Topping A90 D90 Stack. Static when gain/volume set to high.

[pjladd]

Hello! I know this issue has been posted quite a few times, but I'm finding difficult to parse through all the posts.

I have a Topping A90 amp connected to my PC by USB. When I turn the volume up and/or set the gain to "high", I get an irritating static sound. This sound also seems to be effected by mouse movements. I've read that it is a grounding issue, but I'm somewhat a novice on the topic and would love help.

I've purchased an optical cable to try that instead of USB. I'll update my post when it arrives.

 

[Dunring]

Give it a try without USB connected at all to see if it still happens. I have that stack and might narrow it down to the power grounding. It's got 3 prong grounded cables, but could be the plugs and inside wiring. Taking it to another room and just plugging in power to a different circuit breaker might help find it.

 

[pjladd]

Give it a try without USB connected at all to see if it still happens. I have that stack and might narrow it down to the power grounding. It's got 3 prong grounded cables, but could be the plugs and inside wiring. Taking it to another room and just plugging in power to a different circuit breaker might help find it.

Thank you! I recently tried plugging it into my laptop that is running off of battery, and there was no static. So, does that mean it’s a grounding issue? I’m trying to do my best learning this haha.

What’s generally the fix for this? Should switching from USB to optical help?

 

[Dunring]

"Eliminate the impossible and all that's left is the possible".
-Sherlock Holmes

That's good news, if it's just a problem with your PC when it's on USB but not the laptop there's one more thing to try before the optical cable arrives. Try different USB ports on your main system to see if the front ports or the ones direct into the back will fix it.

 

[pjladd]

Great news-the optical cable got rid of the static sound.

I’m still trying to understand what happened though. Was it a grounding loop issue?

 

[kemmler3D]

Great news-the optical cable got rid of the static sound.

I’m still trying to understand what happened though. Was it a grounding loop issue?

I'm not an expert on this but I think when you get noises from the PC coming through USB (this is made clear by the mouse affecting it) then it has to do with poorly wired USB inside the computer. Might be grounding within the PC case?