I have ARC pre with MKII but I do have BHK300. ZERO noise. Less with ARC pre than BHK Pre as a matter of fact. I set my vol on DAC to 86 after some experimenting. BHK Seemed right around 94. With Eversolo streamer connected directly USB the clicks and pops are almost all gone. Not 100% but every once and a while I get a very slight pop…
From history here on the forum I think the MKII does not like some amps. The next massive coming soon I hope will fix that for you guys. Have you tried to work with PSA or even PM Ted with your setup?
Stating that something in a users system along with a mk2 DAC does not in anyway prevent the solution of a problem. Ted is aware of the complaints and if any resolution is to be found knowing the exact set up and access to that set up is the very way to get to that resolution. My point is something external to the DAC is causing the issue to be revealed. This does not excuse the DAC for reacting to whatever is going on.
Some always complained of hiss with the mk 1. It was never an issue for me either when
I drove my amp directly or with the BHK preamp in the chain. My speakers are fairly high sensitivity at 93db per watt. Those with speakers over 100db would be the most likely to have this issue.
If you pop back to FPGA 208, is the problem gone? Then, yeah, chase PSA to send you an advance version of the new FPGA to try. Otherwise, I too use my MK2 without a preamp, have two Benchmark AHB2 amps, and my speakers, although more old school, are also 4 Ohm with similar though slightly higher resolution at 91 dB. Though I have my AHB2s set at one step lower gain than you. Does a step down help? I stepped mine up and I have hiss like I knew I would. But no swirling. Have you tried without the CR-1 in the mix? Just to simplify and to see if anything else might have gone wonky in the system?
Does the crossover supply gain? is the amp high gain? It sure would seem that it would not be an issue with the lower sensitivity speakers. I hope it gets resolved soon for you.
All good suggestions to try, I’ll get to them in the next day or two and report back. I even swapped out my AHB2 amps for my old Ayre V1xe amp, noise just as bad.
Has anyone who experiences this issue (and is of an electronics bent) tried (as an experiment) to tame it with a simple RC filter between DAC and power (or pre) amps?
Would it affect the in-band sound? Well maybe, a little, a few degrees of phase shift by 20 kHz maybe so not much.
This assumes the problem is IMD in some power amps / preamps with the various ultrasonic components, but going by the descriptions it sounds exactly how that sort of thing has manifested in previous experience. I posted about it miles above somewhere in this thread (or maybe another, there were several).
If nothing else, to do that experiment could rule it in or out as an explanation.
I expect if anyone can actually tame it in the DAC it is Ted though so hopefully it won’t be needed
What you say is totally reasonable, though I haven’t felt like anybody has been specifically pointing out that there are no problems with PSA only systems. Besides, I don’t think anybody can make that claim anyway because there are people on this forum experiencing the noise problem going into BHK’s.
I feel like I have read reports of people who still had the noise even with a pre-amp in the chain, so I’m not sure how much that has to do with things. I do know that based on Paul’s videos, he would always be running with a pre-amp on the basis of sound quality. If a pre-amp fixes the issue in most cases, I wonder if that’s just where the line gets drawn.
Audio devices have “undefined behaviour” regarding ultrasonic noise, a different circuit following the DAC will behave entirely differently- might be worth a try just to see
I just swapped cables so the MKII is directly connected to my amp bypassing the crossover. NO NOISE.
Crap, what do I do now? It is hard to believe that the CR-1 is the problem as there was no noise issues before the Massive update. The CR-1 integrates the subs with my Maggies so perfectly that I don’ want to give it up. Hoping the final release of Massive will fix it. Practical suggestions please…
While I understand it can be frustrating that a $8k DAC might not be perfect in your system, it’s hard to fault a small company like PS Audio to test compatibility with all the different audio components out in the world. Even companies like Microsoft have issues with drivers for every single piece of hardware available.
Paul has always recommended a preamp afterward for best performance. Considering we’re the group of people willing to buy a $8k DAC, I would think it makes sense to invest in something good afterward, whether it be a high quality integrated or pre/power combo. From my experience, you will always have to compromise somewhere. If you want a particular sound from a component, there will always be a cost. Whether it be convenience, price, component matching, etc.
Luckily I haven’t had any issues with my unit starting day one (purchased in Dec, received in Jan). I use a DDC in front and a Luxman integrated after.
What in the world does Microsoft have to do with anything? Don’t compare PSA to a software company, compare them to other $8k dac makers. Do those competitor $8k dacs have noise and compatibility issues (ticks, pops, whirring, ultrasonic)? That’s what is relevant. This is audio, not software operating systems, although the Microsoft reference was very sub-surface hard-hitting, as I reflect on it. Subtle!
