Denafrips FPGA Firmware Update

The only thing that I have hooked up to the Ares 2 is my CD transport via toslink. I don’t have a streamer and I don’t have my PC or cable TV running through it.

Well that was my only other thought. A ground loop or the DAC is getting overloaded, which can happen with upsampling algorithms. The curve of the upsample exceeds the bit range on peaks and causes the DAC to produce digital sounding distortion. In other words, ticks and the like as opposed to how a receiver may sound when it’s overloading.

Couple of related symptoms:

• Happens at exactly the same place on the same tracks
• If you turn down the digital volume before the DAC the problem goes 100% away.

@goex54 - Interesting. Is it possible you have a digital ground loop? Do you have a Cable TV coaxial cable coming into your system as well?

Coaxial digital cable can of course create a ground loop IF the DAC isn’t galvanically isolated, which sadly is not 100% of the time.

Another source for digital ground loops is from the streamer, especially PC’s. If you are using a laptop unplug it from the power supply. If this is your problem a USB isolator is in order for you. Again, IMHO, all DAC’s should have galvanically isolated USB and coax but they do not always have this.

Meaning, there should be no metal to metal pure pathway in.  An isolator, usually a transformer, is used to prevent DC current and ground loops from forming. 

In the digital domain weird effects like clicking, as well as not quite so audible effects like severe jitter, and even very audible hum are possible symptoms. 

Regarding the pops, if anyone is using software to feed your dac, try reducig the output by 2 dB. Tbis sounds a lot kike dac clipping issues with other DACSif your pops vanish the problem is clear.

Interesting that they note there was a phase difference between the L and R, wonder how much it was?