Noise from headphones

Question

I've recently installed Ubuntu 14.04. When I plug my headphones in I hear an annoying noise . The noise is not influenced by the volume level as well as the software used. It is just always there. Any idea? I have a Dell M3800. I tried different kind of headphones but the white noise is there. This might help:

    card 0: HDMI [HDA Intel HDMI], device 3: HDMI 0 [HDMI 0]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 0: HDMI [HDA Intel HDMI], device 7: HDMI 1 [HDMI 1]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 0: HDMI [HDA Intel HDMI], device 8: HDMI 2 [HDMI 2]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 1: PCH [HDA Intel PCH], device 0: ALC668 Analog [ALC668 Analog]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0

Thank you in advance.

Solution 1

They say that it is fixed in kernel 3.16 so try this first.

sudo apt-get install linux-generic-lts-utopic

It didn't work for me so i tried the workaround found in the link below and that worked for me.

http://xps13-9333.appspot.com/#background_noise

mkdir -p /usr/local/bin
wget -O /usr/local/bin/white_noise_fix.py http://xps13-9333.appspot.com/root/usr/local/bin/white_noise_fix.py
chmod 744 /usr/local/bin/white_noise_fix.py

After that, disable the power saving mode of the audio card to prevent pop noises, electrical noises and, more importantly, the white noise, which otherwise will come back:

mkdir -p /etc/pm/config.d
echo INTEL_AUDIO_POWERSAVE=false > /etc/pm/config.d/snd_hda_intel

More information about the bug can be found here.

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/1315770

Solution 2

It can be Alsa boost or more likely you are using wireless mouse or some usb or wireless port that is right next to headphones jack and headphones intercept interference. The solution is to specially separate the jack and interference device. In my case it was wireless mouse and I just took usb extension cord + wireless Ian hub for mouse and connected it to use port furthest from headphones. Hope this helps

Solution 3

I had a similar problem, since I couldn´t find an answer for my problem I started synaptic and erased "alsa-base" and "alsa-utils". Reboot, no background sound anymore. Heaven. Hope it works

Comments

[Garrett]

This kind of works for me on my Dell M3800. After following all these steps, and then executing the Python script with sudo white_noise_fix.py the white noise goes away completely, but then it comes back, like if I close and open the Sound Settings. Also, when I restart my computer the white noise is back.

[Mikael Svensson]

In the beginning of the appspot link page you will find a script and instructions how to run it every startup.

[Bernhard Zürn]

Great helped me out on Dell 3800 Ubuntu 14.04

[najayaz]

I'd upvote this a thousand more times if I could. I searched the internet for like hours and couldn't find a working fix for this. Then I re-searched every page and looked at this answer. Half-heartedly, I thought that it couldn't hurt to try so I removed my wireless mouse dongle from the front USB port and BAM! Noise gone.

[thewebjackal]

How to do that? Can you please mention the steps?

[Easton Bornemeier]

Worked for me on my Asus Zenbook Ubuntu 16.04 -- thanks a ton!