[Needles]

UPDATE!

Received my replacement card and, no surprise: BUZZZZZZZZZ, as loud as ever. At least that puts to bed the notion that the card itself was faulty. Buy with confidence, buy Auzentech.

I should receive my new motherboard soon enough, an X48 DFI I found for a very good price (ignore the ridiculous rear mounted heatsink - very few people actually bother mounting the damn thing).

It took me awhile to find a board that offered everything I was looking for at a price I was willing to stomach, but I finally tracked it down. Besides including all of the features I require for OC'ing and future GPU expansion, it also includes a third x16 slot running at x4 located at the very bottom edge of the board. Perfect for the HTHD, even with two video cards running in Xfire it will still have an empty PCI slot separating it from the bottom of the second GFX card.

If the damn thing still buzzes on the new mobo ... I gotta assume it's the case! Thankfully, that's my next upgrade: a new mid size tower, a month or two down the road. The cooling in my current case is a travesty. I think it played a large part in destroying my Seagate 7200.11 data drive (with no backup, thank you very much).

 

[leeperry]

I don't see a PC case getting in the way tbh...except for some REALLY crappy cheapo model.

anyway, my bet is on your d2k uber-sensitivity and the poor ground layout of the Auzen...but you know that

 

[Needles]

Could be, but the buzz is also evident on the Audioengines. It's not really noticeable at a reasonable volume, but it's clear as day - frequency and pitch changes and all, in perfect sync with the video card - when the volume is about 3/4. It definitely easier to hear on the D2000s, but that could also be attributed to the amp. The fact that it's there on both my headphones and my speakers tells me it's no fault of the Denons, alone.

I'd have an easier time believing the culprit is poor grounding if there were others suffering the same problem. ROCSCIX has an almost identical setup to mine and claims no buzz whatsoever. The only notable difference is my case, my PSU and my video card.

The video card is more powerful and may put off more interference. I can only hope moving the HTHD farther from the source will solve the problem, as that's the most likely cause. My case? Who knows. It's old, it wasn't cheapo but it certainly wasn't high end even when it was brand new four years ago. The PSU ... if that's the problem, I have no means of troubleshooting that possibility besides eliminating all other suspects.

 

[leeperry]

if I were you, I'd just try w/ some cheapo headphones...I bet there won't be any interferences.

 

[ROBSCIX]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Needles /img/forum/go_quote.gif Could be, but the buzz is also evident on the Audioengines. It's not really noticeable at a reasonable volume, but it's clear as day - frequency and pitch changes and all, in perfect sync with the video card - when the volume is about 3/4. It definitely easier to hear on the D2000s, but that could also be attributed to the amp. The fact that it's there on both my headphones and my speakers tells me it's no fault of the Denons, alone. I'd have an easier time believing the culprit is poor grounding if there were others suffering the same problem. ROCSCIX has an almost identical setup to mine and claims no buzz whatsoever. The only notable difference is my case, my PSU and my video card. The video card is more powerful and may put off more interference. I can only hope moving the HTHD farther from the source will solve the problem, as that's the most likely cause. My case? Who knows. It's old, it wasn't cheapo but it certainly wasn't high end even when it was brand new four years ago. The PSU ... if that's the problem, I have no means of troubleshooting that possibility besides eliminating all other suspects.

I have tested both Forte and HTHD 7.1 and have zero issues with either...Our cases vary, PSU vary but the GFX cards are rather similar in design.

 

[Needles]

Quote:

Originally Posted by leeperry /img/forum/go_quote.gif if I were you, I'd just try w/ some cheapo headphones...I bet there won't be any interferences.

I have ... and there isn't ... because they're cheapo. Sure, there's no interference, but I also miss out on a lot of stuff I WANT to hear. Not an acceptable trade; and simply because the bargain cans don't pick it up, that doesn't mean it isn't there.

ROBSCIX, I'd be really surprised if it turns out to be the PSU. I'll report back with an update when the hardware situation changes.

 

[ROBSCIX]

You may be right. At this point it is hard to know exactly what it is, as it could possibly be a combination of things.
Let me know how it goes for you.

 

[leeperry]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Needles /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have [..] Sure, there's no interference

I meant only as a test, of course!

anyway, I also got some nasty groundloop(related to moving windows and such) when connecting my soundcard/cd1k to a Burson HA-160 amp...no problem whatsoever from a standalone CD player, and no I'm not gonna ditch my cd1k for a pair of $15 phones either

if I use a RCA>minijack adapter and plug my cd1k to the RCA out = no interferences!

I should either try an impedance adapter or a ground lifter, but the latter doesn't exist here in Europe AFAIK(and the damn amp is made of very thick aluminium) and the former would ruin the SQ...so I'm also screwed, got room for me?