Acer 22-inch X223W Widescreen Monitor Makes Audible Buzzing Sound
November 25, 2007
I picked up an Acer 22-inch widescreen monitor this past Thanksgiving at Circuit City for $169 (after rebates). It was a phenomenal deal and I was very excited. However, upon returning home and setting it up, I noticed a very audible buzzing sound coming from the back of the monitor. Everything else about it was great, but I could hear a sound coming from the back of the monitor. I tried googling some the problem but found only one other mention of it.
I called Acer, and told them I could hear a buzzing sound from the back of the monitor, and they said that it was probably defective, and that I should return it to Circuit City. I was skeptical that’d I’d find any in stores since it was a Black Friday purchase. However, I was able to find 1 monitor left in one of the stores and the store manager set it aside for me. When I got to the store last night, I went ahead and exchanged the monitor, but then asked if I could hook it up in the store before I took it back home since I had to drive an hour to get to the store. I hooked it up and…yes, there was still a buzzing sound. A few Circuit City employees listened to it and gave me odd looks like “What are you talking about? There is no sound.” But I could clearly hear it, even in the busy store. So, at that point, I had a few options:
- I could say, “screw it” and return the monitor. However, I would have to pay a 15% restocking fee, which would have been $35. $35 to pay them to take back an item which the manufacturer said was most likely defective.
- Exchange it for a different monitor, but I’d still have to pay the 15% restocking fee. I was looking at a 20-inch ViewSonic widescreen, but it was $229. So I’d have to pay $60 more for a monitor that was 2 inches smaller - and there was no guarantee that the ViewSonic wouldn’t make a similar buzzing sound.
- Or just take the original monitor back home with me.
I had also just sold my 19-inch monitor to a friend for $80, so after applying that money to the original monitor, it was really only costing me $89 for a 22-inch widescreen monitor. So, as much as I thought the buzzing might bother me, I decided that $89 was a great price and I called it a night.
After setting it up last night, I was right. It was still making that buzzing sound. Since I normally listen to music in the apartment or on my headphones, I hopefully won’t notice the sound as much as I think I will. And $89 is still an amazing price for this monitor which I’m overall very impressed with. If the sound becomes worse, I may look into discussing options with Acer. They said if a monitor was defective, I could send it in to them to get repaired, but the shipping charges would be on me. However, they said if Circuit City wasn’t being able to help (and in this case, it seems that perhaps they got a whole batch of monitors that buzz?) - that they would cover the shipping costs. I’m going to see how badly it bothers me and wait it out.
I really wish it didn’t have this issue - and I can hardly believe that this is just how they are meant to be as one Circuit City employee was trying to tell me last night: “Yah - I think all of these kind of monitors just make a buzzing sound.” Not helpful.
Tags: Tech Support Acer Monitor 22-inch
Posted in Rants, Technology
Adam Walker Cleaveland: I am a 28 yr old 
November 26th, 2007 at 12:43 am
I’ve had an Acer AL1916 19″ monitor for about a year now and have no problems to report.
Good luck with your replacement endeavor.
November 26th, 2007 at 7:38 am
Black Friday bites back! (just kidding - sorry to hear, man)
I bought a 22″ Acer LCD in May and haven’t had this problem, but the model number is slightly different.
Long shot tip: Any chance it’s the speakers in the monitor and not the LCD itself? Try plugging the speaker cable into your headphone jack or an iPod and seeing what happens.
November 26th, 2007 at 1:15 pm
I’m having the same problem! At first I thought I was going crazy, then I realized it was the damn monitor…so frusturating. I’m planning on returning it as soon as I can make time.
November 26th, 2007 at 3:52 pm
Adam, is the buzzing caused by an on-board fan. 22 inches is a pretty good size screen and probably produces a little heat. it wouldn’t surprise me if there was a fan making that buzzing sound. you can try to exchange it, but chances are the replacement will be just as annoying.
November 27th, 2007 at 1:09 am
I bought the same monitor on black Friday and have the EXACT same experience. The monitor works and looks great, but there is a slight buzzing sound (I assume the fan) that wasn’t there with my previous Acer 19″ widescreen LCD monitor. I love the Acer monitor brand…but this buzzing sound is a bit odd.
