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Post by copperpipe on Nov 25, 2015 13:00:03 GMT -5
Does anyone know if the DC-1 and Ego DAC's "thump" when the computer they are attached to starts up or shuts down? My focusrite always does this when it loses usb power, most of the time I remember to turn off my little mini-x's first but occasionally I forget and get a massive "thump thump" from my speakers  |
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Post by garbulky on Nov 25, 2015 13:30:46 GMT -5
The DC-1 doesn't.
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Post by AudioHTIT on Nov 25, 2015 13:36:09 GMT -5
I don't have my DC-1 with me at the moment, nor my Focusrite 2i2, I'm trying a new Behringer UMC202HD which is hooked via USB to my MacBook Pro. First I'll say the Behringer does not sound as good as the Focusrite, especially when recording, then again it was less than half the price and it's still pretty good (it's features and size are almost identical to the 2i2).
I'm using Boot Camp on the MacBook, it can either boot to OS X El Capitan, or Windows 10. I've noticed when OS X goes to sleep, then wakes up I don't hear anything, but when Windows 10 sleeps and then wakes up, I get a loud thump/pop. I know this doesn't answer your question, but I'd just been considering the other day, that Windows was causing the thump, not necessarily the device.
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Post by copperpipe on Nov 25, 2015 14:53:55 GMT -5
Ok thanks, would still love to hear any reports of the Big Ego since that is the DAC I'm most interested in at this point. I don't have my DC-1 with me at the moment, nor my Focusrite 2i2, I'm trying a new Behringer UMC202HD which is hooked via USB to my MacBook Pro. First I'll say the Behringer does not sound as good as the Focusrite, especially when recording, then again it was less than half the price and it's still pretty good (it's features and size are almost identical to the 2i2). I'm using Boot Camp on the MacBook, it can either boot to OS X El Capitan, or Windows 10. I've noticed when OS X goes to sleep, then wakes up I don't hear anything, but when Windows 10 sleeps and then wakes up, I get a loud thump/pop. I know this doesn't answer your question, but I'd just been considering the other day, that Windows was causing the thump, not necessarily the device. I'm using linux, not windows  But that is very interesting. Wonder if there is some sort of "turn off" signal that osx sends to the device. I'm just using the linux usb audio driver, not any special focusrite drivers, maybe that's my problem? But still, would think it's possible for a device to prevent the thumbing if (for example) a usb cable is unplugged. |
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Post by copperpipe on Nov 26, 2015 9:19:13 GMT -5
Nobody here has an Ego?
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KeithL
Administrator 
Posts: 10,261
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Post by KeithL on Nov 27, 2015 13:38:23 GMT -5
There's no way to guarantee "an orderly shutdown" of the devices connected to and powered by a computer when you shut it down. Because the DC-1 has its own power supply, and doesn't run off of USB power, it doesn't produce any noises of its own when you disconnect the USB input. And, while you can't absolutely guarantee that a player program won't send out some junk when you close it, most are pretty good that way.
However, the Egos (and all other USB powered DACs) get their power from the computer. Even if the software is well behaved, and so is the DAC itself, you can't guarantee that the computer won't dump some noise into the USB power or ground lines as its power supply is dropping to zero, and you can't guarantee that some of that won't find its way through the DAC into the amp. (Basically, as far as the DAC is concerned, it's like turning off your amp or preamp by pulling the plug.)
Unfortunately, while there are do-it-yourself circuits which you can build to prevent this, I don't know of any simple solution you can buy, and I don't know of any USB-powered DAC, including the Egos, that can promise that it won't happen. (The Egos do have a very nice internal power supply, which does minimize it... but it still sometimes happens.)
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Post by copperpipe on Nov 28, 2015 9:21:25 GMT -5
Thanks KeithL for your explanation! Guess I'm being gently prodded into the DC-1 direction. |
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But that is very interesting. Wonder if there is some sort of "turn off" signal that osx sends to the device. I'm just using the linux usb audio driver, not any special focusrite drivers, maybe that's my problem? But still, would think it's possible for a device to prevent the thumbing if (for example) a usb cable is unplugged.
