Just to chime in about the USB DAC route: if you get a Schiit Modi, try plugging it into a USB 2.0 port rather than a UBS 3.0 port (if you laptop has those options). I was getting noise on my Modi 3 DAC in the right channel whenever adjusting the volume while there was a signal. After plugging...

I have a Schiit Modi 3 and I got a cleaner signal when I plugged the USB cable into a different port on my desktop (motherboard). I don't remember where I read this, but somewhere someone suggested using a USB 2.0 port rather than a USB 3.0 port if you're getting noise on Schiit DACs where the...

Thank you! This helped me :)