Technical Problem or Worst Luck in the World?

Good questions.

Here are some more:

1) Speakers connected to nothing don’t make any noise. Correct? (btw, what is speakers operating “normally”?)

2) Speakers connected to something else with RCA cable don’t make any noise. Correct?

3) If you don’t hook up the laptop to the controller, just the speakers to the master out, does the sound exist?

4) Have you tried various USB-ports?

5) Have you tried a different RCA cable?

6) Have you tried a different USB cable?

Greetinx.

Ok, I got a bit lost when you talked about “USB to speaker”. Just took a look at the speakers and they can indeed be hooked up by USB. Not sure how having both speakers and controller hooked up by USB AND the controller connected to the speakers via RCA would react. Seems like a bit of an unhealthy triangle. But … that does not explain why you hear the same stuff going into the shop.

Did you try with other headphones in the shop, or with your own?

Just trying to help pinpoint potential problem areas here.

I don’t see how whatever it is that is wrong can mess up your controller that bad that it will have permanent problems after hooking it up even once. What is also strange is that with the DDJ you don’t seem to have the headphone problems anymore.

Have you tried all the things with the DDJ as well?

Here’s what I would try to do – in this order:
1) Unhook everything from your speakers (USB and RCA)
2) Unhook everything from the DDJ
3) Use (or get one) one of those USB power outlet adapter thingies (like the ones you use in your car, but for mains). Something like this: https://ffshoppen.s3.amazonaws.com/image/643/normal/8-usb-adapter-220v.jpg
4) Attach your headphones to the DDJ
5) Power the DDJ with it’s USB cable attached to the outlet adapter
6) Check for strange sounds in your headphones
7) Hook up your speakers to the controller with the RCA (outputs controller to input speakers obviously). Do NOT reconnect the speakers with USB to the laptop
8) Check for odd sounds in your headphones and for odd sounds in your speakers (play around with master volumes if necessary)
9) Unhook the USB cable from the adapter and hook up to the laptop
10) Check for odd sounds in your headphones and speakers

Depending on when the noise starts to appear, you should be able to deduce what the problem area is.

Greetinx.

Hi,

Yeah, the MC2000 sounds like it might just have been shot. The odd thing is that you have not the same, but similar problems with the DDJ. The way you hooked up the MC2000 seems correct, so…

The one thing that I don’t like is the “loop” that exists by having the speakers hooked up to two sources at once. That is why I made a point of saying that in the troubleshooting to have the speakers connected ONLY to the controller by RCA and nothing else to the speakers (not by USB and not by headphone jack).

Let us know what troubleshooting brings.

Greetinx.

Hey,

Your assumption was wrong :-). The speakers only need to be connected to the controller by RCA.

I have a tendency to say that this COULD be the cause (but following the troubleshooting run through that would manifest itself), BUT … it doesn’t explain why the MC2000 acted up. It is possible that you are indeed having the bad luck that you got a DOA controller and that the problems you have now are because of the “loop” with the speakers.

Personally I don’t think hooking it up like this can cause permanent damage to the controller.

Greetinx.

That would be an excellent next step indeed!

You are not comfortable with CD-quality sound? What source(s) do you use that is better than CD-quality?

Hello,

Yes. You are right. And I love CD quality sound.

However,when I compare Denon MC2000’s 16-bit 48kHz sound and external 24-bit 44.1kHz. To me,I felt 24-bit is better. Maybe my audio settings are wrong or my ears are too sensitive.

By the way,Denon MC2000’s default setting is 48kHz which is fixed value. It slightly push my CPU.

Please excuse my poor English.

cheers!

Thank you for the tips bob6937!

I’m from the analog world and trying to catch up to digital world. I might be hearing a placebo-effect.

Denon’s audio interface was straining my Mac a little bit. Actually,I deleted latest TSI files yesterday as Native Instruments knowledge base mentioned. It’s gone. But,I’m still hearing noise from headphones. And for the time being,I decided to use my external audio interface.

Thank you!