Sennheiser PC37X randomly goes bad after disconnecting the cable ?
Greetings, Yesterday I was using my headset like normal with my macbook, just listening to music and on a call with people like usual, and the headset was perfectly fine. The stock wire that came with the headset is extremely long and yesterday it annoyed me very much that it kept getting tangled with itself, so I decided to see if the cable is replaceable. I pulled out the cable from the headset and saw the adapter, and looked online for a replacement. Upon plugging it back in, the audio sounded extremely muffled and washed out. Im not sure what I did wrong to make it mess up like that as I've always taken good care of it, ive had it for about 2 years and its always just been chilling on my desk, but anywho I thought the cable just went bad and ordered a replacement. The replacement came, and the issue is still persistant, so I am not sure what the issue is I've tried multiple different headsets and the issue is not with the port, and I also tried it with my windows laptop and...
Apr 23, 2024
Now for the interesting part. If I do nothing, no source being used, there is a very subtle hum. PC noise, I get it, nothing that can be done about it. The hum doesn't detract from music at any volume. However, as soon as I start playing a game that utilizes the graphics card the hum becomes significant, changing to static with whistles and pops. I have limited space to place the unit. The best I could hope to achieve, by buying longer cables, is to go from 1 ft to 3.5ft from the PC. The downside is the I+ will be placed next to my printer which may produce it's own interference signal. So my question to everyone is this: Any suggestions as to how to solve my dilemma?
Btw, the graphics card is a MSI 980ti installed into a MSI Titanium Gaming Edition Z170.
I should mention that while unplugged from the PC the I+ is dead quiet across the full range of volume.
Any thoughts? Solutions?
So, as a test, this morning I unplugged the I+ from the PC, ran a graphically intensive game, and left it in it's current position on the desk. The same position with the static, whistles, and pops while running games. The result was once again dead quiet across the volume range.
Does this mean I need a DAC? I'm not sure how a DAC would solve my troubles.
After some research a Tripp-Lite Isobar (8 outlet in my case) was introduced, replacing my original mid-priced power strip. This removed all of the static, pops, and whistles associated with GPU extensive gaming, leaving just the low grade electrical hum from the PC. Meaning that the noise was a ground fault issue. Upgraded shielded display and audio cables were acquired to little or no effect. Finally, a admittedly expensive Audio card, the Asus Zonar Essence STX II was purchased. This has resulted in a completely quiet sound space when there is no audio, except at the highest of volume levels on the Little Dot I+.
Some information I have gathered from this experience. 1) A per outlet isolating power strip is highly recommended. The Isobar by Tripp-Lite is an excellent unit to start (although availability internationally is a question) 2) When considering an Audio card buy with the highest signal-to-noise ratio you can afford. The other bells and whistles are nice, but the SNR is of utmost importance.
In the end, the biggest bang for the buck came from the Tripp-Lite Isobar. At $55.00 USD it is inexpensive when considering a new amp should a $2 ground plug adapter prove insufficient to protect your equipment. For another $60 USD a decent sound card may help with PC hum.