[JayNetTech5]

I'm getting this really bad faint sporadic background static/hissing/scratching in my headphones, especially when I have them plugged into the back port of the card directly, even when I mute the sound, it's still present. I notice the static goes quiet for a split second when I load a web page, going back to the previous page, or the frequency changes when I scroll up and down a page rapidly, and just any kind of fluctuating CPU activity in general changes it's behavior, like simply opening up an application or window causes the static to change in frequency and behave sporadically. If I plug my headphones in the front port of the case, the static is much quieter, but it's still present. A few websites will cause the static to act differently as well.


What worries me is that a couple of mobile phones that I've used in the past and one manufacturer refurb iPod Touch 2nd gen had this problem as well. Whenever the wifi or cpu was doing something, there would be this faint fuzzy/scratchy static that would behave sporadically, while other mobile devices that I've used/still use had/has not a single peep of this sound, and these are onboard SoCs we're talking about, not a discrete card like the Audigy FX. Most sound cards/onboard audio will have a normal audible faint consistent hiss/white noise when the sound is activated but no actual audio is being played, but this kind of behavior seems to be like some sort of erratic fluttering interference.




It's similar behavior to this, only less screechy and is more of a consistent hiss/fuzz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FWu_MrRQ28&t





I'm positive the card is defective, because the onboard audio of this mobo does not have this issue, plus, the fact that it happens to only a select few units of the same model, whether it's a smartphone, an iPod, sound card, etc, which btw, other iPod Touch 2nd gens that I've used never had this issue, this was just one unit that AppleCare sent back to me which had this flaw.




This is me years back, basically complaining about about the same problem on my LG Motion 4G: http://androidforums.com/threads/weird-cpu-audio-chip-static-buzz-fuzz.689899/



If you have any ideas on how I can fix it, live with it, or if it's something typical with discrete sound cards, then I would be more than happy to hear your thoughts on this issue, but I'm strongly considering returning this and buying something else, probably a different card or an external DAC.


Thank you 

 

[NA Blur]

Here is a thread that may help:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/823949/keep-hearing-static-noise#post_13020957
 
From the sounds of it I would guess you card is snagging unwanted EMI from the surrounding electronics like the clock, CPU, etc.
 
To me the noise comes from a poorly implemented DAC. Going to an external DAC that uses optical will completely isolate your DAC from most EMI.
 
Does your PC have optical out? If not, don't worry, USB DACs work great too.

 

[dukefx]

Pretty much what NA Blur said. That's why you don't buy internal sound cards.

 

[fredeb]

  I'm getting this really bad faint sporadic background static/hissing/scratching in my headphones, especially when I have them plugged into the back port of the card directly, even when I mute the sound, it's still present. I notice the static goes quiet for a split second when I load a web page, going back to the previous page, or the frequency changes when I scroll up and down a page rapidly, and just any kind of fluctuating CPU activity in general changes it's behavior, like simply opening up an application or window causes the static to change in frequency and behave sporadically. If I plug my headphones in the front port of the case, the static is much quieter, but it's still present. A few websites will cause the static to act differently as well.


What worries me is that a couple of mobile phones that I've used in the past and one manufacturer refurb iPod Touch 2nd gen had this problem as well. Whenever the wifi or cpu was doing something, there would be this faint fuzzy/scratchy static that would behave sporadically, while other mobile devices that I've used/still use had/has not a single peep of this sound, and these are onboard SoCs we're talking about, not a discrete card like the Audigy FX. Most sound cards/onboard audio will have a normal audible faint consistent hiss/white noise when the sound is activated but no actual audio is being played, but this kind of behavior seems to be like some sort of erratic fluttering interference.




It's similar behavior to this, only less screechy and is more of a consistent hiss/fuzz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FWu_MrRQ28&t





I'm positive the card is defective, because the onboard audio of this mobo does not have this issue, plus, the fact that it happens to only a select few units of the same model, whether it's a smartphone, an iPod, sound card, etc, which btw, other iPod Touch 2nd gens that I've used never had this issue, this was just one unit that AppleCare sent back to me which had this flaw.




This is me years back, basically complaining about about the same problem on my LG Motion 4G: http://androidforums.com/threads/weird-cpu-audio-chip-static-buzz-fuzz.689899/



If you have any ideas on how I can fix it, live with it, or if it's something typical with discrete sound cards, then I would be more than happy to hear your thoughts on this issue, but I'm strongly considering returning this and buying something else, probably a different card or an external DAC.


Thank you 

Read here , I was having exactly the same problem : http://www.head-fi.org/t/823949/keep-hearing-static-noise#post_13037285
 
Love your avatar BTW - is that you ?