UMC-200 - Constant hearbeat sound when music stops - OLD

[ronkuper]

[UPDATE - This tested to happen regardless of DIRAC. The trigger is a player operating in Exclusive Mode against the UMC-200 HDMI device. Can be reproduced with JRiver alone.]
[UPDATE - new, more accurate post - emotivalounge.proboards.com/post/926635/thread] 


I believe I've encountered a weird bug with UMC-200 -  When DAP (Dirac Audio Processor) is not streaming (the blue indicator next in the top right of the DAP GUI) there is a constantly audible very annoying low volume and low frequency thumping heartbeat-like sound. 

I believe I've isolated that to UMC-200 when used with Dirac Live (PC) in Exclusive Mode. 

So - Whenever the music stops (e.g. playlist end) the constant thumping starts.



More info carefully gathered and (more than) double verified:

- The UMC-200 is connected to the PC using HDMI

- This happens with apps that can operate in 'Exclusive Mode' to bypass to OS mixer (JRiver, Roon, etc).

- The thumping starts as soon as no content is getting played.

- If I move out of Exclusive Mode then DAP is streaming all the time (GUI indicator light is active also when nothing is played) there is no thumping, but this is far from ideal for sound quality as the signal is going through the OS Mixer which might also resample it.

- The UMC-200 hardware volume does not affect the heartbeat sound (which is the main reason to believe it is something to do with the UMC-200 itself)

- Mute on the UMC-200 does stop the heartbeat, ruling out any upstream involvement in the issue

- If I cycle inputs on the UMC-200 (going to a different HDMI input and back) the heartbeat stops 

- This does not happen if I use 'Exclusive Mode' capable apps directly with the UMC-200 (no Dirac in the chain), leading me to speculate there might be something with how DAP "releases" the audio device when not streaming and how UMC-200 handles that.

- Moving out of Exclusive Mode is not ideal for sound quality as the signal is going through the OS Mixer which might also resample it.

- Tried different cables, ports, etc. 
- This is a most probably a bug and not some ground loop issue (tested extensively to rule out) primarily due to fact that it simply does not happen when Dirac Live (PC Software) is removed from the chain AND when happens the hardware volume on the UMC-200 does not affect the heartbeat sound. Cool eh? 

Any ideas? Suggestions? 


 

[klinemj]

It is odd that the UMC-200 volume does not impact the heartbeat sound...if you mean it doesn't impact the volume of the heartbeat, it makes me wonder if it's something outside the UMC-200 (between it and the output of hte speakers) that's creating the sound. If the sound were being created within the UMC-200, I would think that changing the volume would impact the sound.

Do you have any other device (a pre-pro or preamp) that you could temporarily replace the UMC-200 with to see if that takes the sound away?

Mark

[ronkuper]

Hi Mark,

Thanks for responding!

As stated the heartbeat sound when present is not affected (getting louder/quieter) from the UMC-200's volume, except for when muted! (I'll add that to the list above, forgot about it until you raised the wonder).

Apart from the mute (on the UMC, not the PC) stopping the heartbeat the fact that it happens only when Dirac's DAP "Disengage"/"Release" the UMC-200 when not streaming is also enough of a reason. The system is completely silent (even with ear close to the speaker) when no audio is played, except for when Dirac is involved. (So it's a combination of "fault" but the UMC-200 volume fact makes it more likely to be a UMC-200 software bug not handling Dirac release well).

I don't have another pre-pro but I believe there is enough data to rule out most common issues. My best guess is a bug.

[klinemj]

Jan 27, 2018 13:57:56 GMT -5 ronkuper said:

Hi Mark,

Thanks for responding!

As stated the heartbeat sound when present is not affected (getting louder/quieter) from the UMC-200's volume, except for when muted! (I'll add that to the list above, forgot about it until you raised the wonder).

