if you live with a baby you may be all too familiar with this sound. Just be careful not to overdo it (more on that momentarily).

Other environmental conditions can cause hissing as well. Continue reading to learn more about that and how to silence that hiss.

Is the hissing in the background damaging to your hearing?

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What Causes Hissing Sound from Speakers? 5

I suppose it all depends on where the hissing is coming from. But the majority of the time, it won’t hurt. An investigation into the world of white noise was undertaken by the University of California, San Francisco, and was published in the medical journal JAMA Otolaryngology — Head & Neck Surgery.

The intention was to explicitly ascertain whether white noise may result in ringing in the ears (which is officially called tinnitus).

The research team then began looking at an ancient series of animal experiments where it was suggested that consistently listening to white noise for extended periods of time would alter brain cells and result in ringing in the ears.

The study’s animals endured noise levels between 60 and 70 decibels, roughly equivalent to what a typical white noise machine emits.

The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration has designated this decibel level as safe.

At certain decibel levels, the risk is regarded as minimal. Anything that is less than 120 dB is.

Anything tuned higher than that, especially at night, could do major harm to your ears’ hair cells.

Damage that results from the loss of those hairs may eventually cause temporary hearing loss or, worse, irreversible hearing loss.

Therefore, it is probably safe for your baby to listen to white noise. Simply monitor the volume. If you wish to listen to your favorite records, what about the hissing sound that comes from your speakers? We’ll put an end to that hiss if you keep reading.

How to Get Rid of Speaker Hiss

I don’t blame you if you don’t want to hear hissing coming from your speakers.

While some individuals do find white noise to be calming, it might be annoying to hear a hiss when you’re trying to listen to music.

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But don’t panic, there are a few things you can do to improve the sound quality. Simple checks are the first step in the process.

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What Causes Hissing Sound from Speakers

Verify the volume

Even though the hissing is inconvenient, it could be something very small. You should check the volume right away. It should be set to no less than 75% of your speakers’ maximum capacity. Is it? If not, change it and give it a listen. Sometimes, all it takes to solve the issue at hand is that.

However, if it doesn’t work…

Verify the Audio Cable and Port.

You tried adjusting the volume, but the hiss is still audible. The issue can then be with your audio cable or port. Change them and check to see whether the hissing continues.

Even though the majority of modern signal cables are made quite adequately, hissing can still occur if there isn’t a ground loop.

Make sure the cords are audio signal cables rather than output cables as another thing to verify. Your issue could be right there!

There may be options to employ balanced inputs or outputs with certain pieces of equipment. If yours offers this choice, take it.

Keep the AC wires free and clear, as speaker cables are unlikely to interfere with it.

You shouldn’t loop antenna signal cables, which is another thing to keep in mind about wiring.

By converting them into antennas through electromagnetic induction, this can make things noisy.

However, cable quality is most important. Cheap cables that are poorly built can start to produce noise right away.

I’m not advocating that you shell out a fortune on cables, but you might want to consider the manufacturing process.

Let’s examine the wires’ gold connections. This is typically the more expensive choice, and since it is made of gold, it must be the best. Nope! Good thing gold doesn’t oxidize.

Additionally, it is a superior option than chrome and nickel. However, copper and silver are superior. Platinum is not the best material for conductivity, despite making beautiful jewelry.

What then is best? For me, copper wire having gold connections is preferred. However, there are plenty that cost between $10 and $20 that work just as well. The greatest one for the needs will be easier to choose if you understand conductivity.

Examine the transformer.

Your transformer is another area to look. The reason it’s last on the list of things to check is that it’s probably what’s wrong when everything else is.

I’ll say it’s one of those other things first, though, in general. If you’ve dealt with the volume, cords, and ports, your transformer is the only thing left.

And let me tell you, you should make sure you get a new one right away if there’s anything shaky about it. If something blows, that might be disastrous!

Once more, it’s usually one of those other things. Continue reading if you want to learn how to solve it. I’ve got you covered.

Alternative Video: How to fix buzzing noise from speakers Ground loop issue

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Resolve a ground loop

This, in my opinion, is the most likely reason for your peculiar hissing sound. It is so simple for it to have occurred that I don’t even need to look.

If everything is connected to your TV, you might notice some bands running through the screen as it starts to hum.

Sometimes, because the buzzing is so low, you might not notice it until you’re alone at home with your thoughts and the remote in your hand.

Whatever the situation, you should try to rectify it. It typically occurs when many devices are connected to the AC at various places and then connected via shielded electrical signal connections, such as HDMI or RCA, that are connected to the ground.

