[amcananey]

I have run into a problem that I can't seem to eliminate, and I would be grateful if you could help me diagnose the source. First, let me describe my setup.
 
I rip CDs into FLAC format using EAC (Exact Audio Copy) with the REACT mod. I play the files via Foobar2000 over USB to my Beresford Caiman DAC. The USB cable is a premium, heavily shielded cable from Lindy. The Caiman has had the Gator PCB upgrade installed with an [size=11pt]AD826ANZ opamp[/size], and I will have a few other upgrades installed shortly (Murata regs and [size=10pt]Elma Silmic capacitors). The Caiman is plugged into a high quality surge protector. I am listening to the Caiman through the headphone jack, using Sony MDR-XB700s and Shure SRH840s, both of which are very easy to drive (24 and 44 Ohm, respectively). The cans are plugged in using a 1/8" to 1/4[/size]" adapter (I have used three different adapters and the issue described below appears with all of them).
 
[size=10pt]Second, let me describe the problem. Please bear in mind that I am fairly new to all of this, so my terminology and phrasing probably isn't right. The Caiman and my headphone[/size]s generally sound wonderful together - I love the Caiman and am very, very happy with the decision to buy it, especially since Stanley Beresford has been unbelievably friendly, responsive and helpful. That said, I occasionally hear what sounds like static or distortion when listening to music, primarily in the higher notes. I'm not sure I know what sibilance sounds like, but this isn't an "s" sound, it sounds more like very brief pockets of static. To be clear, I'm not talking about static caused by electromagnetic interference from my mobile phone (which sounds different). This sounds like something coming from the audio path itself. I hear it with both my Sony and my Shure cans. Any idea what this is or how to get rid of it?
 
I'm having trouble believing that these sounds are in the original recordings, and I can't see how they could be creeping in through the ripping process, since EAC is basically the gold standard for error correction/elimination. Moreover, I'm listening to lossless FLAC files, so it can't be a compression issue.
 
That would seem to leave the Caiman, my headphones or possibly the interaction between the two? I have a hard time believing it's the Caiman, since it generally gets outstanding reviews and otherwise sounds wonderful. On the other hand, I have a hard time believing its the headphones, since I hear it with both sets of cans. Could it be related to the fact that they are both low impedance cans?
 
Other potential culprits: could this be a PSU issue? I have lots of stuff plugged in nearby (though only one or two largely inactive items in the same surge protector as the Caiman). Could it be a general electromagnetic pollution issue? I am planning on running a cable from the Caiman case to an earth ground to try to further reduce the impact of any EMF radiation.
 
Help!

 
Best,
Adam

 

[amcananey]

Any ideas? I am particularly wondering whether it could be noise through the PSU, but I don't know how that would manifest itself.
 
Adam

 

[gabrielo]

Are you using your computer as a source?
If so it might be DPC latency.
 
You can read more about it here - http://www.thesycon.de/deu/latency_check.shtml
There is a small utility you can download from that site to check your latency
 
Other options might be bad player (you can try foobar2K with ASIO or WASAPI) or wrong configuration (need to make sure no mixer processing is chosen and that volume is set to max)
 
/gabriel

 

[amcananey]

Thanks, Gabrielo. I am indeed using my computer as the source via USB. I am using foobar2000 with the volume set to max. I know I downloaded ASIO4ALL, but I need to check whether it installed correctly. I will also run the utility you linked to, although I should point out that it sounds more like static or distortion than drop outs. Still, thanks for the tip!
 
Best,
Adam

 

[gabrielo]

You should solve all latency issues before dealing with ASIO4ALL setting.
My Laptop had latency of 5000-20,000 usec before I did massive cleanup (disabled Bluetooth, infra-red, serial, and wifi)  and I'm now down to 20-500 usec.
 
Having an high-end system with bitperefct and world class DAC means nothing if you got latency issues.

 

[amcananey]

OK, thanks for the tip. Never even thought about this issue. I'm curious to see what the test results will be...
 
Best,
Adam

 

[amcananey]

Latency doesn't seem to be the problem. I'm seeing latencies that fluctuate between 70-120 usec. I wouldn't think that should be a problem.
 
Regards,
Adam

 

[HeatFan12]

Hi Adam,
 
First try to isolate the problem.
 
What OS are you using?
Caiman is connected via usb only?
You are using ASIO4ALL, not KS or WASAPI.
 
What is your buffer setting on?  When I have had any probs, I usually set it to under 500ms.
 

 

[amcananey]

HeatFan12,
 
I appreciate your persistence. I'm using Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit.
My Caiman off being upgraded, so I'm using a NuForce uDAC-2 for the time being. It is connected via USB only. I'm running RCA interconnects to a Graham Slee Novo (just got it on Friday and love it), then headphones plugged into the Novo. Volume pots on both the uDAC-2 and the Novo are at around 11-12 o'clock.
 
I am using ASIO4ALL now, but wasn't until last night. Buffer is set at 1000ms. I will try lowering it to under 500, but I don't really see how it could be affected by that setting, since I wasn't even using ASIO4ALL until last night.
 
