• Registered: 2012-11-11
  • Posts: 14

Topic: AIO: Loud PLOP-Sound on system start and other noises

Hello,

my new RME AIO produces a very loud, like full scale, Plop/Popp-sound (analog out) when turning
on the PC (details below). This is highly annoying, escpecially when sitting with clients in front of the monitors,
certainly the worst for the monitors too, and needless to say very unprofessional overall.

I refuse to believe this is normal behavior for RME technology, worth 500€.
(if it was a soundblaster maybe i wouldn't mind)
I had a 9652 before, without such problems...using it's ADAT out, though.

Is there any solution for this problem ? And hopefully one that's not fighting the symptoms, like turning
down the volume on startup.

It does that on shutdown too, btw...less loud, but still there.
Another thing i noticed - moving/dragging around windows on the desktop, produces also a sound, like a low bssssd, for
the time the window is moved. Is this likely to be caused by the AIO or possibily by the graphics adapter ?

Thanks for enlightenment!

PC: Win7 64Bit
MB: ASUS P5Q
GC: NVIDIA, something cheap&simple, DualHead

  • Registered: 2012-08-08
  • Posts: 4

Re: AIO: Loud PLOP-Sound on system start and other noises

I've got same problems - never solved...:(

  • Registered: 2007-05-09
  • Posts: 646

Re: AIO: Loud PLOP-Sound on system start and other noises

Only the headphone output has "plop"-prevention.

  • From: Lisbon
  • Registered: 2009-04-03
  • Posts: 63

Re: AIO: Loud PLOP-Sound on system start and other noises

Same problem here since always, including headphones output...

manasseh's Website

5 Reply by MC

  • MC
  • MC
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  • From: Germany/Thailand
  • Registered: 2007-04-06
  • Posts: 25,565

Re: AIO: Loud PLOP-Sound on system start and other noises

Dandruff wrote:

Only the headphone output has "plop"-prevention.

No it has not.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

MC's Website

  • Registered: 2007-05-09
  • Posts: 646

Re: AIO: Loud PLOP-Sound on system start and other noises

Ooops. I thought so. But the HDSP 9632 had it, right?

7 Reply by MC

  • MC
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Re: AIO: Loud PLOP-Sound on system start and other noises

Sure. As in the specs...

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

MC's Website

  • Registered: 2012-11-11
  • Posts: 14

Re: AIO: Loud PLOP-Sound on system start and other noises

No, this can't be true !!??

RME Admins, please verify this...and that there is no firmware-whatsoever possibility to reslove this.

If so, the card will definitely go back.

  • From: Germany
  • Registered: 2007-04-10
  • Posts: 9,766

Re: AIO: Loud PLOP-Sound on system start and other noises

If the comment is allowed, the "professional" solution might be for one thing not to boot up your PC when your clients are in and have them wait for it to boot... HeadScratch
Apart from that, it is quite customary to always switch active speakers (or power amplifiers) on last and off first.

Obviously, the ADAT solution on the other card can not be compared. It depends on the external converters used here, which might also make some kind of noise when switched on. Of course, if you have the converter (or mixing desk or whatever) already on when powering up the PC, then you will hear nothing when you do so.

If the converter is still available, you can also use it with the AIO.

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

RME Support's Website

10 Reply by niles (edited by niles 2012-12-10 13:02:13)

  • niles
  • ADAT user
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  • From: Netherlands
  • Registered: 2010-09-15
  • Posts: 14

Re: AIO: Loud PLOP-Sound on system start and other noises

Never noticed it because I always turn on my monitors and monitor controller after the PC is powered on. And turn them off before the PC powers down.
But unfortunately the loud "plop" confirmed here too with my AIO. Don't have any mouse or HDD noises though.

--
RME AIO
P9X79, i7 3930K, 16GB, HD6450
Windows 7 pro 64 Bit
  • Registered: 2012-11-11
  • Posts: 14

Re: AIO: Loud PLOP-Sound on system start and other noises

I am sorry, but this "excuse" or "explanation" is bullcrap...of course i need to restart the system from time to time, zillion reasons, also with clients in the room.
Do you have any regular professional - meaning earning-money-making-music- day-by-day experience, and hence experience with it's affiliated technology ? A device causing loud soundbursts is -beyond question - NOT professional and subsequently nothing to put in a working environment that needs reliability and certain standards.

So what are you selling here ? Toys ? If so - maybe someone pays 500 Euro for your AIO to play EgoShooter...I don't.

I also can't believe that other users ignore and live with this problem.
Even from RME side it does not make sense - what worth are great drivers, ideas and research, when it finally fails because of that ?
And how can YOU ignore that ? Back to the drawing board and make some homework !

I'll send that card back immediately....completely useless to me.
And please don't mind me making this issue public on gearslutz etc....wouldn't recommend this to anyone trying to
get something good.

Thanks.

  • niles
  • ADAT user
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  • From: Netherlands
  • Registered: 2010-09-15
  • Posts: 14

Re: AIO: Loud PLOP-Sound on system start and other noises

chris123 wrote:

I am sorry, but this "excuse" or "explanation" is bullcrap...of course i need to restart the system from time to time, zillion reasons, also with clients in the room.

Just wondered when you said: "restart", I noticed I don't have the pop when I restart. Only when powering down or up (cold boot) the entire system. Do you?
Just a theory, but could the PSU (mine is a Coolermaster) or Mobo (mine is also ASUS) being a cause of this?

chris123 wrote:

And please don't mind me making this issue public on gearslutz etc....wouldn't recommend this to anyone trying to
get something good.

Of course you are free to rant where you want. But I think it's a bit harsh and to be frankly without proper investigation of your own hardware it's also a bit rash.
RME is quality stuff that serves a lot of people and the support level is high. I don't say they can't make mistakes, but I do believe when you act rational and decent backed up by full HW specifications, you are taken far more serious in the first place.

Opening with:

chris123 wrote:

and needless to say very unprofessional overall

isn't really helping, and it's subjective too. Because some think ranting on forums is pretty unprofessional wink

--
RME AIO
P9X79, i7 3930K, 16GB, HD6450
Windows 7 pro 64 Bit
  • From: Germany
  • Registered: 2007-04-10
  • Posts: 9,766

Re: AIO: Loud PLOP-Sound on system start and other noises

Nothing much to add to the above comments, besides that if the sound is unusually loud, it may be an issue of inadequate level settings between devices. And if you keep having to restart your system, that seems to indicate something is not quite as it should be, btw.

Also, this is of course in no way RME specific, see e.g.
http://homerecording.com/bbs/general-di … ce-307795/
http://forum.fractalaudio.com/amps-cabs … nitor.html
http://www.prosoundweb.com/article/tech … equencing/
Just three random examples in no specific order... Proper sequencing of powering gear up and down is very common professional practice the world over.

Possible solution: http://www.furmansound.com/product.php? … id=ASD-120

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

RME Support's Website

  • Registered: 2012-11-11
  • Posts: 14

Re: AIO: Loud PLOP-Sound on system start and other noises

let me add this:

RME is quality stuff that serves a lot of people and the support level is high

Indeed - this is why i am upset and disappointed.

when you act rational and decent backed up by full HW specifications, you are taken far more serious in the first place

My question was very rational - and could have been answered in the same way. If you read the first answers, all you see is silence from RME...and a little arrogance/ignorance. Certainly due to the fact it's obviously a known problem, and not that of a hardware conflict.

Btw, the way you're riding on the word "professional" makes me think you're an incognito RME employee...
(maybe it implied an urge of sounding important...not intended, i am that naturally tongue )

chris123 wrote:

    and needless to say very unprofessional overall

isn't really helping, and it's subjective too. Because some think ranting on forums is pretty unprofessional wink

and how is this helping ? And since when is expecting quality for relatively much money subjective ?

Besides, i'm not "ranting" anywhere, i'm sharing an information. It's not that i hate RME now.
Maybe it's your way to keep silent and swallow frustrations, mine is not...nothing changes by silence.
Forums are an important resource for making a purchase decision.
In my eyes this is a major problem with this card, and , as you -thank the lord -noted, i'm free to let others know of it.

What would i have expected from RME ? Something like 'sorry, we're working on it'. Anything else is weak and beneath themselves. Now nothing more to add.

15 Reply by MC

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Re: AIO: Loud PLOP-Sound on system start and other noises

> What would i have expected from RME ? Something like 'sorry, we're working on it'.

Obviously this can not be fixed in firmware or drivers. The former hardware (!) speaker protection had to be removed because of the new, very low impedance headphone output design. As Daniel said - if the problem is so prominent for you then you most probably have a serious level mismatch between your speakers and the card. Then passive attenuators are needed. Or an unlucky combination of motherboard and PSU, that causes such big noise at the cards output during power on.

Seeing the number of complaints in this forum compared to the thousands of sold cards, most costumers have no such problem, or don't see it as a problem.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

MC's Website