Weird noises with Platinum Headset

[giliiiiii]

Hello everybody,

 

not sure if this is the best place to look for help in tech support, but neither reddit nor Sony have been able to help me. I've been having a weird problem with my Platinum Headset for a couple of months. They will occasionally start making some crackling noises, a bit like interference or static but not exactly the same (I have experienced normal interferences and cut outs with my Gold Headset). If I have the VSS active, these noises seem to be coming from all around me, not just from the left or right. There are no cut outs, the PS4 sound is still audible but these crackling noises are all over it. Once this problem starts, it never stops unless I unplug and reconnect the dongle. If I simply turn the headset off and on, the problem apparently goes but it returns in a couple of minutes. Haven't been able to reproduce this problem with them wired or with my old Gold Headset, and it obviously doesn't happen with the HDMI output. Have already tried the usual: reset the dongle, reset and update the headset firmware, mute the mic, rebuild the PS4 database, change the router wifi channel... I have no bluetooth devices other than the Dualshock 4 and I'm sitting directly in front of my PS4 Pro.

 

I have no freaking idea at this point of what's actually wrong, and the problem seems to be getting worse. It used to happen just once a week or so, but now it happens maybe 4-5 times. Unless this is some very weird interference problem caused by some neighbour, I'm starting to think my Platinum Headset dongle is somehow defective. Other people have suggested it may be malfunctioning because it gets too hot, but that's actually not the case, it's warm but not hot, and it also has plenty of space around it, like my PS4 Pro.

 

Any ideas about it? If no one has had the same problem and there are no new suggestions on how to fix it, I think I may contact the retailer about it, as they are still under warranty.

 

Thanks in advance and best regards.

[Helyx]

2 hours ago, giliiiiii said:

Any ideas about it?

 

Could be a dirty USB port, or even possibly gunk stuck in the audio jack on the headset.

[Null_Spectre]

Rule out a dirty USB port first as it could be a grounding issue with the dongle given the issue disappears when it's wired.

I'd test it also on a PC to see if the noise follows or if it stays with the PS4.

And just to rule out local radio interference in your home have you tried testing with your own WiFi completely off?

Like you said it could also be interference from your neighbor, very common if you live in a built up area.

[giliiiiii]

Thanks for the replies, guys.

 

2 hours ago, Helyx said:

 

Could be a dirty USB port, or even possibly gunk stuck in the audio jack on the headset.

 

Doesn't happen with them wired, so the audio jack can't be the culprit. Maybe the USB connection...

 

1 hour ago, Null_Spectre said:

Rule out a dirty USB port first as it could be a grounding issue with the dongle given the issue disappears when it's wired.

I'd test it also on a PC to see if the noise follows or if it stays with the PS4.

And just to rule out local radio interference in your home have you tried testing with your own WiFi completely off?

Like you said it could also be interference from your neighbor, very common if you live in a built up area.

 

Yeah, I should check with the PC, even though I rarely use it outside of work right now...

 

About the WiFi, yes, I have also checked turning it off once those noises start, and it doesn't make any change, they are still there.

 

I have also tried both front USB ports in my PS4 Pro, and same thing happens. I'll try cleaning them and the dongle connector again, just in case.

 

I should also point that the problem doesn't happen right away, in case that wasn't clear. I may play for two, three hours, or more, and suddenly those crackling noises start. Noises only happen when there is sound coming from the PS4, when the game is silent, so are the headphones. Could be interferences, but I've never experienced any like these. As I said, once it starts, it's always there and never stops. With my Gold Headset I could get the occasional static noise or sound cut, but nothing like this.

 

Aside from the things I have already mentioned, I think I'll try the following:

1. Once the problem starts, resetting the dongle without unplugging it, see if that fixes the problem or I still have to unplug it.
2. Revert to my Gold Headset for a longer period, a week or so, and see if they also experience any similar problems.
3. Try with a friend's Platinum Headset and see if the problem still happens with it. In case it doesn't, try just with their dongle and my headphone, in order to rule out one element or the other.

 

[giliiiiii]

Just in case someone else is having this problem, I want to post a little update.

 

I've been able to make some tests with a different Platinum Headset and the problem still happened, so, against all my suspicions, the dongle is not the culprit. At this point I'm 100% sure it's not interference and that it has something to do with the PS4 rest mode. Haven't used it in two weeks, simply turning the machine off and on, and the problem has never happened. AFAIK, rest mode has been known to cause different minor problems in a variety of games and the PS4 itself, so it doesn't seem too crazy to me that one of the latest updates broke something there.

 

I'm now testing if powering off the USB sockets while in rest mode makes a difference. I'm not sure, but it could act the same as unplugging and plugging the dongle again, which, as I previously said, always fixes those sound issues.