Z370 audio very noisy on High Sierra 10.13.6

[BobDobbs]

Using the Gigabyte mobo in my profile; I have no problem getting the OS to recognize the audio chip set, but when I hook it up to an external amplifier via the stereo audio jacks, I get a ton of digital noise in the audio - in fact it's often louder than the actual audio.

This mobo has the Creative SoundCore 3D chip. I am using AppleALC, installed through MultiBeast; the system recognizes all sound devices and produces output. However, any disk or heavy activity on the computer produces buzzing and clicking noises which are very loud. My previous board (a Z68 with Realtek chip) was excellent and quiet, using the same cable and external hardware.

I have tried the stereo output on the back of the board, as well as the front panel outputs, and both are unusably noisy. I am thinking of switching to the optical output or perhaps a USB DAC (though I'd rather not use up all my USB ports for something that should already work on the board).

 

[toleda]

This mobo has the Creative SoundCore 3D chip

Not true, Z370N WIFI (rev. 1.0) | Motherboard - GIGABYTE U.S.A./ALC1220 120dB SNR HD Audio

 

[BobDobbs]

Ah, drat - I had it right in my signature but f*d it up in my profile - sorry. Corrected now - it's an AORUS gaming WIFI and here's an excerpt from the manual:

 

[toleda]

Post to Creative CA0132 codec discussion (Sound Core3D)