Popping/clicking when switching tracks

[AdieH]

Hi all,

I've had this problem since I got my WiiM Mini about 3 months ago. Each time you click "next", or select a new track, in each case while another track is playing, there is a pause (which is normal) followed my a clicking/popping sound before it plays the selected track. There is no clicking/popping if you simply let the one track play and then move to the next, automatically.

I am using Qobuz (thru the WiiM app), but this also happens with Spotify connect.

Hardware is a Denafrips Ares II DAC with a QED cable optical cable.

The release notes from a few months ago identified this as an issue, but it said it was solved. I don't think it is. (The issue was described as:"Popping noise coming through speaker's when changing tracks when using optical output to DAC optical in").

When I logged a ticket (after the release notes claimed it was "solved") they said they are working on it, suggesting it was indeed, not solved. But, the issue persists.

Any ideas? Does anyone else have the same issue, or the same hardware, with no issue?

Cheers,

Adrian

 

[viktor]

Maybe we must first update mini to support spdif adjustment, nothing changed for now.

 

[Mistabowjangles]

Maybe we must first update mini to support spdif adjustment, nothing changed for now.

they've updated the app overnight to allow for a latency on source format changes.

this has done nothing for me. not least i feel this is not a firmware config change, more an app thing. i use other apps for starters. and when i rebooted the wiim it reset the latency.

my issue see my other posts, is by default the wiim does not lock the dac. which is very odd behaviour. only on receiving (i suspect volume) does it go high and a lock take place. so on very app switch (spotify to bbc sounds says), album switch, and even setting my phones volume to zero, unlocks the dac. setting the volume up on my phone just one notch creates a lock. just stupid behaviour.

so on every relock, not only do i get the pops i get 1-2secs of white noise.

for the life of me think why it can't act like a normal cd transport and the spdif stays high even on standby !!?

its unusable in this config. not tried it with its own internal dac to see how it behaves

 

[onlyoneme]

they've updated the app overnight to allow for a latency on source format changes.

this has done nothing for me. not least i feel this is not a firmware config change, more an app thing. i use other apps for starters. and when i rebooted the wiim it reset the latency.

my issue see my other posts, is by default the wiim does not lock the dac. which is very odd behaviour. only on receiving (i suspect volume) does it go high and a lock take place. so on very app switch (spotify to bbc sounds says), album switch, and even setting my phones volume to zero, unlocks the dac. setting the volume up on my phone just one notch creates a lock. just stupid behaviour.

so on every relock, not only do i get the pops i get 1-2secs of white noise.

for the life of me think why it can't act like a normal cd transport and the spdif stays high even on standby !!?

its unusable in this config. not tried it with its own internal dac to see how it behaves

Bear in mind that WiiM doesn't lock the DAC, it's a DAC which locks to the incoming clock.

 

[onlyoneme]

Some DACs will also mute the input when no audio data is incoming, ie. volume is set to 0.

 

[Mistabowjangles]

Some DACs will also mute the input when no audio data is incoming, ie. volume is set to 0.

it locks perfectly well on booting 3 times then settles on unlock. if a cd transport can hold a lock on standby, i fail to see any reason why wiim cannot do the same.

 

[onlyoneme]

it locks perfectly well on booting 3 times then settles on unlock. if a cd transport can hold a lock on standby, i fail to see any reason why wiim cannot do the same.

There are some situations when the DAC can unlock / will try to relock because of the WiiM - a sample rate change and turning WiiM's output off/on. WiiM will turn off its output when going into standby. It's important for any autosensing DAC.

 

[Mistabowjangles]

Some DACs will also mute the input when no audio data is incoming, ie. volume is set to 0.

in the 25years of owned mybtheat pro progeny i've attached at least 5 transports to it. from a teac trds to a cheap blu ray player and all have locked the dac even when nothing is playing.

this 'problem' does not seem insurmountable.

 

[onlyoneme]

in the 25years of owned mybtheat pro progeny i've attached at least 5 transports to it. from a teac trds to a cheap blu ray player and all have locked the dac even when nothing is playing.

this 'problem' does not seem insurmountable.

You can disable a standby mode delay to reduce situations when WiiM shuts down its output.

 

[Mistabowjangles]

There are some situations when the DAC can unlock / will try to relock because of the WiiM - a sample rate change and turning WiiM's output off/on. WiiM will turn off its output when going into standby. It's important for any autosensing DAC.

asi said it doesn'tneven remain locked after cycling the boot process.

i've told my wiim never to standby

i'm sorry just not buying into it. wii should remain locked at the frequency etc i state. if there is a change. fine fall back to latency and solve that way. but i will not buy i to a tech that cannot hold a lock that 20 yr old cheap cd transports can

 

[onlyoneme]

There is no a single solution which will satisfy everyone. Some people expect the WiiM to shut down its output as soon as possible.

And, on the other side, if your DAC unlocks the signal when audio stream volume is set to 0, it's a DAC behavior not WiiM's.

