Why does my MSB DAC III click?

Cut your fingernails? The increase in PRaT from this fine DAC simply has you tapping away! Take your shoes off, too!
(Sorry...couldn't resist.)
Have a fine Thanksgiving, all.

I'm also experiencing the same thing with my DAC III. I leave it on all the time but when I turn on my cd player which I use as a transport, it clicks. Same thing when I turn the cd off or when I unplug the dac. Similarly, I hear it with my cd player (rotel rcd 970) when it is turned on.
I just thought that this was normal because the relays are switching something on. Birdieman's explanation made things clearer for me too.

I'm wondering whether moving the jumpers could also affect/improve the sound.

That was very kind of you to look that up Birdieman. Kind of cool that the MSB actually has user accessible jumpers to adapt to / correct situations like that too. Sean
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I looked at my manual.If you look at the main board inside your Link,I believe you will find that the jumper has been removed from position 1 on IC J14.This controls the switching of the DAC to analogue bypass.When the jumper is in place the DAC is active as long as a device is connected and turned on.With the jumper off,an active digital signal must be present to "keep" the DAC on.

Do you have the manual?I believe your problem relates to a user adjustable jumper.If you need specifics,go to the MSB website and download the manual.

I had the same problem with the Link DAC III when I installed the upsampling chip. I sent it back to the manufacturer and they fixed it. That was over a year ago and it has been fine since. Rob.

Could it be timing errors? I had a ton of clicks and pops with a digital lens. It took trying a few different digital cables before this problem went away.

Just a guess, but I bet that both your CD and DVD player drop the SPDIF signal during the track search, and the MSB is muting its output in response.

This is not uncommon with some DAC's and seems to occur most frequency with units that are 24/96 capable. While some transports / CD Players output a digital signal at all times, others are switched off and on as a signal becomes present. Those that are "off" when there is no signal present cause the DAC to "shut off" and then you hear it "click" back on when the music starts playing.

I too found it annoying to say the least on some of my other DAC's. Contacting the manufacturer will typically get you some simply directions as to how to disable a section of circuitry. This is normally done by lifting or cutting the leg of a transistor, etc... No brain surgery required so long as each part is plainly labeled on the board. Sean
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