Line out noise

Whenever I hook my iMac up to my stereo I get a loud annoying buzz coming from my stereo speakers. I'm using a good quality cable and have tried different ones. My stereo sounds great with everything else I hook up to it. I'm just using a 1/8" to RCA cable (Belkin), same thing I've used with many other things including my iPod and nothing else makes this noise.
This also happened with my first iMac G5 (i bought it right before the iSight version came out so I got to return it for the new model) and I cannot figure out for the life of me what's happening and I'm really hoping I don't have to take it in for service since that's an hour drive (for the nearest Apple store anyway). If anyone could give me some help on this I would greatly appreciate it!
- Dan
iMac G5 iSight   Mac OS X (10.4.4)  

Dan, If your headphones work, the plug could be ruled out. One thing to check is wiggling the headphone plug as it's inserted in the iMac jack. If there is no buzz then begin to suspect the Y adapter; either at the 3.5mm end or the RCA ends. At the Y connection, disconnect first one RCA end from the extension cable and then try the other one. If the channel that is connected has no buzz, then either the other end is the culprit or maybe it's the Y adapter on the 3.5mm end. If you have access to another Y adapter try that one.
Troubleshooting cables is tricky, but if like you say, the headphones work, ie; no buzz, then the Mac is probably fine.
I just reread your reply and I'm not sure you understood what I meant when I said to try your headphones. Your reply doesn't make it clear if you tried your phones directly in the iMac or are you plugging your phones into your stereo headphone jack. Mind you, that might be something else you could try. With the iMac connected to the stereo, plug the phones into the stereo and see if the buzz goes away; ie, are you able to hear the buzz through the phones?
Good luck - this can be figured out.
Paul

Similar Messages

  • MacBook: line out noise when sleep mode

    Hi,
    I have my MacBook hooked up to my hi-fi system with a line-out to cinch cable. whenever the macbook enters sleep mode or is turned off, a very loud noise is generated, as if I would have plugged the cable right off the computer.
    Is there any way to circumvent this annoying noise? I fear that the permanent explosion-like-sound might damage my speakers.
    Thank you!
    Mark

    thenk you for the answers so far. What I am doing at the moment is not perfect, because it does not work when I forget one step:
    -I activate sleep mode only manually now
    -before, I switch off the receiver (otherwise, the loud "pop" noise is still there)
    I will try with a better quality-cable, but I can only imagine the sound quality of the loud "pop"-noise to be 'crystal-clear' with a better transmission (optical cable doesn't work on my system)
    Thank you,
    Mark

  • Disharging with USB, Freezing on Sync, Hard Drive noise on Line Out

    I have been dealing with three issues with my 60GB iPod click wheel with color display (Photo).
    The first is something that slowly creeped in, which is hard drive noise that is audible through the line out when the iPod is charging in a dock. I'd like to say it's like a ground loop issue, but it's in my car, on my iHome, and on my apple dock when plugged into power on a stereo system. It sounds like the spinning of the hard drive is correlated to the noise.
    Second, over the past year or so, I've noticed that when I have the iPod plugged into any mac using USB, the iPod discharges. My friend has noticed the same problem on her 40GB 3rd generation iPod. We've tried them on several computers. Firewire connection, no problem, only USB when plugged into a computer, not the power adapter.
    Just recently, the iPod froze up iTunes and the rest of my Mac (G4 MDD Dual 1gHz, OS X 10.4.10, iTunes 7.4.2) during sync. I made reformatted the iPod using Disk Utility, Restored to iPod, making sure to plug into power to finish the restore, then attempted to resync. Two attempts of this and I get the same result, a freeze.
    The first two issues, I've adapted with, but this last one is just frustrating. I will attempt to sync using a firewire cable, but that should not be the solution. This iPod came with a USB cable, it should charge and sync with one. If anyone has any ideas, please let me know. Thank you!

    ok I went here for instruction on how to take it apart since I wasn't having much luck on my own:
    http://www.flexbeta.net/forums/index.php?act=ST&f=20&t=8269
    his tip worked for me so far. hopefully this won't be just a temporary fix:
    Good tip: if your iPod seems dead and the hard drive is throwing errors pull out the connection at the bottom of the ipod mainboard and plug it back in, this will hard reset your ipod and worked a few times for me

  • Intermittent noise through line out + AJA Kona

    I have a MacPro Dual Proc 2.66 dual core that's about 18 months old, with an AJA Kona LHe card that I use for film and audio editing. The Kona feeds an SDi input JVC Reference Monitor and the AJA KL interface feeds my Mackie mixer. The Audio line out also goes to the Mackie, so that I can monitor iTunes and Amadeus via AJA or Line out, depending on my process.
    I have started noticing a really low intermittent hum that arrives at the mixer via the AJA KL box or from the analogue out. It is usually not there when I first start working but after an hour or so it starts, each burst lasts about 3-4 secs and is very low, painful to the ears.
    I've tried plugging earphones in to the front socket and there is no hum at all.
    I've tried linking fan activity to the hum without success.
    I have SoundStiks for Desktop audio and there's no hum there either. I prefer to work with headphones when editing so I really want the AJA sound to be clean but can't fathom where the sound is coming from. Any ideas?

