I had the first A70 Pro and it had crackling/static but just on the balanced side, not on the SE connector. Firmware didn't fix it, even when nothing else was plugged into it but the headphones. The second one I got now works just fine, so I think it was the first production run that had issues. Performance with the D70 Pro Octo is absurdly good, low noise floor too with the 5.2v DAC. My daily driver is an A30Pro/D10B which I'm very happy with, this stack was worth checking out, great looking too. Being an early adopter always runs the risk though. No heat issues with the stack. For personal use I'm sticking with the A30Pro/D10b for simplicity, and having the same power on all connectors. So nice having a DAC with no MQA, Bluetooth antenna, or remote control.