john121 Posted September 22, 2020 Share Posted September 22, 2020 (edited) Hi And thanks for reading. The problem i am having is that whenever i connect my amp to any sound source equipment which uses rca connectors for the sound output, the amp works fine. Connected the amp to the Asus H170I-PRO motherboard which uses 3.5mm jacks for the sound output and i am getting crackling, static nosies I mean it is bad, really bad massive distortion. I thought that since the outer shielded / braided screening cables of a stereo 3.5mm jack cable are connected together ( and rca's are not ) there may be some ground loops developing. Is there a cure for this. Have you read anything or experienced anything of this nature. Is it ground loops? Do some amps just not like 3.5mm jacks. What should my next move be. When i plug in headphones there is no noise. Also borrowed my neighbours amp and also no noise problems arose. Seems to be a problem specific to some amps. If am forced to change motherboard do you know of any with rca connectors for the audio, more of a high end board. Thanks. Edited September 22, 2020 by john121 typo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muon* Posted September 22, 2020 Share Posted September 22, 2020 Are you using a 3.5 stereo jack from audio out of the PC mobo to 2 x RCA male plugs into the aux input on the amp? Might help to mention what the amp is and what lead you are using. If you are using one line level input on the amp and it has different line level inputs to choose from try a different one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LogicprObe Posted September 22, 2020 Share Posted September 22, 2020 Well, I've been caught using a 2.5 jack instead of a 3.5. Sounds like an overload situation. I don't know what sound device that board uses but I'd check for updates and consult the manual. There might be an impedance/gain adjustment in the software to cut the output somewhat like in the ASUS Essence Soundcard. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john121 Posted September 22, 2020 Author Share Posted September 22, 2020 (edited) I am using a quad 405 power amp and using the realtek software on the mobo to control volume level and audio eq, the amp only has one input as it a power amp - Thanks. The mobo specs states " realtek alc887 8 channel HD " for the sound. This is the codec, have searched for hours but cannot find the actual chip the mobo uses. On the chip it is stamped as alc887 and nothing else. Have installed the latest drivers from the asus website, but they are labelled as being 2 years old. I have the sound output on very low, just 5% as the audio is going directly into a power amp. The amp is well behaved with other sources, just has a problem with this mobo. Edited September 22, 2020 by john121 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LogicprObe Posted September 22, 2020 Share Posted September 22, 2020 (edited) I wouldn't be thinking about changing the motherboard.................that's just painful. I'd be whacking in a good soundcard. edit - it's a baby board............. https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/H170I-PRO/ Should go like the clappers! Edited September 22, 2020 by LogicprObe 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LogicprObe Posted September 22, 2020 Share Posted September 22, 2020 This is the one I use,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, https://www.amazon.co.uk/XONAR-Essence-STX-C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john121 Posted September 23, 2020 Author Share Posted September 23, 2020 The amazon link is dead. Also, do you think i am doing it all wrong in the first place, that mobos are not capable of good sound quality, heard a lot about noisy pc's, the massive smps power supply is supposed to throw out a lot of interference as well. What are the alternatives to another mobo, such as a streamer with 5.1 analog outputs, perhaps a bluray player with analogs, or is there anything else you can think of. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janjuggler Posted September 23, 2020 Share Posted September 23, 2020 (edited) Hi, You could buy a DAC, like one from Schiit at a reasonable price, for USB out then have RCA cables to the Amp. This can still be controlled by the Realtek app. JJ Edited September 23, 2020 by Janjuc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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