Practicing Safe Sound: Hardware and Software Pitfalls

​Props to @Baycode for putting together the material on Hearing Safety and Ear Health in his thread in the Members Lounge.  This will hopefully be a similar thread that pulls together member experience with hardware or software issues that were related to powerful, unexpected audio events. 
 
I am not looking for indictments of products or manufacturers, accusations, or conflicts developing about those specifics, but for issues that might be generic to different components or software in general and helpful to newbies in particular. Please use good judgment if you do think a specific product is implicated.  I think the best thing to do in those circumstances would be to say in your post that members can PM you if they want more specifics.  PM me if you are wondering where to go with mounting data you've gotten from PM's and I'll get the advice of an administrator.
 
I especially want to avoid confusion about cause and effect assertions. In my case below there's strong evidence that I've ended up with hearing deficits, but the issue is just as important even if damage had not been caused.  I wouldn't want anyone else to be as rattled as I was after this experience with a hardware/software pitfall if it can be avoided.
 
USB BUGS: Don't Get Bitten
 
Short version:
New to headphones (HPs)
New to USB as a digital signal pathway for HPs
Sudden jump of music from HPs driven by amp/dac to computer internal speakers
Extreme volume burst following a brief volume drop-out
Permanent hearing loss with tinnitus that was very likely caused by the bursts.
 
Take home message:
Even the best USB connections can be unstable and “buggy”, causing weird audio events that can be confusing and frustrating at the least; damaging at the worst.
 
Shout out to members:
I have no idea how common this is, but would like to get a better sense of that. I’ve corresponded with four members who have had similar experiences, with USB and fortunately without damage, so this post is another shout-out to members who have had similar USB experiences, or experiences with other hardware/software glitches with scary, traumatic or damaging consequences that everyone should be aware of, even if rarely occurring.   
 
Please post your experience to this thread or a point us to your post in another thread.
 
Long version:
I had the unfortunate experience 6 weeks ago, early in my exploration of headphones, HPs, of being exposed to three extreme, volume bursts.  I did not have prior audiology testing to compare, but my ENT doc and audiologist believe that I now have permanent  tinnitus and hearing deficits in my left ear as a result of this exposure.  Without the prior testing it is impossible to know these events were the cause with 100% certainty, but their arguments are strong. 
 
I discovered that USB instability was the likely culprit after weeks of A-B testing, correspondence with manufacturers, testing my home electrical service for any causes of a power surge, and most usefully from knowledgeable Head-Fi members and from the forums.
 
I’ve been an audiophile on a very modest budget for over 45 years.  I’ve made plenty of dumb mistakes as I’ve tinkered with an ever-evolving room system, but none with serious consequences. I followed the emergence of audiophile quality computer sources, but hadn’t explored them, as my room system continued to meet my needs with CDs. When my computer was the source, I used an adapter cable to run the headphone jack into RCA inputs on my DAC, then my room system for streaming or playing audio files ripped to my hard drive.  I had also tried out Toslink optical connections.
 
I had never used USB for digital audio until early March when I got the Schiit Magne2/ Modi 2 combo to run my HPs.  I never had a problem of any sort with them, repeat, I never had any problem with my Schiit system.  I had problems when I upgraded to a new solid state amp/dac from a reputable manufacturer.
 
The first signs arose when the sound jumped abruptly from my HPs to my internal computer speakers.  That points to something awry in the USB signal path so the computer is abruptly unable to recognize the the amp/dac. Both the computer USB output and the USB input module on the device powering the HPs can be the culprit, as I understand it.  In my case, I was able to A-B test the amp/dac with two different computers and the same problems arose, pointing to the USB input on the dac/amp.
 
I’ve also been advised that some USB input modules and implementations may have had particular problems with instability, but I don’t know any details about that.  
 
Had I known about the “jumping audio” clue, I would have shifted immediately to the Toslink optical input that was available on the new amp/dac and focused the manufacturer on whether the USB input module had any known problems.  I would have avoided the subsequent volume bursts.
 
I’ve returned the amp/dac to the manufacturer and they report no problems so far on any of their testing.  They initially thought the problem was a result of a power surge to my electrical outlet, but there has been no evidence pointing to this as a cause. It was only through my searches in these forums and PM’s to members that I Iearned about USB complications.  
 
