White noise on USB playback on nDAC

Do your WAV files have metadata (artist, album, etc information)?  If so try creating some WAV files without metadata.

I noticed this once with some DBpoweramp WAV files with lots of metadata.  I haven't noticed it lately but then I can't recall the last time I used the USB on the DAC except to plug in my old iPod.  Out of interest, are you fully up to date with your DAC firmware?

Yes, I believe I have the latest firmware (updated 3/4 months ago from memory. I will try yours and Eloise's advice regarding metadata and WAV files, as I guess I don't need to metadata in respect of how I listen to the files. Not something I'd appreciated...or fully understood!

Many thanks.

I've managed to delete the metadata on a test track when converting FLAC to WAV. It appears to have cured the white noise problem, at least for this single track copied to the USB. However, whilst I guess I don't really need the metadata on the basis of how I listen to my PC filed music, how do you then get back the data once it's deleted? I would have assumed the original file would have retained it, and it just deletes it on the actual conversion, but this doesn't appear to be the case. Certainly don't want to be adding back the data manually for each individual track!

This may be more a question for the dbpoweramp forum, but just wondering if there was an easy solution I'd missed.

Thanks.

You remove it from a copy of the track or once the track has been copied on your USB (= much slower).

Thanks Aleg. Funnily enough just got back from walking the dog, and this is what I realised whilst doing so! Never realised a dog walk could help enhance the NAIM listening experience...certainly not seen that in the marketing material!

Cheers

interesting. This shouldn't happen (obviously) - as the the sample data has a length identifier in the WAV file so the the NDAC should know  when to stop. Its true that dbpoweramp puts the album art and meta data at the end of the file after the sample data chunk... but it does sound like the NDAC is reading beyond the end of the sample data or dbpoweramp in your instance is getting it wrong... are you using the latest version of dbpoweramp CD ripper too?

Does the same thing happen with FLAC? or just WAV? 

Alas i don't have my NDAC anymore to experiment..

Simon

Thanks Simon, your explanation of why this happens at the end of the downloaded file makes sense, even to a non-techy like me! Yes, it is the latest version, but as I say this has been happening a while, it's just now that I decided to broach the subject. It does only happen with WAV files, although if I recollect there have been a very few WAV where it doesn't happen, but it certainly does on the majority. Unfortunately I cannot remember which in order to investigate whether these differ in any way from other WAV files. I am going to try the solution mentioned above this evening...delete the metadata from the copied file and see what that does on replay.

Interestingly, part of the reason for me converting to WAV is the gapped playback in FLAC, annoying when listening to classical and live recordings. I posted about this probably a year ago but no one, including Naim, could really explain why this happens. I had hoped the last firmware release may have addressed this, but unfortunately not. Other than this anomaly I thoroughly enjoy the quality of both 16 and 24 bit downloads using the USB medium, saving pennies on going the streamer route, and thus allowing a bit more spend on the DR upgrades!

Cheers 

Hi, yes removing the meta data and album art should stop the static. But it shouldn't be necessary.

indeed this sort of USB connectivity is very benign and should sound good... If my memory serves me correctly, technically has electrical noise advantages over asynchronous audio over USB.

BTW I found the rear USB socket on the NDAC sounded marginally 'better' than the front...

Simon

Hi Simon. Yes, just finished listening to a whole album that I converted to WAV and then removed the metadata...hey presto no white noise at the end! As you say, it shouldn't happen, but at least I now have a solution. I may send a post to dbpweramp, "Spoon" appears very good at answering such queries, he may have a further explanation/solution. I wondered if utilising one/more of the DSP effects may solve it??  

Sorry, in answer to your other point Simon, I have tried the rear USB socket, but struggling to really hear any difference myself.

Yes it was subtle, but noticeable to me (with NDAC/555PS) I think some others might have agreed... It might be the latest firmware reduces any difference.

HardBop posted:

Hi Simon. Yes, just finished listening to a whole album that I converted to WAV and then removed the metadata...hey presto no white noise at the end! As you say, it shouldn't happen, but at least I now have a solution. I may send a post to dbpweramp, "Spoon" appears very good at answering such queries, he may have a further explanation/solution. I wondered if utilising one/more of the DSP effects may solve it??  

I very much doubt it... I suspect if there was a genereal problem with dbpoweramp media servers and media players would be failing everywhere... see what spoon says.. You could Dropbox a file to Spoon (or I if you are really stuck) and he could decode it with a file debugger to see  if it is constructed incorrectly.