In essence, this results in a single-loop antenna that electromagnetically attracts noises.

If you have this loop, all you need to do to stop the noise is break it. So, how do you go about doing that? Take everything and plug it into a single AC outlet.

Simply connect everything to a single surge protector, which you should then plug into the wall. Your days of hissing are finished!

Ah, but what if nothing can connect to the same outlet?

If you have those self-powered speakers or subwoofers, this might happen. You could always use a two- or three-prong adaptor, but I don’t advise it because you risk electrocuting yourself.

Purchasing an extension cord is the following strategy you can try. It ought to take care of the issue, but everyone’s setups vary, so if that doesn’t work, a hum eliminator is just what you need. They aren’t cheap, but they work.

You might be able to make one yourself if you are experienced with a soldering iron and other tools, but I wouldn’t advise it unless you are a skilled craftsman.

Do you still need assistance? Then you might be staring at a cable-TV coax cable or an OTA antenna with a path to the ground.

It’s important to determine whether your cable box or modem is to blame. If you find that it’s the TV signal wire that connects your modem—just pull it out and listen to see if it stops buzzing—time to swap out that piece of technology.

Hissing Sound Effects ~ Royalty Free Hissing Sounds | Pond5
What Causes Hissing Sound from Speakers?

Reinstall your drivers

Let’s assume that all of your wires are in their proper locations. Even if all of those components might be brand-new, you can still hear a buzzing. Perhaps you should check your audio driver.

You can update it yourself, which is wonderful news. Simply determine the driver version you require. If you can’t seem to find your hardware manual anywhere, you can go get it or download it online.

But the simplicity of this situation ends there. Since you must be certain that you are downloading and installing the correct driver, it is a little sensitive.

What occurs if you choose the incorrect one? You’ll experience lags, crashes, and probably serious boot issues.

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Using the integrated device manager tool is a fantastic method to stay out of trouble. This eliminates any uncertainty and automates the procedure.

Your OS essentially does all the grunt work and upgrades as necessary. In order to make sure you receive the correct drivers to operate well with your hardware, it’s like having a bot do the work for you.

Continually lost? I have all the information here. Here’s how to do it if you have Windows 7:

  1. To open the Start menu, click the Windows logo in the taskbar.
  2. Right-click “Computer” and select “Manage.”
  3. The computer management screen will now appear, along with a “Locate Device Manager” option.
  4. Look through the list of devices you have access to. Right-click on your speakers once you’ve located them.
  5. Select the option to upgrade your audio driver now.

Have Windows 8.1 or 8? What you should do is:

  • You should once more search your taskbar for the Windows logo icon. You’ll be able to select “Device Manager” from a Quick Access menu.
  • Right-click the device when you see it so that you can update the driver.
  • After selecting “Update Driver Software,” you’re done.
  • Perhaps the easiest of all is Windows 10. On your keyboard, choose the Windows logo key and press “X.”
  • Select Device Manager from the list that appears by selecting it. Locate your speakers and use the right-click menu to update them. Voila!
  • No matter what version of Windows you use, you must be careful to pick a setting that enables your OS to search the internet for the required driver.
  • Restart your computer once it has finished its work. Now that buzzing noise ought to be gone!
  • Sometimes the Device Manager makes mistakes. Because it keeps coming back with a failure to find the suitable driver, you might be letting out a series of expletives.
  • In order to enjoy life without a persistent droning hum every time your devices are on, I highly recommend using software that takes care of this for you.

FAQs About What Causes Hissing Sound from Speakers?

How can I get my speakers to quit hissing?

Determine whether there is an electrical issue or a speaker system issue before tightening loose cables, repairing ground loops, and moving potential interference sources away from the speaker to eliminate whistling or hissing sound from speakers. Speaker hum can be caused by smartphones, WiFi routers, and numerous other gadgets.

What makes the speakers in cars hiss?

It’s likely a case of magnetic interference if you can hear a hissing sound coming from your speakers while they aren’t playing music. Unbalanced cables and problems with the power cable’s grounding are the two factors that could make your speakers more prone to that sort of event.

Do my speakers have a hiss?

Powerful speakers commonly emit a low hissing sound. It’s actually to be anticipated from active speakers with powered drivers and active inputs. Active speakers frequently make a gentle self-generated hissing noise, to the point where some manufacturers list the noise level for their equipment.

Trina Oralde

I'm a tech writer and contributor who covers the latest in gadgets and technology. I keep my finger on the pulse of the tech world, so you don't have to. Stay up-to-date on the latest with me!

 

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