Check for a future post if you wondering why it took three experiences of the volume bursts before I stopped using my rig.  It might be titled, “Whose Got The Pot?”

Somewhat related is this thread on hearing safety:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/723464/hearing-safety-and-ear-health-thread-a-diary-of-a-ear-health-noob
 

It was his thread that started me thinking about this.

Just my personal opinion - I have read of cases like this before on Head-Fi and tend to think that modern doctors jump to conclusions too quickly.  If you front-loaded your symptoms with descriptions of your recent experience, there's very likely nothing else they would do but confirm it ... even if the real explanation is much more complicated.
 
People live throughout their life - especially in our recent past - with gunshots next to the ear, firecrackers and fireworks, and exposure to extended rock concerts, among many other dangerous noises.  Many of us have had ear ringing that might last into the next day.  That doesn't mean the hearing loss was immediate or the cause of a single incident (or even a few more).  You mention being an audiophile for 45 years.  No offense, but that implies subjecting your ears to various things for a very long time.  Your current condition could be the result of that extended exposure over that many years and your age.  The connection with a few frequent incidents may be coincidental.
 
Tinnitus and hearing loss is widespread in society, especially with age (I'm one of them), but I find it too simple to conclude a momentary exposure to loud headphone volume could cause instantaneous - and lasting - hearing loss compared to years of firing rifles without hearing protection, mowing the lawn every week, or all those rock concerts when I was younger.
 
I am certainly sorry for your loss, but getting old sucks, for sure.  Again, no offense intended ... just my humble opinion.

I would also like to add some information to this thread...
 
I always found myself sensitive to treble and noises that I considered to be louder than other people (eg. hammering, doors slamming, air dryers for hands). I didn't think it was a huge issue, just a general sensitivity... last year, however, I discovered that I am actually experiencing hyperacusis. This is a condition where the ears are functioning properly, however the signal to the brain is somehow being amplified, such that the perceived volume of the sound is louder than it should be. 
 
Hyperacusis can become quite troublesome... at the worst case, dishes being loaded and unloaded from the dishwasher, as well as the sound of water coming from the shower was painful to me. You can imagine how painful brighter headphones would sound! I found that listening with the HD-800 headphones for about 30 minutes would cause me prolonged pain. I quite enjoy their sound, however after listening with them for 2-3 hours, I had a 3-4 day period where my inner ear felt like a knife was jammed into it.
 
Hyperacusis is not hearing loss and is not the same as tinnitus. As far as I have read, tinnitus affects hearing because of ringing/other disturbing noises obstructing the ability to hear. Hyperacusis does not cause ringing, or other disturbances... it is merely pain associated with treble and other sounds which are seemingly not painful to others. 
 
If you have trouble with certain brighter headphones, or consider yourself to be "treble sensitive" - it is most likely that you are suffering from mild hyperacusis. There are tests and treatments, however, I have not pursued treatment myself, and still enjoy listening with my HD-650's for hours every day. I am extremely careful with my hearing, and urge all music lovers to be.
 
Here is some other info for the thread:
 
I would add that I have experienced high volume events with certain DAC/amp combos that allow volume control through Windows. It's quite plausible for them to accidentally go to full volume when they are initially plugged in, so I always check. I also experienced issues setting up DSD playback with some. With the Geek Out v2 for example, it played back "white noise" at a very high volume if the DSD setup was incorrect.

No offense taken, tomb. I would like to get this thread right so it doesn't put people off. I don't want cause and effect assertions to confuse things, as the issue is just as relevant without anything having caused lasting damage. I was as rattled by the final event as by anything I can recall that wasn't life-threatening, and I'm writing in the hope that the info can help others avoid stumbling into similar experiences.  
 
I had the same concerns about cause and effect and I chewed on the issue for some time with my ENT doc and audiologist. There is no way to be 100% certain without recent prior testing and that is important to add, but I did think his conclusion about my left ear were as close to 100% as we could get with that prior testing. My ENT thought the immediate onset of ringing in both ears that cleared after about five days in the right ear, but has persisted in the left, was conclusive evidence of the volume bursts having damaged my hearing system on the left.  In his experience, persistent tinnitus starting abruptly with an extreme exposure implicates the exposure as the cause.  He thought the clearing of the tinnitus in the right ear was consistent with the more normal  findings in the right ear and thought my left and right ear exams might shown more similar deficits if testing had been done right after the events.  He also was of the opinion that aging ears are more vulnerable to the impact of brief/extreme events and thought that the three events were sufficient to have caused permanent damage.
 
