Hi there,
I am experiencing occasional signal drops. The sounds stops for a second and comes back on again. I have the digi+ connected to a Naim Ndac via coaxial cable but also tested it with optical, different input sockets, different PSUs etc. and the signal keeps dropping regardless of these changes. No signal drop occurs with other signal sources (a TV for instance)
Is this a known issue have you had other users report it? Perhaps you could suggest a possible solution.
Many thanks!
Pat
Oh, I might add that I feed data from an external HDD connected through Pi3's USB inputs.
Also, I've tried changing buffer settings (increasing / decreasing) but it made no difference. It also does not seem to be file-size dependent i.e. I've played FLAC, Mp3, Wave and still get the same signal drop-outs.
I have a LAN cable connected for control and disconnecting it (to rule out possible effect of other network activity) has not helped.
Hi,
Volumio sometimes seems to have trouble reading from USB connected hard disks fast enough. You might try if it works better if you put the files onto a NAS (or use a file share from your PC).
Best regards,
Daniel
Hi Daniel
Thanks for your response and suggestion.
I have tried mounting the HDD using the router and feeding data over LAN rather than directly through USB and I still experience the same issue. I have now also tried a PC folder share and I get the same drop of signal after a couple of minutes. I have tested WAV, FLACs, MP3s - all cause the same issue.
The only time the sync light light remains on with no signal drops (please read below) is when I play 24bit source material so even larger files are being fed via USB efficiently which leads me to think that this is not the issue.
Naim NDAC has a sync indicator on the front panel which (as per the manual): "The sync indicator illuminates to indicate that the DAC’s internal clock is precisely synchronised with the input data stream. The DAC will continue to operate if synchronisation is lost but its audio performance may be compromised. Synchronisation loss is generally caused by an out-of specification clock in the source component." I was also told by Naim that when the sync light switches off, it indicates that at some point the connection was lost i.e. a drop in feeding the data has occurred and caused a temporary loss of music.
I hope the extra information is going to be helpful in troubleshooting the issue.
Thanks again,
Pat
Hi Patryk,
unfortunately I can't say what might be the problem here. Im not sure about your sync indicator. Does your music stop playing or is it just the sync LED that goes off?
Best regards,
Daniel
The sync indicator I was describing was only mentioned to give you more, possibly relevant, information. The main issue is that I get interruptions (the music stops for a second) while listening to music through Hifiberry digi+. I experience no such issues with other sources.
The same issue is being described here:
https://support.hifiberry.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/201492802-Limited-sync
It seems like a Hifiberry Digi+ issue rather than software side of things (I am using Rune Audio and Pi3, the other user has Volumio and Pi B+)
Also, perhaps the momentary lack of sound is caused by lack of syncronisity between Hifiberry's clock, that is only able to achieve approximate 44.1 values as per your post here:
Frequencies relating to higher bit rates don't cause the issue. What do you think Daniel?
Again, many thanks!
Patryk
Hi Patryk,
as we don't have your DAC here for tests, I can't say what might be the problem in your setup. The comment you've linked above has nothing to do with your problem. Unfortunately the only thing I can offer is sending us the Digi+ for a checkup. If it is working fine here, I can only offer a refund.
Best regards,
Daniel
I will test the Hifiberry with a friend's Pi2B first as his setup is identical (apart from Pi3B and he experiences no such issues.
I have monitored the drops and they seem to happen at around 6mins and 15secs of playing time.
Hi Daniel,
I have an update. I've now tested the Hifiberry with a Raspberry PI2b (both with Runeaudio and Volumio). Issues remain exactly the same regardless of the hardware or software used. Music stops aftera similar period of time i.e. anywhere between 6 minutes 15 seconds to 6 minutes 40 seconds.
In trying to rule out hardware issues I also tried soldering a 2pin socket to the P3 header to power the hifiberry directly using a dedicated ultra linear power supply but that did not make any difference either. The sound still drops.
I really like the sound when the hifiberry syncs with the Naim NDac properly and I am keen to make it work but as you can see I've really ran out of options.
