I *think* the same should be true of USB speakers. You could try another power cord, as in Don's case, or maybe a couple of RF chocks or inductors placed at each end of the cord.Ī Mac's headphone amp could also be the problem, in which case a DAC should help. Whether this is the case of the Pro-Medias, I don't know. That's not to say they need to be built for the fabled golden ears, but that they do have to be of good quality. It's usually more common in powered speakers as they seldom approach audiophile quality. Most times a hiss in speakers when no signal is present, is the result of a noisy (poor S/N) amp or pre-amp. Do this a few times for a few days and twist the knob frequently, they may be good as new.ĭoc C, was that a hiss or a hum that you were experiencing? Take the knob off your Klipsch, spray it down into the shaft a few times, and lay the speaker/control pod facing up so the spray can soak in. Side note: You can buy electrical contact cleaner spray. Hoping for good results when I finally settle on something and can get rid of this mess of gear/cables that's been underutilized for years. I suspect that any reasonable quality external USB soundcard *should* be clean. Now many years later, I'm looking to downsize. I've used it as my main sound output ever since. I eventually bought a MOTU 896 for audio recording and was relieved when I discovered the sound was perfectly clean. When I had a G5 I could hear the processor speed change in my speakers, it drove me nuts. I've noticed grounding issues resulting in hisses since my MDD G4.

People act like I'm crazy, but I think the analog audio out of Macs is garbage. This is probably what you're experiencing. They usually take a certain threshold of audio before turning back on, and if the signal is low, it may take a moment. The system turns itself to standby when no signal is present, then automagically turn on when audio resumes. Some speakers/amps have an auto-on detection.

Audioengine d1 dac settings for mac