ath-m50x ATH-M50x White Noise, DAC Suggestions

[italianpoutine]

I have an ATH-M50x headset connected directly into my Z97-A motherboard's green jack. I have noticed an annoying white noise sound in my headset when no or low audio is present. I have tried cleaning the connection points and having the headset wire touch as few other cables/ devices as possible but I still get the noise. I am thinking a DAC would fix this issue. From what I have read, an AMP is not needed with this level of headset and a DAC outside of my PC will get rid of the white noise. I am not really knowledgeable in this area but some posts I have looked at for entry level DACs mention the FiiO K3 and Schiit Modi 3. Would these or any other DAC be a solution to my problem?   

[TetraSky]

Can you try with the front panel audio jack ?

[italianpoutine]

15 minutes ago, TetraSky said:

Can you try with the front panel audio jack ?

The front panel audio jack seems to not have any white noise.

 

Edit: Just checked the green jack with another wire and white noise is still there. 

 

Edited November 18, 2020 by italianpoutine

[HanZie82]

Then there is more to it. Any motherboard after 2007 with onboard audio should not have white noise. (at least none you can hear)
And since it works well on front panel, maybe open up the case and blow the dust out.

 

[TetraSky]

5 minutes ago, italianpoutine said:

The front panel audio jack seems to not have any white noise.

 

Edit: Just checked the green jack with another wire and white noise is still there. 

 

There's not much you can do as far as using the backpanel connector. It's electrical interference between the onboard audio and the rest of the components on the board.

 

Either use the front panel, or use a USB DAC.

[italianpoutine]

1 minute ago, TetraSky said:

There's not much you can do as far as using the backpanel connector. It's electrical interference between the onboard audio and the rest of the components on the board.

 

Either use the front panel, or use a USB DAC.

Is there any entry level USB DAC you recommend?  

[italianpoutine]

6 minutes ago, HanZie82 said:

Then there is more to it. Any motherboard after 2007 with onboard audio should not have white noise. (at least none you can hear)
And since it works well on front panel, maybe open up the case and blow the dust out.

 

Surprisingly even though it's an older PC there isn't much dust in it. Would there be a specific place to make sure it's clear of dust?

[HanZie82]

3 minutes ago, italianpoutine said:

Surprisingly even though it's an older PC there isn't much dust in it. Would there be a specific place to make sure it's clear of dust?

Where the connector is, the soundcard portion is usualy pretty close. But if its looks clean chances are slim it does anything.

 

[italianpoutine]

4 minutes ago, HanZie82 said:

Where the connector is, the soundcard portion is usualy pretty close. But if its looks clean chances are slim it does anything.

 

Thanks for the info, is there any entry level USB DACs you'd recommend?

[Tigerleon]

10 minutes ago, italianpoutine said:

Thanks for the info, is there any entry level USB DACs you'd recommend?

Sound Blaster Omni, Fiio E10K.

[italianpoutine]

1 minute ago, Tigerleon said:

Sound Blaster Omni, Fiio E10K.

I'll look into those, thank you.