The cause and effect relationship between the volume blasts and the deficits above 8000kHz is more questionable as we tend to acquire higher frequency deficits as we age by his report. I want to make that much clearer in the initial post.
 
Check out the edits I'll be posting in a little while and let me know what you think.  I'd also be helped by any info you recall from other stories you've heard or read about.  Please post that info here if you feel comfortable doing that.

mikoss said:

   
If you have trouble with certain brighter headphones, or consider yourself to be "treble sensitive" - it is most likely that you are suffering from mild hyperacusis. There are tests and treatments, however, I have not pursued treatment myself, and still enjoy listening with my HD-650's for hours every day. I am extremely careful with my hearing, and urge all music lovers to be.
 
 

Click to expand...

Milos, Thanks for bringing in the issue of hyperacusis and for including your experiences with Windows/hardware and with DSD.  The hyperacusis brings up something I've been wondering about in terms of the value of EQ for some people.  I've I been thinking in terms of the frequency range deficits in my hearing as equivalent to the recent unauthorized, permanent installation of an EQ into my hearing with significant presets I don't like.  I'm in a new normal audio environment and I've wondering if the EQ analogy fits and could be useful.
 
I'm not even sure I am affected by what I am missing regarding subjective enjoyment of listening because that continues, but am curious about the issue and tinkering with options if they are available. I'm learning about EQ to see if it would be a resource that reveals the discernible effects of those hearing deficits and points to EQ parameters that might correct them to whatever degree is possible for an improved subjective audio experience, particularly in terms of tonal balance and my experience of the sound stage. 
 
Along those lines, then hyperacusis would be the same kind of permanent EQ installation and your post got me thinking about how EQ might reduce its impact.  Sounds like it

You might be interested in Sonarworks for EQ'ing headphones. Personally, I've found that software EQ is not my preference, as it seems to diminish the overall quality, usually with respect to the natural resolution certain headphones offer.

Hardware EQ is also helpful, if it's an option. I definitely use the treble control on my amplifier for my speaker listening. The hardware EQ seems to do a better job at preserving the quality.

The treatment for hyperacusis is actually prolonged white noise. This treatment seems to allow the brain/ears to recalibrate and become less sensitive to certain frequencies. I've read it involves as much low volume exposure to white noise as possible... This would be as easy as using an iPod and earbuds for 10-12 hours or more a day, starting with very low volume and working up to a normal listening level.

Hi All,
 
I experienced a similar incident of screeching loud noise coming through my headphones.  This was not music - it was total garbage.  I do not listen to HP's at a loud volume.  When this happened, I quickly removed the cans from my head.  I was shaken up and didn't listen to headphones for awhile.
 
The incident happened a couple years ago.  The rig was a mid-2014 MacPro computer - USB cable - separate DAC + amp.  The music server was JRiver which contained different resolution music from 320kbps MP3 to 24/192 FLAC.  When I would switch the music, the DAC of course had to adapt and lock onto the new music.  At times, the DAC would not keep up with the change - it would "hang" and stop playback.  However, when this incident happened, the system did not just hang but instead it output the excessively-loud noise.
 
When I recovered my senses, I started to look for cause and solutions.  I became convinced that the root cause was instability with the USB information feeding the DAC.  The instability caused the DAC to fail to lock-on to the new music, and instead of hanging/stopping playback, the system output the excessive noise.  I do not understand why any DAC would react in this way.
 
My first solution (thanks to Head-Fi) was to de-crapify the USB signal with a Schiit Wyrd.  The device sits between the computer and DAC, with USB connections in and out.  Its job is to stabilize the USB signal and feed cleaner data to the DAC.  My research found that the USB instability was already well known (check out Jason Stoddard's posts on the Schiit thread).  There are now several devices similar to the Wyrd out there on the market. The Wyrd worked, and even slightly improved my sound quality, but it required an external power source so it was a hassle for me.
 
