1 Topic by ozalien (edited by ozalien 2022-11-28 07:33:08)

  • Registered: 2020-12-12
  • Posts: 2

Topic: RME Fireface UCX - Faulty Headphones Output

Dear RME & User Community,

My issue is in regards to the RME Fireface UCX headphones output.

I suspect that the headphone output has become faulty on my unit as randomly one day the headphone output suddenly started distorting in the right side channel of my headphones. Using a sine wave sweep for testing purposes, the distortion is clearly noticeable in lower bass frequencies but becomes less noticeable as the higher the pitch goes.
Either way, I have tested using different headphones, a different 1/4" jack, updating the driver and firmware, resetting the device but all to no avail. I suspect that the headphone output has become faulty.

My question is:
(Q) Is it possible to use a 3rd party headphone amplifier and connect it to a spare set of outputs on the RME Fireface UCX ?

Will this work ? Are there any potential issues that I may not be aware of ?

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

  • mkok
  • DAW Mastermind
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2020-11-04
  • Posts: 623

Re: RME Fireface UCX - Faulty Headphones Output

Yes you can do this. I would check that the outputs are all working correctly first though. You can do this by sending to your speakers the outputs you want to use.

No idea what the fault with the headphone out could be as it does t sound like dirty contacts.

Babyface Pro Fs, Behringer ADA8200, win 10/11 PCs, Cubase/Wavelab, Adam A7X monitors.
  • Registered: 2020-12-12
  • Posts: 2

Re: RME Fireface UCX - Faulty Headphones Output

mkok wrote:

Yes you can do this. I would check that the outputs are all working correctly first though. You can do this by sending to your speakers the outputs you want to use.

No idea what the fault with the headphone out could be as it does t sound like dirty contacts.

There is no distortion in my speakers coming from output 1 & 2. So I am just assuming at this point that all of the other outputs are working fine with no distortion, but it's probably a good idea to test them all with my speakers first before going ahead and purchasing a 3rd party headphone amplifier.

The issue does resemble a dirty contact however the unit is only 4 years old. I used a brand new 1/4" - 3.5mm adapter which has only been removed and reconnected very few times leaving me to believe that the contacts are clean. For interests sake, I tried cleaning the 1/4" jack with Deoxit which made no difference.