[JamesL]

Well, i purchased the Denon AH-D1000's.. my first entry headphones since I've joined Head-Fi, and I'm really impressed.. I was listening to Rostropovich this morning and

... golden... incredibly smooth, yet textured.. like homemade vanilla icecream... mmm...

Anyways... I picked the Denons because they're way easier to drive than some of the more expensive dt880s, HD650s, etc.. and I thought I might as well start off small..
I have them plugged to the back of my PC with onboard sound, and I'm getting idle noise... and yeah, I got idle noise with my $20 speakers.. but I thought that was just because I had dirty power, or had cruddy speakers or something to that extent.

The idle noise is volume-dependent, and I'm not sure where to start.
EMI... PSU... Power source... on-board sound...
should I get a good soundcard? Should I try find a power-conditioner? Replace my PSU? A amp maybe(that'll probably amplify the idle noise..)

I think a usb 0404 would be a good start, but I live in a dorm with just one small tiny desk... and I'm a desk-clutter freak. Plus... all those buttons, dials, xlr connectors and such confuse me. It seems like it was targeted more for recording/audio creation than it was for casual listening.

 

[Susilo]

Why not just get an 0404 soundcard, rather than the USB (this would help with the small tiny desk....)

I would suggest to start with a soundcard, because with the Denon's your going to have to get a good soundcard anyway! hopefully it removes this idle noise!
Then it would be like having unlimited homemade vanilla icecream! (I love the analogy!)

 

[Tarkovsky]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JamesL /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have them plugged to the back of my PC with onboard sound, and I'm getting idle noise... and yeah, I got idle noise with my $20 speakers.. but I thought that was just because I had dirty power, or had cruddy speakers or something to that extent. The idle noise is volume-dependent, and I'm not sure where to start. EMI... PSU... Power source... on-board sound... should I get a good soundcard? Should I try find a power-conditioner? Replace my PSU? A amp maybe(that'll probably amplify the idle noise..) I think a usb 0404 would be a good start, but I live in a dorm with just one small tiny desk... and I'm a desk-clutter freak. Plus... all those buttons, dials, xlr connectors and such confuse me. It seems like it was targeted more for recording/audio creation than it was for casual listening.

The power supply on a normal PC feading your built in dac is very very noisy.

 

[ixeo]

i've experience the idle noise you speak of in my notebook out, pc out built-in audio out, sound card out. an external USB soundcard solved all the problems.