[Zoide]

Well, the Sonica is designed to give you a Line Out, not really a Headphone Out. In other words, it's designed for use with an external amp (ie. not to have headphones plugged directly into it).

 

[Dr. Babak]

well then i'll need to build my cmoy as fast as i can. but if that's true how come it works fine when connected to a desktop (i've tried 2)?

 

[Permonic]

Sure, it's true. Line out has no internal amplification, thus you need an external amp to power your cans.

I still can't figure out why it works with your PC and not with your laptop. Another thing which USB ports are on your PC/laptop. Even Sonica is optimized for USB 1.1, the difference might be caused by USB 2.0 vs. USB 1.1.

The amp should solve the problem. If the problem persists, there're several members doing mods (Mister X, etc) of Sonica, they might give you further help.

 

[Dusty Chalk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Permonic Maybe there's a problem with your USB port.

Yeah, that was going to be my next guess. Hmm...strokes chin...I have no idea...are your settings the same between the laptop and the desktop? I assume they are, in which case, I still have no idea. Sorry...

 

[Zoide]

Would the Sonica mods (black gates, etc.) make any difference to its digital (optical) output? I would use it primarily for digital out to an external DAC.

 

[Dr. Babak]

My laptop has 3 usb2.0 ports and i've tried them all. I'm using the same settings both on my desktop and my laptop. This is an email i got from m-audio about this problem:

This could be due to a problem we have recently found on some laptops where the manufacturers are grounding the power supply to the USB ports internally in the laptops which creates noise when you use a USB audio device (like the Audiophile). The work-around for this is to get a ground-lift to go between your laptop and the power outlet. You can find these ground-lifts at any Electronic store.

I tried going to radioshack but the bozos there had no clue what i was talking about. Hopefully the amp clears up the problem. Thanks for all the help.

* just a quick update, i tried my sonica with a cmoy today and it definitely alleviates the problem with the output level being low, but the static/crackles persist.

 

[pennylane]

Have you tried other laptops? If your problems are hit and miss with other laptops, it would seem like m-audio is right. I don't know what a ground lift is though...

 

[Wodgy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Babak This could be due to a problem we have recently found on some laptops where the manufacturers are grounding the power supply to the USB ports internally in the laptops which creates noise when you use a USB audio device (like the Audiophile). The work-around for this is to get a ground-lift to go between your laptop and the power outlet. You can find these ground-lifts at any Electronic store.

This is not really a "problem"; it's just the grounding scheme they choose. If the laptop has an earth ground, you can also expect the USB ports to be earth grounded. (What else would you expect they ground the USB ports to?) If the laptop has an isolated supply, then obviously the USB ports will not be earth grounded. Just watch for ground loops in whatever setup you assemble (this is equally true for computer setups and pure component audio setups) and you'll be fine.

DustyChalk's statements in this thread are wrong. The Sonica cannot properly drive headphones directly, and people shouldn't expect it to. Its line out is connected directly to the DAC chip; there are no op-amps or anything that could possibly drive headphones. We're talking about as little as 0.1mW of power and an output impedance above 1kOhm. If you use it without an amp, you can expect very audible clipping with low-impedance headphones and a low volume and no punch with high-impedance headphones. The M-Audio Transit has a different architecture and can drive some headphones directly, though an amp really helps.

If you're still getting static or audible interruptions with the Sonica and your CMOY, it's possible that there are compatibility issues between the Sonica and your computer's motherboard. This is more likely with older laptops than newer ones. Unfortunately there aren't a lot of practical solutions for this problem. If the Sonica has problems, other USB devices that also use Burr-Brown USB receiver chipsets (like the Headroom Bithead) will probably also have problems with your computer. If it's a full-size computer you can always put in an another extra USB card for about $12. With laptops with this problem you may be stuck, sorry to say. The Echo Indigo might work better for you with your specific laptop. On the bright side, you can probably sell the Sonica in the For Sale forums on Head-Fi for the price you paid, since it's becoming a rare and desired item these days.