• Registered: 2015-11-24
  • Posts: 5

Topic: Poor Audio Quality On Ballanced Left Channel HDSPe AIO

Hello,

I posted on here a while back about a problem I was having with the left balanced output on my HDSPe AIO soundcard. Basically the audio signal quality on the left channel has less bass, less treble and an overall crappy, lo fi sound to it which is not as loud as the right channel. I also have a lot of ground earth hum on this channel but the right is totally silent. Ive tried different cables and plugging into different channels on my mixing desk to rule those out.

So I bought a new breakout cable and I am still experiencing the same problem. Driver and card have been updated to latest version. Im currently running out of the headphone output on the card to L and R 1/4 inch jack into the mixer. Levels and sound quality are better but i am still getting a ground loop. I even bought one of these:

http://artproaudio.com/isolators/product/cleanbox_ii/

to get rid of the hum but it did not work. What do you think is wrong?

Win 10 64bit
Cubase 8.5 Pro
Asus Z97-A
Intel Core i7 4790K
16GB Ram
Using graphics card built into MoBo.
Turned off MoBo soundcard in the BIOS.

  • Registered: 2015-11-24
  • Posts: 5

Re: Poor Audio Quality On Ballanced Left Channel HDSPe AIO

Anybody?

Is my card shagged or what?

  • Registered: 2008-01-01
  • Posts: 3,025

Re: Poor Audio Quality On Ballanced Left Channel HDSPe AIO

Try two things:

- Remove the metal slot plate from the AIO, it's only two screws. This way it only uses the ground lines from the mainboard while being disconnected from the PC chassis ground.

- Use XLR cables with pin 1 (shield) disconnected on one side (usually the mixer/amp side). This completely breaks the ground-loop between the PC/AIO and mixer/amp. If you still get hum then you need to look elsewhere in your chain (like active speakers being powered by different sockets).

  • Registered: 2015-11-24
  • Posts: 5

Re: Poor Audio Quality On Ballanced Left Channel HDSPe AIO

Hi There,

Ok i have tried several things. I used electrical tape on the metal bracket of the card and my pc case and held together with zip ties making sure there was no metal to metal contact, that did not help. I have tried the card in a different pcie slot and that seems to have helped slightly with the noises i was getting when my mouse cursor moves across the screen etc. I am also getting a "glitchy bleep" sound bang on every 5 seconds. What do you reckon that could be?

I also used an XLR to XLR cable and disconnected pin 1 on the side that goes into my mixing desk, this had no impact at all. I am only getting this glitchy noise problem on the left balanced XLR output. The right XLR output is totally noise free. I am also definitely getting a reduced quality of sound and lower volume level out of the left XLR. When i use the headphone output (which is what im forced to do ATM), i am getting this glitchy noise on both left and right channels, even through a ground loop isolator. I even used a Babyface breakout cable extender and plugged the XLR outputs directly into my desk with no improvement.

I unplugged everything from my PC, even keyboard and mouse with my card plugged into my mixer, then amp all running of the same plug extension and still get this interference/noise problem.

The next thing i am going to try is plugging it into another PC and seeing if i have the same problems.

Can anybody suggest something as to why the regular bleeping sound. Its like some kind of system event or BIOS setting. I have disabled all C states, turbo mode, onboard sound card and all that stuff but maybe there is something i have missed.

My card is rev 1.3.

  • Registered: 2016-12-30
  • Posts: 197

Re: Poor Audio Quality On Ballanced Left Channel HDSPe AIO

Timur Born wrote:

Try two things:
- Remove the metal slot plate from the AIO, it's only two screws. This way it only uses the ground lines from the mainboard while being disconnected from the PC chassis ground.

could you describe this a little bit more detailed?

  • Registered: 2008-01-01
  • Posts: 3,025

Re: Poor Audio Quality On Ballanced Left Channel HDSPe AIO

I mean the backplate that connects the card to the computer chassis via a screw. Alternatively you can put tape all over it, but for quickly trying this out just remove the two screws and then the metal backplate.

  • Registered: 2016-12-30
  • Posts: 197

Re: Poor Audio Quality On Ballanced Left Channel HDSPe AIO

now i understand what you are saying, thanks! smile

8 Reply by AES MAN (edited by AES MAN 2017-01-16 19:17:08)

  • Registered: 2010-12-21
  • Posts: 25

Re: Poor Audio Quality On Ballanced Left Channel HDSPe AIO

I have a similar problem but – it is in both channels.

Every time the computer’s hard drive is waking up, I can hear this ugly high pitched sound. Moving my mouse when editing, or adjusting EQ is also audible. There is also inconsistency between both channels and it is changing depending on which PCIe slot is used. Can also hear some humming sound.

I know for a fact that this problem is definitely to do with HDSPe AIO. When I tried to use Lynx TWO audio in the same computer – it was totally silent. Nothing! Zilch!

Unfortunately, I have to use Lynx TWO in my mastering rig and, after all these years, I was hoping that RME team can come up with a fix.  However, if this is a 100% hardware design problem then nothing can be done. BTW It could also be due to Asus motherboards. Installing this card into a much older, intel based board reduced the problem by about 50%.

Win 8.1 64bit
Reaper 5.32,  Samplitude Pro, Adobe Audition
Asus Hero VI
ntel® Z87 Express Chipset
32 GB Ram
Using graphics card built into MoBo.
all motherboard’s  hardware that is not pertinent to audio is disabled in BIOS.

  • Registered: 2008-01-01
  • Posts: 3,025

Re: Poor Audio Quality On Ballanced Left Channel HDSPe AIO

Try exchanging the power-supplies between the two computers. It's possible that this is not necessarily based on which motherboard you are using, but which power-supply is connected to it. The new high efficiency switching PSUs can cause audible issues of their own.