Laptop audio is making me lose the will to live!

SteveDon

Hey there,

I have a Sony Vaio VGN-CR1S, until recently i have only been using this laptop for college and other boring stuff and using my pc at home for other computing tasks.

I have been producing electronic music for a while and now I am playing the odd gig here and there, djing that is. I am using a laptop to dj by the way connected via midi to my mixer. The problem on my laptop with audio has meant that it is utterly useless for playing out and I have had to borrow a friends laptop.

Heres the problem, when i connect my laptop to my speaker setup, either via my laptops headphone jack or my external sound card I get horrible audio feedback. The feedback itself only happens when the power supply is plugged into the laptop, once it is removed the feedback dissapears. It doesnt matter what programs are running the noise can be heard at the startup screen, whenever the laptop is opening a program or performing a similar task the feedback will correspond with that.

I have tried absolutely everything that I can, I have rolled back audio drivers, I have downloaded the latest drivers etc..

I have an inkling that the sound problem may be due to some sort of crossover problem between the sound and the microphone, but if i disable the microphone on the laptop the sound is also disabled as the two are linked.

If there is anyone out there that has even the foggyest idea of how I can fix this problem I would be over the moon, its driving me round the bend with frustration.

Myxomatosis

Doesn't sound like a software problem at all, as you said that it only happens when the power supply is plugged in. More likely electrical interference.

Try using some shielded cabling.

copacetic

sounds like you have a problem with the power supply ripple feeding through on the audio. Possibly bad power circuit or grounding on the laptop itself or an issue with it's power brick.

Could you borrow a sony power brick off someone to test it out? Has your power cable got a emi filter loop on it? Is your power supply the one that came with it?

If you have one of those emi filtered/isolated/surge protected 4 gang sockets it's worth a try too.

google power supply ripple for more.



edit - saw other reply. shielded cables aren't gonna do anything for you. The ripple is 90% likely to be on the audio
direct from the laptop

Overheal

This could be a failure in the power supply itself im afraid. My replacement charger slowly built up a horrible feedback over 2-3 months before I had to chuck it and get a 3rd one. It was so bad that when the charger was plugged in it fed back to everything in the vicinity: lights, speakers, you name it.

Are you using the original charger it came with?

Anyway the one thing that did filter the noise out for me is a USB Audio Jack from my Logitech Headset. That took care of about 90% of the feedback.

MunsterCycling

What voltage does the PSU put out? Might have one lying around here from a busted Sony that you could have for very little.

MC

Overheal

Careful Now. The Voltage, The Amperage, The Wattage, it all has to match up.