UPDATE: upon inspection, I had pinpointed the noise to be coming from the PSU unit. I have ordered a brand new PSU, and now the noise has gone!
Hi, I’ve been having issues for the past few days with my quad cortex. Whenever I power it on, I can hear a buzzing which seems to come from the internal components of the machine. I have attached a video to showcase the issue here: Video Unavailable
I’ve tried to:
unplug QC from my computer
put QC into its own power socket
turn off everything except for the QC
The noise clearly comes from inside of the device and it starts as soon as I power it on. Even if I then put the QC in sleep mode, the sound persists.
Has anyone else encountered this, or has an idea for a fix?
I get a similar sound when plugging into my computer to use cortex control but it only comes through my headphones, not the outside like yours. It’s so annoying I hardly plug in to my computer.
This is what Microsoft Copilot reported and recommended:
"Sounds like you’ve run into that mechanical buzzing issue a few other Quad Cortex users have noticed. On the Neural DSP community forum, one user reported a persistent buzzing sound coming from inside the unit—even when everything else was powered down except the QC itself. It wasn’t coming through the audio outputs; it was audible from the device’s chassis.
Since the Quad Cortex doesn’t have a fan, this type of noise could stem from coil whine or another component under load—potentially linked to power supply behavior. Some users have tried:
Plugging the QC into its own power outlet.
Disconnecting from USB or other gear.
Switching power adapters (if available).
Unfortunately, if the buzzing continues while in sleep mode and with minimal connections, it could point to a hardware issue. If that’s the case, your best bet would be to:
Record a short video of the noise (if you haven’t already).
Reach out to Neural DSP Support with the details and the recording.
Mention any testing you’ve done—like trying different power sources or cables."