XPS M1210 - Ear phones shocking my ears while watching a DVD.

really bad headphones?

I guess you have sensitive ears.

I'd call Dell there is no way you should be getting shocked..

if I use the headphones provided with the AV package and sit/slide around on my coach, I can build up enough charge in me to have it 'discharge' through the headphones into my ears.

Essentially your body acts like a resistor / capacitor combo, and can store/release charge...

My cell phone (Palm Treo 700P) does this also when I sit in plastic lawn chairs and am using a corded headset

It's do to the fact that the laptop's (or in my case cell phone's) plastic shell is building a static charge which continously builds when rubbing against another non grounded/non conducting object. Since the static buildup is not large enough to jump from the internal grounding through the case to your hand or body, it jumps from your earphones thin plastic and close proximity to your ear.

Basically your laptop is building static charge which makes it's ground potential several thousand volts (but Ultra low current) higher than true ground (earth ground). it cannot escape due to it's total electrical insulation, but when you plug in your power cord or head phones, it gives a nice relatively resistance free path to discharge.

Your power cord grounds the electrical ground of the laptop which dissipates any and all static. When your laptop is on battery power it is 100% isolated from earth ground except by your body.

To feel a static shock, the voltage must be at a bare minimum of 6000 volts!

Electricity can jump through normal air humidity at almost sea level at a rate of 1,000,000 volts per inch. So if your getting a static shock at half an inch around sea level with an RH of around 50%, it is around 500,000 volts.

when on battery power, your body is basically the only path for static to discharge to ground.

Also, depending on your particular conditions, the situation might be acting in reverse in that your body is collecting the static and discharging it to your laptop.

I would try to avoid these situations though, for a typical semiconductor junction in today's 130nm process ("old school" technology), it only takes abour 30v of static electricity to permanently damage a transistor. you absolutely will not feel a 30v static discharge. Luckily, when electronics devices are installed, isolated, and grounded properly, static rarely travels through damaging paths. it usually is directly discharged to ground which is harmless in most situations.

If that's the situation, your body is building static and discharging it to the grounded laptop.

Your carpet's padding is to blame for this. Not too sure what it is, but from what I have noticed from experiance is that carpet padding made for high humidity and moisture (basement use) often has static problems when used on insulated wood subflooring. When this type of padding is used on concrete without a wood subfloor, it doesnt seam to have static problems, but if it is used on a built up wooden subfloor in a basement, static can be horrendous. The only solution besides replacing your carpet and padding is to walk around in barefeet or carry a 1 megaohm resistor around and touch the end to grounded metal every once in a while.... not exactly practical unless your a hardcore electronics engineering nerd (believe me, I know some who are like this)

I've worked as a consultant for several computer labs and server rooms that had static problems and most of them had carpet padding made for high moisture basement applications and had a wooden subfloor beneath it. We replaced the carpet and padding (or removed it all togethor) and problem solved.

You could also spray your apartment down with water, but I think you might not get your security deposit back.