fluidz

I find the Sq was suprerior to Spotify, shame that the price is so high! I have issues running wasapi exclusive (shown as exlusive in the app - their typo), there is lots of crackling when playing any audio. For my set up I'm using a Musical Fidelity M1a dac via Usb, not had any issues at all with jriver using wasapi ex. Crackling is in Qobuz only. I have to set my Usb dac device as default as I have an internal sound card, otherwise there will be no audio, even if I set the dac as the sound output in Qobuz settings.. Has anybody any tips to combat these issues? Thanks.

UPDATE : I disconnected the speakers from the wall outlet, the sine wave noise disappeared, also I tried turning them on (they were off as I use headphones mostly) again, the noise disappeared. So, the sine wave noise which appears when I disconnect the GND of my Usb cable, appears with the speakers in the chain, with them removed, no noise, understandable as there are 3 pin plugs on each speaker. I have now removed the 5v and Gnd on the usb cable, unplugged the speakers from the outlet, no noise, and what appears to be a much cleaner sound. I blame the graphics card in my Pc. Quite a few views on this thead. If you're using a Dac via Usb, give it a shot!

Damn, Just realised something! UPDATE : I actually covered up the ground pin, not the 5v pin. Need to edit the thread. Mods? So i changed the tape to the 5v pin - which I claimed to had done already, doh!, and with speakers plugged in theres no sine noise. The sine noise is playing when the ground tape is covered.

Hi guys, does cutting a 5v line on a usb cable work as a noise isolator? To begin with here is my audio chain. Computer - Usb port - Musical fidelity Async M1 Dac - Emotiva mini X amp - Hifiman He-500 headphones (speaker taps) Computer - Usb port - Musical fidelity Async M1 Dac - Stereo Out - Active Yamaha Hs80m Speakers I play Flac/Wav music, minimum 16bit 44.1kHz using jriver 19, Wasapi, Full volume, nothing in the dsp chain - cleanest possible. I own a Musical Fidelity M1 Dac, which offers async usb, but not galvanic usb isolation as we all know this can lead to all sorts of noise problems. It's self powered so I believe doesn't require power via the 5v of a usb cable. I tried playing back and forth with optical and Usb to see if there was any difference, as it's an headache to know you've paid lots of money to have a degraded experience, especially when there's talk of improvements such as isolating Usb etc. Trying both out with Jriver. Optical was connected via a Titanium Hd soundcard, no motherboard connection. Optical seemed to offer a faster attack and delay to percussion type instruments, like a sparkly finish to the sound, yet vocals seemed slightly recessed. Usb brings the Vocals more into play, they are more pronounced and focused, easier to concentrate on, and more analogue/warm , but the other sounds are slightly blurred, i can't hear that slight reverb finish at the end of a sound, its almost as if it has been cut off! Both have their flaws. I conducted a test. If I stick some electrical tape over the 5v pin on the A connector of the Usb cable, and play with the Dac connected via Usb, switched to Usb mode only, the sound seems to be more crisper. To define crisp.. If a percussion is playing , its attack is faster and there is no blur to it, i can pick it out among the sound in its own little space. It's not just percussion, it makes each sound a little easier to identify, more spaced out, but the soundstage hasn't changed at all. I hope this isn't placebo as I haven't got any monitoring equipment to measure the difference. The thing is, I would rather use an isolator to do this as there is a slight issue with covering up the 5v pin. A sine wave is introduced into the sound if I plug in speakers to my wall outlet. The speakers are connected to the Dac also, but the Xlr have had their ground pins cut. So why not removed the tape with the speakers plugged in? I did. And the sound via usb lost its crisp edge again. Any truth to this or is my mind playing tricks? Will a Usb isolator do the same as stopping the 5v from a computer touching the signal?

Thanks Syracuse, what as your friend using before?

Would upgrading a Titanium Hd to a Arcam Irdac, be a Sidegrade or upgrade? Headphones - He-500 Amp - Emotiva Mini DAC SPECS - Titanium Hd - Burr Brown 1794 Arcam - Burr Brown 1796 One of the reasons I want to move to an external sound card is I experience ground loop between the speakers and Titanium HD, so using an external unit is preferable. Any Dac experts around?

You've been very helpful, Thanks again.

Larger versions here - https://www.dropbox.com/sh/lcing3odt0v9ll7/qopE5V81cy My concern is that the Titanium HD console launcher is reporting 0db, and volume is in the red zone, i'm assuming this is bad. Thanks.

Using Chrome, with Soundclouds website loaded up, non asio, Windows system volume 100%, X-fi console Wave volume 0db (default), Soundcloud and Chrome @ 50%'ish volume - notice the monitor is now yellow/green

Soundcloud results - Using Chrome, with Soundclouds website loaded up, non asio, Windows system volume 100%, X-fi console Wave volume 0db (default), Soundcloud and Chrome @ 100% volume - notice the monitor is Red

Hi Matt, Thanks ever so much for your detailed reply. Please take a look at these screenshots and you'll see what i mean. Using jriver, Asio, Windows system volume 100%, X-fi console Asio volume 0db (default), Jriver Internal 100% volume - notice how the monitor is reporting 0db and hitting red Using jriver, Asio, Windows system volume 100%, X-fi console Asio volume 0db (default), Jriver Internal slightly lower @ 85% volume - notice the monitor is now yellow/green

Heya, I need some advice please. I own a pair of He-500 headphones, they are connected in this chain. Pc > Titanium hd > Emotiva Mini-x > He-500 When I listen to music files I own, I listen through Jriver, which has a 64bit engine, so as far as I know using it's own volume control doesn't affect the quality that much. I can leave Windows system volume at 100% volume, Jriver's volume at 80ish (to stop it hitting anywhere near clipping) and control the final volume with my amp. All dandy. However, when I use the web to listen to music, such as Soundcloud, leaving soundcloud's volume at 100%, and the web browsers volume at 100%, system volume at 100%, the Titanium Hd audio creation mode's monitoring shows it hitting 0db, and falls into the Red zone. I'm assuming its heavily clipping. So to combat this I leave my web browsers volume at 100%, and reduce soundclouds own volume, but I feel this is a digital change and i'm losing quality. Most tracks on Soundcloud have to be run at 50% volume (via soundclouds own volume control) to stop my X-fi hitting the red zone. At 50%, the X-fi software is reporting volume hitting -13db (almost in the orange zone). I'm trying to keep it from going anywhere near the red. Increasing it over 50% will push it almost to the red zone. I could stop this by reducing the "wave volume", but I've been told in the past not to adjust the wave, and to leave it at 100%. So at the moment, the only way I can stop the X-fi from reporting dangerous output levels is either; Reduce the wave volume from 100% to a lower level Or reduce Soundclouds own volume within the web browser I don't want to touch the "system volume" Does Creatives own software, the console which runs with the Titanium HD accurately report the correct output volume? Is it safe to leave all volumes in windows at 100% and ignore the volume hitting red zone? If I lost you half way, sorry. Running Windows 8. Titanium Hd. Audio creation mode. Thanks for any suggestions.

Is it me or running Fidelizer in extreme mode causes the user to move their attention away from whatever is on the screen - i.e - reading a webpage, to focus more on the music itself. When we do that the music appears more apparent, clearer and therefore giving the impression of higher quality. Just my opinion.

Would that degrade the sound quality in any way? I've heard the Usb is only for when you use the Fiio E7 on top of the E9? I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try. Cheers.

Phono cable to 1/4 adapter at the end so it fits into the Yamaha Hs80. Would using a Phono - Xlr be balanced? Thanks