[nalth]

I got my DAC yesterday, however I'm a bit disappointed on how loud the noise floor is (is that the right word, I don't now...). There is noticeably more noise than from my Terratec Aureon 5.1 soundcard. When I turn the knob on my 336i to about 11+ o'clock the noise is quite loud. One might argue that this is no biggie since my normal listening level is at about 9-10 o'clock, but anyways, it shouldn't be louder than my internal soundcard...

So, my question is, what can be done? Any general tips on what could be causing the interference? Could it be the DAC that is faulty (any way to test this)?.

My guess is that is either the DAC, usb cable or usb port that is causing the problem.

Any tweaks that I can try?

 

[facelvega]

Interesting. Is this with the EB01>Darkvoice>K701 (as you list in your profile)? Is it the steady sound of a noise-floor hiss, or the more colored sound typical of a poorly regulated power supply? The first would argue Silverstone (but surely somebody would have blown the whistle by now?), the second, the power management behind your USB port. But then the Silverstone is supposed to have a built-in voltage regulator to cover that possibility. On the other hand, right now I'm reading on their website that they also don't use any filter caps, which I take to mean the high-pass filtering peformed by output (and input) caps, which could created noise. And the dynamic range they list is only 100dB, which is to say, higher noise floor than many soundcards. But still it should be something a grado 32 ohm driver might pick up, not a K701. But maybe a DIY guy will read this thread and tell us more.

 

[nalth]

Yup, that's the setup I'm using.

Based on your analysis I would say that the source of the interference is the USB port. If I only had another usb source to crosscheck this with.

What is the best way to clean up the noise from the USB port?

UPDATE:

Tried to connect the DAC through an external (& powered) USB hub, it helped a lot!
Although the cheap hub has quite thin cables it lowered the noise floor and those extra ticks are almost gone.
Need to experiment a bit more but I'm quite positive I have located the problem - luckily it wasn't the DAC!

 

[RedLeader]

Yea, the silverstone I had for awhile was actually pretty quiet, it isn't the DAC.

 

[mrarroyo]

The Silverstone EB01 I had was dead quiet and very good sounding for the money. I wonder why your USB Port is giving you so much noise.

 

[joe_cool]

IMO it sounds like a ground loop where the USB ground from the PC is passing noise to the headphone amp. Look for a way to eliminate 3-prong power cables downstream from the PC (keep the PC chassis grounded for safety). Also make sure all the equipment is connected to the same AC wall outlet. Ideally connect all of it to a surge arrestor with AC filtering.

 

[fordgtlover]

I too can confirm that the EB01 is quiet. I run it to an M³ and then to my K701. No noise at all that I can hear.

 

[Illah]

At my office I notice some noise as well but it's never really bothered me. I might try the ground-loop tip joe_cool gave as well and see if it makes a difference more me. When I first got it at home and tested it out it sounded fine.

--Illah

 

[nalth]

Well I'm glad the noise problem got much better when I ran the signal through the hub, since there is not much I can do about the grounding problem I have - the sockets in my apartment doesn't have a ground wire!

So I guess I must be happy with the result I get (some noise but only on extreme listening levels).

@joe_cool: Yep I have everything connected through the same wall outlet (through a APC surge protector with filter). Having all the power plugs oriented the right way helped a lot too, a quick and easy fix.

 

[dougmwpsu]

I've had the same issue with the silverstone that i've been running for about a year now. i've noticed that the noise level seems to be caused by my motherboard's usb system, as when i replaced the motherboard for testing pourposes one time, the eb01 got very quiet. can anyone reccmend a good usb hub that might alieviate my problem?