ATH-M50x headphones troubleshooting

[cullen696]

Hi all.

This is my first post here and I apologize if this isn't the correct place to ask but I'm lost. I've just recently purchased an ATH-M50x, but I'm having trouble with it. I know very little about audio configurations, but I wanted a starter headphone.

The issues I'm having include:

1) I receive a weird noise through the headset when the headset is plugged into my Computer motherboards 'line out' jack. The best way I can describe the noise is a very faint coil whine. This noise is not noticeable when there is audio playing but it's making me want to return the headset.

2) I doubt this is related to the headset, but the volume on my computer keeps changing to accommodate other programs. For example if I have 'Spotify' playing music and someone speaks on 'Teamspeak 3' my audio lowers.

My set-up is as follows:

Headphones: ATH-M50x

Motherboard: http/www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4959#sp[1]

OS: Windows 10

Realtek Audio Drivers

No additional soundcards or amps

What I've tried so far:

Problem 1

1) I've connected my headphones to my phone (Galaxy S6) and did not receive the noise. Although the headset is extremely quiet compared to the computer.

2) Used the shorter interchangeable cable that comes with the headset. (note: I can't seem to find anywhere else on my computer that I can plug this into)

3) Reinstalling Realtek drivers (note: it's possible I did not do this correctly)

Problem 2

1) In the windows sound options there is a tab called 'Communications' I adjusted that to the 'Do Nothing' option.

2) Also in the windows sound options under playback devices I unchecked 'Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device' on all devices.

Any advice is appreciated and once again I apologize if this is the wrong place to post.

 

[basroil]

Second problem is probably an application setup issue.

First is likely USB devices, especially high power ones using USB power. Try unplugging everything but your mouse and keyboard and seeing if it works properly. Also consider using the green speaker jack in the back of the computer instead of the headphone ones.

 

[ssddx]

sounds like 100% pc issue and applications issue and not the headphones.

try the front headphone jack on your pc if you have one on your case. if that doesnt work then try the green rear jack on the back of your case. have no other peripherals connected when trying. the noise, if not due to other devices connected could be due to poor shielding on your onboard, poor quality onboard or other electrical issues going on in your case. a fix for that would typically be a cheap soundcard of some manner.

as for the volume changing issue, it could be a feature built into teamspeak which lowers your volume levels when someone speaks so you can hear them easier. i think they have a feature like that http/forum.teamspeak.com/showthread.php/62933-Request-Lower-music-volume-when-someone-talking

as for the low volume level on your phone, thats odd since the m50's are relatively easy to drive. i have the original m50s (instead of newer m50x) and i've never had issues with my smartphone (droid incredible 1 i used at the time) powering them. of course different phones have different quality amplifiers built into them so its not uncommon for some phones to not play nice with headphones. you could use a portable amplifier if you wanted to use them with your phone more.

 

[cullen696]

Second problem is probably an application setup issue.

First is likely USB devices, especially high power ones using USB power. Try unplugging everything but your mouse and keyboard and seeing if it works properly. Also consider using the green speaker jack in the back of the computer instead of the headphone ones.

Thanks.
I've removed all USB devices and was still receiving the noise. I then restarted to unfortunately find the noise still there. The jacks on my motherboard are not colored themselves, but in Realtek Audio Manager 'line out' is the green one.

 

[cullen696]

sounds like 100% pc issue and applications issue and not the headphones.

try the front headphone jack on your pc if you have one on your case. if that doesnt work then try the green rear jack on the back of your case. have no other peripherals connected when trying. the noise, if not due to other devices connected could be due to poor shielding on your onboard, poor quality onboard or other electrical issues going on in your case. a fix for that would typically be a cheap soundcard of some manner.

as for the volume changing issue, it could be a feature built into teamspeak which lowers your volume levels when someone speaks so you can hear them easier. i think they have a feature like that http/forum.teamspeak.com/showthread.php/62933-Request-Lower-music-volume-when-someone-talking

as for the low volume level on your phone, thats odd since the m50's are relatively easy to drive. i have the original m50s (instead of newer m50x) and i've never had issues with my smartphone (droid incredible 1 i used at the time) powering them. of course different phones have different quality amplifiers built into them so its not uncommon for some phones to not play nice with headphones. you could use a portable amplifier if you wanted to use them with your phone more.

The peripherals didn't change much. However, I found that by using the headphone jack on my case the issue resolves itself. With that said, I'm concerned that I'm losing audio quality due to not using the motherboard jack. I've been researching multiple forums and I've been told that EMI is a likely cause, and the solution would be an external converter.

 

[basroil]

Thanks.
I've removed all USB devices and was still receiving the noise. I then restarted to unfortunately find the noise still there. The jacks on my motherboard are not colored themselves, but in Realtek Audio Manager 'line out' is the green one.

We'll probably need the pc parts to know exactly what's going on, but I would still venture to guess it's EMI related or PSU voltage stability related. You can use pcpartpicker for that.

 

[cullen696]

Thanks.
I've removed all USB devices and was still receiving the noise. I then restarted to unfortunately find the noise still there. The jacks on my motherboard are not colored themselves, but in Realtek Audio Manager 'line out' is the green one.

We'll probably need the pc parts to know exactly what's going on, but I would still venture to guess it's EMI related or PSU voltage stability related. You can use pcpartpicker for that.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-GAMING 7 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (Purchased For $0.00)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Video Card ($659.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 w/Window (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($115.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($93.75 @ OutletPC)
Headphones: Audio-Technica M50x Headphones ($169.00 @ Adorama)
Total: $1038.73
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-15 00:42 EDT-0400

I threw that together quickly. Let me know if there are any other parts that could be affecting the problem. Also, using the headphone jack on the case resolves the issue, but I'm concerned about audio quality.

 

[basroil]

http/www.teamliquid.net/forum/tech-support/462421-ga-z97x-sli-buzzing-onboard-sound <--- looks like a faulty design there. Luckily it only seems to affect the rear panel. And to make things worse that PSU is one of FSP's worst builds http/www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story4&reid=442

Either one alone could certainly be the cause.


Try using the system without the GPU for a bit and see if the issue is still there.

 

[ssddx]

^ as above, those could be the culprits.

you could either use a xonar dg soundcard or if you prefer to go external one of the soundcards from creative/asus. another option would be a fiio dac+amplifier combinations. depends on how much you want to spend and what features you want honestly.