[raymondbeautrix]

Hello Everyone,

I've tried messing around with foobar and j river media center, and am still having occasional (maybe once every 30-90 seconds) crackling/popping noises.  Sometimes the music seems to lag ever so slightly, then quickly get back on track.  The issue is subtle, but still quite annoying and disruptive to my listening experience.

I'm using the usb interface on my berresford 7520 DAC -> cayin 100t -> feeding into my OB-7 speakers.

I tested the DAC with an alternate source, my PS2 (using toslink), and there wasn't the slightest crackling.  On my computer, I get crackling with mp3, flac, and even audio CDs.  Some might claim its an issue with my USB hub, but I've had perfect playback using USB on this computer before.  Eventually I'd like to get some card with coax out, but that's for a discussion for a different topic.

I was using J River Media Center with bitperfect playback.  I also tried foobar, and set the buffer cache size to 700000000 and maxed the process priority as Steve at empirical audio had recommended.  Neither seemed to change anything.  I am running Windows 7 x64, 4g ram, and 2.4ghz quadcore.  I keep my background apps to a minimum when I'm play music.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Isaac

[Nick77]

Sorry no advise on your situation, but a squeezebox works great and takes it out of the windows domain.

[raymondbeautrix]

Would the normal squeezebox work? (http://www.buy.com/prod/logitech-squeezebox-receiver/q/loc/101/206896407.html).  This is only 140$, which would be quite doable.  The transporter, however, is well over 1k, which would be entirely too large of an investment for my purposes.

If I understand properly, I would output from my computer via an ethernet cable to the squeezebox, then I could use any of their digital outs to go to my dac?  That would actually solve another issue for me, because I have been wanting to be able to use a coax out instead of USB for some time now.

If this is as cheap of a solution as it sounds like, I might swiftly go for it! 

Isaac

[Nick77]

No im afraid thats the duet reciever and still needs the controller (not entirely sure how the duet works) the squeezebox is the previous version and with an upgraded power suppy works admirabley as a audiophile transport. It would either attach with a ethernet cable or wireless thru your router.
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_596SQUZBOX/Logitech-Squeezebox-Classic.html?search=squeezebox&ssi=0
Now that there are newer models available for about the same price you might look at resale squeezeboxes. I bought mine used for $175.

[raymondbeautrix]

I think I at least figured out the source of the problem, and it looks like the squeezebox would help.  Apparently just having open google chrome, and with my crazy-open-lots-of-tabs browsing style, chrome is somehow getting above my music player in thread priority and messing up the audio.  I was able to directly reproduce my crackling/lagging by quickly opening or closing tabs, or sometimes even letting a single complicated webpage load.

On foobar, it is possible to set the app to highest processing thread priority, but even this isn't enough unfortunately.  I'm just glad my problem wasn't more serious.  If I close my browser, or browse more 'conservatively', it seems like the problem can be eliminated.

I might seriously consider the squeezebox.  I could also move up to 24/96 on my DAC by using coax instead of USB.  I also might eventually separate my speakers from close proximity with my computer, so the wireless capability is a welcomed bonus as well.

[raymondbeautrix]

Now that I think about it, why doesn't crackling happen when I play games?  I'm working my CPU like mad in this case, yet I get no crackling.  This means chrome is more CPU intensive than Crysis?

[srb]

Can you get the crackling/popping issue by running any other software, or is it only Google Chrome?  What happens when running Internet Explorer with a dozen tabs open?
 
You can check your CPU utilization with Task Manager.  Perhaps your video game is taxing the video card processor more than the CPU?
 
Steve

[srb]

I just realized you have started the same thread in two different circles, and I have responded in both.
 
I don't think this relates to GR Research or Empirical Audio for that matter.  Perhaps the Discless Circle would have been the place to start a single thread.
 
Steve

[raymondbeautrix]

Yes, sorry about that steve... Since I found the root of my problem, I'm not sure if it's worth making an entirely new post about it, though that is what I should have done in the first place.

The same issue happens in IE (v8, since I'm using win7).  Strangely enough, it doesn't seem to happen when I'm extracting some large file with winrar.  That can be fairly CPU intensive, and games are CPU intensive as well (they'll use the CPU and GPU).

So apparently the trigger for the problem isn't necessary CPU usage, and its severity isn't related to the extent of CPU usage.

(On a side note, I think I'll do this last post in the other circle, but if it starts stretching out too much, I'll make it into a new thread on discless circle).

[camcan]

Hello, I think I have another suggestion for you. I am using a logitech wireless dj (can be had for $50-60 on E-bay if you look out). Use any external or internal soundcard with coaxial out, I am using a creative usb external and running 100 ft of coaxial to a gigalab DAC. it works increadible. sounds better than my cd's through a respectible phillips cd player burner or my sony cd. All this with a handheld unit similar to the sqeezboxe duet (which I also own) except no album art or color, (unimportant to me) and you will have a blue tooth reciever to attach somewhere else in the house for casual but still enjoyable quality listening. It is a fantastic way to do what you are trying to do with phenominal results. I listen to vinyl as well and I am very satisfied with the results. I am even using the taboo windows media player with windows media lossless files  (oooooh), but, Logitech streampoint (the software) will use whatever musicplayer or format you want.
I just picked up a second unit just in case something ever happend to mine. It is the best audio buy I have made in a while since I now have over 8500 songs (all lossless) to shuffle and play remotely from anywhere.
Did I mention you can also access internet radio. Unlike with the squeezebox duet , your computer must be on to do this though.

To put this in perspective for you, I am an audio lover and have listened to this system on a 8 ft pair of line arrays that I built from scratch, a pair of magnepan modded MMG, GR reaearch OB 3's, Modded DCM timeframe 600,s and some others with nothing but praise from everyone involved. You will not be dissapointed.

Good Luck

[BrianH]

I would suggest waiting till the release Windows 7 is out next week before jumping to any conclusions about your setup or problems. Maybe the Microsoft beta forums would have an idea?

Maybe an issue with W7 codecs? The JRMC software would also not be certified with beta software either. Is this whole system brand new? Or did it work just fine with Vista or XP?

Your best bet is going to be the software help forums for those software and hardware products.

[raymondbeautrix]

My version of windows 7 is RTM from technet.  I had thought that foobar/j river use their own set of codecs independent of the OS.

The idea of using some external unit such as a laptop or a squeezebox seems like it might be a good idea.  Fortunately, I've mostly fixed my crackling issues by setting my speakers to 'full range' under sound control panels (I was surprised this affected anything, since settings were supposed to be app-controlled).

[rudib]

Have you tried using WASAPI for your output device? Download the component from here,

http://www.foobar2000.org/components/view/foo_out_wasapi

...then select the correct API/device combo from Preferences > Playback > Output.

This is the Vista/7 equivalent of kernel streaming, that is: bit perfect playback with no processing at all and with the much higher priority data shuffling. Should help with potential crackling problems.

[raymondbeautrix]

Wow, it looks like this actually works!!  I tried a lot of heavy multitasking and loading lots of tabbed webpages at once, and so far it appears to be playing with a hitch.  Thanks!