Adam - please let me know what you plan on doing and if you have any success. I might call up CC as well and ask what my options are. Right now I think I can tune out the buzzing sound but so far I notice it at all times…
November 27th, 2007 at 7:14 am
Hey guys,
I’m in the same boat - I can BARELY hear it and it’s much quieter than my PC is, but it’s a little bit higher pitched. It is particularly bothering me because I feel like if I buy something new, it should be free of problems. Of course, otherwise I’m absolutely in love with this monitor for $169, what a steal. Please post what you guys end up doing as far as returns and whether you have success.
I also don’t have any dead pixels on this one, so I’m hesitant to exchange.
November 27th, 2007 at 10:36 am
Adam - I’m amazed that’s the ONLY problem with a marked down Black Friday purchase. I’m guessing that they knew about it and figured this was the best way to get rid of them. Still, sorry that you are suffering for it.
I’m also amazed that 22″ fits in those 1bdr CRW apts!
November 27th, 2007 at 11:30 am
Adam,
Thanks for the update. It’s most likely the fan and a feature that was getting complaints…and why Acer decided to sell these for much less. I usually have a *real* fan on in my room which drowns out the noise…also music as well, so I think I’ll stick it out as well. Like you said, it’s a great price and a great monitor…minus the very minor (yet noticeable) frequency-sound of the monitor fan.
I’ll be sure to check your blog in a few weeks (if not sooner) to see if there is an update and/or to let you know how I’m dealing with it.
Take care.
November 28th, 2007 at 5:06 pm
Hey,
i bought 3 of the Acer 22″ X223W LCD Monitors, and two of them buzzed, i have used them continuously since i purchased them at circuit city on black friday and am happy to inform you that the buzzing has ceased completely, my guess being that its just a “break-in” noise from the power supply and/or backlight since it was new. i hope you all have the same results.
December 1st, 2007 at 2:52 pm
Hey,
My girlfriend & I bought the same monitors on Black Friday….They don’t make any noise at all…They are very nice monitors, and we couldn’t be happier with our purchase.
December 3rd, 2007 at 1:09 am
I also bought the same monitor at the black friday sale and it works perfect with no sound. I think since other people have had the same problem that there are defective ones out there. If it doesn’t go away like Tyler’s did, I would send it in to Acer for replacement. I’ve bought other stuff from them and found them to be a reliable company.
December 14th, 2007 at 1:18 am
I bought one on black friday as well. I just opened it up and it had that some annoying buzzing sound. I changed the LCD settings from User to Graphics and it seems to fix the problem
December 16th, 2007 at 1:54 pm
I also have the same buzzing noise coming from my Acer 22″ Monitor. It seems to go away if you angle the screen different ways (up or down)
December 24th, 2007 at 9:23 pm
I finally hooked up my BF Acer and it’s buzzing from behind the back as well. I have no dead pixels so I really don’t want to exchange. Damn.
December 24th, 2007 at 11:47 pm
I definitely have not noticed the buzzing sound anymore at all - so, I’m glad that I kept this monitor, because it was such an amazing deal!
December 25th, 2007 at 2:56 pm
Just an update - I have it now hooked up via the DVI cord, and also have it hooked up to a new desktop (compared to my laptop before which was whisper quiet), so the bottom line is I don’t hear anything anymore…either that or I forgot about it. Either way, I am now 100% satisfied with the monitor. :)
Merry Christmas everyone
December 31st, 2007 at 8:49 pm
Can’t hear any buzzing…. but I bought one of these and there was a white spot (dead pixel?) so I took it back for exchange and guess what……2nd monitor has same prob clearly seen on the black and dark blue…..now really fed up and wondering if the whole batch has this prob…seconds maybe? Bought from PC World UK Bristol. Not at seconds price….back it goes tomorrow…….no one else has mentioned this prob with this model… surprised. Happy New Year folks.
January 16th, 2008 at 2:03 am
Hey retards it’s feedback through the built in speakers, unplug the speaker cord and it will go away.
January 19th, 2008 at 3:36 am
That would be fantastic advice, Jeff, if there were speakers built into my monitor.
January 31st, 2008 at 11:46 pm
I got stuck with one of these too. I bought it recognizing a good deal… I have had two Acer monitors that have performed great for two years and never had any problems. So I decided to upgrade to something bigger.
I took it back to the store (a local computer store), and could not hear it there because it was much louder there than in my home. They were nice and gave me another anyways. So I went home and it did the same thing! I took the second one back to the store and they said that it was “my house’s dirty power supply” and that “I should call in an electrician”. Unfortunately for me, the store will not take returns even for an in-store credit, my other option was to pay another 50-60$ for a more expensive monitor or the same price for a smaller one that won’t be any bigger than the one I was intending to replace (which still works fine by the way). So now I am stuck with this buzzing piece of junk and I’m sure it will cost me 50$ or more to get Acer to fix the problem. I will think twice before ever shopping there again.
