[turnstyle]

Hi all, I'm using a Thinkpad to an iBasso D4 (via USB) and then on to a pair of Westone UM3X IEMs. I've mostly running Rhapsody on the Thinkpad.

I've noticed that I sometimes hear a clicking noise when listening to music via the USB DAC, but not via the phone out.

I don't believe the clicks are in the source -- my first thought was the the USB DAC + UM3X was revealing imperfections in the source, but now I don't believe that's the case.

Is such 'clicking' a typical problem with USB DACs?

 

[Mr C]

I'd say try it on another computer and other headphones, if it still clicks its a problem with the dac part and you should send it back.

 

[Catharsis]

I'm not wholly familiar with your particular DAC, but on my EMU 0404 USB, if the source and the dac aren't synchronized, I get clicks every so often.

For example, if I'm playing CD audio at 44.1khz, and my DAC is set (through windows) to 48khz, I'll get a click every couple of minutes.

I would make sure that you're synching your DAC to the source properly, as that remained a mystery to me for quite some time until I started investigating into synchronization.

The iBasso isn't terribly feature rich like the EMU 0404 (not that I use any of those features), but try playing music on your thinkpad, and THEN turn on your DAC after the music is playing and see if that makes any difference.

Just my $0.02

 

[turnstyle]

Do you clicks sound almost like the static crackle pop of a vinyl album?

It's not like I hear a lot of it all the time -- rather every so often a single click...

(I don't think I have any settings for it -- where do you look for yours?)

 

[RockinCannoisseur]

please tell me more about the clicking? any hissing or popping distorting,, it is most definitely not the um3x, i couldnt decide between the d10 and d4 knowing that the d4 is more powerful.. id really like to know if that usb dac is quiet and it according to you it dosent appear to be?

 

[turnstyle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RockinCannoisseur /img/forum/go_quote.gif please tell me more about the clicking? any hissing or popping distorting,, it is most definitely not the um3x, i couldnt decide between the d10 and d4 knowing that the d4 is more powerful.. id really like to know if that usb dac is quiet and it according to you it dosent appear to be?

No, it seems quiet enough with the UM3X -- it's just that I sometimes hear little clicks, and I'm not quite sure what the source of those clicks is.

 

[fenixdown110]

I had this same problem as well, but with a desktop. The snap, crackle, pop could be from a ground loop. Does the iBasso D4 have an external power supply? And if it does, is it plugged into the same power outlet as the laptop charger? Have both power supplies plugged into the same outlet or via power strip. As a test, unplug the power supply to the laptop and run it from the battery. The crackling should stop if its a ground loop. Plugging both power supplies into the same outlet establishes a common ground to minimize the possiblity of a ground loop. However, that sometimes isn't enough. That's where this comes into play. Amazon.com: Ebtech Hum X Voltage Hum Filter: Musical Instruments Never use a ground lift. They are dangerous and could damage your equipment. If you don't have an external amp power supply, it could still be due to the usb built in ground forming a ground loop. In most cases, the computer and amp(usb ground) that have different ground sites which form a ground loop where power which should be grounded from either source travels up the ground of the other device and creates static and distortion that you can hear.

Believe it or not, but this problem took me months to figure out. Talk about frustration after buying a new dac amp and experiencing this.

 

[turnstyle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fenixdown110 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I had this same problem as well, but with a desktop. The snap, crackle, pop could be from a ground loop. Does the iBasso D4 have an external power supply? And if it does, is it plugged into the same power outlet as the laptop charger? Have both power supplies plugged into the same outlet or via power strip. As a test, unplug the power supply to the laptop and run it from the battery. The crackling should stop if its a ground loop. Plugging both power supplies into the same outlet establishes a common ground to minimize the possiblity of a ground loop. However, that sometimes isn't enough. That's where this comes into play. Amazon.com: Ebtech Hum X Voltage Hum Filter: Musical Instruments Never use a ground lift. They are dangerous and could damage your equipment. If you don't have an external amp power supply, it could still be due to the usb built in ground forming a ground loop. In most cases, the computer and amp(usb ground) that have different ground sites which form a ground loop where power which should be grounded from either source travels up the ground of the other device and creates static and distortion that you can hear. Believe it or not, but this problem took me months to figure out. Talk about frustration after buying a new dac amp and experiencing this.

Thanks, that was a great thought -- but the D4 is powered via USB (fwiw, it also has the option of adding a 9v battery if you need the extra juice, but for the UM3X I don't need it).

And I can't reasonably regularly run the laptop from its battery -- so, if this is indeed the source of the problem, then it might be a "live with it" kind of thing. How often did you hear a crackle?

It's weird because when I hear a crackle, I can pause and go back to hear it again -- sometimes it's there (at the same place) but then sometimes it isn't -- so this has so-far defied my typical problem solving efforts.

I'm also wondering a bit if the UM3X are sensitive to static electricity -- I think I once heard a crackle when it wasn't plugged into anything, but I've only noticed that once. (but perhaps that's because I don't tend to wear them plugged into nothing!)

fwiw, I've had annoying ground loops with my subwoofer, so I know your pain!

 

[fenixdown110]

My usb dac amp has an optional power supply. Even when just powered via usb, it crackles. The crackling is intermittent and goes away when I restart the computer. It may choose to come back after 30 minutes to an hour or not at all. The usb and computer power supply grounds aren't commonly grounded, so it would still form a ground loop. The Humx should solve all those problems. I've heard first hand of it from people with PC and laptop music setups. It will also solve your subwoofer groundloop.

 

[turnstyle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fenixdown110 /img/forum/go_quote.gif My usb dac amp has an optional power supply. Even when just powered via usb, it crackles. The crackling is intermittent and goes away when I restart the computer. It may choose to come back after 30 minutes to an hour or not at all. The usb and computer power supply grounds aren't commonly grounded, so it would still form a ground loop. The Humx should solve all those problems. I've heard first hand of it from people with PC and laptop music setups. It will also solve your subwoofer groundloop.

But if the problem is a ground loop, then why would rebooting make a difference?

(ps: "intermittent crackling" is exactly how I would describe it)

 

[fenixdown110]

I'm guessing it resets both sources to a common ground until enough charge is built up and eventually forms a ground loop when it is discharged.

 

[levanni]

same problem with XD-05 :/