I don't really get it .... if you don't care about 'native dsd playback', you just have to set foobar to convert dsd to pcm on the fly (first, you need to instal the relevant plug in from here : http://sourceforge.net/projects/sacddecoder/ ) ... you choose 'wasapi'' ot ''asio: via ks direct asio'' as foobar's output and you forget about native dsd .... then you 'll never have pops and clicks from the relay anymore ... at least, this is what happened with my nfb 11 (2014) ... I only have the annoying sounds when I try to play native dsd ... never while playing pcm ... I have installed the latest firmware and drivers (latest meaning that they are some months old right now, if i remember well they were out around August 2014 ...
All in all : You don't have to cut any wire if you don't care about dsd ...
No this is not the case for me. The issues I'm experiencing with my brand new obsolete NFB-11 aren't just during native DSD playback. It is constant, in ASIO, WASAPI, and DirectSound. Whenever audio playback is initiated, no matter WHAT the scenario, there is a delay during which playback has begun but audio is muted. This is annoying at best, and at worst it renders the NFB-11 useless as a system audio device via USB connection, since many system and application audio cues only last a second, they are completely lost by the mute delay. Not to mention all the clicking noises coming out of the box, which occur ANYTIME audio playback is initiated as well, regardless of the output method (ASIO, WASAPI, DirectSound). For instance, if I open up the properties for the audio-gd entry in Windows audio devices, and go to the tab where you can select a default depth and sample rate, and there try clicking on the "Test" button, the NFB-11 makes clicking noises and outputs only the faintest breath of the tail end of the test audio output because the mute delay has completely wiped it out.
If I go into the the "sounds" tab of the Windows Sound configuration window where you can change the sound scheme and test the sound of different program events, if I click repeatedly on the "Test" button for any of the program events, the NFB-11 makes a whole lot of clicking noises, and only rarely outputs any audio, and if it does it's just a fraction.
This was an issue Audio-GD was fully aware of when I purchased the unit, such that they have now released a revised model with a solution. However, they neglected to advertise the issue on the product page, and therefore as far as I'm concerned, I have received a defective product, regardless of whether the issue I'm describing is "intended functionality". I've sent an email to Kingwa saying as much and have requested a refund or an exchange for the new model, which I think is a reasonable request.
Argh I feel like i'm gonna go on a "this is Sparta" rampage with my unit.
So to sum it all up there is no solution firmware or software to the annoying pops. The only solution is to cut some wire inside with the loss of DSD playback or the 2015 version switch.
Does anyone experience pops with optical, coax cable in theory it should, but it doesn't hurt asking.
I actually don't hear any pops at the beginning of playback using any of the connectors, just mute. I thought the whole purpose of the muting was to prevent hearing the pops. To avoid the muting problem I've been using optical and haven't experienced either muting or popping. But I bought this unit because it had USB connectivity, so this isn't really a acceptable solution for me.