[Good Times]

I'm wondering if anyone has experienced noise like I am at the moment. Running my iPod via headphone out to my Mini3 and with my In-ears, it's dead silent right through to full volume. No hiss or hum.

Connect my LOD and I get a slight hiss at just over half volume and above. Weird. Connecting my HD540s and it's barely audible, and of course when the music is playing at normal levels, it's not noticeable. Still strange.

But wait there's more.

Connect the LOD to my iPod Touch, and through the IEs at high levels, I get major static noise, especially when you do something. Ie you 'flip the page', you can hear the electronics working away, then goes quieter when the page stops. Connect via 3.5mm and again it's dead silent.

My current LOD is made with 26g 3 wire and is unshielded. I thought that would be ok for such a short run. Would that be the problem? The 3.5mm connector I'm using to compare uses the same wire......

 

[azharc]

I'd be interested to know this too, because when I go up really high on my amp, my LOC picks up on FM/AM frequencies like a damn radio antenna (something I've never ever thought even possible). Quite clearly audible. Well its NYC so the air is crowded.

Although when there's music going through it I can't hear it at all. As I said, could only hear it with the amp turned all the way up on 'silence'.

 

[Good Times]

And is yours also dead quiet when you substitute for a mini to mini cable? Yeah very strange. My head tells me to use LOD because it's line out - it's pure. But my ears at the moment are telling me to use headphone out. Hopefully there's an easy fix

 

[qusp]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Good Times /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm wondering if anyone has experienced noise like I am at the moment. Running my iPod via headphone out to my Mini3 and with my In-ears, it's dead silent right through to full volume. No hiss or hum. Connect my LOD and I get a slight hiss at just over half volume and above. Weird. Connecting my HD540s and it's barely audible, and of course when the music is playing at normal levels, it's not noticeable. Still strange. But wait there's more. Connect the LOD to my iPod Touch, and through the IEs at high levels, I get major static noise, especially when you do something. Ie you 'flip the page', you can hear the electronics working away, then goes quieter when the page stops. Connect via 3.5mm and again it's dead silent. My current LOD is made with 26g 3 wire and is unshielded. I thought that would be ok for such a short run. Would that be the problem? The 3.5mm connector I'm using to compare uses the same wire......

well something is definitely up with your LOD; you are right that there is no need for a shield with such a short run. I almost never shield my LOD's I only really shield cables that are long, like 5m long or if they have to travel past a really electrically noisy area; IE: behind my computer near my CRT monitors and power supply; I once made an LOD for a guy in iraq in the warzone and I double shielded that for obvious reasons. yours is definitely a strange problem, I cant quite get my head around it. It sounds almost like you are using a different ground for ground instead of audio ground. like maybe you are connecting to chassis ground on you mini ^3 sounds to me like the issue might actually be with your mini^3 like somehow the chassis shield/ground is contaminating the audio signal path or they are being connected via the LOD. hmmmm


Quote:

Originally Posted by azharc I'd be interested to know this too, because when I go up really high on my amp, my LOC picks up on FM/AM frequencies like a damn radio antenna (something I've never ever thought even possible). Quite clearly audible. Well its NYC so the air is crowded. Although when there's music going through it I can't hear it at all. As I said, could only hear it with the amp turned all the way up on 'silence'.

yours isnt actually a problem mate; thats perfectly normal; if the amp is turned all the way up but isnt transmitting a signal, any electrical activity in the air will be picked up and amplified. but once you press play, the circuit becomes active and you only here music. am I right in saying that if there is a gap in an albumn or silence in a track, the noise is not present?? only while the DAP is on pause or off

 

[labrat]

Delete

 

[Good Times]

Quote:

Originally Posted by qusp /img/forum/go_quote.gif maybe you are connecting to chassis ground on you mini ^3 sounds to me like the issue might actually be with your mini^3 like somehow the chassis shield/ground is contaminating the audio signal path or they are being connected via the LOD. hmmmm

If the issue was the Mini3 (very well could be, was my first one), wouldn't I expect to also hear this noise when I connect using mini to mini though?