Finally, I sold the Wyrd and gave up on USB technology, awaiting systemic upgrades that may be coming in the future (again, see the Schiit thread, it's quite specific).  I opted to go with the toslink optical connection so my rig is now limited to 24/96 music.  I'm OK with that because I have just a few albums that are >24/96 resolution.  The optical signal is very stable and clean and I am happy with it.
 
Net - I consider myself lucky.  I do not think that I experienced hearing loss (I get tested every year by an audiologist), but this incident scared me.
 
I am really sorry @McClelland to hear about your hearing loss.  We all listen to HP's and music, nobody wants to experience what you did.  
 
For the new folks reading this thread - please be aware of the potential issue, learn about the risks, and thanks for protecting your hearing!
 
BTW, @McClelland, my Bryston BHA-1 amp has a hardware balance control on the front panel.  Unusual for a headphone amp, but it may give you an option other than via software.  The balance control came in handy for me one time (that turned out to be an earwax issue that was solved with Debrox).
 
All the best -
RCB

mikoss said:

You might be interested in Sonarworks for EQ'ing headphones. Personally, I've found that software EQ is not my preference, as it seems to diminish the overall quality, usually with respect to the natural resolution certain headphones offer.

Hardware EQ is also helpful, if it's an option. I definitely use the treble control on my amplifier for my speaker listening. The hardware EQ seems to do a better job at preserving the quality.

Click to expand...

 

RCBinTN said:

 
BTW, @McClelland, my Bryston BHA-1 amp has a hardware balance control on the front panel.  Unusual for a headphone amp, but it may give you an option other than via software.  The balance control came in handy for me one time (that turned out to be an earwax issue that was solved with Debrox).
 
All the best -
RCB

Click to expand...

BEHRINGER ULTRACURVE PRO DEQ2496

Got some interesting feedback posting on innerfidelity about the above being a very clean EQ hardware resource with the ability to bypass its internal DAC when running in front of a Gumby. Can run Toslink in and out which works with present plan of using optical links to avoid USB, thanks to advice from @RCBinTN Will check out Sonarworks.

So why did I go through three volume bursts before I stopped using my rig?
 
Part 1: Whose Got The Pot?
 
Short Version:
Too many hands can get to my volume control (the pot) and it can be hard to be certain that all of them have been managed or disabled so that the only hands on the volume control are mine.
 
Long Version:
I’m using a Mac and it has its system volume controls on the keyboard, as do most PCs I’ve worked with, but that one system control has several different slider locations for adjusting the volume.  This system control and all its separate slider adjusters may be disabled by your hardware, as with my Schiit Magne2/Modi 2 combo and Gumby/Mjolnir combo, but it may not be, as with other amp/dac I have tried.  It’s my understanding that it’s the DAC that does the disabling and not the amplifier.
 
Each media player has its own volume control and these don’t seem to be disabled by any device I’ve added to my System Sound Preferences in OSX.  Most often I have to select a different output device manually, but I’ve noticed that occasionally the audio output will switch automatically to another device when I turn it on.  I haven’t had time to try to reproduce that or clarify which ones but it’s on my list of things to check out given time.
 
As I understand the reasoning, the recommended way to deal with media player volume controls is to set them to maximum.  This prevents them from accidently being moved by something like a random mouse click in the wrong place, or an unexpected software event in the application.  I’ve noticed that when I pause Tidal playback, for example, it will sometimes switch back to play on its own.  That switch happens quickly so I haven’t gone on to some other source and then have Tidal switch back to play, but the unpredictability of even that minor event gets my attention.
 
Another step is to have only one media source open at a time or put them on different desktops if you have that option and are using more than one.  That might be the case if you are using a streaming service and a media player or comparing media players.   I’m particularly focused on avoiding any repeat of my volume burst experience so I have been in the habit of keeping only one media source open at a time, but recently I've been comparing Tidal to some HD Tracks or ripped CD's played in VLC so I've had more than one open, but with some trepidation.
 
I suspect most of us have had the experience of an unwanted video advertisement starting up from god knows where if not from another tab in a browser. They have started playing from the computer’s internal speakers loud enough to be heard in another room, even from a MacBook Pro asleep in clamshell mode.   It may be going too far, but I now only listen to Tidal in one tab open in Chrome that is required to get the HiFi stream, and close down my general use browser when I am listening with HPs.  I wonder if there are steps I can take in configuring my computer to keep any sound source for starting up through a browser or some other mechanism? Thoughts from any computer-savvy members would be appreciated.

