I like the idea of components -- that way I can choose exactly the equipment that sounds the best to me. It takes more research, but, hey, that's half the fun. ... View more

That's not necessarily true... mine are AA's in both devices ... View more

I solved it using the following steps, hopefully it works for you too!   Upgrade your sound card drivers.  Next try muting or turning the volume down on the MIC input.  Finally, remove all other USB devices to see if that's the problem.   Good luck!   --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My current setup: WAV/FLAC -> Meier Audio Corda Opera -> AKG K702 ... View more