Audio Output Buzzing, PC --> Stereo

[My Ugly PC]

A little help would be very much appreciated, thank you,

 

When I connect my PC audio out to my stereo I get a loud buzzing that drowns out most of the sound. I disconnected all other inputs to my stereo, check the cabling a hundred times, I even tried plugging the stereo into the same power outlet as my PC. I'm only trying to hook up stereo sound, not surround:

 

Sound Blaster Live 24-bit Line Out 1 --> Receiver L & R

 

Thats it. Same line out that treats my PC stereo speakers just fine. If I remove L or R from receiver, the buzzing remains, however if I touch the removed connector to a metal point on the back of the receiver the buzzing stops. So naturally I tried to use a copper wire to connect it to that point while still plugged in, but that just results in a loss of the channel. Contact to the metal on back of the receiver alleviating the buzzing makes you think its a ground related issue, but when connected to the TV audio input L&R there is no buzzing or any other audio problem, that just seems contradictory to a ground issue being at fault because then the TV(plugged into same surge protector, all other factors same as well) should also have the buzzing. IDK what to do now, I'm at a loss. Hopefully the DIY-Street braintrust has some better ideas than I did...

 

Thanks in advance/anyway,

Ugly

[red930]

How well is your sound card grounded to your case? Paint might interfere enough to give you the distortion.

[shatteredsteel]

I agree with the grounding issue, but I would check the stereo end of everything, also check the adapter that you're using with your sound card, also, where did you attach the ground wire you tried. It should be attached to the one nearest the base of the connector.

 

Have you tried hooking another component in your system to the same set of inputs on your reciever? If the plugs themselves are not soldered properly to the PCB inside that is another cause of interferance.

[My Ugly PC]

How well is your sound card grounded to your case? Paint might interfere enough to give you the distortion.

 

Screwed into the case's expansion slot, nothing more. The metal is powder coated as you suggested, but the inside of the hole the screw goes is bare with no coating of any kind. So the metal on the card's i/o panel --> screw --> bare metal inside screw hole. I'll test it with a definite ground after I test the stereo more thoroughly as shatteredsteel suggested.

 

I agree with the grounding issue, but I would check the stereo end of everything, also check the adapter that you're using with your sound card, also, where did you attach the ground wire you tried. It should be attached to the one nearest the base of the connector.

 

Have you tried hooking another component in your system to the same set of inputs on your reciever? If the plugs themselves are not soldered properly to the PCB inside that is another cause of interferance.

 

I just burrowed a PS2 from a friend for this purpose, I'll use that to test the exact same stereo inputs independent of the PC.

 

Thanks for the suggestions guys, I've got a few more things to try.

 

Ugly