February 10th, 2008 at 3:11 am
Actually I had the problem with the dead white blotch. it went away but decided to come back again. I have no clue why it does this.
March 22nd, 2008 at 11:23 pm
Same problem. Loud buzzing. It must be comming from the backlight. Not cool at all. Very high pitched and very annoying. I’ve read on this fourm that people say it goes away. I really hope so. This is the thrid acer 22″ I’ve gotten, First two did’nt buzz but had a fleet of dead pixels. This one is flawless except for that intense buzzing. I can switch display modes to movies then to graphics. It goes away. But only takes two to three minutes for the sound to fade back. I thought it was my imagination but I just click the monitor off and am blown away how quite my room is all of a sudden. I really hope it is somthing that goes away after it goes threw it’s burn in period. Anyone else have the same problem and have it go away?
March 29th, 2008 at 5:27 pm
Yeah, its the damn speakers….my IIYama 19″ monitor suddenly started to make a weird annoying buzzing sound from the back after i changed my motherboard (different onbord sound) …. bottom line its the speakers, i OFFed them, will use something else, the high pitch sound is driving me crazy.
And oh yeah btw, there are no LCD monitors with fans inside lol, they dont generate soo much heat, thats the big deal about them, they use wery little energy, mine is 35W, so no heat .
Read on some other forum that the sound might also come from condensers or stuff like that inside the LCD spreading from the heat. the longer the sound keeps on, the shorter the life of the LCD. But i cant guarantee if its true or not.
Wish they would make a compact sized CRT monitor, best ever, too bad it takes a shitload of space :) , especially after 20″ .
March 30th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
I have the SAME problem, but with a diferent monitor (it’s a TFT not a CRT):
LG M228WD.
Since the first day, it also makes an annoying buzzing sound. It has speakers built-in, but the sound cames from back.
Also, I can hear it, but my family and others don’t hear it. I think that I can hear it and they don’t, because I’ve always had a really good ear.
This is the first monitor that I had to have this problem. I will have to change it to another.
March 31st, 2008 at 11:38 pm
Ive got the Acer 1916W with a high pitch sound from the back. Can be sorted by shoving some cardboard or similar between the power cable plug and the back of the screen. Stops it for me.
April 11th, 2008 at 11:26 pm
I picked up an Acer 22-inch widescreen monitor this past Black friday at Circuit City for $169 The model number is ETLAZ0904773903F173810
P/N: ET.LAZ09.047 and it worked perfectly for about 3 months. One day a few weeks back it started having problems. When I turn it on the monitor displays the Acer logo, and then my desktop for about 4 seconds. Then it turns itself off. When I attempt to turn it back on it will show my desktop for a second or two and then turn itself back off. No matter what I try I cannot make the monitor stay on for more than a few seconds.
I have tested the monitor on multiple computers with the same result. I can only assume this rules out my video card as the cause of the problem. If I place a different monitor in the same port it works fine.
Do you have any suggestions as to how I can fix this? Can I send it in to be repaired (I have only had the monitor a few months.)
April 13th, 2008 at 10:39 am
Adam thanks for posting about the buzz. Over all I’ve been quite happy with the monitor. I bought my Acer AL2223W last September and had no problems until last night. I haven’t taken it apart yet, but I suspect that there is a fan inside as the frequency of the buzz is inconsistent and seems to raise and lower as though oscillating like other “computer” fans I’ve heard. I also notice that as I increase and decrease the contrast and brightness that the sound variates. Since I live in the high desert of Oregon and there’s a lot of dust I suspect that, like other noise making computer devices, dirt the cause. Since most Black Friday specials are often former display models, you might try blowing air through the back panels vents and see if that clears up the noise. Also Plugging into the audio jack doesn’t make the buzz go away, for me. I have heard this sound before in my car audio systems and we used an inline filter to eliminate it; so a faulty mossfet heat dissipator could in fact be the cause of the buzz. Lastly, I live in my new home I just built, so I doubt the electrical supply issues others were advised to is the cause. Thanks again for your post and everyones input…good luck.
April 13th, 2008 at 10:44 am
One more thing, here’s a link to a youtube video with the sound I think we are all hearing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VHC6g8C8MI.
