• tomg
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Topic: Issues after applying latest firmware

I just updated my UCX (original) with the latest firmware dated 2021-08-02 but after the update I am hearing horrible crackling noise when I try to play music (I powered down the device after the update and brought it back up several times). My full chain is

PC->UCX->ADI2->speakers

I have done these firmware updates multiple times in the past and never had any issues like this. Where can I find the previous version of the firmware (for both UCX and ADI2 - I updated UCX only first and started getting the crackling sounds - then I noticed there was same date update for ADI2 so figured perhaps everything needed to be upgraded together to work again and updated the ADI2 as well). But not such luck. My connection between PC and UCX is via USB, and between UCX->ADI2 optical (have not changed any of this for a long time and have not had this issue before). Please help.

  • tomg
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Re: Issues after applying latest firmware

It's not just UCX. I took it out of my chain completely and I'm getting crackling sound that breaks up simply by using ADI2 as playback device connected to PC via USB. I did run the bittest and that came back perfect so I have no idea what's going on after this update.

3 Reply by MC

  • MC
  • MC
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  • From: Germany/Thailand
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Re: Issues after applying latest firmware

Then the firmware update is not the cause. You updated someting different before - drivers, Windows, hardware...and that seemed to have changed the USB performance for audio.

You can go back to an older firmware for the UCX to try:

https://www.rme-audio.de/downloads/fut_usb_win_240.zip

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

MC's Website

  • tomg
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Re: Issues after applying latest firmware

MC wrote:

Then the firmware update is not the cause. You updated someting different before - drivers, Windows, hardware...and that seemed to have changed the USB performance for audio.

You can go back to an older firmware for the UCX to try:

https://www.rme-audio.de/downloads/fut_usb_win_240.zip

Thanks for your reply and you are correct, as usual. One change in my system over last few weeks was that I started using the ethernet port on this computer for the first time (previously I was only using wifi) and this port was physically close to the usb port where my UCX was connected. I moved this USB connection to a different port and the sound is back to clear as before. Why there would be this much sensitivity between USB and ethernet ports I have no idea, but this seemed to have been the culprit (must have been because while I was investigating this I downgraded my RME firmware and still had thatt cracling sound issues that I never noticed before).