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loud intermittent pops from DAC, possibly related to long USB cable from computer

when I bought my benchmark DAC 3 years ago, it made loud intermittent pops. people suggested it was due to the long USB run, so I got a 'USB active extender' 15 ft. cable which connects to a regular 15 ft. USB that goes to the DAC. the problem stopped - until now: I recently disassembled my system (changed the cabinets). when I turned it back on, the pops were back (fwiw: they only happen during the music, not when it's idle). I tried turning off the DAC, disconnecting and connecting the cables, but so far no luck. any ideas?

musicslug
jerryg123's avatar
jerryg123
3,429 posts
 

15ft is a long run.....

musicslug OP
430 posts
 

@carlsbad: thanks - that's about the only thing that makes sense. I'll wait a bit, but if the problem persists, I can get another active extender cable for ~ $20 from amazon; if that doesn't help I can just return it.

tiofelon
59 posts
 

I had the same problem! I was using an old computer feeding a Lampizator Dac. I tried a newer computer (2 years old) and problem solved! In my case the popping noises were due to an old USB architecture, so perhaps you should try another computer and see if your problem goes away. Cheers!

ddd1
261 posts
 

You could try upgrading your USB cable to something that works good with longer runs.  I use this one:

Supra USB

You could also try increasing the length of your buffer if you use computer audio.

musicslug OP
430 posts
 

@carlsbad you were right: the active extender must've gotten damaged when I reconfigured the stereo. on the advice of the guy at Benchmark, I got a 25' USB cable instead of replacing the extender cable; he said spec for USB is 15', but they'd used 25' at trade shows without issues. it's only been a few hours, but I haven't heard a single pop. I'd used duct tape to hold the extender cable down at one spot, pulled it up when I did the changes - that might've been the culprit.

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