[Saintly]

I recently upgraded from a Fiio E7 to an HRT MS II and started noticing occasional pops and distortion in the sound.  The pops are no longer a big problem after I turned the power saver option of the USB ports off but the distortion is still present in select tracks during high intensity passages in a high register.  This seems to occur most frequently in Christina Aguilera's albums.  
 
This problem only happens with the Fiio E9/HRT MS II combo and never did with the Fiio E9/E7.  Furthermore, the distortion happens on all headphones so those aren't the culprit.  This leads me to believe that the problem lies with the HRT MS II.  I've read reports of popping and distortion when the HRT MS II is underpowered so I purchased an AC powered usb hub; the problem is still there, however.
 
Does anyone have any idea what could be causing this?
 
Thanks in advance!
 
 

 

[lee730]

Quote:

I recently upgraded from a Fiio E7 to an HRT MS II and started noticing occasional pops and distortion in the sound.  The pops are no longer a big problem after I turned the power saver option of the USB ports off but the distortion is still present in select tracks during high intensity passages in a high register.  This seems to occur most frequently in Christina Aguilera's albums.  
 
This problem only happens with the Fiio E9/HRT MS II combo and never did with the Fiio E9/E7.  Furthermore, the distortion happens on all headphones so those aren't the culprit.  This leads me to believe that the problem lies with the HRT MS II.  I've read reports of popping and distortion when the HRT MS II is underpowered so I purchased an AC powered usb hub; the problem is still there, however.
 
Does anyone have any idea what could be causing this?
 
Thanks in advance!
 
 

Interesting. I had a similar issue with my DACport LX until I got the USB hub as it was underpowered. I'm not sure why its distorting. Is there a driver where you can control the upsampling and downsampling? I use Asio in bit for bit mode.

 

[Saintly]

Quote:

Interesting. I had a similar issue with my DACport LX until I got the USB hub as it was underpowered. I'm not sure why its distorting. Is there a driver where you can control the upsampling and downsampling? I use Asio in bit for bit mode.

Did you only get popping but no distortion in the more intense higher register passages?  Oddly, there's no distortion in bass.
 
I can control the sample rate and bit rate through my built-in audio device.  It's working because there is a sound difference and the indicators on the MS II change accordingly.  The distortion is a bit less apparent with lower sample rates but still present nonetheless.

 

[mikeaj]

One test of the E9 shows that it will clip all inputs above 2.1V rms (sine wave).  HRT Music Streamer II has a max output voltage of 2.25V rms I think.  Turn down the volume control in the OS or programs by just a little bit if possible (so as to not exceed 2.1V) and see if that helps.
 
edit: just checked the HRT site and they say 2.25V full scale output.

 

[Saintly]

Quote:

One test of the E9 shows that it will clip all inputs above 2.1V rms (sine wave).  HRT Music Streamer II has a max output voltage of 2.25V rms I think.  Turn down the volume control in the OS or programs by just a little bit if possible (so as to not exceed 2.1V) and see if that helps.
 
edit: just checked the HRT site and they say 2.25V full scale output.

That makes sense, but I get the same distortion at 75%, 50%, and 25% volume through the PC's volume controls while adjusting the E9's knob to maintain constant volume.

 

[lee730]

I'm stumbled, not sure what is causing the issue? Maybe something is wrong with the music streamer? Did you try a different 3.5 wire to connect the 2 devices?

 

[mikeaj]

Weird.  If you have an interface (even onboard sound) with some kind of reasonable line in, try just a basic run of RMAA?  If there's some kind of obvious distortion, it may show up there.
 
Do another check of software drivers, potential sound effects processing, EQ settings in players, etc.?  Try multiple different music players?  Try the E7 again and confirm you don't get the same thing?

 

[Saintly]

I don't think I have a line-in for onboard sound on my Alienware laptop.  I could be wrong though; I'm not very well-versed in these matters.
 
I've checked all settings in iTunes and my onboard sound controls in addition to following the pdf from HRT's website for the set-up of the MS II.  
 
I no longer have the E7 but I'm positive that the distortion was not present with the E7/E9 combo as I listen to these tracks daily and am fairly familiar with them.
 
I've sent an email to HRT and will report back with what I hear.  It'll probably be a few days since today is Thanksgiving.
 
