Hissing and Static through all audio devices

sinty · Oct 4, 2015

I am not sure if this problem is my Power Supply or my mother board. But, I've an X86A mother board and a Corsair 800w psu. I get a dial up type of a static sound through all my audio devices, even when I connect my USB dac to a device that is supposed to reduce pc noise ( a Schiit Wyrd ).

I cannot pinpoint what the problem component is in my rig, but I do know that when I remove the plug that connects my usb dac to my amplifier, and swap out for a portable music player that isn't connected to the computer at all, the result is beautiful, dead silent and normal sound. So, I know the problem is inside my rig, I just don't know where. I've tried all the pc's usb ports and tried a few different usb hubs, nothing seems to work. This noise and static is transmitted from the pc through every link in my audio chain.

IE: PC>Schiit Wyrd> USB DAC>AMP>Headphones

as well as adding more usb hubs and pre amps in that chain, the sound remains.

Blueberries · Oct 4, 2015

Could be the port itself. Could be poor on-board audio.

Most motherboards have poor SNR, no EMI filtering, "bad" capacitors that aren't audio-grade.

It won't be the power supply because you don't have a dedicated sound-card and when you connect the Wyrd you're filtering through the hi-fi power supply.

maestro0428 · Oct 4, 2015

Could be a bad ground in your system. Usually that will cause what you are hearing, especially when its in your outboard DAC too. PCs are terrible when it comes to shielding bad noises. Check for a short too. Otherwise, tighten all screws and power connections and hope for the best.

thor220 · Oct 4, 2015

sinty :

The Schiit Wyrd is, frankly, a waste of money. If you have such poor quality input isolation on your DAC and AMP that you need to spend $100 on something like that, you'd be better off investing that money in better gear.

What you need to do is break down and isolate each component in the chain. Hook only the DAC up to the PC with the headphones in the DAC. If your DAC supports optical, try that as well.

If the issue persists with the DAC, try using only onboard sound.

If the issue still persists with onboard sound, that would lead one to believe that the PSU is at fault. Poor voltage regulation can lead to many issues.

sinty · Oct 4, 2015

Damn. That only confirmed my suspicions. I'll have to drop the entire mother board. I've taken it all apart several times to no avail after reinstalling everything. Sounds like a dial up crackle/hiss combo. The Wyrd is also not a waste at all, it greatly reduced the noise. For example, I can hear prevalent noise in my rig with my Dac turned up to 25% volume and with 25% gain. However, the Wyrd in the chain lets me increase that to around 55% volume and 40% gain before I can hear the same type of noise. Lower percentages on the toggles results in a clean sound. I know my stuff on this subject, I work with Hifi audio and review products in the field. But, I know little of pc components. The Wyrd was a success, its been helping me a lot, but recently I moved into a much more sensitive audio rig ( a stax 007 electrostatic headphone and the noise can be heard at lower gain settings now )

I'm a high end user in Hifi audio, every dac I've tested has this problem in my pc, however none of it has a problem with my laptop, for example. Crap Dacs to very expensive, doesn't matter, that noise is still there and I really think personally that its my motherboard. But, I could be wrong.

Some said that the PSU could be the problem and that fanless is what I should try. Currently, im using an inwin mid case, x86a MB and a corsair 800w which is just off return possibility. I posted a thread like this before but wasn't able to get anywhere with it.

I think I am going to swap out for a mini ITX rig and hope for the best.

thor220 · Oct 4, 2015

Blueberries :

He does have a dedicated sound card. A DAC is essentially an external sound card. The Wyrd only filters the power going to the connected audio device, it does not effect USB voltage. In addition, it doesn't matter much when components of lower quality are used further down the chain. I've been a Head-fi forum member for years and not once has anyone recommended such a device.

