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Windows speaker hum when idle?

aeroencychris
By aeroencychris
in Audio
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Hi,

I've had a pair of Pioneer SP-BS21-LR speakers for a while and used them with my old HP Pavillion dv6 laptop. With that setup, they worked flawlessly. However, I just built a new PC to replace that laptop (see specs in my signature, school PC) and now when there's no audio playing there's a low hum that constantly plays. The same thing happens when I plug the speakers into the front panel audio jack. However, I don't hear the hum when I plug my speakers into, say, my phone, and I don't hear it when I plug my headphones into the front/rear audio on my PC. It just seems to occur with the combination of the two. Any idea why this is?

 

Thanks,

-Chris

 

Edit:

 

Completely forgot to mention, I have a small amp hooked up as well.

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How on earth are you running these from a computer?

Completely forgot to mention, I have a small amp hooked up as well.

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Completely forgot to mention, I have a small amp hooked up as well.

 

Time to buy a DAC, then.

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Time to buy a DAC, then.

Why? If that's the problem then why wouldn't the hum happen with any other devices?

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Why? If that's the problem then why wouldn't the hum happen with any other devices?

Because the other devices also have DACs. The dac in your pc probably overloads itself when it's not outputting sound (I believe there's an actual term for it, but I'm not sure of the proper word.) anyway, basically what happens is that when your pc isn't outputting sound, your dac (in the pc) wants to output something, so the dac puts out some white noise (basically a raised noise floor).

I think that's what's happening, in a hugely simplified way, I'm sure I'll be corrected if I'm wrong. Anyway, that's why the pc would need a dac and the other devices wouldn't.

Hey! New SIgnature! 

 

I'm supposedly a person on the Internet, but you'll never know if I'm human or not ;)

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Because the other devices also have DACs. The dac in your pc probably overloads itself when it's not outputting sound (I believe there's an actual term for it, but I'm not sure of the proper word.) anyway, basically what happens is that when your pc isn't outputting sound, your dac (in the pc) wants to output something, so the dac puts out some white noise (basically a raised noise floor).

I think that's what's happening, in a hugely simplified way, I'm sure I'll be corrected if I'm wrong. Anyway, that's why the pc would need a dac and the other devices wouldn't.

Would something like this be a good alternative?

http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-UCA202-Audio-Interface/dp/B000KW2YEI/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1449287331&sr=8-4&keywords=usb+dac

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It's a decent alternative, but I'm not entirely sure it would fix the issues you are having (I don't have any personal experience with it)

Hey! New SIgnature! 

 

I'm supposedly a person on the Internet, but you'll never know if I'm human or not ;)

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It's a decent alternative, but I'm not entirely sure it would fix the issues you are having (I don't have any personal experience with it)

What would?

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What would?

Your Amazon link.

Hey! New SIgnature! 

 

I'm supposedly a person on the Internet, but you'll never know if I'm human or not ;)

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Your Amazon link.

 

 

 

I'm not entirely sure it would fix the issues you are having)

You're just saying that because you have no experience, but hypothetically it should fix it?

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You're just saying that because you have no experience, but hypothetically it should fix it?

Theoretically, yes

Hey! New SIgnature! 

 

I'm supposedly a person on the Internet, but you'll never know if I'm human or not ;)

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