How to Fix Static Noise Issue in Linux

For those who have recently installed Linux and constantly hear a static noise from their audio devices, here's a quick fix to this problem.

Speakers emitting unwanted static noise can be a huge annoyance when trying to focus and can significantly hamper your productivity. It is not a pleasant sound to the ears as well. If you have recently switched to Linux and find your audio devices malfunctioning, this guide can help you troubleshoot your issues and fix static noise on Linux.

Why This Issue Arises?

Although audio devices emitting static noise may come across as a hardware or driver issue, the actual reason is much simpler. The reason behind your audio device emitting static or high-pitched noise lies in the power-saving settings of your Linux distro.

In some distros, power-saving modes on all peripherals are enabled by default to conserve battery on laptops and other battery-dependent systems. While it doesn't affect the system performance, there can be side effects, a good example of which is a malfunctioning audio device.

Disable Power Saving Mode in snd_hda_intel

To shut down the static noise from your audio devices, you have to turn off the power-saving mode of the snd_hda_intel audio module.

Start off by checking the value of the power-saving parameter of the snd_hda_intel module:

cat /sys/module/snd_hda_intel/parameters/power_save

This command should return the output one, indicating that the power-save mode is set to on. You need to change it to zero. Do this by manually editing the file with a Linux text editor or IDE or using the echo command in conjunction with the redirection operator.

You might need superuser privileges to execute this command. So make sure to spawn a root shell before you run the command.

sudo su
echo 0 > /sys/module/snd_hda_intel/parameters/power_save 

That's all you needed to do. Running this command might produce a "pop" sound from the speakers, and you should find the static noise, or the "buzzing" sound gone for good!

Enjoy Static Free Audio in Linux

With the audio issues out of the way, you can now focus on immersing yourself in the Linux experience. While you're at it, it wouldn't hurt to have a little melody as you go about your daily routine, and if you're a true audiophile, you should definitely check out some of the best music player apps on Linux.