Blueberries · Oct 4, 2015

sinty :

You may consider this option as well:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA25V3607181

Blueberries · Oct 4, 2015

thor220 :

A DAC is not a dedicated sound-card. A dedicated sound card has a DAC. The Wyrd uses its own power supply rather than 5V from the motherboard, that's the point of the device.

maestro0428 · Oct 4, 2015

Onboard, Inboard sound cards are no longer the way to go. Too much interference and noise in a PC. External DACs FTW. I would start with the mb and then the psu as far as the culprit.

maestro0428 · Oct 4, 2015

Also, I don't suppose your DAC has an optical input, that would solve everything.

sinty · Oct 4, 2015

Blue is right. My audio system is not the problem, as mentioned when connected to another source, it sounds perfect. Once I connect to my primary tower rig, things sound bad. The same music sourced from the same drives that house my music sound perfect on other users pc rigs that I've been able to test with.

Something is wrong in my rig, I'm not sure if I should just drop the mother board and the psu and opt for something entirely new.

thor220 · Oct 4, 2015

sinty :

The fact that the Wyrd only helped minutely is proof that it's worthless enough. Considering the price, extra space it consumes, and the fact that it'll have to be replaced one day, it'd be allot better idea just to buy a device that doesn't have any noise. ASUS Xonar Essence STX has Zero noise on low gain and it's cheap. o2 + ODAC has zero noise period. You can max it's volume out with out even the slightest background noise. If I had a DAC + AMP that had that much of an issue with interference/background noise, I would just throw it into the trash.

Blueberries · Oct 4, 2015

If you're going the Mini-ITX route look into these:

http://www.hd-plex.com/HDPLEX-250W-Hi-Fi-DC-ATX-Power-Supply-16V-24V-Wide-Range-Voltage-Input.html

If you ask he'll customize one to your liking, but they're excellent low-noise power supplies for audiophiles.

sinty · Oct 4, 2015

I have the new Mayflower O2 Dac right now and it still transmits the noise. In fact, I have Mayflowers brand new model that isn't even out to the public. I write for Headfonics.com, a Hifi review website. As mentioned, there is something very wrong in my pc tower somewhere and its causing enough noise to transmit even through the Schiit Wyrd, something that has its own power supply and something intended to reduce this problem. It absolutely reduces it, it doesn't cure it sadly. You aren't correct about the O2 Noise thing. Also, the Xonar is no where near good enough for my personal rig and also nowhere near good enough to be used as a primary dac for testing audio products. Heh...that is like using a tv from the 1940s to try to watch 4k video content today.

Here is a link to the reddit pic/thread I posted about it: https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/3loh51/the_new_o2/

thor220 :

sinty · Oct 4, 2015

Thank you Berries! I will look into that.

thor220 · Oct 4, 2015

Rev. B was released a few moths ago. I have one on my desk. Unless you're referring to something else?

I said the o2 + oDAC. If you have only have the system, it obviously isn't going to hold true.

This issue is very common with many USB dacs.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/563371/static-ticking-noise-from-usb-into-dac-help

If you have the o2 + ODAC Rev B model, it's said to fix certain scenarios in which this type of issue would occur.

http://blog.jdslabs.com/?p=1003

sinty · Oct 4, 2015

I said twice now that its a new version not out yet. So...not its not the same one you have. Also, if its meant to fix "certain scenarios" then its just as useless as the Wyrd as you've said. Also, static ticking is not the issue I am having. That is a completely different, but same sub set of Dac noise. Both are types of noise, but a result of completely different things. My problem isn't rhythmic and follows no pattern, it is a constant 56k dial up type of a sound with a flutter and static popping. This problem is reduced as soon as I flip the Wyrd on.

Anyway, I appreciate all the advice. The only thing I can do right now is buy the new parts and see how it goes. Thank god Microcenter is near by, I can have this thread updated with confirmation in a few days.

thor220 · Oct 4, 2015

You must be referring to a new version of another device as I don't see a point in releasing another o2+ODAC revision so rapidly.

sinty · Nov 10, 2015

Sorry for thread res, the problem persists still. Another user here had a similar problem and told me to disable the gpu in device manager. That helped a great deal, but the problem is still there, just lessened now.
Running with onboard video and the pc set to power saver mode, the hissing and static is not a problem unless I switch over to a higher gain on my amplifier for my audio stuffs. When on high gain, there is a god awful amount of hum and hiss. Using this same amplifier on high gain with my portable iBasso DX90 player, the sound is immaculate and perfectly quiet.

any help is appreciated

Hissing and Static through all audio devices

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