[Mrvile]

When I plug my headphones into the headphone jack of my laptop, I get a high pitched whine that doesn't go away when I mute it or change the volume. However, I did notice that when the computer is working (doing that grinding sound) the whining goes away, but comes back as soon as the comp stops working. I've tried it with multiple low-impedance headphones and it's present with all of them. Does anyone know what's wrong?

 

[roastpuff]

Fan? Lots of stuff inside computers make EM noise...

 

[kramer5150]

Low impedance / high sensitivity IEMS are notorious for this with laptop PCs. IMHO IBM thinkpads are actually pretty good in this respect.

Try plugging your HD580s in, does the noise go away?
If you have a portable amp you might give that a try. The amp will present a higher impedance load to the laptop. If its a low enough gain amp, it theoretically should decrease the noise.

 

[flashnolan]

Try muting the mic input in the control panel. The whine could also be a CD spinning in the drive.

 

[Sherlock19]

i have a headphone jac issue on my ibook g4, i can only hear out of one ear when i plus in my headphones, and the same headphones work perfect on my ipod.

 

[speedball]

I don't think there's anything wrong with your laptop jack, because mine has some serious background noise too. I think it's just a general issue with using headphones with a laptop - since everything is so tightly crammed in, you get a ton of emi.

 

[Mrvile]

Well it's not the CD, and muting the mic doesn't do anything. Will getting one of those cheap in-line attenuators help? It might degrade the sound a bit but at this point I really don't care.

Kramer - I don't have my HD580's anymore

right now I only have the RP21, EP630, and KSC75 which are all rather low impedance. I have a pair of DT880 coming in the mail, hopefully those will be better.

Arg. This might spur me to get an amp/DAC.

 

[flashnolan]

Sounds like you are getting disparate so lets try some more crazy ideas. Try booting into safe mode and see if the noise is still there. Try unplugging your hard drive and boot the computer (won't get past your BIOS but that is ok) and see if the noise going away. Try plugging an external mic into the computer mic jack (head phones could work too as a mic is just a speaker in reverse) and see if the noise going away.

 

[Mrvile]

Quote:

Originally Posted by flashnolan /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sounds like you are getting disparate so lets try some more crazy ideas. Try booting into safe mode and see if the noise is still there. Try unplugging your hard drive and boot the computer (won't get past your BIOS but that is ok) and see if the noise going away. Try plugging an external mic into the computer mic jack (head phones could work too as a mic is just a speaker in reverse) and see if the noise going away.

Heheh...I'm not that desperate. I already have an idea what the problem is, I'm just looking for a way to fix it.

Right now I'm actually thinking about picking up an E-MU 0202 USB which will hopefully eliminate any problems I might have with the headphone jack and EMI. Oh and btw, do the E-MU USB soundcards have to be plugged into a wall outlet or are they powered directly from the USB port?

 

[craiglester]

Not a new Inspiron is it?

Or is it a core 2 duo?

Both are known for the interference from the processor. It's to do with power state switching. RMClock can be used to stop a lot of the noise, but doesn't always get rid of it all.

I just returned an Inspiron to Dell for this very reason. On mine it was making the noise all the time, muted or not. Very annoying

 

[flashnolan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mrvile /img/forum/go_quote.gif Heheh...I'm not that desperate. I already have an idea what the problem is, I'm just looking for a way to fix it. Right now I'm actually thinking about picking up an E-MU 0202 USB which will hopefully eliminate any problems I might have with the headphone jack and EMI. Oh and btw, do the E-MU USB soundcards have to be plugged into a wall outlet or are they powered directly from the USB port?

My ideas are just to help you narrow down exactly what is causing the problem so you can address the problem directly. They are not intended to be solutions.

As for the E-MU USB the package contents in the retail box are:

1. E-MU 0202 USB 2.0 AudioPod
2. USB cable (2 meters)
3. Quick Start installation guide
4. E-MU Software/Manual CD-ROM (Windows/Macintosh)
5. - Windows XP and x64 Drivers
6. - Macintosh OS X Drivers
7. - Owner's Manual and Tutorials
8. E-MU Production Tools Software Bundle CD-ROM (Windows)
9. E-MU Production Tools Software Bundle CD-ROM (Macintosh)
10. E-MU Proteus® VX CD-ROM - over 1000 sounds included (Windows)
11. Ableton Live Lite 4 for E-MU CD-ROM (Windows/Macintosh)

So I would say it powers off the USB alone.

 

[Mrvile]

Quote:

Originally Posted by craiglester /img/forum/go_quote.gif Not a new Inspiron is it? Or is it a core 2 duo? Both are known for the interference from the processor. It's to do with power state switching. RMClock can be used to stop a lot of the noise, but doesn't always get rid of it all. I just returned an Inspiron to Dell for this very reason. On mine it was making the noise all the time, muted or not. Very annoying

It's actually a new Vostro, which is similar to Inspirons. It's also Core 2 Duo.

What exactly is RMClock?

 

[Mrvile]

Quote:

Originally Posted by flashnolan /img/forum/go_quote.gif My ideas are just to help you narrow down exactly what is causing the problem so you can address the problem directly. They are not intended to be solutions. As for the E-MU USB the package contents in the retail box are: E-MU 0202 USB 2.0 AudioPod USB cable (2 meters) Quick Start installation guide E-MU Software/Manual CD-ROM (Windows/Macintosh) - Windows XP and x64 Drivers - Macintosh OS X Drivers - Owner's Manual and Tutorials E-MU Production Tools Software Bundle CD-ROM (Windows) E-MU Production Tools Software Bundle CD-ROM (Macintosh) E-MU Proteus® VX CD-ROM - over 1000 sounds included (Windows) Ableton Live Lite 4 for E-MU CD-ROM (Windows/Macintosh) So I would say it powers off the USB alone.

Thanks for the info.

I found a 1/8" jack to 1/8" plug cable which was randomly sitting around my house and I tried using it between the headphone and headphone jack. Surprisingly, it gets rid of most of the noise to the point where it has to be absolutely silent for me to hear it. I don't know what the little cable actually is, but it gives me the feeling that a simple impedance cable might do the trick.

In the end I still probably will get the 0202 though

 

[flashnolan]

Glad to hear you found a solution to the noise problem. Sorry to hear that you now need another "reason" to justify getting more audio equipment.

 

[craiglester]

Impedance can help, my K240M's sounded ok, but quiet, the MS1's sounded louder, but the whine was terrible. 600v 32 ohms..

I'd suggest going to notebookreview.com's forums for help with the RMclock.There's plenty of people there in the same boat as you, unfortunately.

Dell/Intel need to fix this issue.

of course the low level hiss/static is just the rubbish amp the use.

I just returned the laptop, couldn't live with the noise myself. I'm gonna build me a new desktop instead with the refund.