The DNA amps do have pretty special synergy with the Utopia.
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This post makes a lot of sense to me, and I appreciate it. I agree that I should investigate all those little things before sending it off to Donald (even though it’s just one state to the south of me). Regarding the statement below, wouldn’t the noise floor be symmetrical? Does the fact that hum pot on left channel allows me to eliminate anything audible (but the hum pot on the right does not) suggest something specific to the amp?
I have been in touch with Donald and will ask him more on this directly…
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If you can get the left channel silent with a power tube in there, if you swap that tube to the right side can you null it out with the pot? It’s unclear what you have actually done to sort this out.
Are you adjusting the pot slowly as sometimes you can miss the sweet spot. How long have these tubes been burnt in for?
The fact that you are finding the noise to improve over time suggests potential burn in factors.
Also, do you use any kind of power conditioning?
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Thanks for chiming in! Here is what I have done:
Nope, moving the quiet tube on the left to the right results in hum on the right, and even after micro-adjustments I just can’t get it down below a certain point.
I only bought this units (and the tubes) about a month ago, and I am not clear on how old the tubes are but it’s worth asking the seller how many hours he thinks they have on them.
No, I do not do any power conditioning. I asked donald about this and he doesn’t use them, so really had no opinion on whether they would help but he certainly didn’t jump out and recommend one.
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If the noise doesnt follow the tube when you switch them, it is probably not from the tubes.
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Hey all,
I’ve got another noise issue I’m hoping you can help me solve.
I’m hearing a ringing which seems to be related to interference between RCA cables (Kimber hero connecting dac<>stratus) and usb cable (inakustik referenz connecting streamer <> ddc). It gets better/worse as I move those respective cables but I can’t make it go away completely or keep the cables in the right positions
any tips? Happy to send a photo too if that helps.
Thanks in advance!
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I was able to route the USB cable in a way that eliminated the noise! Issue resolved 
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Ugh. After an hour it came back, albeit quieter. Does this sound like a ground loop? Do I need to better shield the Kimber Hero?
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Can you describe the sound in more detail, I can’t say I’ve ever had an issue with ringing.
Ground loops are usually hums.
The obvious thing to try first is try it with generic cables, that will at least confirm it’s a cabling issue, then swap each cable in independently, might help identify if it’s one of the cables or the combination.
I have had weird issues with cables, that turned out to be a bad solder connection on the cable, it appeared to “fix itself when moved around, so it’s worth swapping cables to see what happens.
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I’d describe it as a constant, fairly high pitched tone. I definitely would not call it a hum. Actually, I hear it over/alongside the hum I mentioned earlier in the thread and am just living with.
I tried a basic cheap RCA cable and… it is gone. So, I guess the $125 Kimber cable I bought is the source of the “ringing” issue!
Thank you, @Polygonhell !
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I just spoke with Brett at Kimber and he is going to look for a demo unit of a shielded version of the Hero- fingers crossed!
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One other question that occurs to me:
Is the noise noticeable or lessened on headphones other than the Utopia? In other words with a less sensitive headphone?
I know it doesn’t help in that you want to listen with the Utopia, but I am curious.
I’m currently experiencing intermittent noise issues with my new Cayin amp. Sometimes it’s there, sometimes not, and more noticeable with more sensitive headphones.
I’m pretty sure it’s some variety of RF noise, but it’s annoying so I understand how vexing it can be! The sad thing is there’s not a lot I can do in the placement of various things in my setup. I can try moving my router, maybe reposition the USB cable to my DAC, but not a lot else! I feel your pain!
If it’s RF, sometimes just rotating a piece of equipment is enough.
Routers have a very distinct noise signature, it’s kind of intermittent high pitched brr tick brr brr type sounds
If it’s intermittent, it’s sometimes worth cataloging the times you hear it, it’s probably something that’s turned on occasionally, lights, fridge, stovetop etc.
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At least it’s nice to know I am not alone!!! Thanks for reaching out.
The noise is certainly less noticeable on less sensitive headphones. At first, I couldn’t hear it all on my Meze Elite’s, but strangely I actually can hear it now. And not surprisingly, I can absolutely hear it from IEMs.
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in my case, it is constant (not intermittent)