shleepy
100+ Head-Fier
I've recently noticed that I get very annoying distortion on the left side of my headphones... This is a relatively new development, but I don't know how and exactly when it started or what actions I took that could have triggered it.
My setup: PC USB --> Keces 151 DAC --> MisterX Dynalo headphone amp + Audioengine A5 speakers (via RCA splitter).
I'm fairly sure that this is either (1) a DAC problem, (2) a PC / USB issue, (3) something like electrical interference. Most likely, it's just a DAC problem, but let's check if there are differing opinions..
What happens is that the distortion starts with any set of headphones at the moment that the sound first plays from my PC. This is a big reason for why I think it's a DAC thing, since the problem only occurs at the moment when a signal is first sent from the PC to the DAC. The noise seems to remain no matter what I do (including when all is silent) at that point.
So, questions - is my logic correct about it being a DAC issue? And if so, what things can I try to see if I can resolve it or further test the problem? What's interesting is that it seems to have started randomly but has been going on every day now. And I just don't remember what I could have changed in the room or with my computer at that time, though it could have very well been something important that I'm missing. Maybe it happened around the time that I ran a LAN cable to my PC and turned on the onboard LAN on my motherboard (as opposed to wifi)? Unlikely, but who knows... or could it be that a wire from the left channel of the DAC got damaged...?
Thanks for your thoughts!
My setup: PC USB --> Keces 151 DAC --> MisterX Dynalo headphone amp + Audioengine A5 speakers (via RCA splitter).
I'm fairly sure that this is either (1) a DAC problem, (2) a PC / USB issue, (3) something like electrical interference. Most likely, it's just a DAC problem, but let's check if there are differing opinions..
What happens is that the distortion starts with any set of headphones at the moment that the sound first plays from my PC. This is a big reason for why I think it's a DAC thing, since the problem only occurs at the moment when a signal is first sent from the PC to the DAC. The noise seems to remain no matter what I do (including when all is silent) at that point.
So, questions - is my logic correct about it being a DAC issue? And if so, what things can I try to see if I can resolve it or further test the problem? What's interesting is that it seems to have started randomly but has been going on every day now. And I just don't remember what I could have changed in the room or with my computer at that time, though it could have very well been something important that I'm missing. Maybe it happened around the time that I ran a LAN cable to my PC and turned on the onboard LAN on my motherboard (as opposed to wifi)? Unlikely, but who knows... or could it be that a wire from the left channel of the DAC got damaged...?
Thanks for your thoughts!
