[peternguyen]

Hi all. I have had the Fiio E17 since the beginning of this year, and this issue started to occur about six months in. I have searched the forums, but the other static issues people are having are not the same as what I am having.
 
I use the E17 via USB, and have found that after I leave the amp connected with no sound playing for a while, when I start playing sounds/music from it again, the sounds will have a lot of static. The longer I leave it idle before I start using it again, the worse the affect is. Depending on how long the amp was left idle (no sounds playing), it ranges from slight static/scratching over the sounds being played, to inaudible sounds where you hear nothing but light static/crackling. Sometimes you will see "LOCK" constantly appear and disappear as if it is having trouble getting a signal. To fix this, I must unplug and re-connect the USB cable.
 
I have determined that this isn't an issue with the headphones, which was probably obvious already, and I have tried to use a different USB port and experienced the same issues. Has anyone else had this issue? Is there any explanation as to why this may be happening? What else can I do to troubleshoot this and resolve this? I played with idea that perhaps coupling the Fiio E09K with the E17 would stop these issues, but without knowing for sure what is causing the issues in the first place, buying the E09K may be pointless.

 

[PleasantSounds]

I suspect this could be caused with the way E17 interacts with your computer.
 
What player are you using?
What buffer size is allocated?
What playback mode (i.e. ASIO, WASAPI)?
What speed and bit depth is your connection set to?
 
Try changing these things one by one and maybe you'll find the answer.

 

[peternguyen]

Thanks for the tips. The sound issue wasn't isolated to a specific application on the computer, but I think I may have found some sort of answer to this problem.

For a while I have been switching between headphones and speakers by plugging and unplugging the USB cable on the E17, simply because it was easy as doing this automatically switched to the appropriate playback device in Windows. Prior to this I would leave the E17 plugged in and I would have to go into the audio settings in Windows to switch devices.

I decided to leave the E17 plugged in this time and restarted the computer. After this, I have left the amp on a few times without any sound playing, and going back to play something. This time it would appear that no static has been building up. I don't know the explanation to this but it seems that starting the computer with the E17 already plugged in prevents static build up. And thinking back, I started noticing this issue probably around the same time that I started just plugging/unplugging the USB cable to switch between devices.

 

[onpaws]

Let us know if you see any similar issues again. I have the symptoms on my E17 you describe to a Tee.

 

[Jsnf]

Just wanted to bump this up to see if you found a solution.  I have the same problems.  I'm using the e17 with the hifiman he-400s and like mentioned, I get alot of static noise if I leave it idle for too long.  Also, when I switch from playing video games to listening to music, the static returns.  I have to physically unplug the usb plug from the e17 and replug it back in to get rid of the static noise. 
 
I tried making sure the unit was plugged in before I turn on the computer, but this does not solve the problem. Does this mean these are defective units?

 

[onpaws]

I've been switching to another USB jack and keeping the audio setting to 44.1 16-bit for now instead of 48khz. Haven't had lots of time on the computer to fully test though. Will let you know if I see further issues. Pretty sure my old e17 didn't do this

 

[Jsnf]

I contacted the company I bought it off of and even though they said it's most likely not a faulty unit, but most likely due to some other conflict with the software, they were willing to replace it for me. I have to send it in first and wait wait for my replacement afterwards so I'll keep you guys updated.  If the problem is gone, it's most likely defective units.  I suspected a faulty unit because this problem only started 2 weeks ago.  I've owned it for about 6 or 7 months now.

 

[peternguyen]

I thought I'd provide an update to this thread. Since my last post stating that I was able to prevent the static noises by leaving the device plugged in at all times, I have not had any further issues since. So it appears that for some reason, perhaps with the combination of hardware that I am using (motherboard, etc.), when the computer is already on and I am plugging in the amp for the first time since turning on the computer, the static will begin to build up over time when no sound is playing.
 
Leaving the amp plugged in is no problem for me as the amp is mainly for desktop use. I hope you guys have found a way to resolve your issues. Let me know if there is anything else you wish to know.

 

[shrkz]

My e17 has started getting this problem. Tried all USB ports, reinstalled all USB drivers, press the reset button. Nothing works.
It's always plugged in 24/7 (only use it for my computer), so the above solution doesn't help me.

 

[scsmiffy]

Hello All, I have had an E-17 for just a few days, purchased here in Hong Kong, and I find that I am having the exact same issues with static buildup. Earlier this evening, I left the device unattended and with no music playing, but with power on, and USB charging on, and later wandered past the study to here all sorts of weird hash, static, and some squeals.  Unplugging and replugging the cable to the USB port fixed the issue, but it would appear from the experience of others that it will be temporary.  I also noted that after returning to the computer after a while, prior to any static noises being generated, the E-17 was unresponsive (Sleep timer OFF), and need a power cycle for recovery.
I'm sensing more earthing issues than software incompatibility.  The manufacturer is just over the border from me - I'll see if I can contact them about this issue and report any success - language may be a problem though!

 

[ClieOS]

  Hello All, I have had an E-17 for just a few days, purchased here in Hong Kong, and I find that I am having the exact same issues with static buildup. Earlier this evening, I left the device unattended and with no music playing, but with power on, and USB charging on, and later wandered past the study to here all sorts of weird hash, static, and some squeals.  Unplugging and replugging the cable to the USB port fixed the issue, but it would appear from the experience of others that it will be temporary.  I also noted that after returning to the computer after a while, prior to any static noises being generated, the E-17 was unresponsive (Sleep timer OFF), and need a power cycle for recovery.
I'm sensing more earthing issues than software incompatibility.  The manufacturer is just over the border from me - I'll see if I can contact them about this issue and report any success - language may be a problem though!

 
FiiO does have customer service that speak English, but what you have isn't a FiiO issue. It is however a Microsoft issue. Anyway, read on: http://www.head-fi.org/t/691369/fiio-e07k-sounds-scratchy-distorted-if-left-idle

 

[pumpkinwhite]

Hi all - This is an old thread but thought I'll bump this to see if anyone found a solution. I have a Fiio E07K and I'm having the exact same problem. It was okay for first six month of ownership, but now I have to un-plug the USB and plug it again to get rid of static.

 

[ClieOS]

  Hi all - This is an old thread but thought I'll bump this to see if anyone found a solution. I have a Fiio E07K and I'm having the exact same problem. It was okay for first six month of ownership, but now I have to un-plug the USB and plug it again to get rid of static.

 
Have you read my post above?

 

[pumpkinwhite]

Hi ClieOS - Sorry I missed your response somehow.
 
Yes, I did check the post. The post mentions that it is a Windows issue. Unfortunately, the issue happens for me in Mac OS also. So I doubt it is a windows only issue. Also, I've had other dac's in the past and this was never a problem. The post mentions that using a usb powered hub is a solution. Unfortunately that leads to more wires and plugs on my desk which is not ideal. I might have to purchase a hub if it comes to that, but wondering why the issue came up after six-seven months of use. It never happened when I bought the unit. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[ClieOS]

Guess it is something else then. Not a Mac user so I have no clue.