Musical Fidelity A3 24 Up/oversampling DAC
Hello to all of my fellow AudiogoN members. I like to think that, when it comes to the ins and outs of our hobby, I have enough knowledge to work through most problems. Right now, however, I have a scenerio that I could use the help of my fellow audiophiles and it involves my new Musical Fidelity A3 24 DAC.
I know that there was an issue with the earlier units with the "lock" on a digital signal so I waited to buy one until MF said they resolved the issue. Wallah, I know own one and the sound is pretty gosh darn good but the "lock" light blinks from time to time and I occasionally hear a pop through my speakers when it does so. My immediate response was great, I'm having the same problem that others have warned me about. I did some detective work and found that it seems to be interference related to certain electrical equipment in my home. It only seems to do this when my in-ground sprinkler system is running or when we use water in the house. The only thing I can think of is noise being sent through the electrical system by the water pumps and power supplies for the water system. As strange as it sounds, I have never had it happen except during these times. I am currently running all equipment through a high-end power conditioner and surge protector.
OK, now for my questions. Anyone else out there have the A3 24 and experiencing similar problems? Any recommendations for a remedy other thank some AC noise traps like the Audioquests? Or, do you think there IS a problem with the unit? I really don't want to send the unit to MF for two months without knowing for sure, so before I start experimenting for solutions I'd like some opinions. Thanks so much.
-Jason