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There may be a problem with my HiFiMan EF2A -- here's a copy of my post at Head-Fi...

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willkayakforfood

In Reply to: RE: Two inexpensive DAC/headphone amps - initial impressions (warning: long post) posted by willkayakforfood on June 30, 2012 at 12:40:58

Below is a copy of a message I just posted at Head-Fi:

My post at Head-Fi

I thought I should mention it here as well, considering yesterday's pronouncement that I had chosen the HiFiMan EF2A as my primary portable DAC/headphone amp (I do still prefer the sound, but must now solve this problem before I can feel good about recommending it).

So, here's a copy of the post:

After trying a couple of inexpensive DAC/headphone amp combos, I decided I liked the sound of the HiFiMan EF2A, and wanted to make it my primary portable DAC/amp for the moment. Unfortunately, it seems to be causing a very disturbing problem. Now and then, the sound will either stop entirely, or worse, a loud static will suddenly begin.

1) If the sound simply stops entirely, in order to restore any sound at all, I have to unplug the USB cable, reinsert it, then restart playback. Until it happens again.

2) If the static thing happens (instead of silence), I can stop what's currently playing and restart it without unplugging the USB cable, but if I don't unplug/reinsert the USB cable, there will be some level of background static during resumed playback.

This doesn't happen when I'm playing music through the speakers (in this case, USB digital output to Schiit Bifrost DAC, then to amp), or with my other portable DAC/amp, an Audioengine D1. Only seems to happen with the HiFiMan EF2A. This is really unfortunate, because this was my preferred choice in terms of sound quality for the portable headphone kit.

I'm currently using Foobar 2000 for playback on Windows 7. Just to be sure it wasn't Foobar, I tried it on WinAmp as well, and the same thing happened. In any event, I'm not sure I have all the correct settings in either Foobar or Windows "Sound" (control panel), but this problem does seem to happen only when using the EF2A.

Has anyone experienced this issue with this particular DAC/amp? Any suggestions?

Follow Ups:

RE: There may be a problem with my HiFiMan EF2A -- here's a copy of my post at Head-Fi... - genungo 00:30:00 07/02/12 (3)
If I were you I would contact the manufacturer. Hopefully, the problem has something to do with your computer settings and is easily fixable...
"He was one of those men who live in poverty so that their lines of questioning may continue." - John Steinbeck
- I did write to the manufacturer - haven't yet seen a reply. Here's the latest... - willkayakforfood 22:33:22 07/02/12 (2)
  Tonight, I continued my troubleshooting efforts, and I'm still pretty much unable to point to anything but the EF2A unit itself as the primary suspect.
  
  Here's a copy of my last post this evening over at Head-Fi:
  
  Okay, further unhappy news...
  
  Switched USB cable: same problem
  
  Switched USB ports (tried both of the other ports - a 2.0 and a 3.0 port): same problem
  
  After all this, here's what I seem to know at the moment:
  
  1) Cables are not the issue.
  
  2) It happens regardless of which USB port is used.
  
  3) It happens with or without any other USB port being occupied at the same time.
  
  4) It only happens with the HiFiMan EF2A (just now happened again - sudden silence now). This problem has never happened with the Audioengine D1, nor has it ever happened with the Schiit Bifrost DAC.
  
  5) Considering all the above, I also doubt it's "the computer's fault" (or could it still be a particular driver issue--even after the driver uninstall/reinstall?)
  
  6) This makes me sad, because the sound of the EF2A is so much more "3D" than that of the Audioengine D1 (which really does feel two dimensional and rather lifeless in comparison).
  
  7) If I can't solve this problem with the EF2A, can anyone recommend a reliable, brilliant sounding portable tube DAC/amp that won't make me miss the EF2A too badly?
  
  8) I've had enough for the night. :(
  - Well... - genungo 05:21:07 07/03/12 (1)
    .., it almost seems like the unit was being sold *for a reason*. Truth be told, I tend to be more wary when buying used electronics than I am buying used headphones or loudspeakers. Maybe the seller will offer some sort of refund.
    "He was one of those men who live in poverty so that their lines of questioning may continue." - John Steinbeck
    - Actually, I purchased the EF2A new (via Audio Advisor). Got the Audioengine D1 used (via Head-Fi)... - willkayakforfood 06:51:40 07/03/12 (0)
      The bit of sloppiness in external build quality of the EF2A may be an indicator of the potential for internal quality control issues as well. If the problem can't be solved with the particular unit I have, I will be considering a return or replacement.

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