Unless there's still something else you could suggest?
Many thanks for the support so far!
Pat
Hi Pat,
unfortunately there is nothing else we can do from here. We don't have your DAC for tests. I can only recommend to try the transformer-less version.
Best regards,
Daniel
Hello again Daniel,
I have some updates which I think you will find interesting.
Following your advice, I am now an owner of two Hifiberry Digi+ output boards. I have purchased the transformer-less version from PiSupply in the UK which, unfortunately, drops the sound in exactly the same manner as the one with transformer. PiSupply were been very quick to respond to my query and have copied my email to sales@hifiberry.com to seek further help from you.
Since our last email exchange I managed to test my setup with my friend's hifiberry digi+ board (whose hifi setup is identical to mine, he also uses Naim Ndac with no issues at all) and his board is completely stable on my setup as well - there are no music drops or out-of-sync issues.
Both Digi+ boards I purchases are demarcated as v1.1, whereas my friend's transformerless Digi+ board is a 1.0 version with 2015 printed on the PCB.
I am using the latest version of Runeaudio for Raspberry Pi2 - v0.3-beta (23/03/2016) - (tried an older release as well) with a USB HDD for storage. So far I've tested my v1.1 digi+ board (with a transformer) with a Raspberry Pi3, three different quality power supplies (including a battery, LPSU and LPSU via P3 header), Volumio OS (latest and old releases), different cables (optical and digi coax; including different corresponding inputs on my dac), different file types (wav and flac - with and without meta data), different cd ripping software, a multitude of different configurations (including my friend's identical and stable Runeaudio configuration), different sources (usb memory stick into Pi, Pi's sd card, usb HDD into Pi, NAS, PC-shared folder over LAN) and the cuts still happen at around 6min 30secs with 44.1kHz files no matter what changes I make.
My naim dac on the other hand is completely stable with other sources: tv (optical), cd player (digi coax), ps3 (optical) or direct usb input with the same 44.1kHz files; and, most importantly, it is also stable with my friend's v1.0 digi+ board.
I look forward to hearing from you!
Regards,
Pat
Hi Pat,
the PCB changes from 1.0 to 1.1 do not have any impact on the digital data transmission itself. Unfortunately I can't say why you have this problem with your DAC. We don't have this DAC in our lab and we haven't heard about a similar problem with other DACs. As you tested it with 2 boards, there might be an incompatibility with your DAC. The only thing I can recommend is returning it to the dealer you bough it at and get a refund.
Best regards,
Daniel
Hi Daniel, thanks for a quick reply.
I realise my precious post was fairly lengthy - I have now put the most relevant information in bold - which shows that the Digi+ is in fact compatible with NDAC - the 1.0v works without any problems at all but both 1.1 versions fail to sync properly and cause issues I was describing. The 1.0v also works without any issues on my friend's Naim Ndac.
What do you think?
Hi Patrick,
as I wrote, there have been no changes between 1.0 and 1.1 that could explain this. It might just be a coincidence.
Best regards
Daniel
or a bad batch or a faulty product - especially that I have now gathered evidence showing that NDAC works fine with a 1.0 version.
Again, I appreciate your technical support but I need to escalate this further. Who do I need to contact to complain about my original purchase?
Regards,
Pat
Also, if you read my post carefully, you will notice that I've now tested three different boards in total with the Naim NDAC:
two DIGI+ v1.1 boards (with and without a transformer) - sound drops / both fail to sync properly on both.
one DIGI+ v1.0 board that works fine with Naim Ndac without any issues whatsoever (no sound drops or out of sync indicators). Which shows that Naim NDAC is compatible with Hifiberry DIGI+.
Again, many thanks for your support so far, I realise how busy you get as a business.
Best,
Pat
Hi Patrick,
I just noticed that you already have been in contact with several people about this. To make sure everything is handled fine, we will create a ticket for this and get in touch with you how to straighten this up. Note that sales@hifiberry.com is not a support email address. Therefore it can take some time until you get a response there. I will close this topic and we will clarify this directly with you.
Best regards,
Daniel