I experienced a painful, loud mess of digital noise once. Let me explain the specific occurrence as it can probably be reproduced.
 
Hardware: Gungnir Multibit, Mjolnir 2
Software: OSX, JRiver for Mac, Amarra for Tidal
 
When a piece of audio playback software is in Exclusive Mode, it prevents your system audio from being set on that specific output. If your system audio is already set to that specific output, then the system output is automatically changed to a different one, like Internal Speakers, when exclusive mode is activated.
 
I like the idea of exclusive mode because I want a bitperfect connection between the audio playback software and the DAC. Without exclusive mode, a system mixer is in play, and is ready at any time to mix in sounds from, say, a web browser.
 
While on my Tidal high, enjoying the largest lossless library I've ever had access to, I read that the native Mac Tidal app employs a filter in its output and is not actually bitperfect. That info, true or not, and the fact that it uses the system mixer, lead me to Amarra for Tidal which had a number of positive reviews. I preferred the sound from Amarra for Tidal and enjoyed messing with EQ (for fun - I always go back to bitperfect). Sonic Studio's feature list for this program lead me to believe that it had exclusive access to the DAC, but I don't think that is true because web browser audio still gets mixed into the audio stream when it plays.
 
I was happy enough with Amarra for Tidal, even though it didn't have a true exclusive mode. I still needed a way to play ripped music from my HTPC, so I employed JRiver for Mac which I have used extensively on Windows. Please note that both Amarra for Tidal and JRiver for Mac are clunky as anything on Mac, obviously not native, slow and buggy, but usable. So I thought.
 
Playing with JRiver settings, I found that it had a true exclusive mode that booted the system output to a separate output and grabbed exclusive control over the DAC. I streamed my CD quality rips and tested the limits of this setup by upsampling my 16/44 files to 192kHz and having the Gungnir Multibit switch sample rates. As I understand, this is pointless, as Schiit's MB machines upsample anyway, but I like to test things out.
 
After some long hangs in JRiver, the program crashed. I attempted to change the system output back to the Schiit DAC, but it would not let me, as if JRiver was still open and in control of the output. I could pull down the audio output menu (holding the option key) and choose the Gen2 USB output, but doing so did nothing but keep the audio output in Internal Speakers.
 
Now for the big mistake.
 
Wanting to continue listening to music, I reopened Amarra for Tidal. In Amarra for Tidal settings, you can choose "default system output" or choose a specific output in case you want Amarra for Tidal to disregard your default system output and go directly to an output of your choice. I had Amarra for Tidal set specifically on the Gungnir MB as I thought that would give me exclusive access when I had played with the settings in the past. I believe this is the cause of what happened next.
 
When I attempted to play music from Amarra for Tidal, I received an incredibly loud, painful burst of digital noise from my headphones. I moved quickly and threw them off my head. What happened, I posit, is that the Gungnir MB was stuck in 192kHz mode and I sent it 44.1kHz data. Usually, the DAC will give me a click before switching sample rates, but in this case, it did not. JRiver, though crashed, still had exclusive access to the output and was holding onto it through a daemon or some other function of the system. Amarra for Tidal, if in "system default output" mode, would have likely played the audio through Internal Speakers as that is what was set as the system output at the time. In this case, though, Amarra for Tidal was set to specifically send the data to the Gungnir MB and it did so - not knowing the device was set to 192kHz mode.
 
What I've done to prevent this from happening again was to uninstall the buggy JRiver software and unifying my approach to my music using Roon.
 
Roon, while relatively costly, has exactly what I need. It integrates Tidal, my local library, and my HTPC library into one. It has a fast interface and switches sample rates with ease. It has exclusive mode and integer mode for bitperfect playback. It releases exclusive mode if I feel like using YouTube. It has smartphone remote control and the ability to expand through the rest of the house (waiting for Chromecast Audio support). It also allows me to use my keyboard prev/pause/next controls while Amarra for Tidal did not.
 
Long story short, if you see weird behavior with sound output, don't play around when it comes to sample rate switching. Restart the computer or at least keep the volume control very low while trying to fix it. That ear shattering blast will never forgotten in my mind, and I will be wiser from it.