Issue with DAC and Windows 10

[desertsilver]

Agree mate! It's up to MB manufacture to be compliant with the standards. Especially for XMOS chipset, there are good driver suppliers for each. What we can do though, is to get latest driver for our Dac and tune Windows for the best sounding, and usually it's ASIO, lol.

PS, once you know what USB interface chip your DAC has, it's fun to try out different Dac drivers from different brands

 

[Andrew_WOT]

If you think it's USB issue, don't use USB port in front of PC and make sure that USB eXtensible Host Controller is using MS driver, it should say Microsoft next to it or right click and check driver provider, if not, uninstall the device with drivers, reboot and let Windows pick up MS driver for it. It was a common problem with WMR headsets.

 

[Subhasis]

So doing a search function on this brings up tons of threads of DACs disconnecting (not the issue) so I thought I'd 'phone a friend.'

I am having a windows 10 issue where my dac is recognized, but after a boot cycle I don't get sound from it. I have to unplug the usb cable from the dac, then replug it back in before sound comes out. Something odd is obviously happening with windows. Has anyone experienced this and know a simple fix? Thank you in advance!

Perhaps the dac is getting into sleep mode after every reboot ..
Please try the below steps and check.



Method 1: Enable / Disable Power Saving on USB Ports

1. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run box. Type devmgmt.msc and press Enter.
2. When the Device Manager window opens, expand the Universal Serial Bus controllers branch, then right-click the USB Root Hub device and select Properties.
   
   
3. Click the Power Management tab. If you want USB ports to keep supplying power in sleep mode, just uncheck “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power“. Or check it to let Windows turn off USB ports to save power.
   
   
4. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for all of the USB Root Hubs on the computer.

Note: Windows will clear the check box “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power” when the device is unplugged from the USB port or the PC is restarted. To keep this from happening, use the method below to disable USB selective suspend setting.
Method 2: Enable / Disable USB Selective Suspend Setting

1. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run box. Type powercfg.cpl and press Enter.
2. When the Power Options window opens, click the Change plan settingslink to the right of your current power plan.
   
   
3. Click the “Change advanced power settings” link.
   
   
4. Expand the “USB settings” and then expand “USB Selective suspend setting“. Set it to Disabledif you want to stop Windows from powering down any connected USB devices.
   
   
5. Click Apply to save your changes. Let me know if that helps .

 

[DenverW]

Appreciate it, I had previously tried that to no avail. I’ve solved the problem by removing the denafrips iris from the chain and using a matrix spdif instead.

Now, as to why this solves the problem I can’t say .

 

[gimmeheadroom]

For the cost of the Matrix you could have gotten a DI-20

 

[DenverW]

For the cost of the Matrix you could have gotten a DI-20

I’m not familiar with it, but I did get the matrix used .

 

[563236]

I appreciate the solution, but based on all of the things I do from the pc, such as games, movies, music streaming, this is not a viable option. I’m demoing some different dacs to see what happens.

I like having a nice general purpose solution too separate from my GOAT SPDIF digital source. If you like to re-visit this issue instead of using a dedicated music source, you can evaluate this solution if you have open PCI-e slots.

Recently, I got back a Minecraft/Windows gaming/server PC after it was finally outgrown. Since I don't use Windows, I slapped on MacOS with Nvidia GPU support.

The Nvidia takes up a lot of room, so I needed a PCI-E extension cable:



Whoops, I forgot Amazon link. I'll post if there is interest.

PCI-e utilises dedicated computer resources like a bus directly to the CPU. So it's nice, quiet being isolated from noisy power and don't need to fight for resources from other tasks. General USB is flaky and noisy. PCI-e USB is solid and it being a dedicated resource should result in low noise. That's why Veteran Audiophiles use exclusively PCI-e. They also use Audiophile OSes where you can dedicate CPU cores and run all the processes in RAM. It's all about isolating and dedicating just for audio-only purposes.

With PCI-e, it opens the door to PCI-e USB cards w/ your preference of USB chipsets. I'm okay with AsMedia as JCAT (Audiophile) uses AsMedia.


https://www.startech.com/en-us/cards-adapters/pexusb311ac3

I chose this model because I use a Monoprice SlimRun USB optical cable (USB-A). The USB-C is for future DACs:

https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=16377

https://uptoneaudio.com/products/uspcb-a-b-adapter

But there are other USB cards depending on your use case:

https://www.startech.com/en-us/cards-adapters/usb-30/cards?filter_bustype=pci%20express

Just make sure it has a good chipset for audio and compatibility.

