RUNNING POWERED SPEAKERS FROM AN IMAC

I'm stumped by the static issue. I've done setups like yours from several Mac laptops and an iMac and never had an issue with static.

When you say the static is "pretty much gone" when you're using the iPad mini it might indicate that the issue is with the headphone jack on your iMac. But if the static isn't completely gone I'm not sure if that's the problem.

You could try squirting some contact cleaner into the headphone jack on the iMac and plugging the mini-stereo cable into it several times to clean the contacts.

Or try switching from the wireless mouse to a wired mouse to see if interference from the wireless might be the problem. But if you still have some static using the iPad I'm not sure that would be a solution.

I tried it again and actually there is no static when I'm using the iPad. I'll try finding some contact solution and cleaning the headphone jack . I realize what I was hearing was the actual noise of the iMac itself as I was sitting in front of it when I had it plugged into my iPad. The noise really does seem centered around that headphone jack, and when I plug it back in there again I definitely get the static noise happening. Am I correct in thinking that if I use the dragonfly, this may beat as it will be plugged in via USB port?

The dragonfly most likely will provide better sound, but it also seems as though you have dirty or damaged headphone jack on the laptop. Cleaning could help, but it's also possible reasonably the noise you are hearing is from an intermittent connection at the headphone jack. Those little 1/8" jacks are easily damaged, especially if you've used the headphones much and stressed that connection by yanking, pulling, tripping over, whatever, the headphone cable.

Actually the headphone jack on the iMac has rarely if ever been used prior to this

try a pair of headphones connected in that jack. is there still static?

or, it may be a faulty headphone jack on the imac...