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Ground Loop / USB output noise

nerdstrike

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Mar 1, 2021
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Just discovered a handy free* alternative. My Dragonfly Red + headphone produce a serious amount of electrical noise on the PC USB, but it all goes away if I plug the USB DAC into the monitor USB hub... should have thought of trying it sooner. :facepalm:

* - requires monitor with built in USB hub
 

AnalogSteph

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Nov 6, 2018
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Just discovered a handy free* alternative. My Dragonfly Red + headphone produce a serious amount of electrical noise on the PC USB, but it all goes away if I plug the USB DAC into the monitor USB hub... should have thought of trying it sooner. :facepalm:

* - requires monitor with built in USB hub
That indicates issues with the PC's actual USB power itself, as your issue couldn't be a ground loop if it occurs with headphones. Well either that or perhaps RF getting into the Red's analog circuitry, possibly from built-in WiFi or even USB 3.x peripherals. You can try using a USB extension cable assuming you have one - if it does nothing or makes matters even worse it's power, if it helps it's RF.

If you can narrow things down to USB power, I would check everything that could give you a bad ground connection, from an ATX connector that's not seated properly (or the same on the opposite side of a modular PSU) to poor contact from PSU to case to motherboard (with everything being painted and case panels getting thinner and thinner these days, I wouldn't necessarily trust that... with my current build, I whipped out my multimeter and checked what it had to say on the matter). The board itself can be problematic if it's just a cheap 4-layer job. A complete rundown of components starting from board, case and PSU may give more clues. PC issues can be hard to troubleshoot as they may only occur in a specific combination of components, with none of them being at fault individually per se.
 

nerdstrike

Active Member
Joined
Mar 1, 2021
Messages
262
Likes
315
Location
Cambs, UK
That indicates issues with the PC's actual USB power itself, as your issue couldn't be a ground loop if it occurs with headphones. Well either that or perhaps RF getting into the Red's analog circuitry, possibly from built-in WiFi or even USB 3.x peripherals. You can try using a USB extension cable assuming you have one - if it does nothing or makes matters even worse it's power, if it helps it's RF.

...
I appreciate the advice! The componentry is of good quality, but getting old now, something like 8 years. While the case is large and stout, is also chock full of storage and cabling running everywhere. Maybe it's time to clean it all out and re-assemble.
 
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