[fire2havoc]

I have the Audio-Technica ATH-AD700s which I have been happily using for about 6 months now with an Auzentech X-Fi Forte sound card. They have been working perfectly until yesterday, when I may have accidentally left them on with some music playing a bit too loud (I usually toggle between my PC speakers and headphones). Now, it seems that the right headphone emits a slight static clicking noise. It is not loud by any means but I can hear it if everything is perfectly silent.
 
Did I damage the headphones by playing the music too loud? That would be a shame. Any tips you can give to help me get rid of the static noise would be much appreciated.
 
 
Thanks.

 

[jschristian44]

to me it sounds like you ruined the driver.  but im not an expert by any means, so dont take my advice fully.  but the ad700's are known for their highs not bass, so itd be more unlikely you ruined the driver.  maybe just have them settle a little bit and it will go away.  leave them on a couple days for pink noise or white noise at a medium volume.

 

[Region2]

Can you try another source to see if it is indeed your headphones?

 

[fire2havoc]

The music wasn't excruciatingly loud...I just replayed it. Louder than usual but not anything loud enough to blow the drivers. It wasn't even playing for a long time...maybe 15 minutes at most.
 
I should clarify...the static noise I hear sounds more like an intermittent hissing than a clicking.

 

[Region2]

See if you can try it from another source like a cdplayer or a dap or something else other than your computer.  If it's a hiss, it could be there there's some interference coming from somewhere.  I really doubt playing headphones a little louder than usual and only for 15 minutes will destroy them.

 

[fire2havoc]

Quote:

See if you can try it from another source like a cdplayer or a dap or something else other than your computer.  If it's a hiss, it could be there there's some interference coming from somewhere.  I really doubt playing headphones a little louder than usual and only for 15 minutes will destroy them.

Excellent idea! Please excuse me, but I'm tired after work and didn't think of that.

I just plugged them into my mp3 player and there is no static to be head. However, this puzzles me because nothing has changed in the last few days which would cause my computer to emit static noise.

 

[Region2]

Quote:

Excellent idea! Please excuse me, but I'm tired after work and didn't think of that.

I just plugged them into my mp3 player and there is no static to be head. However, this puzzles me because nothing has changed in the last few days which would cause my computer to emit static noise.

Did you put your cell phone near your computer?

 

[fire2havoc]

Quote:

Did you put your cell phone near your computer?

Not any closer than it usually is.

 

[Region2]

Quote:

Not any closer than it usually is.

It could be the cellphone, but if it's an onboard soundcard the increased volume probably amplified the interference in your computer.  You might not have noticed it at a lower volume, but noticed it at a louder one.  But at least you know your cans are fine and that's the most important part 

 

[fire2havoc]

Quote:

It could be the cellphone, but if it's an onboard soundcard the increased volume probably amplified the interference in your computer.  You might not have noticed it at a lower volume, but noticed it at a louder one.  But at least you know your cans are fine and that's the most important part 

 
I'm not using onboard sound. There was a ton of static when that was the case, which is why I purchased an Auzentech X-Fi Forte sound card. After that, there was no discernible static at all. Now I can hear this faint static and I'm trying to make it go away. I'm almost certain it is not the cellphone as I have now moved it far away from the headphones.

 

[jschristian44]

see i told you someone would help you.  i never thought of connecting to another source, great idear.

 

[Region2]

Quote:

 
I'm not using onboard sound. There was a ton of static when that was the case, which is why I purchased an Auzentech X-Fi Forte sound card. After that, there was no discernible static at all. Now I can hear this faint static and I'm trying to make it go away. I'm almost certain it is not the cellphone as I have now moved it far away from the headphones.

Alright.  I'm just throwing out ideas since I have very info to work on.  I don't want to say your sound card is defective or that it's going, so I rather check to see if it's something else.  You might to play around with the settings of your sound card a bit.  Sometimes disabling the microphone or something odd like that will fix the problem.  Unfortunately it's been a while since I've looked at a proper sound card since I much prefer external devices to process it all, but it'd be worth trying to play with your settings.

 

[fire2havoc]

Quote:

Alright.  I'm just throwing out ideas since I have very info to work on.  I don't want to say your sound card is defective or that it's going, so I rather check to see if it's something else.  You might to play around with the settings of your sound card a bit.  Sometimes disabling the microphone or something odd like that will fix the problem.  Unfortunately it's been a while since I've looked at a proper sound card since I much prefer external devices to process it all, but it'd be worth trying to play with your settings.

I'll give the settings a try...although I'm still puzzled because they have been working static-free for 6 months and I haven't changed any settings or done anything that would otherwise cause static to become more prominent. Strange indeed...

 

[dxps26]

"Have you tried turning it off and on again???"
 

 
but, in all seriousness- try removing your card from the board, deleting all the software/drivers associated with it, reboot and re-install. There should be no reason why your card is acting up now, unless it's just a simple loose connection or whatever. If the problem persists, your card may be at fault.

 

[fire2havoc]

Quote:

"Have you tried turning it off and on again???"
 

 
but, in all seriousness- try removing your card from the board, deleting all the software/drivers associated with it, reboot and re-install. There should be no reason why your card is acting up now, unless it's just a simple loose connection or whatever. If the problem persists, your card may be at fault.

So I just removed the sound card, cleaned all of the surrounding dust, and plugged it back in. Static is still there and even became more noticeable.

 
Now there is a more prominent 'ambient' static aside from the regular clicking. I can't understand what could be at fault. Could a sound card work flawlessly for 6 months and all of a sudden go bad? Maybe I should try to plug in another set into the card to see if the static persists.
 
I was originally concerned that I accidentally blew out the headphone drivers, but they seem to work just fine with an old iPod so it seems to be either the sound card or something causing interference. Any ideas?