Score:1

Loud noise from audio jack output

rs flag

I'm using Ubuntu 22.04 on my Razer Blade 14 (2022) laptop. When external speakers are connected through the audio jack I get this constant, loud noise that is present all the time, no matter how loud I set my system volume and no matter which audio output I set in the system settings. (For example, if I set the audio output to be laptop speakers: I get normal sound from the laptop speakers + noise from the external speakers.)

Here are some observations:

  • When I boot Windows on this machine, the audio jack works just fine. However, the noise is present when I turn off the machine with the audio jack connected.
  • The noise changes a bit when I unplug the power, but is still present. (Power adds high frequency noise to the already present low frequency hum.)
  • The noise is present when I disable the pulseaudio.service and pulseaudio.socket
  • The noise is present when I change the power settings in the GUI (Power Mode, Power Saving Options)
  • If I switch to the audio jack output, nothing is being played there, I can't hear anything through the noise no matter the loudness of the speakers (Which I tweak through and external knob for speakers volume)
  • The output Headphones - Family 17h (Models 10h - 1fh) HD Audio Controller is present when the speakers are plugged in the audio jack.

Here's the output of pactl list sinks:

Sink #1
    State: RUNNING
    Name: alsa_output.pci-0000_04_00.6.HiFi__hw_Generic__sink
    Description: Family 17h (Models 10h-1fh) HD Audio Controller Speaker + Headphones
    Driver: module-alsa-card.c
    Sample Specification: s16le 2ch 44100Hz
    Channel Map: front-left,front-right
    Owner Module: 24
    Mute: no
    Volume: front-left: 65536 / 100% / 0.00 dB,   front-right: 65536 / 100% / 0.00 dB
            balance 0.00
    Base Volume: 65536 / 100% / 0.00 dB
    Monitor Source: alsa_output.pci-0000_04_00.6.HiFi__hw_Generic__sink.monitor
    Latency: 23913 usec, configured 23220 usec
    Flags: HARDWARE HW_MUTE_CTRL HW_VOLUME_CTRL DECIBEL_VOLUME LATENCY 
    Properties:
        alsa.resolution_bits = "16"
        device.api = "alsa"
        device.class = "sound"
        alsa.class = "generic"
        alsa.subclass = "generic-mix"
        alsa.name = "ALC897 Analog"
        alsa.id = "ALC897 Analog"
        alsa.subdevice = "0"
        alsa.subdevice_name = "subdevice #0"
        alsa.device = "0"
        alsa.card = "2"
        alsa.card_name = "HD-Audio Generic"
        alsa.long_card_name = "HD-Audio Generic at 0xfc5c0000 irq 90"
        alsa.driver_name = "snd_hda_intel"
        device.bus_path = "pci-0000:04:00.6"
        sysfs.path = "/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:08.1/0000:04:00.6/sound/card2"
        device.bus = "pci"
        device.vendor.id = "1022"
        device.vendor.name = "Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD]"
        device.product.id = "15e3"
        device.product.name = "Family 17h (Models 10h-1fh) HD Audio Controller"
        device.string = "_ucm0003.hw:Generic"
        device.buffering.buffer_size = "352768"
        device.buffering.fragment_size = "176384"
        device.access_mode = "mmap+timer"
        device.profile.name = "HiFi: hw:Generic: sink"
        device.profile.description = "Speaker + Headphones"
        alsa.mixer_device = "_ucm0003.hw:Generic"
        device.description = "Family 17h (Models 10h-1fh) HD Audio Controller Speaker + Headphones"
        module-udev-detect.discovered = "1"
        device.icon_name = "audio-card-pci"
    Ports:
        [Out] Speaker: Speaker (type: Speaker, priority: 100, availability unknown)
        [Out] Headphones: Headphones (type: Headphones, priority: 200, available)
    Active Port: [Out] Speaker
    Formats:
        pcm

Note: I boot from an external SSD through a USB-to-SATA connector. This particular OS wasn't initially installed on the Razer machine. I initially installed it on another desktop machine. Right now I can't use that machine but I need the environment I created on the disk for my work, so I just took out the SSD and plugged it into my laptop. Doing a fresh install is not an option for now.

ziggy stardust avatar
rs flag
I didn't mention any popping. This is a constant, loud noise, that is present all the time.
ziggy stardust avatar
rs flag
I edited the question to make that part clear.
ziggy stardust avatar
rs flag
How is Windows handling this issue then? The noise is not present when Windows is booted.
ziggy stardust avatar
rs flag
Ubuntu is definitely not the source, but from the Windows example it is clear that something can be done on the software side of things to fix this.
ziggy stardust avatar
rs flag
Also, it's worth noting that when I select jack output as the main output of the system, nothing except the noise comes out of the speakers. If this driver worked correctly and the noise was present because of bad shielding, I would be able to hear other sounds through the noise.
ziggy stardust avatar
rs flag
Not saying that the shielding is good - it's not and this laptop series has this problem fairly often. My guess is that the driver is not working correctly and that's causing the device to act as if it wasn't even on.
HuHa avatar
es flag
Use the audio mixer (and if that doesn't work `alsamixer` in a terminal window) to move all those different mixer channels one by one to a lower setting or to "minimum". I had something similar some years back, and it turned out that I had "microphone boost" on which created a loud white noise on line out.
ziggy stardust avatar
rs flag
Tried playing around in `alsamixer` but it doesn't help, the noise is still there. But nice advice, the noise could definitely be caused by either `mic boost` or by the `Headphone Mic Jack Mod` being set to `Heaphone Out` instead of `Mic In`.
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