I have noticed a pretty big difference in sound between the VDI connection and the 1/4" and I prefer how the guitar sounds when the 1/4" is plugged in. Out of the 2 batteries I received with the guitar, only one of them holds a charge, but only for about 1 day. These batteries seem to wear out very quickly. To power the guitar and get the preferred sound of the 1/4" connection, I used both plugs in order to get power to the CPU on the guitar. That's when the noise became noticeable. I have NOT been running these tests through my amp. I've tested only with headphones and also with an XLR connection to my audio interface, which gets routed through my Central Station, then reference monitors. Both cases produce the noise. I am going to take the gear to a different room on a different circuit and try there as well to see if the issue persists.