hello. my problem is:
I had an old headset (headphones + mic) that -the microphone, adds lots of 'background high level noises while talking thru it.
when I bought it (about 5 years ago) it uses to work just fine.

So, I begin using a 'big hand-microphone' from aiwa (the shape of those used on stages, etc..) and it works just fine: no background noise at all.

thinking the old headset was broken, or it were reaching the end of it 'usable life', and tired of handling a big microphone that unables me to type while talk, I decide to buy a new headset.. but my surprise is that the new one.. adds exactly the same garbage-noise than the old one!!
(-so, it has nothing to do with the 'oldness' of the device, but with it design ... anyway.. why the first headset uses to work just fine when I bought it? more electric devices plugged nowadays in the same plug than the pc?--I changed the pc surge to a plug where it were alone, and the noise remains)

something I notice, is that the big-aiwa mic delivers a lower volume than the headsets .. maybe it's coz the headset's mics are of more 'high-impedance'(?) fomenting this way the garbage-noise?

think it's all about filters stuff.. but .. which kind of filter? and what to filter: the pc electric supply, or the mic by itself.. and the most important: how to do it??

the brand of the new headset is "satellite", and the old one, has erased it brand.. but.. it's of the same 'popular & low cost' kind as the new one.
the big mic one -as I said, is an aiwa.
I'm running slackware 10.2 kernel 2.6.18.1

any suggestion of how to fix it, it would be appreciated, coz .. I really want to use the new headset
thanks in advance.

Your headset microphone probably is not the same impedance as the input on your PC. You can pick up an inline transformer to match the level, but most folks don't pay enough for a PC microphone to make that worthwhile. If the unit is low cost, you are better off simply buying a new one with the correct rating (check your PC manufacturer's documentation).

thanks for answering..
yeps, I did a little search and I discover the impedance stuff...
guess you're right that the easiest thing to do is to get another headset


thanks again!