Which should I buy to eliminate PC motherboard noise while keeping sound quality preserved?

[iluvsnowflower]

My setup is PC with KEF LSX II. My Asrock motherboard is very noisy, I've tried many things but ultimately the only solution seems to be optical connection, which my motherboard lacks. I've found a few USB to Optical adapters, and I would like your opinions on which one to get.

DoukAudio USB to SPDIF Converter: DDC Reclocker | Digital Interface with 24bit/192kHz Hi-Res XMOS XU316. https://a.co/d/0bcuTLsi

SMSL PO100 2024 192kHz USB to Optical Audio Adapter, XMOS XU316 Type-C USB to SPDIF. https://a.co/d/0i6VAqhh

Cubilux USB A to TOSLINK Optical Audio Adapter. https://a.co/d/0dsfItUr

PROZOR USB A to Toslink Optical Audio Adapter, 1M/3.3ft Cord, 96kHz SPDIF Digital Converter. https://a.co/d/0f3Z86Es

ASUS XONAR SE 5.1 Channel 192kHz/24-bit Hi- Res 116dB SNR PCle Gaming Sound Card. https://a.co/d/0gDcRIQJ

iFi iDefender+ USB Audio Ground Loop Eliminator (Type C > C). https://a.co/d/00al7xdH The iFi Defender is my last resource, I had a bad experience with a 3.5mm analog noise isolator once because it degrade the sound quality, but idk about this 1 since it's USB digital, let me know if it works well for u.

There are 2 main things I'm looking for:

1. Low to no latency
2. No degrade in sound quality

Please share your experience with any of these products or let me know what you think is the best for my needs. Thanks in advance!

 

[staticV3]

USB to Optical converters are virtually all bit-exact, inexpensive, and are guaranteed to block all electrical noise from the PC.

Hifime UT23 is another adapter worth considering.

 

[iluvsnowflower]

USB to Optical converters are virtually all bit-exact, inexpensive, and are guaranteed to block all electrical noise from the PC.

So any of these works just fine? What about sound quality degradation and jitters?

Hifime UT23 is another adapter worth considering.

Thank you, i will take a look

 

[staticV3]

So any of these works just fine? What about sound quality degradation and jitters?

Nothing even remotely close to meaningful (=perceptible).

Search for "Julian Krause Jitter" on YouTube to learn more.

 

[Redacted]

IIRC KEF LSX II are wireless, powered speakers....
By what method are you currently connecting your PC to the speakers, e.g, Bluetooth, WiFi or what?
I assume your music files are on the PC, or accessible via your LAN by the PC, right?

 

[iluvsnowflower]

IIRC KEF LSX II are wireless, powered speakers....
By what method are you currently connecting your PC to the speakers, e.g, Bluetooth, WiFi or what?
I assume your music files are on the PC, or accessible via your LAN by the PC, right?

LSX II is connected to PC with USB C - C cable, i use spotify and apple music only, no local files.

 

[Redacted]

So you run a USB cable to one of the speakers (a master, where there is a DAC and amp?), and there is a connection of some sort to the other speaker.....
I assume the cable run is no more than a couple of metres, right? And that it's good cable.

What is the nature of the noise you are getting? Pops, clicks and fizzes, or a hum?

Motherboard bus noise tends to mostly affect a PC's built in sound card, i.e. its DAC, which you would hear if you plugged in headphones. This is true on my laptop, and was easily eliminated by using a USB DAC (Topping DX1, as it happens).

Most noise tends to be ground loops, but I guess noise could possibly be hitting the digital signal at the USB C connector on your PC though, maybe causing signal dropouts. If so, it seems possible that just going optical will still carry that noise to the speakers.

If the noise IS a hum or buzz then it's likely to be a ground loop, but you don't necessarily need to go for re-clocking or even optical. USB carries differential signal wires for the data, but also a +5V and Gnd wires. It's that Gnd wire that can cause ground loops with some kit. If I were me, I'd test the theory by sticking a bit of tape of the Gnd pin in a USB A connector (and with suitable converter to connect to USB C on the PC.), but you may just want to buy a USB isolator. They are not rocket science nor audiophile items, so the cheapest you can find on Amazon will do - you can send it back if it does not do the job.

