How to get rid of computer hiss

[Savt]

Hi, guys

 

My source is my PC, and when I put my ear next to my speakers' tweeter, I can hear a quiet hiss. I believe that is because of the PC. Can anything be done to fix it?

 

My system is: RME ADI-2 DAC, Curious Cables USB, Mogami 2803, Lavardin IS Reference, Transparent audio Musicwave, Spendor Classic 3/1

 

Any help appreciated

[botrytis]

First look up chain, then go down to the PC. It has been shown by @Archimago et al that noise is not from the PC, in most cases.

[Savt]

I can't think of other culprit than the PC. How can it be something else? DAC? AMP? I doubt that, but I can't know for sure...

[ecwl]

@Savt, to test if the noise is from your PC, you can try removing the USB cable as most PC's have a Toslink/optical output. Just connect the PC via Toslink to your RME ADI-2 DAC with the Toslink cable. If you get the hiss via USB but not via Toslink, then yeah, the noise is from your PC and we can go on from there. If using Toslink still caused the same hiss, then as @botrytis said, the problem is not the PC. Remember you have to remove the USB cable between the PC & the DAC because you want zero electrical connection between the PC and the DAC to test this out.

[Savt]

ECWL,

 

Thank you for the great advice. Now I need to find Toslink/optical cable. I'm sure I had it, not sure where it is now.

[Savt]

BTW, can this phenomenon harm the speakers?

[botrytis]

No.

[davide256]

Toslink from a PC will be inferior for SQ to  USB out. USB does pass noise/surges, have lost DAC USB input sections this way.

You may want to investigate a USB isolater for audio if you find toslink doesn't have the noise. Here is an example,

 

https://ifi-audio.com/products/idefender3-0/

 

[AudioDoctor]

self delete.

[AudioDoctor]

15 hours ago, Savt said:

I doubt that, but I can't know for sure...

 

Sure you can, disconnect the PC and listen for the hiss.

[Savt]

Weird, when I turn my PC off, the hiss is still there. When I turn off the DAC, it is also there.

What could it be?

[ecwl]

10 hours ago, Savt said:

Weird, when I turn my PC off, the hiss is still there. When I turn off the DAC, it is also there.

What could it be?

Well, you can start with unplugging your DAC RCA cables to the amplifier. Because sometimes turning off PC and DAC doesn't truly mean turning them completely off. I'm assuming nothing else is physically connected to the integrated amplifier other than the speakers. My suspicion is that you'll still hear a hiss.

 

Probably the issue is that your amp has a slightly higher noise floor (which is fairly common) and your speakers has fairly high sensitivity so sometimes you may get tweeter hiss the moment you turn on the amplifier because the tweeter is just playing back the noise your amp is feeding it.

 

If you don't hear hiss with just the amplifier and speaker, next step would be to take a power bar (not a power conditioner) and just plug the DAC & amplifier plugged into the same power bar and see with just both components whether you get the hiss. If things are still okay, you can then try plugging in the computer, the monitor and all associated powered external devices (e.g. external powered HDD) into the same power bar as the DAC & amp and see if you get the hiss via USB.

[GregWormald]

On 10/20/2022 at 12:00 AM, Savt said:

Hi, guys

 

My source is my PC, and when I put my ear next to my speakers' tweeter, I can hear a quiet hiss. I believe that is because of the PC. Can anything be done to fix it?

 

My system is: RME ADI-2 DAC, Curious Cables USB, Mogami 2803, Lavardin IS Reference, Transparent audio Musicwave, Spendor Classic 3/1

 

Any help appreciated

If you can only hear it with your ear next to the tweeter then I suggest you just sit back and enjoy the music.

[firedog]

20 hours ago, ecwl said:

Well, you can start with unplugging your DAC RCA cables to the amplifier. Because sometimes turning off PC and DAC doesn't truly mean turning them completely off. I'm assuming nothing else is physically connected to the integrated amplifier other than the speakers. My suspicion is that you'll still hear a hiss.

 

Probably the issue is that your amp has a slightly higher noise floor (which is fairly common) and your speakers has fairly high sensitivity so sometimes you may get tweeter hiss the moment you turn on the amplifier because the tweeter is just playing back the noise your amp is feeding it.

 

If you don't hear hiss with just the amplifier and speaker, next step would be to take a power bar (not a power conditioner) and just plug the DAC & amplifier plugged into the same power bar and see with just both components whether you get the hiss. If things are still okay, you can then try plugging in the computer, the monitor and all associated powered external devices (e.g. external powered HDD) into the same power bar as the DAC & amp and see if you get the hiss via USB.

I agree with the above. But even in some very fine systems, the amp and/or dac has a very good, but not silent noise floor.

So with your ear next to the speaker you will hear it. If you move slightly farther away, you won't. So it actually has zero effect on what you hear when you play back music. 

If you determine that  that is all it is, you need to just learn to ignore it and not let it bother you. Since you can't actually hear it when music is playing, don't let an obsession with it fool you into thinking you can and ruining your listening experience. 

[PeterG]

5 hours ago, firedog said:

I agree with the above. But even in some very fine systems, the amp and/or dac has a very good, but not silent noise floor.

So with your ear next to the speaker you will hear it. If you move slightly farther away, you won't. So it actually has zero effect on what you hear when you play back music. 

