Noise in Earphones

[Surface ProMan]

Do you have the same problem? Try this: Plugin earphones, watch a video on youtube then pause the video. I hear some kind of swoosh sound...when i close the youtube tab the sound is gone but then it comes back randomly and stops again.
Im using perfectly fine earphones from apple which work great with other devices.

Thanks.

edit: its like the fan noise coming through the earbuds ...weird
edit2: the swoosh sound is completely gone when i mute the sound

 

[montsa007]

Maybe you hear your avatar screaming?

Lol, on a different try a different earphone to see if there is any difference so you know that your different earphone reacts differently with your same phone while your same earphone reacts differently with your same phone, phew!

 

[Surface ProMan]

I tried diffrent earphones but there is still the weird fan noise coming through...so does anyone else have the same issue?

 

[unstoppablekem]

I don't seem to have the issue. Are you on the latest drivers and updates?

 

[Surface ProMan]

yes i am

 

[montsa007]

Try,

those earphones on a different phone, maybe your phone has some hardware/software fault.

Lightly blow the earphone jack, some dust might be there.

 

[MBytes]

When it happens, is the sound varies when you move the mouse, and scroll a scroll bar and such?

 

[montsa007]

When it happens, is the sound varies when you move the mouse, and scroll a scroll bar and such?

What!?

 

[MBytes]

What!?

To answer your question, when you move the mouse cursor using a mouse on the screen, does the sound destroyed differently. So obviously, you need to plug in a USB mouse onto the device.

 

[montsa007]

https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/2727748211/c3d0981ae770f926eedf4eda7505b006.jpeg

To answer your question, when you move the mouse cursor using a mouse on the screen, does the sound destroyed differently. So obviously, you need to plug in a USB mouse onto the device.

I am really worked out :'(, I assumed this question is pertaining to a phone and not surface 2, sincere apologies with a bouquet which you may collect from the thread OP at his expense.

 

[Surface ProMan]

When it happens, is the sound varies when you move the mouse, and scroll a scroll bar and such?

No

 

[Blazerr]

To answer your question;
I have both the first generation surface RT and the new Surface Pro 2.

Both of my devices have the scratching sound when earphone are connected through the minijack port and a video I paused. If no playback audio is running in the background, ae not running a video or having a music program open, then there won't be any sound, but as soon as I am playing an audio file, even when paused, then the scratching sound re-appears. It also present while the video is playing, although it is too feint to really hear over the sound of anything actually playing. I know it is not my earphones being broken as I use them with my phone and desktop as well. The issue does lie with the surface's mini jack input, as there is no scratching sound when using an USB headphone set. I cannot tell You why it is happening, only that it is caused by the mini jack input.

 

[Surface ProMan]

do you think its a hardware issue and should i return it?i will test with my headset with one of the devices in the store tomorrow...

 

[Gergolos]

I have the same with my Surface 2

 

[Tu NguyenTrung]

Same issue here. I believe it's not a big deal because when music or video is playing, the noise is gone.

 

[MBytes]

I don't get the issue, this is normal for onboard sound solution. The audio chip used is AT MOST 2$... and can reach 5-10$ on ultra high-end desktop computer motherboard. The sound quality simply sucks. If you want rich quality sound that pushes the full potential of your headphones, and be able to drive high impedance headphones, with no static or distortion, you need to cash out on a dedicated sound card.

On my desktop, I have the ASUS Xonar Essence STX on PCI-E, a 200$ sound card. This is nothing pro grade. Sounds cards are expensive, because components to give you proper clean sound are costly, more over, it's not something you actually change. you keep it until it breaks. It usually last 2-3 computer builds on my side... so 8-10 years life cycle.. and even then it's more it doesn't support the latest version of Windows, or I seek for better sound card. So not bad investment. Now, of course, I know the Surface Pro device can't be open and inserted a PCI-E card. But they are USB sound card for about 70-100$ which are pretty good, and fairly small.

If you are on a tight budget, you have the ASUS Xonar U3 for 30-35$. It's not going to give you some amazing sound, but it will give you a sound that maybe better than what you have (I don't have a SP2 yet to compare, sold out everywhere), but it will give you a nice clean sound, almost static free... well the best a 35$ can get you.

The reason why you have the sound only when you pause the video, is because on mobile devices, the sound card "turns-off" when not being in used to save power.

If you wonder:
-> My laptop onboard sounds like I am using dollar shop earphone, despite costly ones. It has no base, and no mid range.
-> My desktop onboard sound has static, and everything sounds like my speakers on inside a metal barrel.
-> My old desktop onboard sound has heavy static, and sounded like I am having the Transformers do the music.

On board sound card are designed to offer you basic sound, for basic video watching, and Windows sounds. Not give you this rich, live like experience. They are designed to be virtually free. It has no SPU (Sound Processing Unit), it just takes the sound, simplifies it, send it to the CPU for processing, get it back and converted using the cheapest component possible from digital to analogue.

 

[Surface ProMan]

I don't get the issue, this is normal for onboard sound solution.

Normal for a 1000$ tablet pc? You seem to have an excuse for every issue this is absolutely not normal and totally annoying

 

[MBytes]

Normal for a 1000$ tablet pc? You seem to have an excuse for every issue this is absolutely not normal and totally annoying

My laptop cost 2000$ and the audio is total crap, like all other laptops and desktops. Not a single review mentioned how crappy the audio was (Dell Latitude E6400, check it out), yet the audio is crap. Oh and forgot to mention, when the system is plugged in, you hear internal interference like crazy. And no it's not a faulty motherboard, I already exchanged the system 2 times when I got it, and the system board was replaced 1 year and half later under warranty, due to a wireless card (issue with a specific revision of the Intel wireless N card with university routers) replacement which gone wrong by the technician that came over (he drop a screw inside, could not get it out, without pulling the heatsink out, since i had overheating problems as the thermal paste was not replaced when he put the heatsink back after getting the screw. Dell decided to to send me a new (confirmed with the manufacture date sticker) system board and heatsink), and the sound was still the same crap through any headphones.

Money isn't invested in sound quality, because as you can see from the manufactures of sound card, it's a niche market. People don't care about sound quality.
You have 2 companies at the consumer level: Creative Labs that is barely surviving, and cant' afford developers for half decent drivers, and then you have ASUS which makes great product and good drivers, where their audio department is not making any profit, nothing significant at least, but do it because they want to, for the gamer that cares, and audio enthusiasts.

If you want manufactures to change this, then you need to demand it. Meaning: Start buying dedicated sound card, show to manufacture that there is actually a market for quality sound, and that people care, and then you'll get them, to put a higher grade sound solution and better components to output, as a result, better sound. It must be noted as well, that, and this is something I forgot to mentioned, is that those cheap-*** onboard sound card have 1 big strength over a proper sound solution: significant reduction of power usage.
My dedicated sound card, for example, requires, much like my graphic card, a dedicated power to power the card for additional power, and it is true that using a USB sound card will draw more power and visibly reduce the system battery life.

 

[montsa007]

I checked my Laptop as well, I can hear small screeching/fan like sounds when nothing is being run, mine is Win 7 Asus Laptop tried my in ear JBL earphones.

 

[Surface ProMan]

I contacted the microsoft chat support (very friendly guys over there ) and they told me that it is a hardware defect and they will exchange it. i will again update this post when i get the new device and if its fixed...