Tick sounds from USB

[Mr.Y]

I'm using Audio-GD FUN dac/amp as a sound device for my laptop Sony Vaio VGN-FW21E and Windows Vista. Due to a virus problem I had to reinstall my Vista and after the new installation I noticed that the sound via USB has some strange tick-sounds, something like ticks from the old vinyl records. I installed back all drivers af all hadware devices from the previous Vista but the ticks are still there.

Can you help me identify what software conflicts with my USB output to make these jitter-like sounds? Maybe a driver used for some of the hardware on my laptop??

 

[applewine]

You should always use digital out from the computer audio to a receiver. This should prevent most problems. I also recommend that if you want to use a computer you get an Apple computer instead of Microsoft. Also, if you don't want to use a computer I think a D-link Boxee Box will work $175, connect to receiver and you are done.

 

[thesurfingalien]

Great advice... Not!

 

Perhaps you should kinda be informed when you give advice.

 

The OP has a USB connected DAC/headphone amp that seemed to work just fine before a virus problem occurred.

 

Also, perhaps you should rethink your "advise" regarding Apple vs. Windows...

 

 

 

[thesurfingalien]

Y,

 

This could be caused by a fairly large number of things...

 

Can you tell us what you have tried yourself? Different USB-port, installing the latest drivers for your system, changed the USB-cable, installed specific drivers for the Audio-GD etc...

 

Issues like this can be quite hard to fix from a distance, that is probably why no one answered.

 

Let me know so I can help!

 

Peter

 

[waas]

This is a good place to start: http://www.blackviper.com/2007/04/10/black-vipers-windows-vista-super-tweaks/

 

[nemick]

Are these random clicks or clicks that occur at regular intervals?

 

[krass]

continuous background ticks through your DAC or only when the music player is playing music ?

 

Have you definitely isolated problem to USB (or maybe you have only noticed it through USB) ? If not 100% isolated, Suggestion here is to try playback through onboard speakers, or other output.

 

any pattern in ticks ? ie is it different with different music bitrate?

 

I'm not sure I can diagnose the problem, but some more info along these lines may be useful in isolating different possible contributors.

 

mike

 

[EuroChamp]

All Windows Updates installed?

High CPU load while playing?

 

Some Sony notebooks have a recovery mode. Did you recover or did you make a fresh new install? With limited knowledge you better use recovery.

 

[Olive Empithrie]

The clicks you describe are very brief audio dropouts and likely you did something in the past to your machine (whether intentional or not) that improved your audio playback latency, which has now been undone by the re-installation of Windows.

 

The first thing I would try is increasing the buffer interval in your player. This might fix the problem straight away.

 

The second thing I would try, as it's quick do do, is try using another USB port for playback.

 

The third thing I would try is use DCP Latency checker. What is the average reading? What is the maximum reading? Are there spikes? At what intervals?

 

One by one, disable devices in Device Manager, beginning with Wifi network adapter, then battery monitor. Recheck DCP Latency after each change.

 

You already know your machine is capable of audio playback so if you're patient I'm sure you will locate the device that's causing this.

 

[Mr.Y]

Before the reinstall my DAC/amp worked just fine with Windows Vista. After the (fresh) new install I noticed these sounds. I restored all old drivers for all devices of my laptop (the are kept on my HDD) but this did't solved the problem.

My DAC/amp is plug&play device - it installs the apropriate driver when is plugged in.

The tick sounds are random and relatively rare.They are there only when the music plays. I can't notice them through the onboard speakers.

What bothers me most is the peak in the upper mids that makes the sound sharp and "digital". As I mentioned it's like old scratched vinyl record, an emphasize on some frequencies. Before reinstallation the sound was smooth and very analog-like.

I think I must try to isolate the different devices by disabling them in Device Manager to understand which of them conflicts with the USB.

 

[thesurfingalien]

... That the overall sound also changed??? I might understand what you wrote incorrectly...

 

Peter

 

[Mr.Y]

No, the sound is just the same except the peak in the highs and the sporadic sounds described above.

 

[thesurfingalien]

You wrote:

 

"Before reinstallation the sound was smooth and very analog-like."

 

So, I conclude the "over-all" sound has changed. Maybe just a mixup of terms.

 

But "over-all", you are not helping us too much helping you. Have you tried any of the suggestions we gave you? And with what result? You are also not answering questions!

 

This seems to be a rather weird issue, and it is very hard for us to help you if you do not work with us.

 

 

For now, I can only suggest you plug in the DAC to another computer and see if the sound becomes normal again. If that is not the case, the device itself could be damaged somehow, or the USB-cable is defective.

 

Peter

 

[Mr.Y]

I've tried the dac/amp with another laptop and the sound is OK. No peaks, no ticks.

