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Ground loop via USB broken but high pitch noise remains. *Please advise*

jmaz87

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Jan 29, 2021
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Audio:
PC - USB - E30 - L30
Power:
Dedicated 20A to office closet - cyber power Sinewave 1500 UPS - PC/Accessories + separate Isobar strip for stack/monitors/sub
*No noise present via Headphones or IEMS

Purchased Adam T5V powered monitors and their sub. Hiss is minimal even with the gain all the way up via optical or via tablet USB
*PC via USB introduces a HUGE ground loop. I can hear things processing, my mouse moving etc.
Tried moving around UPS, PC, stereo, stack.... no changes or it was worse... With gain way up I can hear the noise actually get worse on old wiring...

I purchased IFI Ground Loop Eliminator, did almost nothing until I gave it power which I guess it needs to break the ground loop. The difference is staggering. Even at max gain on monitor the electric interference noises are totally gone.

All that remains in a High pitch whine. I can turn gain down enough that its not too noticeable above my office noise floor and volume has zero effect on it thank god just gain from T5V.

PC via optical is dead silent but I've had a lot of issues with optical splitters and switches failing suddenly within weeks or months of install... kinda fed up and i like that i can play some of my DSD rips fia foobar which i can't do over optical.

I use this PC for games and media so its kinda a must for an audio source... if i have to go back to optical can someone suggest a more reliable switch than Monoprice that supports 192khz
TIA
 
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jmaz87

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Gotta say this Forum is WAY less helpful than some other "less-scientific" ones. A lot less info than one might think for such a common issue...

Anyway upgrading to a Balanced DAC from Geshelli Labs (JNOG2) totally solved my ground loop / PC noise issues.

No longer need IFI defender and no home or high pitched whine. BLISS

I could be wrong but i think it removed the noise floor on my IEM's too because there is no audible difference unplugging them now.

Having an excuse to get their balanced amp (ERISH) and cables for HD6xx and HD560s was icing on the cake. really enjoying it all!
 

Veri

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Feb 6, 2018
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Gotta say this Forum is WAY less helpful than some other "less-scientific" ones. A lot less info than one might think for such a common issue...

Anyway upgrading to a Balanced DAC from Geshelli Labs (JNOG2) totally solved my ground loop / PC noise issues.

No longer need IFI defender and no home or high pitched whine. BLISS

I could be wrong but i think it removed the noise floor on my IEM's too because there is no audible difference unplugging them now.
Looks like the common mode noise rejection solved all your problems. Good :) that's where balanced interconnects shine. Enjoy your new noise-free set-up.
 

spiritofjerry

Active Member
Joined
May 8, 2018
Messages
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Audio:
PC - USB - E30 - L30
Power:
Dedicated 20A to office closet - cyber power Sinewave 1500 UPS - PC/Accessories + separate Isobar strip for stack/monitors/sub
*No noise present via Headphones or IEMS

Purchased Adam T5V powered monitors and their sub. Hiss is minimal even with the gain all the way up via optical or via tablet USB
*PC via USB introduces a HUGE ground loop. I can hear things processing, my mouse moving etc.
Tried moving around UPS, PC, stereo, stack.... no changes or it was worse... With gain way up I can hear the noise actually get worse on old wiring...

I purchased IFI Ground Loop Eliminator, did almost nothing until I gave it power which I guess it needs to break the ground loop. The difference is staggering. Even at max gain on monitor the electric interference noises are totally gone.

All that remains in a High pitch whine. I can turn gain down enough that its not too noticeable above my office noise floor and volume has zero effect on it thank god just gain from T5V.

PC via optical is dead silent but I've had a lot of issues with optical splitters and switches failing suddenly within weeks or months of install... kinda fed up and i like that i can play some of my DSD rips fia foobar which i can't do over optical.

I use this PC for games and media so its kinda a must for an audio source... if i have to go back to optical can someone suggest a more reliable switch than Monoprice that supports 192khz
TIA
Late to this thread, but I encountered a similar issue today! It was maddening. I actually found a comment on a youtube video of all places that helped me solve it without needing to replace gear: since my DAC is powered independently, I didn't need the 5v and ground lines from the USB connection, so I just placed some kapton tape over the ground and 5v pins on the USB cable. Noise gone. EZ-PZ.

Hopefully this thread will be helpful for someone else.
 
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jmaz87

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u shouldn't suggest things that are unsafe and can damage equipment. what your suggesting could be used to verify the loops cause but is not a solution. do ur research before becoming a liability
 

spiritofjerry

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u shouldn't suggest things that are unsafe and can damage equipment. what your suggesting could be used to verify the loops cause but is not a solution. do ur research before becoming a liability
How is what I'm doing unsafe? Using data only when my DAC is independently powered is not unsafe. There is no power at all going to/from USB.
 

spiritofjerry

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u shouldn't suggest things that are unsafe and can damage equipment. what your suggesting could be used to verify the loops cause but is not a solution. do ur research before becoming a liability
You might try reading this thread, starting here, and see that what I suggested has indeed been used to solve such loops without controversy. It's not always guaranteed to work, but it's worth a try.
 

MC_RME

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And you might start to read the answers that you get:

@solderdude wrote: No guarantees that the USB input from the DAC won't be damaged when for some reason the ground loop has gotten a voltage on it exceeding that of the components in the USB receiver.

We have units coming in regularly where the USB protection and consequently the USB input chip is blown up . In most cases users confess to have used your method via the simple and cheap iFi tool. Be ready to pay for that kind of repair...
 

Music1969

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Gotta say this Forum is WAY less helpful than some other "less-scientific" ones. A lot less info than one might think for such a common issue...

Anyway upgrading to a Balanced DAC from Geshelli Labs (JNOG2) totally solved my ground loop / PC noise issues.

But this forum often recommends balanced output DACs for exactly this reason?
 

spiritofjerry

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And you might start to read the answers that you get:

@solderdude wrote: No guarantees that the USB input from the DAC won't be damaged when for some reason the ground loop has gotten a voltage on it exceeding that of the components in the USB receiver.

We have units coming in regularly where the USB protection and consequently the USB input chip is blown up . In most cases users confess to have used your method via the simple and cheap iFi tool. Be ready to pay for that kind of repair...
Considering the units to fix the issue cost more than my DAC... may be worth it.
 

tsine

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Oct 27, 2020
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For me for now I connect the dac on my Phone using Hiby music app . Also i power my dac via Power bank . If i connect the dac to my desktop it makes me wanna change to a balanced dac but not an option for now .
I also invested some money(30$) to reputable RCA good quality cables when i was using it with my tv box and mobile phone also via usb b +type c cable without any noise at all and very enjoyable sound while playing hi res audio
 
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