Parasites using headphonejack on Alu iMac 2.8

[pelai]

I have been having my new iMac for over a week and noticed some parasites in the audio when I've plugged in my headphones (tried different headphones just to be sure). It's like a highpitched noice that ocurres on random basis and changes in tone and intensity.
I can easily reproduce this by playing with soundlevel with the keyboard, when bars are at the middle it is most audible. It doesn't occur with any particular application and exists even with only the finder running.

What do you think guys, could this be a hardware issue? Should I contact apple?

I am just a few days from the 14 day limit since I bought it and could therefore ask for an exchange.

 

[rpp3po]

These are ACTUAL parasites

from Singapore inhabiting your headphone socket. You squashed them and now their slime haunts your signal path.

 

[synth3tik]

from Singapore inhabiting your headphone socket. You squashed them and now their slime haunts your signal path.

Probably not helpful to the OP, but funny

What do you think guys, could this be a hardware issue? Should I contact apple?

I would bring it into the Apple store, sounds like it could be a short along the signal path somewhere. Something like this though you have a full year with. The 14 days is just a no questions asked return date.

 

[knapkin]

I have just noticed a similar if not the same issue on my imac. It seems to only happen when nothing else is making a sound. But I get high pitched noise (usually one tone) every so often. The quick way to fix it is to change the volume which makes a noise.

Did you take yours in? What was the outcome?

Edit: I've been playing around with it, and it seems turning the audio off all the way is the problem. For instance, in iTunes, if I hit play/pause over and over, eventually I'll get a high pitched tone during one of the pauses. I'm guessing this is the same affect you see when increasing the voulme with the keyboard; audio is going on and the off over and over.

The noise varries in tone and intesisty. It is usually in just one of the stereo channels, not both. It seems to last as long as nothing else makes a noise.

Additionally, during some of the pauses that did not have the noise, I can still hear what I can best describe as a short lived high pitched low intensity noise (it almost sounds like somthing turning off).

 

[aLoC]

I have this too but it doesn't happen in Windows which makes me think it is a bug in the OS X sound driver.

 

[pelai]

Well I decided not to return it yet, since I am in need of the computer for the moment and want apple to fix the graphicscard issue so I won't need to return it twice, in case both things are hardware.
Even so it's terribly annoying since I use headphones all the time for my editing in FCP and as Knapkin said, with play/pause it brings the issue forward.

If it's a driver issue, shouldn't all Imacs have this problem and then more feedback?
Or could it be that people have not really noticed?

 

[Agasthya]

I have this too but it doesn't happen in Windows which makes me think it is a bug in the OS X sound driver.

Same here. I'm going to wait for 10.5 and if that doesn't fix it I will be taking it in to the store. If it is just a driver issue I'm surprised that more people haven't brought it up -- its annoying as hell for me.

 

[knapkin]

I suspect the reason it has not been reported is a combination of good headphones and good ears. Just a guess, but do you all use nice ones?

Additionally, I've noticed that there is a very low intensity static when audio stops that lasts about 10 seconds and then it is completely quiet.

This does feel very much like a driver issue to me.

 

[Agasthya]

I suspect the reason it has not been reported is a combination of good headphones and good ears. Just a guess, but do you all use nice ones?

Additionally, I've noticed that there is a very low intensity static when audio stops that lasts about 10 seconds and then it is completely quiet.

This does feel very much like a driver issue to me.

The issue is only persistent on my Logitech external speakers. I just tried some headphones for about 10 mins and didn't notice any issues -- I'll investigate more tomorrow.

However, the reason I'm resurrecting this thread is because this issue is showing up in 10.5 as well as the OS switcher panel (holding down option while restarting). I was hoping it was a driver issue (since it doesn't occur in Windows) but it looks like it is probably something hardware related. Damn.

 

[knapkin]

I've tried with 3 different sets of headphones. It is there on all of them.