    HI I am having the same problem with HUmming sounds coming from my Mackie mixer also. But the sound is constant and wont go away using the ajay card.
    selecting the outputs to Internal speakers, or LINE OUT, or Digital out. the system using headphones I do not hear the humming only when selecting the AJA kona 3 card OUtput..I hear it with headphones and with external speakers.
    When the Mac PRO QuadCore- Intel Xeon 2 x 3Ghz restarts the sound is still there during boot up and even if the system is shutdown.as long as the RCA cables are plugged into Ch1 and CH2 you will hear humming. BUT if you unplug the RCAs from CH1 and CH2 the hum stops.
    I tried using a different wall outlet for power for the Mackie mixer and the external speakers I still had HUM. I tried another rackmounted AJAK3-Box still there was a HUM.
    I am running out of ideas.
    THis card has been in production in our environment for over years now. BUT the system recently was relocated to a new office...
    I think it has something to do with the AC power in this area..
    Is there something wrong with this card? Could there be a driver update? Have you resolved your issue YET?
    Any help would be greatly appreciated.

  • Broadband dropping out, noise high, speed slow

    Have had past problems with high noise, which seemed to have been solved by having the mods reset noise down (thanks) with line speed increasing up to around 2Mbps over the last couple of weeks (great from where I was previously).  See http://community.bt.com/t5/BB-Speed-Connection-Issues/Slow-broadband-downstream-line-speed/m-p/33081...
    Tonight around 4:50pm (when all the kids in the neighbourhood have come back to their homes, and are playing online games) broadband drops out, noise jumps up to 22 from about 15 where it was previously I think, speed dramatically drops to less than 1Mbps.
    Q1: Any idea how to get noise down again and speed back up?  
    Q2: Have I got a faulty hub that it keeps dropping out like this (hub is quite new)? Peculiar that it seems to happen at busy periods though - I've had this kind of drop out before, which is why I'm going straight to the forum.  I have already had broadband boost engineer out in the past and that makes me think it's unlikely there's anything wrong with my line.
    Any ideas about solutions will be gratefully received!  (Just started working from home office today with 3 people - had thought I had us all on 2MB+ - but not now!)  Help!
    Thanks
    Test1 comprises of Best Effort Test:  -provides background information.
    Download  Speed
    881 Kbps
    0 Kbps
    2000 Kbps
    Max Achievable Speed
     Download speedachieved during the test was - 881 Kbps
     For your connection, the acceptable range of speeds is 400-2000 Kbps.
     Additional Information:
     Your DSL Connection Rate :1120 Kbps(DOWN-STREAM), 448 Kbps(UP-STREAM)
     IP Profile for your line is - 2000 Kbps
    Connection Information
    Line state:
    Connected
    Connection time:
    0 days, 04:39:52
    Downstream:
    1.094 Mbps
    Upstream:
    448 Kbps
    ADSL Settings
    VPI/VCI:
    0/38
    Type:
    PPPoA
    Modulation:
    G.992.1 Annex A
    Latency type:
    Interleaved
    Noise margin (Down/Up):
    22.0 dB / 20.0 dB
    Line attenuation (Down/Up):
    50.0 dB / 31.0 dB
    Output power (Down/Up):
    15.8 dBm / 11.9 dBm
    FEC Events (Down/Up):
    312 / 23
    CRC Events (Down/Up):
    24 / 32
    Loss of Framing (Local/Remote):
    0 / 0
    Loss of Signal (Local/Remote):
    0 / 0
    Loss of Power (Local/Remote):
    0 / 0
    HEC Events (Down/Up):
    20 / 18
    Error Seconds (Local/Remote):
    133249 / 784
    Solved!
    Go to Solution.

    is the new faceplate like this 
    or like this
    If you like a post, or want to say thanks for a helpful answer, please click on the Ratings star on the left-hand side of the post.
    If someone answers your question correctly please let other members know by clicking on ’Mark as Accepted Solution’.

