Michael-Elijah Audio Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 Hi all , this has me baffled , so I am seeking advice I am using a ASUS desktop PC W7 64 Using same USB Port, same USB cable, same DAC - HRT Musicstreamer HD that I have been using trouble free for at least 2 years Starting yesterday - Audio sound starts to crackle and breakup- ( sounds like bad radio static) volume drops then no audio Unplug the cable from DAC and plug in again- no lights at all on DAC ( no power ?) Switch to USB port on the back of PC- everything OK This morning switched back to the problem port - worked fine for 2 hours, then same crackle and breakup of sound Is it just the USB port on the way out, or a M/B issue? Have tried restarts and also System restore Any help appreciated Michael Link to comment
One and a half Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 Download two apps. USBtreeview & USBDeview . Identify the port which is giving the problem, and note the other ports which are connected to the same hub. If the problem is with another port on the same hub, the hub is broken. Find another hub on the computer and use that instead. If the problem is the one port , then don't use that port, but depends on what's wrong, it may cause a short and take out more than you want. Windows will also report the mA draw for that port or hub, so will the other utilities. AS Profile Equipment List Say NO to MQA Link to comment
Michael-Elijah Audio Posted April 23, 2016 Author Share Posted April 23, 2016 Thanks One and a half - Had a quick look at those D/L's Your suggestion is quite possibily the answer - and maybe beneficial ( if slightly inconvenient) Taking the case side cover off, I see that the front ports are fed from MB with about 2ft of standard USB cable, whereas the 2 ports on the rear of the case are surface mounted to MB It seems to me that it is possible that the rear ports may sound better than the front ports, by way of avoiding that 2ft of cheap standard cable Will require a rethink of cabling and DAC positioning, but it may be a blessing in a mask... Thanks Michael Link to comment
One and a half Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 An alternative is to use a USB Analyzer or scope to measure the waveform which will most likely drop to less than half of what it should be finally straight lining or just measure crud from the system that bounces around. I don't think the cable's at fault, but the connectors certainly cannot escape attention. AS Profile Equipment List Say NO to MQA Link to comment
sandyk Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 It seems to me that it is possible that the rear ports may sound better than the front ports, by way of avoiding that 2ft of cheap standard cable Will require a rethink of cabling and DAC positioning, but it may be a blessing in a mask... Thanks Michael Michael I have found just that, with and without a USB Regen in line, both when using a USB powered DVD writer for ripping, and when saving files to a USB memory stick. Regards Alex How a Digital Audio file sounds, or a Digital Video file looks, is governed to a large extent by the Power Supply area. All that Identical Checksums gives is the possibility of REGENERATING the file to close to that of the original file. PROFILE UPDATED 13-11-2020 Link to comment
17629 Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 First, you may want to check to see if you have both usb2 and usb3 ports on your PC. If so, put the dac on a usb2 port and everything else on usb3. Also, you should recheck your usb/power management settings. Sometimes the settings change when the system is upgraded. Set everything usb related to max performance, as well as any other related settings. When you go into the control panel settings to do this, they hide the high performance power plan setting and only show standard and power saving plan options. Depending on how many usb devices are connected to your pc, you may need to get a powered hub. Link to comment
Michael-Elijah Audio Posted April 23, 2016 Author Share Posted April 23, 2016 Michael I have found just that, with and without a USB Regen in line, both when using a USB powered DVD writer for ripping, and when saving files to a USB memory stick. Regards Alex I setup the rear port last night and will have a proper listen this arvo -may need slightly longer IC's for the long term - but am planning a new PC with w10 in near future - so I'll probably just make do till then Michael Link to comment
Michael-Elijah Audio Posted April 23, 2016 Author Share Posted April 23, 2016 First, you may want to check to see if you have both usb2 and usb3 ports on your PC. If so, put the dac on a usb2 port and everything else on usb3. Also, you should recheck your usb/power management settings. Sometimes the settings change when the system is upgraded. Set everything usb related to max performance, as well as any other related settings. When you go into the control panel settings to do this, they hide the high performance power plan setting and only show standard and power saving plan options. Depending on how many usb devices are connected to your pc, you may need to get a powered hub.[/quote Thanks 17629, I have KB and mse and HDD on powered hub, only DAC is plugged straight in to PC - I'll have a look at those settings - but at least I 've got reliable sound now using the rear port Michael Link to comment
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