I haven't enough time to isolate one after another the hardware devices to identify which one affects the USB. Tomorrow I'll do it.

I start thinking about fresh new Windows 7.......

 

[Mr.Y]

After useless attempts to resolve the problem with the harshness and ticking sounds from my USB by adding the newest drivers to all my hardware, I've changed the whole OS from Vista 32bit to Windows 7 64bit.

The sound changed A LOT (must confess I didn't expect that). The harshness dissappeared, the sound became more controlled in the lows and much more 3D. The whole result is like replacing a good old CDP with new, three times more expensive BUT now there are still very audible random tick sounds which now appear even more often than with the Vista. Also there were scratchy sounds when I scroll pages in my web browser but after install of the newest drivers for my touchpad and monitor they dissappeared. Now I scroll "quietly"

So far only the random tick sounds remained.

I must note that my Audio-GD FUN dac/amp has no such problems with another PC ot laptop. Only with the Vaio after the first change of OS.

P.S.: Is it possble to have problems with the USB device drivers? The Vaio model is VGN-FW21E. Maybe it needs some specific drivers for USB. But the support site of Sony Vaio doesn't have any specific drivers.

 

[krass]

plenty of other threads for apple devices with evidence that suggest USB port selection may be critical, so maybe worth checking what other services use the same internal USB bus that your USB port is connected to, and disable those services if possible....

 

[Mr.Y]

How can I do that?

 

[krass]

I'm no longer Windows-literate I'm afraid so can only suggest google "view windows device tree" or similar. Under OSX it's simple to view, i had forgotten how painful it can be doing this sort of stuff under Windows. Feeling guilty I had a quick look on my colleagues Windows netbook, thinking it must be under device manager but couldn't see any hierarchy or obvious device tree. Sorry I cannot help further Maybe some Windows user will see this and offer advice?

 

[Mr.Y]

I've found that all the troubles I have with the sound of my USB DAC are caused by the foobar. When I listen with WASAPI and Kernel Streaming I hear all these ticks. With Direct Sound the sound is stable.

 

[spdif-usb]

...that worked for me is to install ASIO4ALL and the ASIO component for foobar2000. The DirectSound output method gave me muffled sound. In the installer of ASIO4ALL, be sure to tick Offline settings because foobar2000 doesn't show an ASIO button. Click on the ASIO4ALL icon in Windows system tray to bring up its settings panel. In the WDM Device List, enable your DAC by clicking on the dark power button in front of its name. Under Latency Compensation, set Out to 0. Set Kernel Buffers to 4. Be sure to keep the Always Resample checkbox as well as the Force WDM Driver To 16 Bit checkbox unticked. Set ASIO Buffer Size to 2048 Samples. Close the panel. In foobar2000, choose File, then Preferences, then under Playback, choose output. Select ASIO: ASIO4ALL v2 as the Device. Next, increase Buffer length (I put mine all the way to 16000 ms). If your music files are shared via LAN and you want to play them remotely, choose Networking and raise the Buffer size (I put mine all the way to 16384 KB). Hit Apply, then OK. That should be it!

 

[Mr.Y]

Thanks for the advice but my DAC doesn't work with ASIO.

 

I've found that WMP was more stable than all the players I've installed (Media Monkey, Winamp and foobar2000). The clicks are missing or very rare (I still don't know what they depend on). I hate the interface of WMP but have to use it.

 

[crisnee]

It sounds like it might be an usb issue. I would try plugging your Dac into all the different usb jacks and see if one is better than the others.

 

Also if you're using wireless usb devices, try not using them. If you have a USB hub, don't use it and disconnect it. Try a different usb cable to your dac. In other words try all usb possibilities that you can think of.

 

Ideally you should use Wasapi or Kernal Streaming; the native Windows drivers are usually the worst sounding options.

 

-Chris

 

 

 

[Mr.Y]

I've tried JPlay yesterday and it helped. The ticks totally disappeared. But without it they occur often when scrolling pages or dragging items in folders...

 

[spdif-usb]

My Eastern Electric MiniMax DAC Plus does not support true ASIO either. This does not mean it cannot work with ASIO4ALL. In fact, ASIO4ALL is a replacement for ASIO and it should be used only if ASIO is not supported or if there are problems when using ASIO (or problems when using WASAPI or Kernel Streaming). The reason why my sound is muffled if I use DirectSound is because of the way the built-in volume control of Windows 7 works. Why I'm hearing tick sounds if I use WASAPI instead of DirectSound or ASIO4ALL, honestly I don't know.

However, I am confirming that I do hear them, just like you do, and increasing foobar2000's buffer sizes when using WASAPI didn't help. I'm guessing the old WASAPI component for foobar2000 is the culprit because it hasn't been updated by the author for some years.

Perhaps someone at Hydrogenaudio might be able to shed some light on the matter?