[cskippy]

Yup, crappy USB then. Don't bother with Wyrd. Use that money towards a better DAC and lose USB or get Eitr and run coax into a DAC.

 

[Dabbaranks]

Yup, crappy USB then. Don't bother with Wyrd. Use that money towards a better DAC and lose USB or get Eitr and run coax into a DAC.

Question though, is it normal that out of my Fulla 2 SE out to all my iems and cans I don’t have any of the USB noise I’m experiencing through my jot?

 

[cskippy]

Gain and power ouput is SOOOO much higher on the Jot it's probably just making the noise more obvious.

 

[alpovs]

Question though, is it normal that out of my Fulla 2 SE out to all my iems and cans I don’t have any of the USB noise I’m experiencing through my jot?

The more you describe it the more it sounds like ground loop. You should hear the same noise at the same perceptual volume level if it was coming from USB.

You can try plugging everything in the chain (the Jot, computer, etc.) into the same cheap, without any surge protection circuitry power bar. See if this reduces the noise.

 

[Dabbaranks]

The more you describe it the more it sounds like ground loop. You should hear the same noise at the same perceptual volume level if it was coming from USB.

You can try plugging everything in the chain (the Jot, computer, etc.) into the same cheap, without any surge protection circuitry power bar. See if this reduces the noise.

Reporting back, tried everything plugged into a cheap power bar, straight from the wall. Tried everything plugged into the wall too. Tried everything plugged into the battery power surge bar as well. Noise hasn't actually changed much at all from all from my initial testing actually, I went back to the battery powered surge protector bar since if it doesn't make a difference I'll keep using it at a safety feature.

Thanks again for the help, really appreciate it.

 

[showme99]

@Dabbaranks, I think this issue may just be inherent to this particular style of cable. Every time I've used a 3.5mm-to-RCA cable, I've experienced some level of static noise in my headphones or speakers. Sometimes it's barely noticeable, but other times it can be quite obvious. It's usually the worst during quiet passages in the music or when I pause playback.

I've found that lowering the volume of the input device sometimes makes the noise go away. In your case, try lowering the volume of the Fulla to about 50%, then use the Jotunheim's volume knob to control the playback volume.

If that doesn't work, you may need to completely remove the 3.5mm-to-RCA cable from your setup. Replace the Fulla with a standalone DAC such as the Schiit Modi, then run regular RCA cables from it to the Jotunheim. Regular RCA cables seem to be much less susceptible to noise than the 3.5mm-to-RCA adapter cables.

 

[Dabbaranks]

If that doesn't work, you may need to completely remove the 3.5mm-to-RCA cable from your setup. Replace the Fulla with a standalone DAC such as the Schiit Modi, then run regular RCA cables from it to the Jotunheim. Regular RCA cables seem to be much less susceptible to noise than the 3.5mm-to-RCA adapter cables.

My Fulla is acting as a preamp to my monitors so yeah I guess I’m getting whatever the Fulla is designed to put out from that part of the chain.

Thank you for your help and insight on the 3.5mm to rca cables, I wouldn’t doubt that’s a weak link as well. I think optical through a Mimby is in my future. But since I’m a Mac user I’m kind of worried about not having spdif or optical out in the newer machines when it’s time for me to upgrade.


EDIT: I realize I have an old behringer uca202 lying around so I guess I can toslink optical out to the mimby in the future. I tried just regular stereo rca cables from the uca202 to the jot and I got the same noise and at max volume (balanced) I can hear the same distinctive coil whine which should be coming from my computer.

 

[torifile]

I’m sure this has been answered in this thread that’s hundreds of pages long but since I can’t find it - would a balanced cable with my Aeon Flow Closed be in any way beneficial if my DAC isn’t balanaced?

 

[senorx12562]

I’m sure this has been answered in this thread that’s hundreds of pages long but since I can’t find it - would a balanced cable with my Aeon Flow Closed be in any way beneficial if my DAC isn’t balanaced?

Way more power, if that would be of any benefit to you. Whether there are sq benefits independent of the additional power is a matter of some dispute. I don't hear anything, but I'm sure somebody will say it is "night and day."

 

[torifile]

Way more power, if that would be of any benefit to you. Whether there are sq benefits independent of the additional power is a matter of some dispute. I don't hear anything, but I'm sure somebody will say it is "night and day."

Thanks. Considering I can barely turn the Jot past 11 as it is, I’ll just stay with the SE cable.

 

[sup27606]

I’m sure this has been answered in this thread that’s hundreds of pages long but since I can’t find it - would a balanced cable with my Aeon Flow Closed be in any way beneficial if my DAC isn’t balanaced?

The SQ difference between SE vs balanced depends on the headphone I believe. Some headphones show marked difference in SQ when volume matched between SE and balanced, while others sounded similar to me. For example, Sennheiser 6XX, Audeze Sine and EL-8 all showed noticeable improvement in soundstage and imaging using balanced cable over single ended, and for them it was a no-brainer to go balanced. In contrast, Sennheiser 598 (it was a different headphone whose model I don't recall, possibly a friend's Sennheiser) did not show any noticeable difference in sound quality. Before I bought the Jot, I read some comments in these forums, where it was suggested that there is no difference in sound between the SE and balanced ports, and I believed that. Later on, I experimented with the balanced output and found that to be not true. Oh, one more thing, the SQ difference can be felt even with a single ended DAC, in my case the Mimby.

