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I replaced my old Buffalo 2 with the Buffalo 3, and everything went smoothly. Except I'm worried that I might have done something very stupid. I just moved a while ago, and sold/gave away some of my old equipment, so I borrowed a friend's cd transport to set up my Buffalo. I'm still waiting for my new USB/i2s converter, so meanwhile I used the SPDIF out of the motherboard through a connector (first one in the link). (http://shop.gigabyte.tw/main.aspx?s=22) There was great music, and everything seemed fine, so I turned off the amp and left home for a while. When I returned and switched the amp back on, there was music, but also heaps of noise. Even if I turn the volume control all the way down, there is still alot of noise coming out of the amp. Is it dead?  What may have happened? A friend said that the signal coming out of the MB may have been TTL level, but there weren't any apparent problems. In case that I did send an inappropriate level of signal through SPDIF, is it possible that I killed it (again)? 
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I am going to guess it's a loose wire. Check the power wiring for the DAC module carefully (I have had similar noise issues when the wire was loose at my power supply). Do this first, because if it is the cause, it can lead, eventually, to damage.
I doubt the S/PDIF was TTL-level, as it would not be very useful for most gear. But even it it were, it should not have damaged the DAC.
Try shorting the IP_S pad (to it's adjacent pad) to switch in inputs and see if the noise goes away. That would remove the S/PDIF comparator from the equation.
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Thank you Brian! Following your instructions, I checked the DAC for loose wiring. The terminals seem to be holding the wires tightly in place.  Hmm. I'm a bit scared to power up the DAC right now, I'll perform the other tests later with the help of a more tech savvy friend. Just a few more questions please :) How long is "eventually"? I left the DAC running for a few hours, is it likely that permanent damage have been done? Are there other possible causes? Can a bad (aka broken) SPDIF source is cause the noise? Could it be that the pre-reg isn't delivering enough current? Edited by user Saturday, March 9, 2013 7:49:49 AM(UTC)
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Okay guys, I really need your help I checked my Buffalo at my friend's place, and it worked great when connected to his CDP. So I figured it was probably the poor quality of the onboard SPDIF of my computer. So I waited patiently for the Amanero USB-I2S converter. And the strange buzz is still there! No music, only loud buzz even with the Amanero. Yet the Amanero/Buffalo works fine at my friend's place. I'd be sure that it's my computer's problem, except my cheapo Musiland 01US USB DAC has no problem singing in the same system/PC. What seems to be the issue? Is it some weird interaction between my PC and Buffalo, poor power wiring in the house, or mysterious ground loop? Please help, running out of ideas and very frustrated
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Time for pictures of your setup.
What you need to do is isolate the differences between the setups when using the DAC at your friend's house, and at your house.
(Is the DAC wrapped up in an enclosure?)
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Originally Posted by: Brian Donegan  Time for pictures of your setup.
What you need to do is isolate the differences between the setups when using the DAC at your friend's house, and at your house.
(Is the DAC wrapped up in an enclosure?)
Hi Brian, What pictures would you like to see? The internals of my Buffalo, or everything including PC, amp, speakers? Yes, the DAC is wrapped up in an enclosure. Since the amp and speakers (probably) aren't responsible, the only differences left are the PC and power. I'll borrow a laptop and see if it helps. I'm almost 100% sure that it's a PC problem, except for one thing. Without a proper source connected, shouldn't the DAC be silent(muted)? In my case though, when I switch back to SPDIF, the DAC buzzes loudly even with the SPDIF cable disconnected. What may have I done wrong? Thank you in advance! Alex Edited by user Sunday, March 24, 2013 1:35:50 AM(UTC)
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Sounds like a grounding problem (loose or improper) to me. How about pictures of the rear panel, inside and out, to start.
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  Pictures uploaded :) Grounding problem does sound like a prime suspect, though it's odd that the problem only occurs at my place. Could it have something to do with AC power? Thank you in advance! Edit: the black wire connected to the chassis was an old "mod" to get rid of the slight background humming (back when I had the Buffalo 2). Now that you've mentioned it, perhaps the background hum was a result of improper grounding, though I can't seem to pin down the problem. Edited by user Sunday, March 24, 2013 3:48:05 AM(UTC)
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Why are you not using the SE output with SE output?
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Hi Russ,
Sorry, didnt mention that I have a pair of lundahl1527s doing the BalSe conversion. Could that cause a problem?
Cheers,
Alex
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Ok, so everything seems okay in those pictures. Can you post pictures of the overall setup? Include wiring as much as possible.
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Well if you use trafos with that version of the IVY you will want the output caps in place. Otherwise you may have some DC saturating the coils.
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Hi guys, Sorry about the late reply! For I didn't have anything new (helpful) to add, and I tried really hard to look for more clues. I think I may have found the problem, though I still don't know how to truly fix it. I did a bit of internet research on grounding problems (thank you Brian for the tip), and some suggested that plugging both components into the same receptacle may fix a ground loop. So I tried plugging both the Buffalo and PC into the same receptacle, and there was instant improvement! The amount of buzz is still intolerable for music listening, but at least there's more music than buzz. Is there a good way to cure the ground loop issue? Thank you in advance! Cheers, Alex Edit: After reconnecting everything, the buzz disappeared. I'm still forced to plug the Buffalo and PC into the same receptacle, but at least the problem is fixed for now. Ideas for a more permanent solution are highly appreciated :) Edited by user Saturday, March 30, 2013 7:16:35 AM(UTC)
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Originally Posted by: Russ White Well if you use trafos with that version of the IVY you will want the output caps in place. Otherwise you may have some DC saturating the coils. Hi Russ, Thank you for the kind reminder. I'll be building my Legato 3 soon (once I get this fixed), so it shouldn't be a problem by then :) Cheers, Alex
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