Custom 2 picking up hissing from headphone jack...solutions?

[mikeaj]

Hi, I'm a new owner of the Custom 2, which I'm happy to say I purchased new for $69.99 incl. shipping. I use headphones almost exclusively for my notebook computer (don't use a desktop). I didn't notice any hissing from my notebook using my previous cheap earbuds, but the C2 seems to be quite faithfully reproducing a constant noise from the headphone out jack. Hissing occurs with no music playing, and it doesn't not get louder as the system volume is changed. I've tried turning off various hardware like the graphics card, wireless, DVD drive, etc., and underclocking the processor, but none of those are effecting the hissing. Hissing only stops (and completely) if I mute the sound--which I assume is turning something off or cutting off the output. Anyhow, the C2 is making my onboard Conexant 20561 audio sound less and less up to the task (if you get what I mean [^o)]), even if it were not for the hissing problem.

What would you recommend I do to alleviate the hissing? Do people have success with shielding the internals or somehow salvaging the noisy output jack? Or should I just buy an external sound card or DAC and bypass that jack? If I were to get an external DAC (not a DAC/amp combo), would this require a separate amp? I understand that the C2 has low impedance and high sensitivity and thus definitely does not require an external amp in general. Any product suggestions? A modest or nice improvement in sound quality over the onboard audio would be a plus, and I want to make sure that the new solution does not have the hissing problem. As for price I'm willing to spend...something modestly in proportion to what I paid for the actual headphones would be reasonable. (Interpret that what you will, please.)

I mostly listen to classical and some jazz music, and play a decent amount of computer games. However, I don't play any games that would benefit from EAX or positional audio or any other fancy gaming sound card features, so that's not really a requirement. Thanks!

[breams]

I have no experience with external audio equipment, so I can't advise there, but one thing I would recommend is checking the volume controls for each device. I've found that muting unused devices has helped. I don't use spdif, cd audio, midi or line in, so I mute those and any background noise they were creating is removed. However, that doesn't alleviate the problem entirely, as my onboard sound just isn't up to scratch either. I get the lovely electronic chitter chatter noise in the background when it's perfectly quiet. The only way I can get rid of that is muting the sound altogether. Not the best option but works every time. []