I'm going to make a new LOD and see if the same problem occurs.

 

[qusp]

A short, unshielded piece of cable is as prone to pick up radio static or ElectroMagneticInductance as a longer one, and an unshielded iPod Dock connector also.
But the shielding must also be done correctly.
I have myself had problem with the disc motor spinning and making loud noise through an amp using an iPod and an unshielded LOD!
And have seen posts from other people experiencing the same.
The digital noise made when scrolling/searching the Internet with an iPod Touch is also very easily picked up through a bad cable.[?QUOTER]

incorrect, yes its prone to the same effect, but because it is so short, there is far less area to act as an antenna, similar to using a large aerial to pick up distant or weak stations works better. well all I can say is that I dont experience it with anything unless I have the amp on high volume, but the dap off, this happens with whatever IC I am using, shielded or not. once the DAP is turned on there is nothing but silence



Quote:

I read it as he is hearing the noise when the volume is turned all the way up, but not when the volume is lover/when he is playing music? If so, the noise is there all the time, and again a problem caused by an unshielded/poorly made LOD.

lets hear the answer from him shall we??

 

[qusp]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Good Times /img/forum/go_quote.gif If the issue was the Mini3 (very well could be, was my first one), wouldn't I expect to also hear this noise when I connect using mini to mini though? I'm going to make a new LOD and see if the same problem occurs.

well; a mini to mini is using the minijack, which is almost certainly grounded using audio ground. the LOD is possibly being contaminated with chassis ground of the dap. it is likely a combination of issues.

it also may be an effect caused by the op-amp in the mini^3 picking up on these things and amplifying them; this issue is fairly common with ibasso; in particular the D10 of late with the stock op-amp is experiencing these types of noises even with a well shielded cable.

 

[azharc]

Quote:

Originally Posted by qusp /img/forum/go_quote.gif lets hear the answer from him shall we??

You are correct Sir, it picks up other frequencies only when current (i.e.) music isn't flowing through it. During silent parts of any track, its just that, silence.

Thanks for answering

Quite a fascinating phenomenon isn't it.

 

[Good Times]

I'll have to see if that is also the case in my circumstance. If not then surely it's my Mini3. Will potentially look to reflow the op amp legs, otherwise live with it. To me it's inaudible at listening levels, just an annoyance that I'd like to eliminate I guess.

I'll report back

 

[-=Germania=-]

Is the thing correctly grounded internally with teh ground wire being an appropriate size compared to the conductors?

also, the DAC Analog from the iPod is not noiseless. If you have a really nice amp, and revealing headphones, you can hear it. Still, lots less than the his of the mini port.

 

[qusp]

Quote:

Originally Posted by -=Germania=- /img/forum/go_quote.gif Is the thing correctly grounded internally with teh ground wire being an appropriate size compared to the conductors? also, the DAC Analog from the iPod is not noiseless. If you have a really nice amp, and revealing headphones, you can hear it. Still, lots less than the his of the mini port.

quite correct, but nothing to complain about IMO; and I guess I figured he wasnt talking about the noises you hear when scrutinizing; but a more annoying level

 

[Good Times]

Updating as promised.

I built up a new LOD to see if it was that. The staticky (RF?) noise that I encountered exclusively with the iPod Touch has disappeared. Nice. There is still hiss from 50% and up on the volume on all my ipods.

Using the same setup but with the LOD to RCAs to my Xcan amp, there is none of this hiss.

Clearly it's the Mini3. Is this be something I should pursue in order to eliminate the hiss, or is it just a minor compromise? I never listen past 50% in any case using the line out....

 

[qusp]

cool; its very long though man and you should really braid the wire; but otherwise good. yeah you should be able to get rid of the hiss on the mini^3; so perhaps some troubleshooting is in order

 

[Good Times]

Yeah went a bit conservative on my first solid cord cable - hence the length! How will braiding improve it (ie what are the benefits?)? Or is that for another discussion?