iFi Zen Dac V2 Ground Loop?
The picture is my current PC setup, although I’ve shifted things around and added a subwoofer as well. I’ve had my iFi Zen Dac V2 for about 4 years and it’s been fantastic for my headphones. But recently, I’ve added a speaker setup to the mix and this is where I’ve been running into trouble.
The connection chain is as follows:
- PC
- USB-A to USB-B (for data and power, no power supply connected) to iFi Zen Dac V2
- RCA to WiiM Amp Ultra
- Speaker cable to Dali Kupid speakers
So normally, everything runs beautifully. Dead silent noise floor, and very good audio. Have the Zen Dac set to variable so I can use my TruBass button on the speakers and all audio from the PC runs through the Zen Dac for headphones and speakers to simplify my setup.
The issue I’ve been running into is that when playing a game that’s intense on my PC, there’s an audible hum/buzz coming from the speakers. I landed on it potentially being a ground loop problem because the noise changes with the graphics settings on the game, and only shows up in demanding games.
Would getting a power supply for the Zen Dac alleviate this issue or is there something else I would need to look at to fix this?
Edit: I was having a similar issue previously that I solved, I think it was another ground loop between the PC and WiiM. This was solved by moving the WiiM power cord to its own plug instead of connected to the same power strip as my PC