Where's the hum coming from? (1 Viewer)

[Max Malloy]

Alright, i just got a pair of SONY MDR-7506 headphones - probably the first piece of truly good audio equipment i've ever bought. I hooked them up directly to my sound card - they sound great. Decided to also try hooking them up to my receiver. They sound far better, extremely noticable improvment. Only problem is that when they are hooked up through the receiver, i hear a low hum even when music isn't playing. What's causing this? My receiver? The cable that connects it to the PC?
Receiver: Pioneer '98 model mid-quality
Sound card: Creative Labs Audigy
Cable: Cheapo $9.99 Radio Shack Style
Thanks, hope someone out there knows how to get rid of it. It's not too noticable when music is playing but i'd rather not have it there.

 

[Tom Rags]

I had this same problem with my subwoofer a while back...I was hearing a humming noise even when the receiver wasn't on. It turns out it was from the cable (it was super-cheapo radio shack high gage wire). Once I replaced it with a nice shielded sub cable, no more humming. Try upgrading your cable to a lower gage (16 at the highest), and see if this helps.
Chances are, this is the problem.
--Tom

 

[Max Malloy]

Ok thanks!

 

[David Ki]

Same here with the Radioshacks on the PC to receiver connection, all other brands seem to work fine for me.

 

[Max Malloy]

Ok i guess that answers it. Thanks