Static, buzzing & interference on headphones in laptop jack

[klinkklink]

I got a new laptop (Dell Inspiron i7559) and it seems my old ATH-M50s (~2-3 years) seem to be giving off static and making this buzzing noise that randomly varies from noticeable to silent only when plugged into my laptop's one headphone jack. I've tested them on other machines, and the noise seems pretty much gone when plugged into my desktop or my phone. I've also tested it with a friend's headphones, and the noise was still there, but a bit quieter.

What could be wrong with my laptop? Is there anything I can do about this myself, or am I gonna have to shell out some cash for an external DAC or something? Should that even help?

Furthermore, I think I can sometimes make out very faint music when nothing is playing on my laptop. Can wired headphones actually pick up radio interference, or am I experiencing something else?

Thanks in advance.

 

[jsmithepa]

for an external DAC or something? Should that even help?

By-the-book, it should help.

make out very faint music when nothing is playing on my laptop.

That's in ghost territory, whatever I may have to say would have no meaning. ^)

Can wired headphones actually pick up radio interference

Yes. Computers are a noisy bunch.

or am I experiencing something else?

Possibly HD, fan noise? and very rarely electronic whine.

So what you do is, get a long headphone extension cord, hook it up, go into the other room with the headphone still over your ears, and if you can still hear the noise then is the audio circuitry's fault. If can't hear noise any more then is last paragraph.