Tubes in a computer?

[philodox]

Hmmm... at minimum volume I'm getting a humm or whine in my speakers. The weird thing is that if I scroll in iTunes the whine changes. I think it might be interference on the internal lines or a ground loop or something? Any ideas.

When music is playing it sounds quite nice... to early for impressions though.

 

[Glod]

I have this Musical Fidelity X-10D (v.2) (v.2), a so called tube buffer. The original idea behind it was to make digital sources, at the time, sound more "pleasant".

I think that might still be the case with perhaps the absolute cheapest categories of CD reproduction. For somewhat better rigs, I don’t think it adds more than a somewhat crude tube magic, and then a degrade of the original signal. On the other hand, the tubes inside might have seen better days.

Some time ago I dusted it off and connected it between a RME card and a HeadAmp GS-1. It took some time for it to settle in sonically, but eventually it sounded, I have to admit, quite nice; at least with high quality 128kb/s streams. Voices are more alive and the reverb more believable. There is also that vibrant feeling of presence to the music. However, it is, all together, an euphonic sound. i find the choice of cables (RCA) has a significant influence on the sound too.

 

[philodox]

Now when the volume is at minimum and medium levels there is a hissing/staticky sound that is absorbed once music starts. You can tell that it is still there during quiet passages. The sound when scrolling in itunes is still there as well... kind of a small 'bug caught in my speakers' sort of sound when I grab the bar and go up and down. The sound isnt there if I use my scroll wheel. :confused.

 

[OakIris]

Sorry that the results aren't as good as you had hoped. Any chance of getting tech support from Coolermaster??

I bet it still looks nice in your system case - just keep it for the pretty lights and the guage.

Seriously, I hope you can get the problem figured out - wish I could make some suggestions but I haven't a clue as to what is causing the hissing, humming or whining. My tube headphone amps don't cause any interference, at least as far as I can tell - my headphones are dead quiet when plugged into the amp when no CD is playing.

Holly

 

[philodox]

Thanks... I think it might have to go if I can't figure out what is causing it since it looks like the headphone jack on the front is nearly useless as well since the output is even quieter than the line out from my av710.

 

[philodox]

Well if anyone wants to read about my continuing issues with the Musketeer you can look here. It is better than it was at first, and I am thinking that I will just leave things and hope that it gets better with a recable.

Here are some [really bad] pictures: