I think mzpro5 may have touched on the issue - try some WAV files or CD's in the drive to see if that makes a difference. I've used the USB port just briefly with my wife's laptop and not noticed any buzzing. Oh, and if you want a media player but don't want to spring for Slim Device's $2,000 Transporter, there's also the $300 Squeezebox and Roku's $200 SoundBridge.