Thanks to everyone for their help; any further advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Saintly]

I emailed HRT last night and got a response this morning (Thanksgiving day!) That's some insane customer service!
 
Here is the correspondence:
 
 
 
 
 
Dear Mr. Zhang,
 
Thank you for your email.  Your description of the issue you are having with your Fiio E9 is most certainly clipping.  The dynamic range of this products input stage is very limited.  I would suggest that instead of pairing a Music Streamer II with this headphone amplifier, that you consider a much higher performance solution the HRT HeadStreamer (see attached data sheet).  Not only would this eliminate the clipping problem of the E9, the HeadStreamer is lower in cost and would be a better choice for a headphone based system.
 
As for the Music Streamer II being defective, I don't think this is possible.  As you have pointed out, it handily outperforms the Fiio E9 and will hold its own against products costing many times its asking price.
 
Should you decide to stay with the pairing you have (Music Streamer II and Fiio E9) there are some things that can be done to eliminate the behavior but ultimately a better headphone amplifier is a much better approach.
 
Please do consider the HeadStreamer as I feel that this would be an ideal solution for your needs.
 
Kevin Halverson
CTO
High Resolution Technologies, LLC

 

[lee730]

That's pretty strange to hear as the DACport LX is clearly better than the music stremer II+ and works perfectly fine with the E9 amp. Give headfier "estreeter" a pm. He owns one of the music streamer II's I think and also the E9 amp. Maybe he could also test for this "clipping". I don't think he has this issue.
Quote:

I emailed HRT last night and got a response this morning (Thanksgiving day!) That's some insane customer service!
 
Here is the correspondence:
 
 
 
 
 
Dear Mr. Zhang,
 
Thank you for your email.  Your description of the issue you are having with your Fiio E9 is most certainly clipping.  The dynamic range of this products input stage is very limited.  I would suggest that instead of pairing a Music Streamer II with this headphone amplifier, that you consider a much higher performance solution the HRT HeadStreamer (see attached data sheet).  Not only would this eliminate the clipping problem of the E9, the HeadStreamer is lower in cost and would be a better choice for a headphone based system.
 
As for the Music Streamer II being defective, I don't think this is possible.  As you have pointed out, it handily outperforms the Fiio E9 and will hold its own against products costing many times its asking price.
 
Should you decide to stay with the pairing you have (Music Streamer II and Fiio E9) there are some things that can be done to eliminate the behavior but ultimately a better headphone amplifier is a much better approach.
 
Please do consider the HeadStreamer as I feel that this would be an ideal solution for your needs.
 
Kevin Halverson
CTO
High Resolution Technologies, LLC

 

 

[Saintly]

Quote:

That's pretty strange to hear as the DACport LX is clearly better than the music stremer II+ and works perfectly fine with the E9 amp. Give headfier "estreeter" a pm. He owns one of the music streamer II's I think and also the E9 amp. Maybe he could also test for this "clipping". I don't think he has this issue.


 

 
If the clipping is due to the MS II having an output voltage that's too high for the E9, then perhaps the DACport LX has a lower output voltage?  
 
I'll consult with "estreeter"; thanks for your help lee!

 

[lee730]

Quote:

That's pretty strange to hear as the DACport LX is clearly better than the music stremer II+ and works perfectly fine with the E9 amp. Give headfier "estreeter" a pm. He owns one of the music streamer II's I think and also the E9 amp. Maybe he could also test for this "clipping". I don't think he has this issue.


 

Possibly. But I for one wouldn't want to downgrade my sound in order to just use it. Isn't the first music streamer he was recommending you the older one and not as good sounding?
 


Quote:

 
If the clipping is due to the MS II having an output voltage that's too high for the E9, then perhaps the DACport LX has a lower output voltage?  
 
I'll consult with "estreeter"; thanks for your help lee!

 

 

[chicolom]

Quote:

That makes sense, but I get the same distortion at 75%, 50%, and 25% volume through the PC's volume controls while adjusting the E9's knob to maintain constant volume.

 
I have the Streamer right now and I see now that it doesn't respond to OS volume controls, so it will always clip with the E9:
  
"[size=x-small]The Streamer family does not implement a system volume function and ignores any OS changes[/size]"
     - From Kevin @ HRT

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

edit: Never mind, it seems to be the file I'm playing which is distorting, regardless of what source I use.