Phillips 346E2CUAE Monitor creating static noise

[the007goose]

I'm getting loud static noise when I connect my Mac Book Pro to my Phillips 346E2CUAE monitor via usbc. I'm going into a focusrite audio interface from the laptop and have two Genelec powered monitors which are coming out of the main outs of the focusrite (no problem w/ these, they sound fine) and two EV monitors out of outputs 3 & 4 which have a ton of static. I've switched cables, plugged the EV's into the main outs and getting a ton of loud digital static. When I don't have the monitor connected, everything is fine. everything had been working fine up until today. I haven't updated anything on the laptop, it's strange the the two Genelec monitors aren't effected.

I'd love some input.

 

[Bill_Bright]

Static like this typically comes from poor grounding. Check all your cables (power and data) again to make sure they are securely fastened and not damaged. Swap them out for a test.

Make sure your wall outlets are properly wired and grounded to Earth ground. Every home and every computer user should have access to a AC Outlet Tester to ensure the wall outlet is properly wired and grounded to Earth ground. I recommend one with a GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupt) indicator as it can be used to test bathroom and kitchen outlets (outlets near water) too. These testers can be found for your type and voltage outlet, foreign or domestic, (like this one for the UK) at most home improvement stores, or even the electrical department at Wal-Mart. Use it to test all the outlets in the home and if a fault is shown, have it fixed by a qualified electrician.

Note that no two wall outlets have the exact same path to Earth ground. For this reason, if you have part of your setup (the computer, for example) connected to one wall outlet, and another part of your setup (a monitor, for example) connected to a different wall outlet, you may have two different ground potentials. That "difference in potential" can result in interference or "noise". It is much more common in home theater audio systems, but certainly can happen with the audio in computer systems too.

So if your outlet checker reveals all is good, and if you cannot power all your devices from one outlet, you may need to run one ground wire in a loop to each component to create a "common ground" for your system. Basic 22 AWG "Hookup" wire to a case screw on each case will establish that common ground.

Another possibility may be interference from another nearby device is being induced into your system. This can be a nearby TV, microwave oven, cell tower, Ham radio, something with a motor (like a refrigerator) or just about anything else. Making sure they all have proper grounds to Earth ground may help - though there's probably nothing you can do if coming from a cell tower.

 

[the007goose]

Thanks Bill. I Don't think this is a grounding issue, my other monitor works fine. I noticed when I plug this monitor into my system that I did get a little weird interference but it wasn't as loud as what I'm getting now versus my Apple monitor that I have been using.

 

[Bill_Bright]

I Don't think this is a grounding issue, my other monitor works fine.

One does not automatically lead to the other, nor does one eliminate the other. One monitor could be more susceptible to interference than the other monitor - either by design or via some fault or defect.

Good grounding does not just come from the wall outlet. It involves extending that "common" ground throughout the entire system - through power cords, power supplies, chassis, and essentially all circuits; power and signal/data. The motherboard inside your computer case, for example, is grounded to your case through 5 or 6 mounting screws, dozens of points along the rear, and through every cable connection, internal and external cables like keyboard, mouse and monitor cables.