If you determine that  that is all it is, you need to just learn to ignore it and not let it bother you. Since you can't actually hear it when music is playing, don't let an obsession with it fool you into thinking you can and ruining your listening experience. 

I agree that one should not let the hiss distract from enjoyment, but disagree that hiss has zero impact if you cannot hear it.  Stereos and homes are full of electrical noise that have impact on good systems.  

 

If a person has the cash and a bit of time, reducing the noise floor in their system will improve imaging, detail, and other small effects that can add up to much more enjoyment through a more captivating sound.  Like the OP, I started with transparent Musicwave ICs.  I got plenty of improvement by upgrading to Transparent Super (although I could not perceive a difference by moving up from Super).  I also had great results from adding Nordost QKore and QBase, Isoacoustics Gaia footers, and better speaker cable.  On my list is a dedicated power line.

 

With all of these things, I recommend listening before buying, either through a home demo/loaner, or a place with a risk-free return policy.  I've tried a number of other things that did not work as hoped--with cables, you never really know until you try in your own system

[firedog]

3 hours ago, PeterG said:

I agree that one should not let the hiss distract from enjoyment, but disagree that hiss has zero impact if you cannot hear it.  Stereos and homes are full of electrical noise that have impact on good systems.  

 

If a person has the cash and a bit of time, reducing the noise floor in their system will improve imaging, detail, and other small effects that can add up to much more enjoyment through a more captivating sound.  Like the OP, I started with transparent Musicwave ICs.  I got plenty of improvement by upgrading to Transparent Super (although I could not perceive a difference by moving up from Super).  I also had great results from adding Nordost QKore and QBase, Isoacoustics Gaia footers, and better speaker cable.  On my list is a dedicated power line.

 

With all of these things, I recommend listening before buying, either through a home demo/loaner, or a place with a risk-free return policy.  I've tried a number of other things that did not work as hoped--with cables, you never really know until you try in your own system

But human hearing doesn't work that way. The OP is talking about a barely perceptable level of hiss, only heard when the ear is next to the speaker. We are talking about a very low but not silent noise level of his system. Apparently not something caused by electrical noise in the environment.  It's part of his system, as all electrical equipment makes some level of noise. During music playback, this will be 100% masked by the much louder music. The vast majority of playback systems have this very low level of noise, even very expensive ones. 

[PeterG]

6 hours ago, firedog said:

But human hearing doesn't work that way. The OP is talking about a barely perceptable level of hiss, only heard when the ear is next to the speaker. We are talking about a very low but not silent noise level of his system. Apparently not something caused by electrical noise in the environment.  It's part of his system, as all electrical equipment makes some level of noise. During music playback, this will be 100% masked by the much louder music. The vast majority of playback systems have this very low level of noise, even very expensive ones. 

 

I understand the noise is barely perceptible or perhaps not perceptible.  I did not perceive noise in my system until I lowered the noise floor, but it was easy to perceive a difference in sound quality with each of the changes I cited. 

 

I do not know much about human hearing or electronics engineering, but unless you're saying that the changes I made were acting on different problems, I encourage people to borrow some noise reduction stuff from their local dealer.  (Wait, I encourage noise reduction even if I've posted in the wrong thread, but you get the idea...) 

 

As I read your signature, I see AC Purifier and Power Conditioner.  So maybe we agree on the important point here?  

[firedog]

2 hours ago, PeterG said:

 

I understand the noise is barely perceptible or perhaps not perceptible.  I did not perceive noise in my system until I lowered the noise floor, but it was easy to perceive a difference in sound quality with each of the changes I cited. 

 

I do not know much about human hearing or electronics engineering, but unless you're saying that the changes I made were acting on different problems, I encourage people to borrow some noise reduction stuff from their local dealer.  (Wait, I encourage noise reduction even if I've posted in the wrong thread, but you get the idea...) 

 

As I read your signature, I see AC Purifier and Power Conditioner.  So maybe we agree on the important point here?  

Nope.  I make no claim the power related tech improves the SQ. When installing them, I didn't notice any obvious difference.

 

But I haven't properly tested it, and aren't really interested in doing so. I use them for other power stability and protection related reasons, as I have a lot of power issues where I live. Nothing to do with SQ. And I don't have any way to do a proper comparison, just a sighted expectation bias flavored one. 

 

And I'm making no  claims about what you heard. How could I?

 

BTW, I have plugged in my system without them. No added noise at the speakers. But then the Kiis are one of the quietest systems around. 

[Ghoostknight]

if its a "unified" "whitenoise" like low level hiss you just hear if you put your ear close to the speaker its most definitely your amp

if you use your amp as a volume control you could try reducing the amp output and try to make your input level as large as possible, tho some hiss is normal, i wouldnt really worry if you just hear it up to 30-50cm from the speaker

 

pc noise on the otherside, if it is audible (tho i also think pc noise degrades SQ even if its not audible "directly") sounds most of the the time "very strange" and is far from the unified whitenoise like noise from your amp, i hope this helps anyone looking here even if its a older post i answer :)

[bobbmd]

@Savt HI  get an apple product and mate with a Schiit product and magically the hiss will go away

[One and a half]

Is the hiss like FM off station?

 

Disconnect everything from the amplifier but leave the speakers connected.

If the hiss is still there, possible a small transistor is on its way out and needs replacing.

[Savt]

I have another amp, I have connected it, and it's the same with the other one.