 

[Mistabowjangles]

i cannot see why they would want to.

There is no a single solution which will satisfy everyone. Some people expect the WiiM to shut down its output as soon as possible.

And, on the other side, if your DAC unlocks the signal when audio stream volume is set to 0, it's a DAC behavior not WiiM's.

my wiim is set to never go to standby. yet after booting and locking 3 times it settles on unlock.

again it is set to never standby. i have no idea why anyone would want it to.

furthermore the zero volume issue cannot be my dac. i repeat wvery cd / blubray transport i've attached, when not playing anything but on, will hold a lock with the dac. the wiim as a minimum needs to replicate this state. it really is that simple.

 

[onlyoneme]

i cannot see why they would want to.


my wiim is set to never go to standby. yet after booting and locking 3 times it settles on unlock.

again it is set to never standby. i have no idea why anyone would want it to.

furthermore the zero volume issue cannot be my dac. i repeat wvery cd / blubray transport i've attached, when not playing anything but on, will hold a lock with the dac. the wiim as a minimum needs to replicate this state. it really is that simple.

Because they may need to use autosensing features of the DAC which can switch to the active input automatically. Or they want their DACs to go into standby when WiiM goes into standby.
There are some techniques streamers use to tell the DAC that they are inactive like turning off the port or marking a stream as invalid. Some streamers just send 0 samples. The behavior of the DAC can also vary when facing such situations.

 

[Smartplug]

I get annoying pop when the music switch to pcm to mqa. Wiim doesn’t answer back here in the forum like before. They went silent. I’m not sure if they cut staff why nothing being acknowledged on users issue. PEQ that was on roadmap simply disappear. Atlist they answer back on what is going on. When mini was the only product in line, response was fast.

 

[Mistabowjangles]

Because they may need to use autosensing features of the DAC which can switch to the active input automatically. Or they want their DACs to go into standby when WiiM goes into standby.
There are some techniques streamers use to tell the DAC that they are inactive like turning off the port or marking a stream as invalid. Some streamers just send 0 samples. The behavior of the DAC can also vary when facing such situations.

again. i've set my the wiim format. wiim should lock to the dac as a minimum with that from the off. its set to not standby.

cd transports do not have this problem. wiim must do this as a minimum. everything else is built on that.

if it cant achieve via a firmware update, it will have to go back. evidently this is a problem for an increasing number of users. so fix, or it goes back and reviews left to this effect.

 

[onlyoneme]

again. i've set my the wiim format. wiim should lock to the dac as a minimum with that from the off. its set to not standby.

cd transports do not have this problem. wiim must do this as a minimum. everything else is built on that.

if it cant achieve via a firmware update, it will have to go back. evidently this is a problem for an increasing number of users. so fix, or it goes back and reviews left to this effect.

Standby setting is mainly to handle a pause case, that's why I've mentioned "reducing situations". The port will switch off immediately when selecting a different output of the WiiM, for example. Or on the "stop".
I would complain immediately if WiiM starts to hold the output turned on when playback is stopped.
Anyway, your decisions are solely yours.

 

[Mistabowjangles]

if i press pause on my cd transport my'dac remains locked and is perfectly notmal behaviour.

there is no good reason to unlock whatsoever and by and large nobody would care if it did unlock. there is zero benefit whatsoever.

wiim have provided standby for those obsessed with such behaviour. the lions share od users just want to be free from
pops and statics to be quite truthful, as is quite evident from the responses on here.

 

[onlyoneme]

Pops are just side effects of re-locking and can happen regardless of the standby strategy.

 

[Mistabowjangles]

Pops are just side effects of re-locking and can happen regardless of the standby strategy.

if the wiim keeps unlocking at every change of album, at every change of eource at every change of app, on reducing volume to zero and not even locking on boot up with my preferred ratws, then you're absolutey right. you will get pops, whistles and white noise every other play. and why people are complaing and why this thread exists.

hence keep spdif high at all times unless told to explicitly by the user. if a £40 cd player with optical can do it to my £1,500 theta pro progeny dac . i eexpect wiim to do it. as clearly others do too.

 

[onlyoneme]

Delaying the audio stream to let the DAC enough time to re-lock after sample rate change, will probably solve this kind of issues. Reducing the frequency of unnecessary turning off/on the port when sample rate doesn't change would improve it even more.
Regarding standby strategy, you can put pressure on Linkplay anytime you want to. I can only say that your expectations here are in contradiction with mines.

 

[Mistabowjangles]

i fully agree with your first paragraph. its more than an obvious this approach would alleviate a shed load of issues.

as for the second, i have zero concern with people wanting to configure the conditions under which their dac goes to standby. i'm more than happy to give the low power circuitry to remain high and charged for the duration i'm actively listening to music.

what i cant tolerate is a £2,500 krell amp blasting 100 watts of white noise thru my £1,400 dynaudio speakers every time i change an album or set the volume to zero when i want a small passing conversation with the wife.

its beyond ridiculous.