USB Audio Failing

I have a USB DAC and it is giving me a clicking sound whenever I turn it on. Worked fine in Yosemite. Seems to be something wrong with USB audio support.

This is also happening for me with my Sound Blaster X7 USB DAC. Most of the time, the output option is completely gone from the system, a reboot later it appears again. When I then play sound it is absolutely distorted. The Sound Blaster app acknowledges the connected device in both situations by the way.

I have tried 2 DAC's, Meridian Explorer, and Miyo. Meridian Explorer is 100% poppy crackling, while Miyo works shortly before becoming distorted and shutting off. I then tested both on my 10.10.3 machine and both work fine.

There is definitely an issue in El Capitan.

This appears to be fixed in beta 2! 🙂

I'm using an AudioQuest Dragonfly USB DAC. It worked without popping and cracking in 10.11 beta 1 but doesn't work without the popping in beta 2. Beta 2 went downhill for me!

Using a set of Turtlebeach USB headphones, and it progressively degrades over time, to a point where it doesn't work, just dead air with popping in the background. Worked fine on 10.10.x, works on Windows. 10.11b2: newp.

My Sound Blaster X7 USB DAC also works again in beta 2, although the popping has appeared now. Unplugging and re-plugging the USB cable didn't help in my case.

Beta 4 now installed and clicking/popping still present through Audioqest Dragonfly 1.2. Unable to test at present on other USB DAC but may do so later today. Suspect an ongoing USB Audio issue in 10.11.

In beta 3, wakening my iMac from sleep saw random loss of the USB device (a Naim DAC). In beta 4, sound clicks and pops and eventually drops completely - only retrievable with a reboot.

I've been having this same issue in beta 3 and now beta 4.

Garbling sound once and a while but not all the time.

Also Audio goes away every once and a while.

In order to get it back either a rebbot or what I have been currently doing is opening up the midi setup app and changing the output to any other format this kicks it back on. I've tried all formats it does it with them all 44100 - 192000

I am using a Apogee Duet 2 (USB straight into an 5k iMac)

I'm not sure whether it is definitively solved yet, but I did disable Default Folder (which isn't fully compatible with El Capitan yet anyway) and so far sound has been fine. It may just be a coincidence. And I don't see why it should be linked. But so far my audio hasn't failed...

I can confirm this issue, tested with Display Audio on my Cinema Display. It's also the case for my FireWire audio interface (Focusrite Saffire PRO 14). My Digital Out is working fine.

Same problem here running Beta 4 15A226f on a Macbook Air

VOX wouldn't play the files right. BUT I managed to play them right using Audirvana Plus 2.1.1 in Exclusive access mode

(Schiit Modi at 96/24)

Issue still exists with Beta 5

Agreed, issues still persists in beta 5

Using Beta 5.

Issues got worse 😟

Same issue with Public Beta 1 & 2 with AudioQuest Dragonfly DAC via USB on MacMini 2014:

Rattling periodic noise overlay on audio signal. Public Beta 2 even worse than Public Beta 1, Beta 1 worked at 96kHZ, Beta 2 shows wrong behavior at all rates

Yeah, I am using Public Beta 3 and my USB DAC (an Emotiva XDA-2) actually caused a significant slowdown in Dolphin, which relies on CoreAudio. Hopefully these issues are worked out before the general release.

Beta 6.. issue still there.

In beta 5 and6 I get a good 15-20min before having to change the midi audio hz format

Beta 6 seems to have fixed my USB Dragonfly DAC problem. ( This is on a late 2012 iMac)

I've downgraded from Beta 5 to Beta 3. I can confirm that this issue was introduced in Beta 4, Beta 3 is running without audio issues. Did anyone test Beta 6?

My Sound Blaster X7 cracking / popping issues have been resolved in Beta 6. The whole USB audio system seems to break down erratically though:

04.08.15 17:44:41,000 kernel[0]: 021026.687577 IOUSBHostHIDDevice@00400000,4: IOUSBHostHIDDevice::readInterruptPipeAsyncGated: IO not permitted

I'm having exactly the same issue verified by my Meridian Explorer and Audeze Deckard.

Yha still having issues with my Duet2 but they do seem like they changes something..

After awhile audio does stop working and I restart it with the midi

But what I also noticed is at time audio kicks out and seems to fail over to the next device in the list say iMac speakers then that one will also fail over a bit

seems to go like that then totaly go out now...

This has become very annoying espcialy becuase I like listening to music while I work during the day..

I will also add I am mostly using iTunes - Radio don't know what effect if any or if it's even related but more info the better I guess.

I'm using the public beta (currently version 3) on my machine with a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 audio interface, and audio fails every 10-30 minutes. I've reported it via the Feedback Assistant, but I wanted to throw my feedback on the pile here as well.

— Charles