The fact that I'm getting the same problem with the uDAC-2 leads be to believe that it isn't the DAC (Caiman or uDAC-2). It must be something with either the source material, or with my headphones. This seems supported by the fact that the static or "crackling" sound is repeatable: I notice that it appears on certain tracks in particular, and if I replay specific sections of those tracks, I get the effect.
 
When it comes to the source material, I struggle to see how that could be problem. I've been ripping my music into FLAC files directly from CDs using EAC. I just checked the rip logs, and all files were reported as accurately ripped, the checksums match and the reported confidence level is 200. On the other hand, I have trouble seeing how it could be my headphones, since I hear the same thing even when using different cans.
 
When I rip my music into FLAC, I simultaneously rip it into Apple Lossless and MP3 format (320 kbps). The static is there, too. (This doesn't necessarily mean much, since I use the REACT mod to EAC and as I understand it, it creates the FLAC, Apple Lossless and MP3 files from a single .wav file, so if the static was in the .wav file, it would be in all of the files.) I also just listened to the relevant songs on YouTube/VEVO, and I wasn't able to hear the static, but that might just mean that it was swallowed up by the compression.
 
In case anyone has these CDs/files, can you tell me whether you hear any static in the first 30 second of Duffy's "Rockferry" (from her "Rockferry" album) or in the first 30 seconds of Alicia Keys' "No One" from her "As I Am" album)?
 
Best regards,
Adam
 

 

[ZuMRoX]

Hi Adam

I´we been lurking this thread for some time. And I am sure I have noticed same thing with my caiman+gator. I have tried with optical and
usb connections. No matter which settings, apps, asio/wasabi I can hear static distortion in music especially in high notes.

With Alicia Keys' No One I can hear some distortion with genelecs and akg K701.

I also have TC-7520 with opamps rolled to lm4562. None distortions to hear with this one. Maybe caiman is just too revealing? Or bad batch of wolfson dac chips?

 
 
Br. Lauri Lehto

 

[amcananey]

Thanks, Lauri. It's good to know that I'm not crazy. The weird thing is that I hear this static/distortion even now, when I am using my NuForce uDAC-2, not just with the Caiman. Maybe the Caiman and the uDAC-2 use the same DAC chip? Or maybe, as you say, we are just hearing flaws in the recording that don't show up in lesser equipment? But frankly, I find the latter hard to believe. As much as I like the Caiman + Gator, and as much as I like the uDAC-2 + Graham Slee Novo, I know that these are relatively economical components in audiophile terms, and I have to believe that Alicia Keys has some of the top producers in the world working on her music. I can't really see them releasing a recording with a bunch of distortion without them noticing it or doing it intentionally, and I am certain that what we are hearing is not intentional.
 
I am currently having my Caiman upgraded with a discrete Burson opamp (among other things). It will be interesting to see if I still hear the same thing after the upgrade. I'll keep you posted.
 
Best,
Adam

 

[HeatFan12]

Adam,
 
Static and noise is unacceptable.  It does not matter what the dac chip is.  I have tried many chips and none have this problem.  You have connected a couple dacs with the same result.  I really don't see EAC as being the culprit.  It rips what is there.  It has to be an output problem.  My Audio-GD DI is very picky about buffer length with WASAPI.  When I use KS (Kernel Streaming) it does not matter what setting is used.  I also had static w/ WASAPI until I brought it down to about 250ms.
 
I own the uDac and have used it with different OSs (Vista , 32 & 64, XP, 7) and it is dead quiet with any OS, as well as any amp that I have connected to it.
 
Since you are on 7, have you tried WASAPI or KS w/ Foobar?

 

[amcananey]

HeatFan12,
 
The static/distortion/noise (I'm not sure what to call it) doesn't appear all the time, it only seems to happen at the extreme highs or lows and is fleeting (though it drives me crazy). 
 
I haven't tried WASAPI or KS. I can try them out, but it is quite late and I have tons of work to do, so I suspect this will have to wait until tomorrow (or thereafter). Do you have a website I can refer to or any advice on how I can quickly get "up to speed" on these? I just don't have the time or energy to sift through scores of different websites and forum posts to gather the necessary information on how to install, configure, test, etc.
 
Regards,
Adam

 

[amcananey]

HeatFan12,
 
I just installed WASAPI (wasn't as hard to do as I feared) - static still there. I adjusted buffer to 440ms, same result. Took it down to about 220ms, static is still there. Kernel streaming seemed harder to figure out.
 
Now that I have WASAPI installed in foobar2k, should I use that instead of ASIO4ALL? I assume WASAPI and ASIO4ALL are mutually exclusive and that you either use one or the other, but not both?
 
Also, just in case I missed something obvious, to use WASAPI I just had to download the relevant .dll file for foobar2k, copy it into my foobar2k components folder, start up foobar2k, then select WASAPI and the uDAC-2 in the output section of the preferences dialog, is that right? Or do I need to do anything else?
 
Best,
Adam

 

[HeatFan12]

Hi Adam,
 
WASAPI and KS (Kernel Streaming) are two components (outputs, bit-perfect renderers) used with Foobar.  Just copy the DLLs into the components Foobar folder and that's it.  When you select your output device in Foobar there will be a KS + your dac or WASAPI + your dac to choose from.  Much easier than ASIO4ALL.