Which headphones of Drop's currently available?
I have some rewards points to burn but there's no obviously good options on Drop right now for headphones Contenders Ultrasone - maybe? I don't own any Ultrasones, so curious. Looks like garbage travel headphone which could be useful also. Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro. - Maybe? I have the DT 880 Good price point, really uncomfortable headphones but could be interesting to try the upgraded version. E-MU - strong contender but $400 is a bad price point for what it is. Which of the above would you choose and why? Nothing else on Drop is relevant to my interests, because Already own 6xx 820 800 s Ether cx Garbage / Consumer grade Meze 99 - garbage bass canons, hard pass No gaming headphones obviously Sennheiser wireless - no to wireless/bluetooth Hifiman - I have 2 of drop hifimans and they make really bad cheap shit on Drop, hard pass on HE-R7DX Aeon - I own the closed, Drop refuses to address #padgate so no reason to buy open Beyerdynamic 177x - wireless, nope Too similar 8x / 560s...
Mar 28, 2024
The buzzing noise could also mean you have the gain way too high. If it seems like the volume ramps up too fast then you have high gain. Lower the individual volume settings on the speakers until the buzz is at a tolerable volume.
But you are correct that the ultimate solution would be to get something like a Scarlett 2i2 or Behringer UMC202HD
I'm using a Fiio D3 right now with a Schiit SYS for my JBL LSR 308s, I also run a RCA to XLR un balanced cable. Though this is with my TV which runs optical out only. I cannot say what is causing the noise, but I've found the best results using a Seperate Dac & PreAmp with powered monitors. @cspirou makes a good point. The Behringer UCA 202 is an excellent option. It along with a Schiit SYS or JDS Labs OL Switcher would run ya $80 or so. Not bad for a speaker system.
@cspirou I think I've seen you quite a number of places online! The Behring UCA 202 is indeed a great option!
The punchline is that I had 2 separate problems to troubleshoot: one was being directly connected to my motherboard, and the second was having unshielded cables.
Since it's happening to you in game lobbies, my guess is you have the same issue of network interference I did (that was causing the more noise/less noise for me as the game tries to connect and ping servers). You could check to see if the same thing happens when streaming, downloading updates, or other network-heavy tasks. My uneducated guess would be yes, (though it may not sound as aggressive as the game lobby).
As BigBoyLoki suggested, try some other sources and see if the noise goes away (or changes at least). That would be a nearly surefire indicator that your mobo is to blame at least in part. If the noise is the same, then you might have to try some alternative cables (incidentally, we're now on problem #2).
cspirou and Mshenay mentioned XLRs and that's ultimately what I wound up using from a DAC that supported balanced XLR cables. ("Balanced!" We're on topic! Huzzah!) Is balanced vs. unbalanced directly your problem? Maybe not - but switching these out would eliminate one possible factor.
In my case, I live just a bit too close to a big, shiny transformer. The amount of interference through the air was too much for a cheapo, unshielded 3.5mm to 1/4" (TRS) cable - even though it was a short run. I had what effectively sounded like a ground loop (that high-pitched sound amid the buzzing). While probably true, the bigger issue was the airborne crazy caused by that transformer. Just from connecting an audio source and swinging the extra cable length around, I could change the degree of noise significantly - even when I unplugged *everything* (and I mean from the computer to the microwave).
Switching from that "random-audio-cable-i-pulled-from-the-tangle-box-of-shame" (...everyone here has one...admit it) to a decent set of cables that was shielded knocked this second issue out for good. Was it because the cables were balanced, or was it simply because these were higher quality cables with some shielding against interference? I can't be sure. The problem went away and I was happy; so like the lazy person I am, testing stopped right there.
Others here have already laid out the steps well, but as far as troubleshooting order: -- Try a different source first. Better? Get the cable away from the mobo (cspirou's Scarlett 2i2/Behringer UMC202HD are great suggestions, or try Mshenay's Behringer UCA202 idea for a slightly cheaper alternative to troubleshoot). -- Not better from a different source? Mix up the cables and see if things improve. (Though even in this case, I'd still probably shy away from plugging into the motherboard directly - being that close to that many electrical components can just add some strange noises to audio in general unless the board was specifically built to resist this.)
Good luck with the issue and give us an update if it gets fixed!
So... try a couple of different outlets if that doesn't work give a Furman M-8x2 a shot
I use that for my JBL LSR 308s and when ever I do audio Shows. An so far no buzzing!