Also, you may consider a different way to wire to the speakers (or go wireless).

 

[linuxfan]

i use spotify and apple music only, no local files.

Then no need to connect via USB at all ! Nor S/PDIF. Your LSX II's have a good inbuilt streamer.
For Spotify, use the native Spotify app (on laptop or phone) and cast to the speakers using Spotify Connect.
For Apple Music, cast to the speakers using AirPlay.

 

[phofman]

@iluvsnowflower : If your connection is USB and you want to make sure you eliminate the potential ground loop (since your speakers look like using the PE wire which is likely connected to the USB ground wire), just use any inexpensive USB2 isolator (40 USD from China).

 

[krabapple]

Do these USB to optical converters work the other way too? (optical in, USB out)

 

[Redacted]

Do these USB to optical converters work the other way too? (optical in, USB out)

They can do both or be one half of a pair, depends what you choose to buy - you'll need an optical-in->usb-out at the remote end! But as said, it doesn't need to be optical (unless you are sending signals for 10's or 100's of metres, in which case it might help, but then you'd be best using glass optical fibres, rather than the plastic ones which are usually used in toslink cables. Optical transmission probably will cost more. But note that some isolators use opto chips to break ground loops, which is not the same as transmitting over optical fibre.

 

[krabapple]

To be very explicit I mean:

device with optical out--> optical cable --> converter optical in ---> converter USB out --> USB cable --> device with USB in

 

[Redacted]

yes. That's what I thought. And still no need to go optical just to remove a ground loop (if that's known to be the issue).

 

[somebodyelse]

To be very explicit I mean:

device with optical out--> optical cable --> converter optical in ---> converter USB out --> USB cable --> device with USB in

Depends on what you mean by 'device with USB in' - it needs to be a USB host, and have the necessary driver and software support. In practice that usually means another computer, although there might be some streamers that could do it.

 

[somebodyelse]

@iluvsnowflower : If your connection is USB and you want to make sure you eliminate the potential ground loop (since your speakers look like using the PE wire which is likely connected to the USB ground wire), just use any inexpensive USB2 isolator (40 USD from China).

For a concrete example something like DSD-Tech SH-G01L or others based on the ADUM3165 which can handle 480Mbps, rather than those using the older, slower ADUM3160 at 11Mbps. The slower ones might work for lower sample rates, depending on the DAC.

 

[Redacted]

That 480Mbps one on Amazon is ~£33, and if it doesn't fix the problem it intended for, send it back for a refund.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/DSD-TECH-SH-G01L-Isolator-Isolation/dp/B0CSYNSZ3K

 

[staticV3]

Do these USB to optical converters work the other way too? (optical in, USB out)

I don't think there's a single Optical port on an adapter that can pull double duty (input+output).

If you want Optical to USB, then you should look for either an explicit Optical to USB converter (e.g. Cubilux SPDIF, Hifime UR23/UR27), or a converter with two Optical ports, one for input and one for output (e.g. Hifime S2 Digi).

 

[Rastofer]

For a concrete example something like DSD-Tech SH-G01L or others based on the ADUM3165 which can handle 480Mbps, rather than those using the older, slower ADUM3160 at 11Mbps. The slower ones might work for lower sample rates, depending on the DAC.

The DSD-Tech SH-G01L completely eliminated the noise generated by the USB port of my NUC PC towards the DAC. It was wonderful.

 

[Berwhale]

@iluvsnowflower Have you checked to see if there is an SPDIF header on your Asrock motherboard? If there is, then you can just purchase a cheap SPDIF/Toslink bracket (assuming you have spare slot). I bought this one and it works fine... https://www.amazon.co.uk/LiebeWH-OutPlate-Motherboard-Electrical-Components-default/dp/B08FTDMJKF

 

[himey]

Is this one overkill for connecting a mini pc running Daphile USB to SPDIF? Compared to say this one? The DSD support may come in handy.

Sorry to piggyback off the OP's post but I did it rather than starting a new thread.