Have you tried another source for the Buffalo?

Also do you have any central heating etc which is on the mains or maybe a fridge/ freezer? sometimes when our central heating switches on and goes off (its on a timer) my Buffalo lock led also flickers.
You could try a 1:1 pulse transormer on the SPDIF, I've not tried this with the Buffalo yet but I read somewhere somebody had the same dropout and adding a pulse transformer cured it

BTW, I also have a pair of BE-718's sat on Partington Broadsides;)

Regards,
Leo

The same thing actually occasionally happens to me. The ES9008 seems to unlock and mute/reset on even very small receive errors. This is a design "feature". ;) This is something ESS has addressed in the ES9018.

Mine will occasionally unlock when someone switches off a ceiling fan. So it could be some appliance or something else on your mains.

Using the higher DPLL bandwidth setting may help or you could try using a mains isolator.

Cheers!
Russ

Edited by user Sunday, January 25, 2009 7:39:43 AM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

I can't switch on anything without causing a dropout, and the pop through the speakers is pretty loud and irritating (the computer controls volume).

I'm just a little irritated by it - I'll have to buy an isolation transformer for the entire music setup, but I'll try a non-isolated (no transformer) source first - the onboard soundcard on the motherboard can be a start. I'm already thrilled by the sound, but I'll hold out on the upgrades (counterpoint, Placid and Vreg) till I can get this pop music sorted out.

Re the Ushers:

I've used both a single 3886 and parallel 3886 per side for the Ushers. The sound quality is really, really, good - very good bass and brilliantly extended highs. I've got 80,000uF capacitance on there for both channels and snubbers, the only cap in the signal path is a Black Gate NX for Ci (inverting-ground). My vote for the single, slightly more musical even though at high levels it begins to show signs of distress, which the parallel combo does not. The chip is hardwired P2P with the feedback resistor and SMD decoupling caps directly on the pins.

Honestly, the BE-718 could use a bit more drive than that which a 35 volt supply can provide. I did try my 150 watt BPA 4780 on it, but the Ushers are too revealing - it sounded like a tin can. As of now I'm in the poorhouse with the purchase of both the Ushers and the Buffalo in the same month, so I'm taking some time out before upgrading to a better amp. As it is my listening volume has come down a bit with the Buffalo, as the detail is present at lower volumes, which the CS4398 in the 1212m could not bring out till it was cranked up. So for now, the little 60 watt 3886 will just have to do.

I just replaced the zip cord I was using for speaker cable with a DIY cable of four runs of CAT5 per side - so everything is burning in for a couple of days. I got mine on the RWS-729 Usher stand - we have a bit of a problem here with available variety, but I still love these stands. The speakers are bolted tightly down to the stand, which helps the imaging and reduces the last traces of midbass fattening when the speakers are just sitting on the stands. The speakers are totally immobile when placed like this.

The answer to this may be as simple as readdressing the grounding scheme in the DAC, or shielding the digital lines feeding the DAC. With the ES9008's auto-mute function, any tiny burp in the digital stream causes the prolonged mute during relock.

hello
I have the same problem: the Buffalo loosing sync at seemingly random intervals
I´ve tried all sorts of gnd schemes and cannot solve it
Present gnd is:both Buffalo an IVY psu s gnd only to B. and I .B gnded to usb card and usb card to usb psu.all sorts of combinations does not affect the problem .have tried different combo s of star gnd too.no difference.
I also bought and switched to the latest usb card from www.dddac.de....same problem
the dropout is w/o a sound.. just fades out and back in gain.the automute does not kick in.
however I also get a dropout some times (with automute kick-in)when I switch on the motor of my basis ovation turntable,despite that it is fed by its own Ben Duncan pure cycle generator.
the dac and the whole system is connected to a power filter based on ferrits/MOVs and X and Y capacitors and all is dead quiet into my 107db/watt Avantgarde Trio
have never had any similar problem with any other components inc. ADlabs NOS dac and DDDAC NOS DAC.
Its not a vital problem but annoying
Best
Leif
Norway

Edited by user Tuesday, January 27, 2009 5:16:46 AM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

I have had mine running for about a month. The only time the DAC hiccuped was when I knocked out the AC cord from the power supply. My PS is on the floor. I separated the PS from the DAC because it's what I do on my DIY projects. I used a seven conductor cable I made out of 14ga stranded, then shielded then texflexed. The shield is earthed in the PS box.
The DAC/IVY grounds are isolated from the power supply grounds. I stacked the Buffalo/IVY/MUX PCBs to keep all leads as short as possible as suggested by TPA. The powersupply is in a well damped metal case and the DAC is now just mounted on a wood board with the ins/outs/switch/volume mounted on 2 inch X 4 inch aluminum stock. I will be building a heavy wood case that will be shielded. That shield will be grounded to power supply ground (earth) through the cable shield.
I am waiting for the counterpoint/placid combo to replace the IVY/PS when its available. Soon I hope

So, do other users on I2S confirm that they have no dropouts (and in fact, this may be an issue with the comparator OR the SPDIF input scheme of the ESS9008)?

sry to say but it´s not gone,but it seems to occur less often
now it´s only breadboarded in an old hammond metal case without a lid,so I´ll rebuild the whole thing properly in a thlaudio aluminum case with lid and see if it helps
in the meantime it sounds great and i get in a forgiving mood:d/
best
Leif

I have a mains filter for the whole system
best
Leif

As of now, I'm running grounds using the headers. I don;t plan on any other grounds, except a safety earth ground when/if I get a chassis for it.

The problem still persists - I'll be trying a mains filter on the PC next.