Many cell phones, including Apple’s iPhone, can make your speakers emit a really annoying buzz if they get too close together. Luckily, there are alternatives beyond leaving your iPhone in a different room, and the fix I went for cost less than US$10.

I cut a substantial amount of the speaker buzz my iPhone generates by adding ferrite cores to my speaker wires. One core is on the audio cable that runs from my MacBook Pro to my desktop speakers, another is on the wire that connects the right channel speaker, and a third is on the speaker power cord.

One core on my audio out cable...

Ferrite cores are often added to USB and other computer cables because they help cut down on radio interference that could otherwise cause problems with data passing through from device to device. You’ll know if a cable has a ferrite core when you see a fat tube shape near one of the cable’s plugs.

Since these cores are molded into the cable’s plastic sheathing, I couldn’t easily pull one off of an old USB cable. Instead, I paid a visit to my local Radio Shack and picked up a two-pack of Snap Choke Cores for US$2.99. They are the same thing, but in a snap-on sheath so you can attach them to any wire you want. I attached one to my audio out cable, and the other to the wire that runs between my left and right speakers. I also picked up a Snap-Together Ferrite Choke Core for $5.29 and attached that to my speaker power cord.

...another on my right-channel speaker wire...

Both kits snap onto the wires easily, and only take a minute or so to install. According to Howstuffworks, you can gang up ferrite cores to block out even more radio interference.

While I am still getting some buzzing through my speakers, it’s substantially quieter and doesn’t happen as often. I still can’t set my iPhone next to my speakers, but I can get it much closer before that annoying buzz kicks in.

...and another on my speaker power cord.

Ferrite cores aren’t the only option for cutting down iPhone speaker buzz. lifehacker claims people have had success converting soda cans into radio shields. The trick is to keep the back of your iPhone facing your speakers, which for me unfortunately isn’t an option.

Outside of shutting off my iPhone or getting rid of my desktop computer speakers, I haven’t found a 100 percent sure-fire way to completely eliminate iPhone speaker buzz. Until I find that magic fix, however, ferrite cores are making that buzz far more tolerable.