[bencha]

Hello everybody.

This is of course not a service or support request, it is a question to all the people out there owning and using a Nuforce DDA-100. I just got mine, was very excited, but right now I am a bit unsure:
When I turn on the power, I get a fast clicking sound. The sound comes out of the amp, NOT out of the speakers and is NOT related to any source, since the sound is there without speakers and source connected. The clicking reminds me of a broken hard disk. It is not very loud but still, one of the key features of the DDA is its dead silence while playback, and with music that has quiet parts you can hear the clicking very well through the room.

Nuforce support told me to ask my dealer/distributor, since I am a european customer. I did, and they say the clicking is normal! Its an impulse of some relais inside the circuitry. I am very curious that this is meant to be like this. But what do I know...that's why I ask you, DDA-100 users: Do you also have this clicking sound from your amps?

Any feedback is highly appreciated! Thanks already in advance.

Benjamin

[fiveoclockfriday]

I have a US model that I purchased used, and use in the US, and it does not have any clicking sound. It's silent both around the amp itself, and  from connected speakers.

Sorry to hear you're having troubles. If you have the technical means, I suggest posting a video to Youtube; sometimes offering proof is the only way to get things fixed.

- Eric

[groovybassist]

I also have the US model I use in my office.  I bought it new and it is dead silent - no clicking as you described.

-Mike

[ricardojoa]

What a freaking excuse from the dealer. Demand them for a exchange of a new unit!

[ajayrav]

I have the US model also... It is dead silent as others have described.  Your unit sounds like it has a fault, so I would suggest you ask for a replacement.  Email Nuforce and tell them about what your dealer is saying.  If you can capture a cell-phone video of the clicking, that would go a long ways in making your case.  Of course, it may be difficult to capture with a cell-phone.

Good luck!

Ajay

[John Casler]

Hi Benjamin,

Sorry to hear of your issue with the DDA-100.

To answer your question, that is NOT a normal sound you hear and there is either something wrong with the unit, or it is connected incorrectly.

While I have never heard a similar noise, I have heard of digital inputs "clicking" when they are acquiring and losing the digital feed. I would suggest that, if you can, try a couple different digital cables, use a different input, and a different digital source to see it there may be an oscillating signal problem that the DDA-100 is responding to.

If both the cable and source prove fine, then the unit should be repaired or replaced.

[bencha]

hey everybody. thanks alot for all your answers. almost forgot about the thread, since it was not approved till yesterday. i gathered further information during that time:

1 feedback of the german nuforce distribution > they checked my unit, and say the sound is normal, relay related
2 feedback of official nuforce support > muting relays kicking on and off, especially during low parts of the music (or in between tracks), is normal and audible within a range of up to 3 feet
3 feedback of a nuforce retailer in zürich > (we talked on the phone) "nothing, dead silent, oh wait a sec..." (he put the phone on the side to listen closer to one of his brand new units for sale in the store) "...true, sounds like hard disk, but should not bother you much when listening to music, since it is not very loud"

so, the whole chain, manufacturer, distribution and retailer tell me, yes there is a sound, and it is more or less normal.
on the other hand, you, the users, say nope, not normal, nothing should be heard. i even sent a mail to 6moons, srajan ebaen said he never heard anything, since he would have definitely mentioned it in his review. sometimes there might be a single click in the beginning, signal-path relay, but after that the unit should be silent.

i don't want to question your ears or hearing (especially not srajans)...but is it possible nobody ever heard this? or am i just too finicky?

let me specifiy the problem a bit. i want to change the name of clicking sound into ticking sound. still the best way to describe though, is the analogy with a (broken) spinning hard disk. i captured it with my phone (listen to it, here is the link > https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/60976365/Ticking%20Sound.m4a poor quality, but you get a sense of what i mean). i played with different digital cables (like john suggested) to connect different sources (not that i have that many, i tried a cd player and an apple airport with the optical inputs, usb connection to my laptop and a spdif connection also to my laptop with a m2tech usb/spdif converter) and i connected and disconnected speakers (85dB shelfies). the ticking always was there, it didn't vary while playback or in between songs no matter what things where connected. or not connected, since the ticking comes directly out of the unit, once you turn it on. there i thought for a second, maybe it is electricity related. i tried different sockets throughout my place, disconnected every other electrical device (especially router and such). nothing. the ticking kept going.