  • CPU whine with DVI and line out/DVI removed whine not in line out?

    I have noticed that when using headphones or the line out alone I do not hear the whine noise. The whine noise is still active, in other words, I can still hear it coming from the keyboard. But, it is not transferred through the line out or headphone jack. THIS IS BEFORE I DO ANY TRICKS: mirror widget etc.
    But, if I plug in the DVI adaptor and utilize the line out/headphone jack, the noise now appears. This means if I am running my laptop to do a presnetation, the noise will appear through the sound system. However, if I don't use my laptop for video and use it for audio only, the noise is not THERE!
    Of course, I can use the tricks and it will eliminate it. But this leads me to believe that something is related? The DVI connection with the entire mother board....or something. Any comments? Please help

    I agree. I never use line in/out of the computer for professional work. I had PCI expansion chassis doing that type of work when using the PowerBook, and am eagerly awaiting Magma's upgrades which will come soon per their emails. However, I do use my portable computer to teach and to present research, at which point lugging a full blown professional system is not an option. In some cases, it would be nice to use the line out while presenting, without having to carry additional equipment.
    In any case, the problem does exist and is one that shouldn't exist. The fact that there are workarounds does not "fix" the problem or for that matter acknowledges it. Apple should acknowledge the problem and replace the faulty parts in the machines affected. I bet that if it was the other way around, say plugging something in the headphone jack would affect the screen resolution, people would be all over the place, and the solution could not possibly be, "just hook an external monitor and it will work fine".
    In the meantime, I am just trying to find out if this is a widespread issue or not to see if it makes sense to return the machine, with which I am absolutely happy otherwise even with the other problems reported.

  • Keyboard line out and griffin imic incompatibility?

    I'm getting horrible background noise when I try to record my keyboard (Yamaha PSR-225GM ) headphone line out through my Griffin iMic into Garageband. I assume it's a level issue but even the keyboard volume control won't fix the problem nor will system settings for the input device. My Sony stereo mic into the same iMic input sounds fine. Headphones attached to the keyboard line out sound fine too so I don't believe it's a quality problem with the line out. Can one not use a headphone output into the Griffin iMic?
    If not, anyone got suggestions for higher quality audio input into the iMic flat panel (e.g. some USB box) that's compatible with various audio equipment (mics, keyboards, guitar amps, 1/4" and 1/8" and RCA plugs etc.)? The iMic has served me fine, but maybe it's time to start looking for something higher quality, and more versatile. Thanks.
    By the way, anyone know why sometimes there's a delay (half second or so) between audio in and the monitors in Garageband, and sometimes not? It makes performance nearly impossible when there's such a big delay.
    SJG
    iMac flatpanel 15   Mac OS X (10.3.9)  
    iMac flatpanel 15   Mac OS X (10.3.9)  
    iMac flatpanel 15   Mac OS X (10.3.9)  
    iMac flatpanel 15   Mac OS X (10.3.9)  
    iMac flatpanel 15   Mac OS X (10.3.9)  

    tell me if I'm on the right track on the
    following theories (I don't know if the following are TRUE):
    I'll do the best I can...
    1) The quater-inch headphone output from the Yamaha
    keyboard is neither "balanced"
    Correct, the headphone-out is not balanced. A balanced output uses 3 wires, a graound, a hot, and another hot that's 180° out of phase with the first. This is a neat trick in that two signals 180° out of phase with each other cancel each other out sp you get zero signal. In the case of a balanced out if noise is introduced, it is in phase on both cables. On the other end when the signal on the out of phase wire has its phase flipped, your original signal is now in phase on both legs, and the noise is 180° out of phase with itself, and thus is canceled out.
    nor impedance matched
    to the Griffin iMic.
    The impedance is not a problem here. As I understand it, the headphone-out is High Impedance, and so is the iMic's In.
    (I'm using a 1/4" to 2.5 mm
    converter cable). I am possibly getting radio
    interference (I DID get a local radio station when I
    touched the plug right!!) and degrading the signal
    because of these two issues.
    Possible. A Low quality cable and or adaptor could offer an entry point for noise.
    2) It may be necessary to put the signal from my
    keyboard's headphone jack into a DI (direct box) to
    get impedance matched to mixer levels - the levels I
    assume the Griffin iMic expects.
    No, this shouldn't be true. A headphone-out is actually much hotter than a Line-In, so the level should be able to offer more than enough signal, and the impedance is matched.
    3) I'm HOPING that a high quality audio-to-USB (or
    firewire) input box can perform the job of the direct
    box.
    It could, but the weak point I see is that you're stuck using a headphone-out instead of a Line-Out. I don't think a DI box is going to help any in comparison.
    Hmmm, I just glanced at your computer list. Doesn't the iMac have a Line-In jack? Have you tried skipping the iMic and going straight into the iMac?
    Finally, if anyone can give me the list of equipment
    in order from a keyboard to Garageband
    I think it could be Keyboard -> Mac
    Other combinations would just be sticking an interface between the two (Keyboard->interface->Mac)

  • IPad line-out design flaw - really!!!

