[ufospls2]

Hey All,
 
I've been having trouble with distortion for a while now. It doesn't happen all the time, thats why it is so maddening. At first I thought it was my dac, then I tried another dac, and it still was happening. Then I thought it was my amp, so I tried another amp and it was still happening.....but the thing is it doesn't happen all the time so it isn't my headphones. It only happens at certain frequencies, percussive noises, and low end. It gets worse if you boost the bass a bit with EQ. An example of a song that makes them distort is. 
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFcdXvJIfSM
 
The kick in the beginning distorts, sometimes. It happens with all headphones, I have tried 4 different pairs. So it is not my amp, it is not my dac, it is not my headphones, as I have tried more than one of each, so what the hell is it? I am using a mac, with Fidelia as my music software. The distortion happens with other software as well. Right now I am using a LH Labs Geek Out V2, as the distortion seems to happen less often than with my big set up. I'm not sure why. I have tried a restart of my computer, and a PRAM re set (I am using a mac.) I have tried a different usb cable. It is maddening, and I have no clue what is causing it. 
 
I should add that it only happens at higher volumes, lower volumes there is no distortion at all. 
 
I have tried both the USB ports on my macbook pro, and it happens with both. I feel like I have tried everything, but there is probably something small I am missing. Any ideas? Thanks for the help.

 

[MindsMirror]

Is it digital clipping? If you are using EQ to boost the bass without reducing the volume first, that could very well be it. Try reducing the software volume. Raise the amp's volume to compensate for the difference.

 

[ufospls2]

  Is it digital clipping? If you are using EQ to boost the bass without reducing the volume first, that could very well be it. Try reducing the software volume. Raise the amp's volume to compensate for the difference.

Tried both. It is clipping without EQ, just EQ makes it worse, exagerating the problem. 

 

[MindsMirror]

Did you try reducing the volume even with EQ disabled. Some audio formats can peak above 0dBFS, so you might have to set volume below 100%.

 

[ufospls2]

  Did you try reducing the volume even with EQ disabled. Some audio formats can peak above 0dBFS, so you might have to set volume below 100%.

Yeah I gave it a shot. When I got to the same volume turning the amp up, the distortion was happening again. Its so weird that it doesn't happen all the time, I can listen to the same track and it is distorting one time, and later on in the day it plays clean. 

 

[MindsMirror]

I do hear a little bit of high frequency "distortion" in that video you linked. It's a kind of buzzing noise that is correlated with the bass notes. I can hear it if I listen through a high pass filter at 10KHz, so it is definitely part of the recording. It's pretty quiet but I don't have to turn it up excessively loud to hear it. Do you think it could just be that the stuff you're listening to has some intentional "distortion" in the recording?

 

[ufospls2]

  I do hear a little bit of high frequency "distortion" in that video you linked. It's a kind of buzzing noise that is correlated with the bass notes. I can hear it if I listen through a high pass filter at 10KHz, so it is definitely part of the recording. It's pretty quiet but I don't have to turn it up excessively loud to hear it. Do you think it could just be that the stuff you're listening to has some intentional "distortion" in the recording?

Nono, its a strong distortion, like a rattling. Its hard to explain. I originally thought it was my headphones and the bass was making an internal part shake, but trying different pairs revealing the same issue makes me think it isn't, combined with the fact the distortion/rattling doesn't happen all the time with the exact same pieces of music. Its a real puzzling problem. The fact it doesn't happen all the time is the weirdest part. For example I was listening yesterday in the afternoon and there was no distortion, later in the day when I was listening to the same music, on the exact same set up, the distortion was there.