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Help get rid of clicks from my PC while using DAC

post #1 of 2
10/30/11 at 8:03pm
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My computer produces an intermittent audible click when using my 0404 with a DAC.

 

I use a 0404 PCI running on a Windows 7 64bit machine. I'm using a beta driver from EMU because this is the only one available for Windows 7 64bit. This is hooked up to a DAC using a coax cable.

 

I set up the sampling rate to 48khz and set windows sound setting to 24bit 48khz as well.

 

Here are the tests I've done to deduce the problem:

* Use both coax and toslink connection and both produce clicks (my DAC doesn't have a USB input)

* Tried all sampling rate in the EMU tool and changed the windows setting accordingly, the problem didn't disappear

* Used the DAC with a PS3 and CDP using both toslink and coax, clicks DIDN'T occur

 

By process of elimination, there is something in my PC that is causing this. Also, the clicking doesn't occur when streaming ASIO i.e. playing music in Foobar but may sometimes occur through directsound. Clicking occurs more often when no sound is playing.

 

I followed the instructions here http://www.sweetwater.com/sweetcare/downloads/Windows_7_Optimization_Guide.pdf without success.

 

Has anyone experienced this problem before or something similar? How did you fix it?


Edited by jas_kidd32 - 10/30/11 at 8:05pm
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post #2 of 2
10/31/11 at 1:04pm

This is a common problem, from what I've read, with W7x64 machines and effects both PCs and laptops. I've had similar problems and while I've managed to get a work around it's not necessarily complete. I strongly believe that this is an issue with W7 64bit and how it manages power supply. Every time the PC competes a process (it can be as simple as auto refresh ) the click occurs. It also seems to be more specific to certain types of DACs. My PC was atrocious in this regard after I hooked up my HRT Music Steamer II and it took a lot of work to reduce the constant ticking to the odd audible click. From what I've read iBasso also elicits similar results. My MSII is now attached to my work laptop (XP) with no issues whatsoever.

 

Now here's an anomaly. When I use a combo DAC/Amp such as the uDAC 2 or the E7/E9 I don't have any issues whatsoever. It seems that using a separate DAC will (but not always) cause the issue. Is this because of the way that the computer talks to the DAC?

 

I've got around this problem by doing the following:

 

All PC power settings are at 100% (as per the Sweetwater doc)

I use JRIver Media Centre. Using Winamp Pro or Foobar I still have issues but the JRiver is in a class of its own and worht every cent I paid for it.

I use a combo DAC/amp (the E7/E9 in this instance)

I use ASIO (ASIO4ALL plug in) and have set the latency buffers as high as possible. If you've got ASIO4ALL then have a play with these buffers - the results are very interesting.

 

Some may disagree but I am convinced that this is an issue with 64 bit W7. A regular poster found that when he used 7x64 he got the issue. When he rebooted into a separate partition running the Linux OS the problem went away. Once again MS have stuffed up and don't even seem to care about the problem despite numerous posts on their W7 forums. I suspect that they have nobody who reads them.

 

Good luck with solving this, I hope I have helped.

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