Sudden Buzzing Sound thru Wireless USB headset only when playing Apex Legends on PC

Question

Sudden Buzzing Sound thru Wireless USB headset only when playing Apex Legends on PC

J 0

Hi all. I am in desperate need of help as I have had this problem since October. All of a sudden my PC has been having serious audio issues with apex legends. It causes buzzing sounds through my headset anytime i try to play the game. this issue does not happen with any other games.

i have done everything from uninstalling/reinstalling drivers including hidden ones, updating chipsets, i have tried another pair of usb wireless headsets, bluetooth, and wired and they all make the buzzing with apex so i know it is not my headset. i also used a usb isolator and have confirmed that this is not ground looping noise that i am hearing. i have gone into windows sound and turned off all enhancements and stuff like that. i have even rolled back windows updates to see if that helps and it did for a day and then all of a sudden the buzzing came back.

i genuinely cannot figure out what is wrong. i used to be able to play apex just fine and now i cant play at all because this buzzing noise is so intense and loud. also to note: it doesn't happen with lobby sounds or when loading in. it only happens in game.

i have used directx diagnostic tool and it says that there are no problems found with anything including sound.

the only thing that i have found and i am not sure if this is the issue is that my drivers for my headset say "failure to migrate". however, there are no drivers available for the headset that i have AND the buzzing happens despite the headset i am using...

i am in desperate need of help. i am not sure if this is a windows 11 issue or what.

PC specs:

asus tuf gaming b-650 plus wifi

AMD Ryzen 5 7600X 6-Core Processorb (4.70 GHz)

Radeon 7800XT Merc GPU

corsair vengeance 32GB RAM

WD Blue SN580 1TB SSD

Windows 11 home 25H2

J 0 Reputation points

2025-12-15T17:20:41.8066667+00:00

Hi aron. Thanks for the clarification. Both my output and input (mic) exclusive mode boxes are unchecked.

no, i have not tried launching apex with those options. I do use Steam so I would appreciate if you could tell me which to put. thanks.

3 answers

Your answer

J 0 Reputation points

2025-12-15T17:20:41.8066667+00:00

Hi aron. Thanks for the clarification. Both my output and input (mic) exclusive mode boxes are unchecked.

no, i have not tried launching apex with those options. I do use Steam so I would appreciate if you could tell me which to put. thanks.

Answer 1

Since you’ve already tried the common fixes and launch options, here are some deeper steps that often help with stubborn Apex audio issues.

First, repair or reinstall Apex through Steam or EA App to rule out corrupted audio files.

Next, try adding +snd_mixahead 0.05 to your launch options, which reduces the audio buffer size and can eliminate distortion.

If that doesn’t work, temporarily disable onboard HD audio in your BIOS, as some Ryzen boards have conflicts there.

Make sure your Realtek and AMD audio drivers are fully updated, even if you’re using USB headsets, because the system audio stack still relies on them.

Another good check is running LatencyMon to see if any drivers are causing high DPC latency, which can lead to buzzing under load.

If everything looks fine and the issue persists, the fallback fix is to force WASAPI shared mode by installing VB-Audio Virtual Cable and routing Apex through it, this often stabilizes audio when the game engine misbehaves.

If none of this work, the last resort is rolling back to an older Apex patch, if possible, since this could be a bug introduced in a recent update.

Since muting in-game audio removes the buzzing, this is almost certainly an Apex engine issue, not hardware.

Answer 2

Anonymous

Hey, I get how annoying that buzzing can be when you just want to play.

Based on what you’ve described, the issue sounds like Apex are triggering an audio conflict in Windows rather than a headset problem, especially since it only happens in-game and across different devices.

This usually points to exclusive audio mode or mismatched sample rates under heavy load.

A good first step is to check your sound settings: open your playback device properties, go to the Advanced tab, and uncheck “Allow applications to take exclusive control,” then set both playback and recording to the same sample rate as 48 kHz.

Also, disable any spatial sound options like Windows Sonic or Dolby Atmos.

If that doesn’t help, try plugging the headset into a rear USB port and make sure USB power-saving is turned off in Device Manager.

Quick question, does the buzzing stop if you mute all in-game audio or lower the sound quality settings in Apex?

That will help confirm if it’s the game engine causing the interference.

Regards,
Aron

Anonymous

2025-12-15T17:02:41.9533333+00:00

Got it, thanks for clarifying that detail. Since the buzzing only happens during gameplay and your headset is locked to 16-bit 48 kHz, that rules out sample rate mismatches and confirms this is tied to how Apex handles audio under load.

At this point, the most likely cause is an interaction between the game’s audio engine and Windows’ USB audio stack, often triggered by exclusive mode or high CPU/GPU usage creating latency spikes.

Here’s what I’d suggest next: try disabling “Exclusive Mode” for your playback device if it’s still enabled, turn off any spatial sound options, and test Apex with audio quality set to low in its settings to see if the buzzing changes.

Also, plug the headset into a rear USB port and make sure USB selective suspend is disabled in Device Manager.

Quick question, does the buzzing stop if you mute all in-game audio or run Apex in borderless window mode?

That will help confirm if it’s the game engine causing the interference.
J 0 Reputation points

2025-12-15T17:10:16.4633333+00:00

Hi Aron. sorry, but how do i get to the playback device properties? i can't seem to find this.

i know i do have spatial sounds and enhancements turned off already. Also, the buzzing doesn't change no matter what USB port I use. I have tried all USB ports on my PC. Also, USB power saving is already turned off.

i just loaded into a quick match after doing as you suggested and heard the buzzing. however, when i lowered the master volume to 0 in-game i do not hear any buzzing at all.
Anonymous

2025-12-15T17:12:29.4766667+00:00

Thanks for confirming all that, it’s really helpful. Since the buzzing disappears when you set the in-game master volume to zero, that tells us the issue is definitely tied to Apex’s audio engine rather than Windows or your headset hardware.

The game is likely sending corrupted or overloaded audio signals during gameplay, which can happen if exclusive mode or certain audio APIs are being used.

To get to the playback device properties, right-click the speaker icon in your taskbar, select Sound Settings, then under Output, click your headset and choose Device Properties > Additional Device Properties.

From there, go to the Advanced tab to check the exclusive mode boxes.

If those are already unchecked, the next step is to test Apex with audio quality set to low and disable any “Raw Input” or advanced audio options in the game settings.

Quick question, have you tried launching Apex with the +snd_use_hrtf 0 command or adding +audio_engine 1 in the launch options?

These can force the game to use a different audio path and often fix buzzing issues.

Want me to give you the exact steps for adding those launch options in Steam or EA App?
J 0 Reputation points

2025-12-15T17:21:09.36+00:00

Hi aron. Thanks for the clarification. Both my output and input (mic) exclusive mode boxes are unchecked.

no, i have not tried launching apex with those options. I do use Steam so I would appreciate if you could tell me which to put. thanks.
Anonymous

2025-12-16T14:06:57.1733333+00:00

Great, thanks for confirming that. Since the buzzing disappears when you mute Apex, it’s clear the issue is coming from the game’s audio engine and not your headset or Windows settings. The best next step is to force Apex to use its older audio engine, which often fixes this kind of distortion. In Steam, go to your Library, right-click Apex Legends, select Properties, and under Launch Options paste this: +snd_use_hrtf 0 +audio_engine 1. Then restart Steam and launch the game to test. These commands disable HRTF and switch to the legacy audio engine, which should reduce or eliminate the buzzing. Quick question, do you have any third-party audio software installed like EQ apps or virtual mixers, or is Windows handling all sound? That can sometimes interfere too. Let me know how it goes after adding those options.
J 0 Reputation points

2025-12-16T14:44:55.22+00:00

hi aron. i just did as you suggested and it still causing the buzzing. i have no 3rd party audio software's installed. this is so frustrating as I was able to play this game perfectly fine months ago and now all of a sudden i can't :c

Answer 3

Hello J,

Windows 11 Home can have some new issues, especially when you've connected speakers. Have you tried looking at your volume amplifier settings to make sure they are set to +10 only? If not, that may be causing the buzzing issue. To do this, just open up the Windows Search Box and type in "Control Panel" and open the Control Panel. Then, search for sound in the search box in Control Panel and open it up. Then, double click your speaker, and configure it like this. Go to advanced, then Default Format. Select the 24 bit, 48000 Hz level, then select Test. You should hear less buzzing. When you are done, click OK and exit out of all other pop-ups and restart your computer. If this doesn't help, feel free to reply so we can diagnose further. If this answer helped, please click Accept Answer so I know your issue has been solved.

I hope this helps,

PG User's image

J 0 Reputation points

2025-12-15T17:01:20.1133333+00:00

Hi PG. I have done what you suggested many times already. My headset can only do 16 bit 480000 Hz. Also, I don't hear any buzzing unless i am playing apex so whenever I test the audio it always sounds completely normal.

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Sudden Buzzing Sound thru Wireless USB headset only when playing Apex Legends on PC

3 answers

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