[Drmayo]

Hello Head-Fi, I just purchased a pair of DT990 Pros and an Objective2 from JDS Labs. (I'm using a UCA-202 DAC). The sound isn't very smooth, I hear hiss and there is distortion, I'm using the lower gain option. If it matters, I'm listening to all FLAC. Any suggestions?

Thank you.

 

[stv014]

Are the same problems also present when listening directly from the UCA-202 ?
 

 

[2000impreza]

The hiss/distortion you hear is probably from the UCA202. The Behringer UCA 202/222 does a very poor job at filtering usb ground noises. Running the UCA 202 through a external usb hub with a separate power supply will help cut down some of the noises. If you do not have a external powered usb hub, your options are to either run the source directly to the O2 bypassing the UCA 202 or get a better dac to replace the UCA 202. 

 

[Matt head 777]

doesn't sound good, I just bought one. When you say you chose lower gain option do you mean it's a setting that comes standard or you specifically asked for it to be modified for low level listening?

 

[shadow419]

The Objective2 come with a gain switch to better match source output to the input stage without clipping it.

 

[Drmayo]

I'm connecting the DAC to an external USB hub. The amp sounds much much worse when connecting straight to the source, very loud unbearable hiss and distortion when the volume is all the way down. I'm using the lower gain option on the default JDS labs O2, it wasn't a request, it's a standard option it comes with. You can switch between the high / low (I don't know much about this stuff)

 

[shadow419]

1.  Are you running off battery power or AC plug?
2.  Does the problem persist from a different source?
3.  If the problem is indeed with the amp, contact JDS.  Their customer service is excellent from my dealings with him.

 

[Drmayo]

1.  Are you running off battery power or AC plug?
2.  Does the problem persist from a different source?
3.  If the problem is indeed with the amp, contact JDS.  Their customer service is excellent from my dealings with him.

AC
Well, I only have my DAC to test it on, like I said above it sounds absolutely awful with the sound card in my laptop and desktop.
I'll wait till I have another headphone to test it with.

Edit: My IEMs (Meelectronics A151s) sound better then my DT990 Pros. I don't have an adapter to test out my DT880s to confirm it's the DT990s. Should I return them back to amazon?

 

[stv014]

Did you try the DT990 without the O2 ? It would not be very loud from the UCA-202 or onboard, but if the sound is clean at moderate volume (no clipping), then it may still be the O2 that is faulty.
 

 

[Drmayo]

When I do the windows sound test thing, it doesn't sound right. It's cracky. Using the DT990 without the amp.

 

[shadow419]

Quote:

When I do the windows sound test thing, it doesn't sound right. It's cracky. Using the DT990 without the amp.

Is this connected to the dac or straight to the PC?  Neither should be making the headphones sound as you described.  At worst the headphones would just be pretty quiet compared to running off a proper amp.

 

[Drmayo]

Is this connected to the dac or straight to the PC?  Neither should be making the headphones sound as you described.  At worst the headphones would just be pretty quiet compared to running off a proper amp.

It happens either way, what helped the sound a lot was turning down the source volume and using the amp volume. It still doesn't sound as good as I think it should, I just ordered a better cable, I'm using an old cable from my closet at the moment, so I'll see if that helps much.

 

[shadow419]

Strange indeed.  The problem seems to move with the headphones no matter what you're using.  I'd seriously try to get a 1/4" to 1/8" adapter to try the amp/dac with the DT880's.  This would at least let you know whether the problem is indeed the DT990's, and you can start an RMA process.