This opens the door too if you want to use a nice USB Audiophile card:



https://jcat.eu/product/usb-card-xe/

I'm not sure this fixes the issue, but may be worth trying if you have a open PCI-e slot. Works super well on my MacOS gaming machine. Flaky USB devices that work randomly always work on the PCI-e side. Let's face it, motherboard USB is subpar quality and over time it deteriorates.

$20 for the PCI-E extension. $70+ for a quality USB card.

Decent risk for the price.

Oh, while your at it, if you go with a low noise PCI-e solution, you may want to get Noctua Super Quiet Fans too to make the general audio experience just a bit better. I haven't done so yet, but hope to one day.

 

[DenverW]

I like having a nice general purpose solution too separate from my GOAT SPDIF digital source. If you like to re-visit this issue instead of using a dedicated music source, you can evaluate this solution if you have open PCI-e slots.

Recently, I got back a Minecraft/Windows gaming/server PC after it was finally outgrown. Since I don't use Windows, I slapped on MacOS with Nvidia GPU support.

The Nvidia takes up a lot of room, so I needed a PCI-E extension cable:



Whoops, I forgot Amazon link. I'll post if there is interest.

PCI-e utilises dedicated computer resources like a bus directly to the CPU. So it's nice, quiet being isolated from noisy power and don't need to fight for resources from other tasks. General USB is flaky and noisy. PCI-e USB is solid and it being a dedicated resource should result in low noise. That's why Veteran Audiophiles use exclusively PCI-e. They also use Audiophile OSes where you can dedicate CPU cores and run all the processes in RAM. It's all about isolating and dedicating just for audio-only purposes.

With PCI-e, it opens the door to PCI-e USB cards w/ your preference of USB chipsets. I'm okay with AsMedia as JCAT (Audiophile) uses AsMedia.


https://www.startech.com/en-us/cards-adapters/pexusb311ac3

I chose this model because I use a Monoprice SlimRun USB optical cable (USB-A). The USB-C is for future DACs:

https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=16377

https://uptoneaudio.com/products/uspcb-a-b-adapter

But there are other USB cards depending on your use case:

https://www.startech.com/en-us/cards-adapters/usb-30/cards?filter_bustype=pci%20express

Just make sure it has a good chipset for audio and compatibility.

This opens the door too if you want to use a nice USB Audiophile card:



https://jcat.eu/product/usb-card-xe/

I'm not sure this fixes the issue, but may be worth trying if you have a open PCI-e slot. Works super well on my MacOS gaming machine. Flaky USB devices that work randomly always work on the PCI-e side. Let's face it, motherboard USB is subpar quality and over time it deteriorates.

$20 for the PCI-E extension. $70+ for a quality USB card.

Decent risk for the price.

Oh, while your at it, if you go with a low noise PCI-e solution, you may want to get Noctua Super Quiet Fans too to make the general audio experience just a bit better. I haven't done so yet, but hope to one day.

I would be all for exploring this, but I got fed up with working on it and sold my Iris DDC for a matrix x DDC. The matrix X works without issues where the Iris did not. One idea I have about this is that the Matrix has an auto power on from the PC booting which may help the PC recognize it.

 

[563236]

I would be all for exploring this, but I got fed up with working on it and sold my Iris DDC for a matrix x DDC. The matrix X works without issues where the Iris did not. One idea I have about this is that the Matrix has an auto power on from the PC booting which may help the PC recognize it.

Oh, I see now. I didn't pick up you were using some type of USB -> SPDIF conversion for general purpose use. I thought those were standalone products and you gave up on general purpose PC use.

For backup reference if you run out of USB ports or there's a new USB standard or you revert back to a standard USB DAC setup, I forgot about the Provantage site. Their prices undercut other retail outlets. It's much cheaper ($42) versus $70+ elsewhere just in case you want to try a dedicated USB bus in the future with a lower cost of entry:

https://www.provantage.com/startech-pexusb311ac3~7STR9584.htm

I find motherboard USB ports to be extremely unreliable for storage as over time it gets buggy, so I don't trust with DACs or even mission critical Zoom meetings. With a dedicated USB PCI-e, it's solid and gives peace of mind. It's also complementary and not a replacement, so it will work with USB -> SPDIF DDC converters too not replace the DDC. It will give your DDC a direct bus to the CPU so your DDC doesn't have to fight with other USB priorities or share USB DATA / PWR bus (noise) with others. But don't fix what's not broken, only if there is a need to lower noise floor now that your good to go. Again it's complementary so it will integrate seamlessly into your system as if it was a original part of the motherboard.

You can power your USB @5V via SATA if needed. I don't need as I power my USB optical cable with 5V via off grid Super Capacitors which is cleaner than powering via internally. But for general use, powering 5V via SATA is fine. Some USB DACs and possibly USB DDCs are finnicky so they need extra juice to activate/handshake: