Addicted to music Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 2 minutes ago, Ken98 said: yeah it has optical, micro usb and coxial inputs https://chordelectronics.co.uk/product/mojo/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ittaku Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 (edited) 4 minutes ago, Ken98 said: yeah it has optical, micro usb and coxial inputs Best thing I can suggest is borrow a usb to coax/optical converter if possible from someone and see if either of those fixes it. If it's electrical, there's a good chance the problem will still be there through coaxial, but go away through optical. I wouldn't suggest buying one outright as they're not exactly cheap when you're on a budget but do improve sound dramatically, especially in cases like yours. The gustard U12 is probably the best value for money one and is still around $200. Cheaper ones tend to be no good, and have limited sample frequencies and so on. Edited January 14, 2019 by Ittaku Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Eggcup The Daft Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 5 minutes ago, Luc said: I have exactly the same problem with my desktop which is plugged into an amp and I've tried every amp that's passed through here(about 15) and the same problem, hdd noise and the mouse movements coming through the speakers. @davewantsmoore couple of years back I think I had a thread on this and you advised getting a thing that I can't remember, off ebay and try it but it didn't change a thing.Was about 25-30 bucks and I just sold it before xmas to third drawer down. Found it in my ebay purchases list. Practical UCA222 U-Control Ultra-Low Latency 2 In/2 Out USB Audio Interface DA Certainly useless for my problem but maybe for the OP's one? *The net and audio forums around the globe and for years...always have a few threads with this exact problem; cable running to amp picking up the internal working of a PC. I've yet to see a solution to it. That MIGHT be fixed by getting a PCI-E adaptor card to add additional USB sockets, depending on how the noise is leaking. I remember reading somewhere where someone had that problem and defeated it by connecting to a USB socket on their video card. The only problem was that they got different noise from that socket! I have a Gigabyte gaming board with the "audio USB" socket which is separately regulated, and it is quiet with my Dragonfly Red than the other USB sockets on the computer, though the noise is hiss, rather than what is described here. Changing the PSU has been reported as helpful in a couple of cases, but generally not, from what I recall. Otherwise, radical surgery or replacement of the computer has been the (expensive!) fix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken98 Posted January 14, 2019 Author Share Posted January 14, 2019 Hmm ok will look into it, the designer of my amp recommended me to get a tortech isolation transformer https://www.tortech.com.au/category/isolation-240v-single-phase-transformer Would something like this be of any use https://addictedtoaudio.com.au/products/ifi-idefender3-0-usb-ground-isolator#tab3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ittaku Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 That's still a long shot. If you're going to spend money, may as well get a USB converter instead like I suggested. It'll improve the sound quality too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Eggcup The Daft Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 17 minutes ago, Ken98 said: My Desktop doesn't have any usb 2 sockets It has a bunch of usb 3.0 as well as a usb 3.1 type c which also produces awful static. My amplifer is a poweramp, it has no volume controls, is using the mojo in line level mode wise?, dont want to wake the neighbors and blow my eardrums My PC power cable is a 3 pin one. I have the pc and monitor connected to a powerpoint surge protector which is then connected to a power board. I have tried plugging the amplifer into that as well as into another power point using an extension cable but it didnt help at all. Without a preamp I wouldn't try line level. This appears to be a problem within the desktop computer as Luc has described, they are the hardest to solve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Eggcup The Daft Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 There are a number of PCI-E sound cards supporting optical out that may also help. I have no experience so wouldn't know which to recommend, but trying a cheap one off ebay or similar would tell you if optical is a viable solution, before spending more if it's needed. You'll only get 24/96 out, but that should be OK as it's likely to be what the Mojo supports on optical as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davewantsmoore Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 41 minutes ago, Luc said: I have exactly the same problem Ah yes, from memory you weren't using a USB audio device, and I recommended you try one. It's also a quick way to shortcut troubleshooting if you can try a different PC - so confirm that the problem doesn't persist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken98 Posted January 14, 2019 Author Share Posted January 14, 2019 My motherboard has a 1 x Optical S/PDIF out, Could i get a cheap toslink cable off ebay and connect my chord mojo to that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davewantsmoore Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 20 minutes ago, Ken98 said: Hmm ok will look into it, the designer of my amp recommended me to get a tortech isolation transformer https://www.tortech.com.au/category/isolation-240v-single-phase-transformer Would something like this be of any use https://addictedtoaudio.com.au/products/ifi-idefender3-0-usb-ground-isolator#tab3 The 240v one, no (not sure what you're amp designer is thinking) The USB isolator.... maybe. I still don't know that we have enough information to determine this isn't just a USB driver issue on your desktop computer. A recording of the noise would help. An "easy" solution to this could be a USB to SPDIF converter box. Which would let you have USB from the computer to the box, and then SPDIF to the mojo (optical or coaxial). You could get an v. inexpensive one to check out that theory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davewantsmoore Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 5 minutes ago, Ken98 said: My motherboard has a 1 x Optical S/PDIF out, Could i get a cheap toslink cable off ebay and connect my chord mojo to that? Yes, absolutely ..... however the quality of the audio could be lower (although you won't get the noise/buzz). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken98 Posted January 14, 2019 Author Share Posted January 14, 2019 1 minute ago, davewantsmoore said: Yes, absolutely ..... however the quality of the audio could be lower (although you won't get the noise/buzz). I will order one of ebay, guess I will find out in a week if it works or not. (I am also located in Hobart ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Eggcup The Daft Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 28 minutes ago, Ken98 said: My motherboard has a 1 x Optical S/PDIF out, Could i get a cheap toslink cable off ebay and connect my chord mojo to that? Definitely worth trying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Eggcup The Daft Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 24 minutes ago, davewantsmoore said: I still don't know that we have enough information to determine this isn't just a USB driver issue on your desktop computer. A recording of the noise would help. True - also worth updating the chipset drivers and maybe the BIOS. It's also worth trying a different player. I've seen a report of this problem where the problem was Windows 7 installed on a motherboard where some drivers were Windows 10 only. I doubt that's the case here, but it's worth noting anyway I suppose. Other devices plugged into USB sockets could also be the cause. 27 minutes ago, davewantsmoore said: (optical or coaxial) I'm not aware of any occasion where USB to coaxial SPDIF has been reported as curing a noise problem of this type. I wouldn't rule it out as a fix though - but would start with optical here, especially as it's available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addicted to music Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 45 minutes ago, Ken98 said: My motherboard has a 1 x Optical S/PDIF out, Could i get a cheap toslink cable off ebay and connect my chord mojo to that? Yes do this as I suggested earlier, just get a short cheap optical cable to trial. Spend no more than $15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ittaku Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 Oh if you have optical out then I'm pretty sure that will solve your problems. I misread earlier when you said you didn't have an optical cable thinking you didn't have optical out (twice I misread you .) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken98 Posted January 15, 2019 Author Share Posted January 15, 2019 I fixed the problem, purchased a cheap $8 3m toslink cable from JB Hifi, does the quality of the cable matter? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ittaku Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 35 minutes ago, Ken98 said: I fixed the problem, purchased a cheap $8 3m toslink cable from JB Hifi, does the quality of the cable matter? Some will tell you yes, whereas I'll happily say not really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyr Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 43 minutes ago, Ken98 said: I fixed the problem, purchased a cheap $8 3m toslink cable from JB Hifi, does the quality of the cable matter? If you think it's cheap, Ken ... then automatically, you're not getting the best sound possible! The best sound comes from something you think is expensive! I'm not up on digital technology - is a "toslink" cable fibre ... or coax? Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Eggcup The Daft Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 3 hours ago, Ken98 said: I fixed the problem, purchased a cheap $8 3m toslink cable from JB Hifi, does the quality of the cable matter? You can have higher jitter with cheap Toslink cables. Whether it's audible or not I don't know. It's a good idea to avoid sharp bends and kinks in the cable and make sure everything is clean, the plugs are in properly and there's no damage around them. Glass is supposed to be better, but there's the usual lack of evidence for that in comparison with modern plastic cables, so I wouldn't worry too much - unless the laptop/USB combination sounds much, much better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Eggcup The Daft Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 2 hours ago, andyr said: If you think it's cheap, Ken ... then automatically, you're not getting the best sound possible! The best sound comes from something you think is expensive! I'm not up on digital technology - is a "toslink" cable fibre ... or coax? Andy So if we say that he fixed the problem, purchased an ultra-expensive 3m toslink cable from JB Hifi - does it automatically sound better to you? Maybe we could get them to set up an audiophile corner, sell the same leads for ten times the price in a different box and we can all shop there in future, because we'll know they are expensive and therefore sound better! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Eggcup The Daft Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 3 hours ago, andyr said: I'm not up on digital technology - is a "toslink" cable fibre ... or coax? It's optical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyr Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 (edited) 18 minutes ago, Eggcup The Daft said: So if we say that he fixed the problem, purchased an ultra-expensive 3m toslink cable from JB Hifi - does it automatically sound better to you? Maybe we could get them to set up an audiophile corner, sell the same leads for ten times the price in a different box and we can all shop there in future, because we'll know they are expensive and therefore sound better! Of course! 17 minutes ago, Eggcup The Daft said: It's optical. Thanks, ETD. Can you help me with the commonly-used name for a coax digital cable? And re. optical cables - AIUI you can buy 3 different types of cores: normal plastic a special type of plastic which has better light transmission, considered to be almost as good as glass - but more robust ('xept I forget its name ), and glass. I got some pricing on #2, last year, and relatively: if normal plastic is $1 then 'special plastic' is $3 and glass is $10. Andy Edited January 15, 2019 by andyr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davewantsmoore Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 11 hours ago, andyr said: Can you help me with the commonly-used name for a coax digital cable? Yes, it's a "coaxial cable". 11 hours ago, andyr said: normal plastic a special type of plastic which has better light transmission, considered to be almost as good as glass - but more robust ('xept I forget its name ), and glass. Cheap plastic cables have problems, which a better medium (plastic, or glass, both could be better) solves. "Glass being universally better than plastic" is an audiophile myth. In some respects one could argue that plastic is much better ..... but. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyr Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 1 minute ago, davewantsmoore said: Yes, it's a "coaxial cable". I asked, Dave, because a "Toslink" cable is a synonym for optical - and I have heard digital coax cables referred to by another name (not "coaxial") ... which I have forgotten, hence my question.) Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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