Apart from the mute (on the UMC, not the PC) stopping the heartbeat the fact that it happens only when Dirac's DAP "Disengage"/"Release" the UMC-200 when not streaming is also enough of a reason. The system is completely silent (even with ear close to the speaker) when no audio is played, except for when Dirac is involved. (So it's a combination of "fault" but the UMC-200 volume fact makes it more likely to be a UMC-200 software bug not handling Dirac release well).

I don't have another pre-pro but I believe there is enough data to rule out most common issues. My best guess is a bug.

Frankly re-reading your first post and the above, given it only happens when DIRAC is on, it makes me wonder if the PC is outputting the sound. The weird thing is how the UMC-200's volume doesn't impact it. Almost sounds like DIRAC, when you are not streaming, is sending a portion of the DIRAC test tone through the system.

Mark

[ronkuper]

If the sound was produced from the PC it would have been affected by volume. 
It doesn't sound like DIRAC's test sound and the DIRAC Audio Processor Controller (DAP software sound card) doesn't have this function, it is the Dirac Calibration Tool that produces tones.

If anything the heartbeat sounds like grounding issue in its nature. Like the UMC-200 needs to switch off the circuit when the software releases it and it usually does, except for when DIRAC is releasing it. 

[klinemj]

Jan 27, 2018 23:58:19 GMT -5 ronkuper said:

If the sound was produced from the PC it would have been affected by volume. 
It doesn't sound like DIRAC's test sound and the DIRAC Audio Processor Controller (DAP software sound card) doesn't have this function, it is the Dirac Calibration Tool that produces tones.

If anything the heartbeat sounds like grounding issue in its nature. Like the UMC-200 needs to switch off the circuit when the software releases it and it usually does, except for when DIRAC is releasing it. 

I would also think that if it were in the PC, the volume would affect the sound. But, with the kind of weirdness you have going on - who knows. Can you make a video of the sound and post it?

And, what happens if you plug some computer speakers in the PC's speaker outs and play the same source w/DIRAC on? Surely you have some computer speakers around...

And PS - I can't imagine why the UMC-200 would need to switch off a circuit when the "software releases it". With DIRAC or without DIRAC, you have digital data. With DIRAC, the device providing the digital data filters the data . Without DIRAC, it's not filtered. The device receiving the data doesn't have a clue whether the data was filtered or not. It just takes what it is given. This is why I doubt the UMC-200. It is only taking what is given.

Mark

[klinemj]

Now that I said that - what I am thinking is that something went wrong with your DIRAC run. The filter itself includes the sound you are hearing. I would re-run DIRAC.

Mark

[ronkuper]

The UMC-200 (and every HDMI receiver I had) clearly perform some sort of  "engagement"/"syncing" when before sound starts, usually audible if one listens very carefully. I believe device settings in software such as JRiver reflect that. When the heartbeat sound is present if I switch HDMI input sources (say from PC to PS4 and back to PC) the heartbeat sound ceases. (I'll add that to the list above).

I don't believe it's a DIRAC issue, as reflected by the tests I've listed. It is just triggered by DIRAC. Perhaps other software will trigger it as well, I've tested with only one other. It is like JRiver had a software issue with a specific DAC (I believe it was exaSound?) and they worked together to fix it (I think in the DAC's firmware).
I'm sure that if you would hear, experience and fiddle with the issue as much as I have you would think the same. At this point, the amount of data accumulated is enough evidence.

[ronkuper]

OK I just checked it with JRiver alone (I previously tried with Roon but it didn't produce the effect) and I can reproduce it WITHOUT Dirac at all.

So it is either something in my UMC-200 or a general bug between the Intel HDMI driver and the UMC-200. 

Thanks Mark for helping and prompting me to do more tests!

I've created a new post to reflect the new data (since it changed the basic premise of this one). Link to the new post - emotivalounge.proboards.com/post/926635/thread

[The History Kid]

Figured I'd update this thread too - it sounds more like the Silent Stream Bug.

www.bing.com/search?q=Silent%20stream%20bug%20windows%2010&qs=n&form=QBRE&sp=-1&pq=silent%20stream%20bug%20windows%2010&sc=0-27&sk=&cvid=318E589AD7D747FB866BB2A097F04053