    I just bought a cable that uses the line out of the ipad to use with my car stereo (Kensington 2-in-1 Charger and Audio Cable for iPhone/iPod)
    I first tested the cable by plugging it into some external computer speaker ... hissssss. Then into my nice NAD stereo amp .... hisssss and finally in the car ....... hissssssssssssssss.
    I then investigated the hissssssssing problem further and IT APPEARS TO BE A DESIGN FLAW WITH IPADS ! I ordered another cable from Amazon and got the same hiss. I even went to the Apple store and myself and a Genius even tried another iPad with this cable and still got a hiss. To top it off WE USED THE OFFICIAL IPAD DOCK with the line out (using another cable with mini plugs) and still got a hiss.
    So peeps, it appears that there is a major problem with the line out on the ipad. Perhaps these cables are at fault but how can you explain using a standard line out cable with mini plugs with the official Apple dock and still getting the same hiss. It's not a very loud hiss but definitely noticeable and renders the ipad line-out useless for anyone who wants to use this device to get better sound quality than the standard headphone out jack on home and car stereo units.

    Michael Morgan1 wrote:
    I plug an audio cable between the iPad the the home theater inputs and it sounds fine. And do the same to the powered speakers in the bedroom, and it sounds fine. Or connect a different cable from the iPad to the car radio's AUX to play audiobooks on the road, which sound great. And, of course, headphones sound fine too.
    I use my iPod the same way and I expect to use the iPad that way also.
    However, about a year ago I drove a rental car that had a USB connection to the sound system. According to the car user manual, that allowed the sound system to pick up sound from the iPod but also allowed the sound system to control the iPod via user inputs. Unfortunately, it required that the iPod have MS formatting and mine has Apple formatting so I never had a chance to play with it.
    Having said all that, I suspect (but can't prove) that the OP's problem is that, with ONLY the sound out function being accessed, the noise is reasonable. The cable includes other wires that are unterminated in this configuration. Unterminated wires are a good antenna. The antenna is picking up random noise (hiss) and transferring it to the audio.

  • Audio problems - soft sound, no line-out detected

    ok, so a number of things went wrong with my computer.
    it was working perfectly, and i opened garage band up to record music, and all of a sudden, no sound was coming out. at this stage i was using the line-out to my stereo amp. it also wouldnt let me change the volume and came up with the circle-with-a-line-through-it symbol.
    i did all the standard stuff, close garage band, play with the settings, go into system pref. restarted it, and then it was making some strange fuzzy noises, and system pref. said that no audio devices were detected, so i restarted again. now i only have built-in output detected, and its very quiet, even on full volume, the volume and mute controls all work.
    so thats all of my problems. im currently running OS X 10.4.10 on an intel-based iMac.
    thanks

    Folks,
    on Nov. 29, 2007 we have begun shipping a revised PocketDock Line Out USB, which is now iPhone-enabled. We have also revised the 1/8" stereo plugs on the included cables, so they are now thin enough to fit the iPhone’s recessed headphone jack.
    Note that not all retailers might have the newest stock, so if you want to be on the safe side, either ask for which revision they sell (the iPhone-option is mentioned on the packaging) or order directly from http://www.sendstation.com.
    Best regards,
    André Klein
    +President, SendStation Systems+

  • X-Fi Elite Pro Line Out?

    Is there a way to get a line out signal from my x-fi elite pro? I need to run a signal to my preamplifier.
    Thanks!