 

[DavidA]

The SQ difference between SE vs balanced depends on the headphone I believe. Some headphones show marked difference in SQ when volume matched between SE and balanced, while others sounded similar to me. For example, Sennheiser 6XX, Audeze Sine and EL-8 all showed noticeable improvement in soundstage and imaging using balanced cable over single ended, and for them it was a no-brainer to go balanced. In contrast, Sennheiser 598 (it was a different headphone whose model I don't recall, possibly a friend's Sennheiser) did not show any noticeable difference in sound quality. Before I bought the Jot, I read some comments in these forums, where it was suggested that there is no difference in sound between the SE and balanced ports, and I believed that. Later on, I experimented with the balanced output and found that to be not true. Oh, one more thing, the SQ difference can be felt even with a single ended DAC, in my case the Mimby.

Its not usually the headphone that running balanced or SE with make a difference in SQ, its usually the design of the amp that will determine if there is a difference between the balanced or SE output since some amps are designed to be used primarily with the balanced output and only have the SE output for convenience while some amps are designed to output the same quality to either the balanced or SE output. For the time I spent with my friends Jot I agree that some headphones (HD800, HD700, HE560, T1gen1, HD650, SRH1840 and LCD2) did sound different (not always better) using the balanced output while other amps like the Liquid Glass, Liquid Carbon, Hugo, Dark Star, MHA-100, and V281 didn't have any sonic differences to me using either output. With the Liquid Glass and Dard Star I used both balanced and SE DACs (bal: UD-301, MHDT Pagoda, SE: Bimby and Metrum Musette).

I’m sure this has been answered in this thread that’s hundreds of pages long but since I can’t find it - would a balanced cable with my Aeon Flow Closed be in any way beneficial if my DAC isn’t balanaced?

I'd say it probably would since I felt that the balanced output of the Jot did make the HD650 and LCD-2 sound a little more alive due to a better sound stage and less roll off in the treble but this worked against the Jot with the HD800, HD700, HE560 and T1gen1 for me since the balanced output made these headphones sound even brighter to me.

 

[sup27606]

Its not usually the headphone that running balanced or SE with make a difference in SQ, its usually the design of the amp that will determine if there is a difference between the balanced or SE output since some amps are designed to be used primarily with the balanced output and only have the SE output for convenience while some amps are designed to output the same quality to either the balanced or SE output. For the time I spent with my friends Jot I agree that some headphones (HD800, HD700, HE560, T1gen1, HD650, SRH1840 and LCD2) did sound different (not always better) using the balanced output while other amps like the Liquid Glass, Liquid Carbon, Hugo, Dark Star, MHA-100, and V281 didn't have any sonic differences to me using either output. With the Liquid Glass and Dard Star I used both balanced and SE DACs (bal: UD-301, MHDT Pagoda, SE: Bimby and Metrum Musette).


I'd say it probably would since I felt that the balanced output of the Jot did make the HD650 and LCD-2 sound a little more alive due to a better sound stage and less roll off in the treble but this worked against the Jot with the HD800, HD700, HE560 and T1gen1 for me since the balanced output made these headphones sound even brighter to me.

Thank you for the detailed analysis. My experiences are similar to yours. Just to clarify, I am aware that amp design has a big role to play in how the SQ will differ between SE vs balanced. I meant the above statement in relation to Jot only and not as a general statement for all amps, although now that I read it, it doesn't come as clear as I intended.

 

[torifile]

Its not usually the headphone that running balanced or SE with make a difference in SQ, its usually the design of the amp that will determine if there is a difference between the balanced or SE output since some amps are designed to be used primarily with the balanced output and only have the SE output for convenience while some amps are designed to output the same quality to either the balanced or SE output. For the time I spent with my friends Jot I agree that some headphones (HD800, HD700, HE560, T1gen1, HD650, SRH1840 and LCD2) did sound different (not always better) using the balanced output while other amps like the Liquid Glass, Liquid Carbon, Hugo, Dark Star, MHA-100, and V281 didn't have any sonic differences to me using either output. With the Liquid Glass and Dard Star I used both balanced and SE DACs (bal: UD-301, MHDT Pagoda, SE: Bimby and Metrum Musette).


I'd say it probably would since I felt that the balanced output of the Jot did make the HD650 and LCD-2 sound a little more alive due to a better sound stage and less roll off in the treble but this worked against the Jot with the HD800, HD700, HE560 and T1gen1 for me since the balanced output made these headphones sound even brighter to me.

Thank you for the detailed analysis. My experiences are similar to yours. Just to clarify, I am aware that amp design has a big role to play in how the SQ will differ between SE vs balanced. I meant the above statement in relation to Jot only and not as a general statement for all amps, although now that I read it, it doesn't come as clear as I intended.

See. Here I was thinking I’d get a clear “no need to spend more cash” reply and then this happens... LOL. I guess I need to source a balanced cable for the Aeon Flow Closed and give it a try for myself. This habit is freaking expensive!

 

[Zackobrien]

I have this in the black too!!