EMI buzz from my Moondrop Blessing 2 running through Topping DX7 Pro, help?

[hfcobra]

I just received my Moondrop Blessing 2s in the mail from Amazon.

So when I plug them in to my 1/4 port on the topping DX7 Pro I get a constant whine noise. This noise is unaffected by the volume level of the amp.

It sounds one way at idle, another way when I move the cursor, and constantly changes pitch during gameplay depending where I'm looking or what's being rendered.

Because of this I believe it is EMI from the GPU of some kind but I'm not absolutely sure.

I plan to get a new A90 Discrete and running balanced from the DX7 Pro DAC to the A90. Would this solve the noise problem?

Is there anything I can do to solve it in the meantime? I really like these IEMs and I want them to work ASAP.

Is it possible the IEMs are at fault?

 

[staticV3]

Is there anything I can do to solve it in the meantime? I really like these IEMs and I want them to work ASAP.

Use a high quality USB cable with choke, like this one from Delock and make sure it's plugged directly into the Mainboard, not into a front USB port, or switch to Toslink altogether.

Is it possible the IEMs are at fault?

No.

 

[hfcobra]

Use a high quality USB cable with choke, like this one from Delock and make sure it's plugged directly into the Mainboard, not into a front USB port, or switch to Toslink altogether.


No.

I already have a Monoprice Monolith USB cable. Is that nice enough? I figured digital didn't matter one way or another anyway. I just have it to match other cables.

 

[staticV3]

Chokes/ferrite beads can suppress high frequency noise, which might be to blame for the interference you're hearing.
On example of this is in this video at minute 5:31.

By using Toslink, you would electrically decouple your DAC from your PC, therefore making this kind of electrical noise transmission impossible.

 

[hfcobra]

Chokes/ferrite beads can suppress high frequency noise, which might be to blame for the interference you're hearing.
On example of this is in this video at minute 5:31.

By using Toslink, you would electrically decouple your DAC from your PC, therefore making this kind of electrical noise transmission impossible.

Ok do you recommend the USB cable you linked above or the Toslink? Will Toslink be lower quality at all? I know I can't use it for my 5.1 system since it's just stereo. Does it have any other limitations? I try to use USB when possible to keep the signal digital until it gets to my external DAC.

My HD800S phones don't have any of the coil whine as far as I can tell. They run through XLR balanced output.

 

[staticV3]

Ok do you recommend the USB cable you linked above or the Toslink?

Try both. The cables are like $3 each.

Will Toslink be lower quality at all?

USB is asynchronous so jitter will most likely be lower. With Toslink/Spdif/i²s/AES, the amount of jitter depends on the quality of your sound card or onboard audio.
For example, the PI2AES is excellent in that regard, your gaming motherboard might not be.

I try to use USB when possible to keep the signal digital until it gets to my external DAC.

All of these protocols are digital.

My HD800S phones don't have any of the coil whine as far as I can tell.

That's because they're much less sensitive than your Blessing2. The noise is still there on the HD800S, but at low enough amplitude to be inaudible.

 

[Matias]

If everything else fails there are always USB decrapifiers, like the Topping HS01 for example.

MEASUREMENTS: Topping HS01 - USB 2.0 Isolator & Ground Loop Eliminator (and a listen to Santana's "Blessings and Miracles")

A blog for audiophiles about more objective topics. Measurements of audio gear. Reasonable, realistic, no snakeoil assessment of sound, and equipment.

archimago.blogspot.com

 

[hfcobra]

Try both. The cables are like $3 each.


USB is asynchronous so jitter will most likely be lower. With Toslink/Spdif/i²s/AES, the amount of jitter depends on the quality of your sound card or onboard audio.
For example, the PI2AES is excellent in that regard, your gaming motherboard might not be.


All of these protocols are digital.


That's because they're much less sensitive than your Blessing2. The noise is still there on the HD800S, but at low enough amplitude to be inaudible.

Thanks a bunch for your help!

One last question. How impactful is jitter really? It's definitely not something I've personally noticed in the past. Usually just comes up in measurements to show the technical prowess of the aformented hardware.

 

[staticV3]

How impactful is jitter really?

Here's a thread with more resources on that matter:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/is-jitter-audible.3235/

 

[AnalogSteph]

I just received my Moondrop Blessing 2s in the mail from Amazon.

So when I plug them in to my 1/4 port on the topping DX7 Pro I get a constant whine noise. This noise is unaffected by the volume level of the amp.

It sounds one way at idle, another way when I move the cursor, and constantly changes pitch during gameplay depending where I'm looking or what's being rendered.

What else do have have plugged into the Topping? My hunch is that you've got a ground loop running through it via the USB connection. Try unplugging the outputs and see whether the noise goes away. If it persists, the DAC would have a severe ground routing issue, and I kind of doubt that this would be the case.

Some custom XLR cables with shield disconnected may be an easier solution than a USB isolator.

 

[hfcobra]

What else do have have plugged into the Topping? My hunch is that you've got a ground loop running through it via the USB connection. Try unplugging the outputs and see whether the noise goes away. If it persists, the DAC would have a severe ground routing issue, and I kind of doubt that this would be the case.

Some custom XLR cables with shield disconnected may be an easier solution than a USB isolator.

I used a Fiber TOSLink and that's solved the issue completely.