    DACs:Line-outs (PCI card): (Four) Cirrus Logic CS4398 D/A converters (92 kHz, 20 dB)Headphones-output (Console): Cirrus Logic CS4392 D/A converter (92 kHz, 4 dB)
    That's true.
    I've tested it myself and notice the difference right away on headphone out.
    I have also opened the I/O External pannel and found out that Line-IN 2, Line-IN 3, AUX3 IN has Texas Instruments ADC converter PCM804 while Line-in has AKM AK5394A ADC.
    AKM AK5394A is much much more better than TI PCM804 but line-in has more noise floor when i tested it in sound forge without any connection noise floor was at -70dB while Line-IN 2 was at -90.3dB
    Overall i use my X-Fi Elite Pro as audio router for routing and recording music/voice so i need lower noise floor.
    Message Edited by Spc on 09-26-2006 0:25 AM

  • Clicking sound on line out

    Does anyone know why I am getting a clicking sound (about 80 bpm) on the line out port but not on the front output port. This is a 3GZ mac pro running OSX 4.9. Also, what's the proceedure for getting the machine fixed while still (just barely) under warranty? Hopefully it's just a software problem. Thanks, Ron

    Do you have your audio cables running close to strong power sources, power cables etc? This can sometimes create noises similar to the kind of thing you're describing. That would be the first thing I'd want to rule out before checking the hardware itself.

  • Mic audio line makes noise during recording

    I have a condenser mic and have not had any problems until now. I don't think its the mic as when I plug the headphones into the "phones" jack on my mixer, its fine. However,when I plug the headphones into the line out (headphone on the back of my IMacG5 there is static like noise when I talk into or touch the mic.
    What are the possibilities?

    1.) You're in a Windows forum
    2.) You're in an iTunes forum when your issue doesn't sound iTunes related in the least
    May want to post this in the appropriate forum.

  • Macbook pro 13' 2010 line out problem

    My problem is:
    When i use the line out on my Macbook pro (13' 2010), before the sound or music start i hear a "click"  (or pop, i don't know how to call) noise on the headphones (or a connected speaker).
    If i stop playing, and after a while (about 20 seconds), i hear a "click" again.
    I think this is because it turns on and off the line out port on the macbook. (turn on the line out when i start to play, and turn off when i stop to play).
    This is normal? This is irritating me, because it's annoying.
    Is there a fix for this?
    Please help me.

    I just tried it on my wifes 13" and  it does have a slight pop, very low in level at the beginning of a track, and while in pause. I did a pram reset and it seemed to reduce hoe often it happens, especially in pause mode and it now seems to not do it on every song. It was VERY low in level and has not popped at all in pause while I typed this response. It might be a part of Apple cheaping out the audio section on the 13', I have a 15" and never had this issue. She never mentioned it to me, but she usuallly listens to her music very quiet.  Still no pops, where as before the pram reset there was one about every 1/2 minute or so in pause mode. You might want to give it a try and see if it helps. But it still does it at the start of the first song but I did not here it going into the next.  Pram reset: disconnect all peripherals, power offthe MBP,power it back on and hold the following keys. Option,comand,P,R(no commas) Press these keys before the start chime and continue to hold them till you hear the start chime 3 times then release. Maybe it will help.  All the best

  • Mac Pro 2.66 Line Out not functioning.

    One of our Mac Pros on display here has a set of Altec Lansing speakers attached to it, but the line out on the back of the Mac no longer works (it did at one time). I've double-checked the settings and there is no audio coming out of the ports. However, I switch the cable to the headphone jack on the front, and boom, instant sound. Dunno why.

    This should fix your problem.
    1.1. Trash file com.apple.BezelServices.plist in your Home > Library > Preferences folder.
    1.2. Empty the Trash.
    1.3. Either Log out then log in, or restrt your Mac.
    1.4. Check the volume keys' functions a few times in the hours after performing the steps above.
    2. More than likely, an errant Startup or Login Item maybe the cause. Perhaps some third-party utility you may have
    installed to control iTunes?
    My "Troubleshooting Startup and Login Items" FAQ can help you pin that down if such an item is causing the problem.
    3. If none of the above sorts it out, after the problem occurs, immediately check these Console logs for additional clues.
    Good luck!

  • Possible to use both optical out AND regular line out at the same time?

    I currently have my computer speakers (logitech z560) hooked up to the mac pro via regular stereo jack in the back. I have an extra receiver that I would love to hook in to supply me with some needed sound for movie watching and what-not.. Is there a way to enable both line out - digital and line out at the same time?

    You can set DVD Player's "Audio output" to "Digital Out" in its "Disc Setup" preference, while other applications use Line Out.
    You could use a splitter on Line Out to feed your current speakers, and analog Line In on your receiver. When you want sound to both systems, set the receiver to Line In. When you want to watch DVDs, set it to Digital In. This will give you surround sound if the DVD has multichannel sound, and the receiver supports more than two channels.
    If you really want the same output on the Mac Pro Line Out, and Digital Out, you can use the "Auxiliary Device Output" effect in Audio Hijack Pro
    <http://www.rogueamoeba.com/audiohijackpro/>
    It will not support more than two-channel audio.

Maybe you are looking for