Tell us more about your setup.

Are you using the internal audio, or a USB interface? .. Or(?)

First place I would look is the audio drivers selection.
See what is being used.
If 'What you Hear' or 'Mix' is selected on the input side for the driver (regardless of device) then your output may be getting tapped over to your input, which indeed would likely be noisier.

Option-Prefs-AudioTab-DriversButton .. what is selected as the input if you click that path?
Let us know what PT is actually using for the input.

If it's not a live 'mic' input (as mentioned above) it is likely a mixer setting somewhere in the chain, and the above selected driver may help us figure out just where that mixer setting may be.

Make your sound your own!
.. I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome