I've got terrible feedback on my speakers when I turn them up over a certain volume (somewhere between 5-6, not really loud at all) and I have no idea how it started or what's causing it. I've moved the speakers all over the room (they're wired, but with long cords), away from everything else electronic that may be interfering, to no avail.

I'm using an older generation Altec Lansing 4.1 system that's never suffered any damage that I know about.

I've had them for several years and I've never had this problem before. Are my speakers just old and tired, or is there something I haven't tried yet? I'm not really an audiophile... it could be something ridiculously stupid that I'm doing or have done, so any suggestions are welcome.

Mute the microphone in the "playback" section of your sound card control panel. Keep it enabled only in the "recording" section.

Or better yet, use headphones.

I use headphones for gaming, but music is nicer when I can turn it up and fill the room.

Thanks for your help.