again, i want to emphasize, it is not loud, and true, during normal listening you probably can't hear it, cause of distance and the music being much louder. but well, once you know something is there...in fact, what bothers me more than the ticking is the fact, that apparently other users don't have the problem (so far i am not aware that my hearing is any special, maybe my appartment is very quiet) and that the ticking might announce a bigger problem rather soon. thats why the answers of manufacturer and distribution actually calmed me down, since they say this is not a problem but normal. and they should know. but why, if it is normal, nobody else hears this?! i checked all the reviews i could find, nobody wrote anything like it. maybe it has something to do with us vs european version? how can it be a muting relay kicking on and of, when there is nothing to mute, since nothing is connected and playing? and why is even a different brand new unit in a store producing this ticking.

so clean your ears, step closer to your dda and listen. hopefully nobody tells me "well that sound! so low and little, you shouldn't be that picky!" in fact i am just curios.

benjamin

[groovybassist]

I sit literally 2 feet from my unit for much of the day and I've never heard it make the ticking sound in your sample.  I leave it powered on all the time, so it's possible I may not have the opportunity for it to happen, if it occurs after turn on.  I'm pretty finicky about my gear and even sent my original unit back to Nuforce for replacement as it had a phase issue I noticed.  They acknowledged some users were reporting the same issue and replaced it before I had even sent the original one in.  Very good customer service.

-Mike

[bencha]

hey -mike. thanks for your input. just to clarify: the ticking starts when i power on the unit, but then it keeps ticking forever and doesn't stop after a while.
good customer service is one thing, but in my case nuforce itself and the distributor say the ticking is normal =replacement? 

[ricardojoa]

A clicking can only be normal if you cant hear it. You spend your money on audio quality and not to hear clicks.
This is not the only unit nuforce has problem with anyway.

[RDavidson]

I'd let the people you've been dealing with, associated with NuForce, know about this thread. Their reputation is on the line.

[groovybassist]

I've been sitting here, very close to my unit, and no clicking whatsoever. 

-Mike

[bencha]

Hi all, wanted to keep you updated about my ticking DDA-100.

In the meantime Nuforce Support contacted me again, once they double checked the problem I tried to describe in this thread. They stated clearly that the ticking coming out my DDA unit definitely doesn't sound normal, and especially the German distribution should have never returned my unit after inspection saying it is alright. The rapid and constant ticking indicates that there is something wrong with it,  Nuforce is now trying to figure out a way to solve things.

Thanks to all you people, especially John. If it wasn't for your inputs, I would have not insisted in a double check of my case. Thanks also for Nuforce Support for their honesty. I am now confident, that I will be able to enjoy some finely rendered music in the near future with probably a new DDA 

Benjamin

[John Casler]

Hi Benjamin,

No problem and thanks for drawing attention to the issue (seems to be a small run had a defective PS)

I sent along your information and hopefully this will be buttoned up for you soon.

Thanks for your patience.

[avta]

Just an FYI but as an owner of a few different Nuforce products I can say without hesitation that customer service has always been excellent. I am in no way connected with Nuforce other than as a customer.

[nealc14]

Hi, I have a DDA-100 which I bought in January which also has a faint whirring sound when no music is playing and which can be heard when you have your ear close to the unit. It sounds a bit like a hard disk. I returned the unit for repair but I still hear the noise so am considering returning for a replacement. The problem is the shop I bought it from where I live in Stockholm, Sweden, has no more units in stock. My unit's number is 0406143. How did you go forward with your issue and is it solved now.
Craig

[bencha]

hey craig/nealc14
excuse my late response. i checked back on this page only by coincidence. to answer your question: i got my unit repaired (at least that's what they say , they=german distributor), but the whirring/clicking/operating/whatever noise is still there. a little less loud though. and to be honest, i started to live with it. i know the problem is not really solved, the noise should not be there. but since you won't notice it anyway when music is playing, its more of a mental problem. the operating noise of the cd player next to the dda, is by far louder.
after all the hassle i had with explaining the problem to dealers, distributors, the manufacturer, forums...after two months of no dda at all, cause of sending it in, my pragmatic side kicked in...
benjamin