Recently I acquired a new iFi Pro iDSD.
Despite a few shortcomings (like a terrible remote) it sounded marvelous. However, it kept clicking and popping when turning the adjustment knobs. So Crutchfield sent me a replacement. Their service is quite fast, btw.
The replacement arrives. Even without turning any knobs, it was noisy. Static, pops, clicks. I wondered if it wasn’t a problem in my lines or setup. Did a bunch of troubleshooting. Finally, moved it away from all the other A/V gear and just plugged it in with nothing connected. There still was a little static at first. Then I switched into “tube” mode. It warms up, tube kicks in, and suddenly everything is quiet. No more static noise, even if I switch out of tube mode, turn it back on in solid state mode, hook it back up with the other audio gear, play music, stop, restart, etc.
What the heck could be going on? Did a half day’s “burn in” suddenly make it stop sounding cranky? Tube heat chased the bugs away?
This thing has a mechanical volume knob that returns to zero when it’s turned off. Then when it’s turned back on, it returns to the previous position. Maybe after a long rest, it needs a few on/off cycles?