Battling iPhone's GSM Buzz 2: Klipsch is a Turkey

Sat, 01/26/2008 - 9:49am — Jonathan Curtin

Edit: This is the second in a series of four articles on Battling iPhone's GSM Buzz. A solution to this issue is described in the fourth installment.

Oh, how I regret returning my M-Audio Studio Pro 3 Desktop monitors now.

This anonymous coward said:

I have Klipsch desktop speakers within 6" of my docked iPhone. Never a pop, click, hum, or buzz. (They sound great, too.)

This just goes to prove my theory that positive user reviews are always skewed. It's natural that people want to give a favorable impression of the product they bought because they don't want to feel like the fool who got taken in. I'm sorry, A.C., but the Klipsch have nothing on the M-Audio monitors. I'm listening to them as I write this, and later today, I'll be boxing them up and returning them to Amazon too.

The high end is tinny and sharp and the bass is overwhelming, and unlike the M-Audios, there is no midrange. Those nuances that I heard for the first time with the M-Audios all disappeared in the Klipsch pair. I'm glad I tried the M-Audios first because I never would have known what I was missing.

And the Klipsch pair are not very loud at the limit. While the sound quality isn't great on my cheapo pair of Logitech speakers, at least you can hear them clearly in the next room--they were even louder than the M-Audios, but the M-Audios made up for lower volume with better detail.

Another beef--the Klipsch pair have a large brick that is hardwired to the power cord. I really don't like extra clutter under my desk...

But the worst thing about the Klipsch Groove PM20 2.0 Speaker System is the GSM buzz. I had my iPhone docked when I installed the speakers. I plugged the speaker cable into my sound card and then plugged the speakers into my surge protector. I immediately got the dreaded "bup, bup ba dup, bup ba dup, bup ba dup, bzzzzzzzzzzz" that I have heard in every 2.0 speaker set I've tried so far. And the buzz was louder, shriller, more constant, and way more annoying than with the M-Audio monitors.

2.0 Speaker	Logitech R-10	M-Audio Studio Pro 3	Klipsch Groove PM 20
cost	$17.02	$89.28	$96.06
GSM Buzz	bad	moderate	bad
Sound quality (out of 10)	5	8.5	6
Diminishing returns, anyone?

As an aside, I want to point out that I often charge my iPhone with my old iPod firewire cable on the interim computer I'm using at work, which is an Intel iMac. The built-in iMac speakers have never had interference of any kind, and I'm pretty sure that's because of the lack of external cables. I mentioned in the comments of the other piece that I did, in fact, purchase ferrite cores at Radioshack for the speaker cables, and they failed to prevent GSM buzz at all. I tried the two kinds of cores available at RS in multiple configurations, and nothing worked, so I returned them too.

Will I be repurchasing the M-Audio pair? No. As good as the sound was, they still didn't live up to the reason I was shopping for new computer speakers in the first place: to overcome the GSM buzz from my docked iPhone. Anonymous Jim claims he has no GSM buzz with his USB connected speakers, and I'm interested to hear other people's impressions of that interface.

I'm not sure a lot of speaker manufacturers are going to scramble to fix this issue because the inevitable solution is the ascendancy of UMTS and the death of GSM. Perhaps we should focus our disappointment on Apple, for rushing this phone to market on an inferior network. I personally doubt there will be any UMTS/3G iPhone for another four and a half years, until the initial contract with the Death Star is over, but I've been wrong before. Discuss amongst yourselves.

Comments

I have the Bose Companion

Sat, 01/26/2008 - 11:36am — Jeff (not verified)

I have the Bose Companion 5's on my 24" iMac and I sync two iPhones to my iMac. They connect via USB and I have ZERO GSM buzz. Hope that helps.

Long analog line-level audio

Sat, 01/26/2008 - 1:22pm — Andrew (not verified)

Long analog line-level audio cables are magnets for interference. The voltage is quite low, and the amplifier in the speakers will work its magic on both the signal and the noise together, if not properly planned for.

The iMac is superior because there are likely no line-level analog leads anywhere in the box (the DAC probably goes straight into an amplifier stage) and regardless, the whole enclosure is well-shielded. USB speakers should solve your problem in an equivalent manner.

Others have mentioned balanced audio cables, which is how the problem is solved in professional studios, but not really appropriate to convert from a 1/8" stereo headphone jack, just to run a few feet, convert back, etc.

