sudden load static noise comes out of my speakers

[Sossity]

I was listening to some mp3s in itunes from a usb external drive, on my mid 2010 mac pro, when all of a sudden a load static sound blasted from my external speakers when I adjusted the volume. Starleted me, and I quickly quit itunes to get it to stop.

what is happening? I just bought this computer about 2 weeks ago, I dont want to have to start diagnosing problems.

I have been gradually downloading and installing my apps onto the new samsung evo SSD drive that I put in the machine.

I am scared of something going drastically wrong.

I am currently running 10.9.5 on the mac pro

 

[DPUser]

well, you have choice:

1) Just try again. If it is a reproducible problem, troubleshoot.

Or

2) Take the Mac back.

Likely software, but without more info, I doubt anyone will be able to help you.

 

[Sossity]

well, you have choice:

1) Just try again. If it is a reproducible problem, troubleshoot.

Or

2) Take the Mac back.

Likely software, but without more info, I doubt anyone will be able to help you.

I thought you had given some info, but it seems to have happened when I had my portable hard drives connected via usb 3 cables, listening to iTunes from one, and then browsing for a files in parallels.

I had also recently installed wacky m drivers.

 

[AidenShaw]

I thought you had given some info, but it seems to have happened when I had my portable hard drives connected via usb 3 cables, listening to iTunes from one, and then browsing for a files in parallels.

I had also recently installed wacky m drivers.

In a classic scene from early cinema days, the patient says to the doctor, played by Groucho Marx,
“Doctor, Doctor! It hurts when I do this!” The patient lifts his arm in an awkward and clearly painful way.
Replied Groucho, “Then don’t do that.””

Seriously, though, you described that when you did three things at once "it hurt". Does it do it with any one of them, or any of them in pairs?

And, for thoroughness, how are the speakers connected. Wiggle the connections to see if that changes anything.

 

[happyfrappy]

Did you have your phone connected or near the table, such noise is common when a phone pings the tower or switches towers may it be GSM/CDMA/WCDMA/LTE.

The other possibility is the speakers are sensitive to OS X's power management of the audio chipset or electrical interference from the HDDs, there isn't really much to do unless you're willing to buy a USB based audio interface(ex: Focusrite Scarlett Solo) or something similar which doesn't have power management & uses a thick shielded USB cable.

Personally I don't use onboard audio on any Intel Mac, you can hear the power on/off of the pre-amp and sometimes a 60Hz hum or white noise bleed.

 

[Sossity]

View attachment 631283​

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Seriously, though, you described that when you did three things at once "it hurt". Does it do it with any one of them, or any of them in pairs?

And, for thoroughness, how are the speakers connected. Wiggle the connections to see if that changes anything.

thanks for the funny picture, but this does remind me, before the sudden static sound happened, when I tried to adjust the volume on one of the speakers, it was a bit crackly, but then it smoothed out and sound was ok.

I leavevmy computer speakers on all the time even after powering down my mac, should turn them off too?
[doublepost=1463264770][/doublepost]

Did you have your phone connected or near the table, such noise is common when a phone pings the tower or switches towers may it be GSM/CDMA/WCDMA/LTE.

The other possibility is the speakers are sensitive to OS X's power management of the audio chipset or electrical interference from the HDDs, there isn't really much to do unless you're willing to buy a USB based audio interface(ex: Focusrite Scarlett Solo) or something similar which doesn't have power management & uses a thick shielded USB cable.

Personally I don't use onboard audio on any Intel Mac, you can hear the power on/off of the pre-amp and sometimes a 60Hz hum or white noise bleed.

I do have a cellbpnone nearby, but not right near the speakers, and I do have a uforce 2 dac, that I am thinking of hooking up, but it will take up a usb port, I though of using a female ussb to audio 3.5 mm adapter, plugging into my audio out port on the back of my mac pro and then connecting the dac, to save a usb port, would this work?

 

[happyfrappy]

I do have a cellbpnone nearby, but not right near the speakers, and I do have a uforce 2 dac, that I am thinking of hooking up, but it will take up a usb port, I though of using a female ussb to audio 3.5 mm adapter, plugging into my audio out port on the back of my mac pro and then connecting the dac, to save a usb port, would this work?

Some phones can be ~5 feet and still produce audible interference, my old iPhone 5(CDMA) was the worst offender than any Cingular/T-Mobile WCDMA phone I've had in the past.
3.5mm to USB won't work, you could try a heavily shielded 3.5mm cable from Radio Shack or Best Buy but $25 is a bit overkill when a cheap 4 or 7-port external powered hub will do the job to free up several ports at the same price.

Your best bet is use a powered hub if you're using portable HDDs, that should give you extra room/space to keep the drives away from the 3.5mm audio cable. Generally you'll want at least 2-3 inches away from lightly shielded cables, this can be done via cable organizer tubing so you can redirect their resting position and velcro/tie it down. In the old G4/G5 days it was common to use one side of the handles to route USB cables away from 3.5 audio/audio gear USB cables with a velcro cable tie.