April 14th, 2008 at 7:46 pm
I’m having exactly the same problem as juan mentioned on April 11. I noticed that, when repeating turning it on and off yourself for about 50 times, it suddenly starts working for a couple hours. But it’s a temporary solution, any other options? Sending it in would match the price of a new monitor I guess…
April 16th, 2008 at 5:13 pm
Well it only took a few days of the buzz noise and my monitor died…specifically it turns on for a few seconds and then goes black. The buzz sound is caused by cool cathode tubes attached to the inverter, and sounds like a “buzzing” florescent light in a department store when failing. This may sound technical but its inexpensive and easy to fix yourself. I’m in the process of doing it now, and I’m using this tutorial http://www.instructables.com/id/Replace-LCD-Backlight-Inverter-on-Any-Monitor-for-/ to get it done. I’ll post my results in a few days when the parts arrive.
April 20th, 2008 at 12:51 am
Well just bought one myself .
after 5 hrs of use came the buz .
I used a hot key i setup with ATI tray tools to reset the video driver and teh buz went away, for now .. LOL
but more anoying is over 109 stuck pixels. in the very dark blue and red range , almost missed them untill i ran Udead pixel to check the monitor , and a solid black screen looked more like a star field.
The buzz i can work arround .. the stuck pixels … not so much
April 22nd, 2008 at 10:12 pm
I just got my Acer 24″ from newegg and I have this sound also! It is VERY high pitched and sort of just an annoying ringing. When I put my ear to the top of the monitor you can CLEARLY hear it. I have only been using it for about 30 minutes but it is very annoying. I am even shutting the monitor off every few minutes because this sound is starting to make my head throb. I am going to test this out for a week then call Acer.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:00 am
I got the Acer x223w yesterday from Circuit City for $169… It was listed at $269 but it came up $100 cheaper at the register…even the cashier was amazed at the low cost. I hooked it up and I have absolutely no noise coming from it.. its silent and great for the price. Couldnt be happier….
April 30th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
Finally got my new parts (cold cathode tubes), looks like they’ll work. I’ll post the results and a HowTo in a few days, in case anyone else needs to replace the lite tubes in this acer x223w monitor series.
DJ Ready Cee: I too purchased mine, nine months ago, at a great discount of $100 (msrp $329). I find most big name stores lower the price dramatically when they introduce a product line and when they are about to discontinue a line of products…for what its worth.
May 30th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
I just bought and Acer yesterday. It’s a 22 for around 169 with taxes and environmental fee so overall a great deal on a good sized monitor. I brought it home and discovered that Acer doesn’t ship their monitors with the digital cable, well that sucks so I head over to the store and purchase one for 50 bucks on top of the price of the monitor. Of course the fellow couldn’t give me a deal for some reason perhaps he’s lazy, or just a dick. Anyway… I plug in the monitor and it took me a while to get the settings to match my Mac monitor but after a lot of fiddling around I managed to get a nice sharp set up. It’s a good monitor, however I woke up today turned on my computer and now I hear a 60 cycle hum, not speakers and most likely a fan. Wow it is very annoying, I can not live with this. Cheap or not this is a problem no one should have to deal with. I am a music producer and this monitor is for my studio so I need a pretty quiet set up but even for personal home use this hum would drive me nuts. I can see it being hard to show an employee at a store if you hooked it up because of the noise in the store from all the other electronic equipment. All I know is… it’s going back today. Good luck with you guys, don’t take this crap, return your monitor and get a new one. Demand a better one for the same price, it’s a drag to box it back up and then deal with customer service. I’ll update you on my progress. Peace!
June 4th, 2008 at 11:06 pm
PEOPLE I HAd the same problem with the Lg 22 inch with the buzzing sounds. I worked out the Problem. Put the brightness Level on full and the sound stops instantly. The monitor must work on full brightness. If it gets to annoying just bring down the contrast. Problem Solved . Its a great Monitor for a great Price. Cheers
July 23rd, 2008 at 8:37 pm
# Joseph said:
June 4th, 2008 at 11:06 pm
PEOPLE I HAd the same problem with the Lg 22 inch with the buzzing sounds. I worked out the Problem. Put the brightness Level on full and the sound stops instantly. The monitor must work on full brightness. If it gets to annoying just bring down the contrast. Problem Solved . Its a great Monitor for a great Price. Cheers
As Joseph wrote, its stops right away if u change the brightness to 100.. GREAT.. No crazy sound anymore :P