Blasting speakers problem: Genelec 8010 + Audient ID14 MKII a mismatch?

[Kennymakeitwork]

Hi guys,

I'm a musician and produce and record music, and am having a huge problem I can't wrap my head around. Everytime I turn my setup on and play a sound, my speakers have the chance of blasting loud distorted noise at me. I'm seriously traumatized and covering my ears every first time I play sound through them. My audio-technical knowledge is at the bare minimum. I hope you guys can help me a hand! I'll explain my setup and the problem in detail.

I have 2 genelec 8010AP speakers. I have them connected via XLR to an Audient ID14 MKII. The Audient is connected via USB-C to my laptop. The Genelec speakers automatically turn on when I insert the USB into my laptop. Now, the way the speakers are powered when I insert the USB, seems at random and will show itself whenever I play the first sound (music, windows starting, etc.). 3 options:
- Both speakers are powered correctly and work as they should.
- Only one speaker (the right one) is powered.
- The speakers are powered in such a way that whenever the first sound is played the speakers play a horror movie-like screaming distorted noise on a very, very loud volume. Even excelling the volume the speakers can play themselves at max volume.

It seems as if this problem can sometimes be countered by first dialing the Audients' volume knob to the left, so that the meter is set to 0. But sometimes that doesn't even work and the horror still happens.

My current solution is plugging the USB in and out of my laptop untill the speakers are connected correctly. Sometimes it's instant, sometimes it takes like 6 or 7 tries.

At this point I'm clueless on where the problem lies and am afraid it's at some point going to destroy my speakers (and my brain). Is this a mismatch between speakers and audio interface? Is there a problem with my speakers? Is there a problem with the audio interface? Is my laptops' USB causing this?

I sincerely hope you guys can provide me with some insights. I have my first self-built studio PC ready (with the help of a techy friend, haha), but I am very hesitant to connect my audio set to this PC.

Thanks a lot in advance. Feel free to ask any detail or even photos if the problem needs to be explained any further. I'm desperate for finding the solution.

Cheers.

Kenny

 

[AnalogSteph]

I would say that the iD14 may not correctly initialize every time when plugged in. Best consult Audient support on this. If push comes to shove, another (type A) port or a powered USB hub may help. Occasionally the USB cables that come with interfaces have been found to be faulty as well.

A minor gripe of mine: I know why they're using a type C port (you can get the most power out of it by far, enabling bus-powered interfaces like this one in the first place), but right now relatively few desktops have more than one of these ports, and that may be the only one with the highest-speed (2x2, 20 Gbit/s) USB connection, which obviously is utterly wasted on an audio interface that commonly doesn't require more than lowly USB 2.0 (i.e. 480 Mbit/s). So basically you have to pick between connecting your super-fast external SSD or the audio interface.

Also, be sure that the -10 dB DIP switch is set on the Genelecs, so that their input sensitivity is merely too high instead of ludicrous. (At no point do they ever require more than about +3 dBu even then.) These are really not too well optimized for (ultra) nearfield use, I think they're more intended as surrounds or height speakers and such in surround setups. I hope you bought a measurement mic as well, or at least would be willing to import existing anechoic measurement data (Genelec's or Amir's) into REW using e.g. WebPlotDigitizer to straighted out the bass. The bass response stock is optimized for level handling, with a fairly early dropoff and midbass hump. If your required levels in nearfield are more modest, you can flatten that out a lot and make it substantially more accurate sub-300 Hz.

 

[LouB]

Maybe too simple, but have you tried isolating & trying different sources ? Remove/replace signal source with trial & error will find out the cause but it won't solve the problem. At least than you'd have a starting point knowing what component is causing the problem.

 

[JeffGB]

I have an ID14 mkii as well as several other interfaces/DACs and I must say that using any of them with a digital only volume control is a gamble and plugging/unplugging the USB power with them connected to an amp or powered speakers doubles down on that gamble. I only use them with an analog volume control between the DAC and amp after a couple of similar experiences. Currently I use a Schiit Heresy for single ended sources and plan on getting a Schiit Magnius for my balanced sources as ground loop/RF noise is a large problem in my location.

Perhaps its psychological but I don't like the sound of digital volume controls at the low volumes I listen at, so for me it's a win-win situation.

 

[dyur]

I have the exact same issue. Have you found a solution yet?
Any help greatly appreciated!

... Everytime I turn my setup on and play a sound, my speakers have the chance of blasting loud distorted noise at me. I'm seriously traumatized and covering my ears every first time I play sound through them. My audio-technical knowledge is at the bare minimum. I hope you guys can help me a hand! I'll explain my setup and the problem in detail.