HP Envy 14 (1xxx) white noise/ hissing sound

Hey guys, I've had my envy for almost a year now, and I'm pretty happy with it (i5-480). A problem I've recently come upon is that there's a lot of white noise/static/hissing in the background when I have my headphones on. This has been a problem the entire time I've owned the laptop, but the sound has gotten way louder with the new headphones I just bought. I know this is sort of an outdated question, but I'd appreciate if there was a solution.

Also, has there been any progress in making the fan for this laptop more quiet? I've gotten used to it but I'd obviously like for it to be quieter..

Thanks!

 

The headphone output on this laptop is total crap. Better look at buying a USB DAC. It will make the hiss disappear and will make sound quality much better.

 

what's the difference between a DAC and something like this?

http://www.amazon.com/Syba-SD-CM-UA...1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1326447681&sr=1-1

DAC seems expensive :\

 

bump? 10char

 

That actually is a DAC. The main difference between that DAC and other DACs are that the more expensive DACs perform better

The reviews say the noise floor isn't the best for that DAC so your static problem might not be improved by much if you end up using that particular DAC.

The simplest way to remove static is to increase the impedance of your headphones by adding resistance between the sound card and your headphones. You can do that with something like this: Amazon.com: Koss VC20 Volume Control: Electronics

Just turn the volume down with the external volume control until you don't hear static anymore.

Alternatively, if you're the DIY type, you can just put some 150R resistors inline with your headphones to remove some of the static instead of buying a separate volume control. This is what I did until I got a new DAC.

 

Ah k thanks a lot for the info, makes much more sense to me now

 

I've had this annoying hissing noise issue when I'm using a headphone or an external speaker connected to the laptop's headphone jack (the only audio output). My laptop model is Asus K50Ij (from Best Buy).

I've read various solutions on the net, like using ground loops and USB soundcards and this and that. Well, in my particular case the solution was very simple. Maybe this will help.

All laptops comes preinstalled with some sort of 3rd party HD audio driver. In my case it was a VIA HD audio driver. I simply uninstalled it. This will render your laptop mute, since you won't be able to play any sound (hence no audio driver). Restart. After booting into windows (Windows 7 x64 Home Edition on mine), windows will recognize that there is no audio driver installed and will start the "Found New Hardware" wizard (or something) and will automatically install the standard Microsoft HD audio driver.

Sure it doesn't come with features like SRS sound control panel and all sorts of junk that allows you to set ambiances and 4th dimensions and alike. But it's an HD audio driver and does the job just as well.

All my annoying hissing and cracking noises went away.

 

I have the exact same problem too with my hp envy ultrabook, but the hissing white noise is only audible when my speakers are NOT plugged in. Someone please HELP!!!