In the non-USB world, you would want to find a very well-shielded input line, shielded connectors, and shielding inside the speaker that houses the power supply (if internal), and amplifier. An external power supply is OK too, as long as the mfr filters the DC on the inside of the amp-speaker...

Please keep us updated with the results of your further testing, even a USB set could be damaged by dumb design decisions. You can't tell from the specs or literature, only by trying them out.

Audio response is subjective, but some products just suck.

i can't say i have

Sat, 01/26/2008 - 1:36pm — kevin (not verified)

i can't say i have experience here, but what about bluetooth speakers?...i know parrot and sony make some...i know the parrot's get good ratings on sound, but they cost a bundle...i've been wanting to purchase some for a while because i have limited space in my environment to place wired speakers, so 10 ft across the room would help me tremendously...and then there would be no buzz from my iphone...

What about purchasing a pair

Sat, 01/26/2008 - 2:03pm — Martin (not verified)

What about purchasing a pair of speaker with digital optical input? I think there's one from Creative (probably with "not so good" sound). The optical line is surely insusceptible to GSM buzz. As another comment already mentioned, it should only be a problem with the input signal, the high power signal travelling from Speaker to speaker shouldn't be affected.

usually it's not the

Sat, 01/26/2008 - 2:50pm — zzz Coward (not verified)

usually it's not the speakers but all the wires.

Get good wires and avoid making a mess out o them. Messy cables especially forming any loops form an antenna for RF.

Or go digital.

http://www.thomann.de/de/fostex_6301d.htm

Come on... 8.5 of 10 to the

Sat, 01/26/2008 - 4:55pm — zevah (not verified)

Come on... 8.5 of 10 to the m-audio studio pro 3....

Did you ever tested a genelec, event or something like that?

THAT is a 8.5....

zevah- It's obvious that the

Sat, 01/26/2008 - 6:11pm — Anonymous Coward (not verified)

zevah-

It's obvious that the author is not talking about pro reference monitors. He's talking about DESKTOP quality computer speakers, and basing his scale on that.

I believe the BX5A's by M-Audio are their lowest level "pro" reference monitor, and while they sound great, not much by M-Audio can be directly compared the genelec or event fairly. Don't let the Pro in the M-Audio name throw you.

I am the Anonymous Coward

Sun, 01/27/2008 - 7:06am — The Same Anonymous Coward (not verified)

I am the Anonymous Coward who posted about the Klipsch speakers. I stand by my comment. 1 year, and not a buzz, click, pop, or humm,,,

My model preceded the Groove PM, so I can't comment on those, but mine are rock solid and quiet. I charge my iPhone using the old USB/Firewire dual cable. It runs less than 6" from the audio cable.

Can you please provide the

Sun, 01/27/2008 - 2:05pm — Jonathan Curtin

Can you please provide the exact model number? Is it USB powered or plugged into your sound card?

It sounds like there could

Mon, 01/28/2008 - 9:45am — Amy (not verified)

It sounds like there could be something wrong with the set of Klipsch speakers you received. Mine don't sound at all like what you described.

How could anyone put Event

Tue, 01/29/2008 - 9:16pm — mscot (not verified)

How could anyone put Event and Genelac in the same sentence? Events are not in the same universe as the Genelacs. Even the Mackie monitors sound poor compared to the genelacs. If you disagreee, I have a pair of Event PS6 in perfect condition that I'll gladly trade for your Genelacs. :P

That said. the M-audios are great desktop speakers. I have a pair of the dx4s.

Why did you return the m-audios?

I'm not sure if this is the

Wed, 01/30/2008 - 2:08pm — Tom (not verified)

I'm not sure if this is the type of speaker you're looking for, but the speakers I currently use have surpisingly had zero buzz from my cellphone. I'll tell you my setup and hopefully this can help you.

I have my Treo 650 docked right next to my Harmon/Kardon SoundStiks, their latest model. Their signal comes from the analog 1/8" output on my MacbookPro. I've taken phone calls, receieved phone calls, all without any noise in my speakers. I hope this helps!

Your Mom liked the Klipsch

Sun, 04/20/2008 - 5:16pm — 9to5Mac Jack (not verified)

Your Mom liked the Klipsch as her head slammed my headboard.

iphone

Thu, 07/10/2008 - 4:52am — software outsourcing (not verified)

The iPhone's headphones are similar to those of current iPods, but also incorporate a microphone. A multipurpose button in the microphone can be used to play or pause music, skip tracks, and answer or end phone calls without touching the iPhone.