rowantran

Findings regarding USB DAC/Amp Audio Distortion on PulseAudio

All info is using the Audioengine D3. Unknown if these issues apply to other DACs as well. These issues likely apply to any DAC/amp setup, based on ArchWiki.

The problem was originally noted when using the D3 (via a USB extension cord but same issues occurred when plugged directly into motherboard) on an ASUS ROG Strix B350-F Gaming motherboard. When playing any audio over the DAC, it was severely distorted with a constant metallic bit-crushed effect. This issue was resolved when plugging the DAC into a USB2 port on the motherboard rather than a USB3 port.

After switching motherboards to an MSI B550-A Pro, the issue returned, even when using a USB2 port. After troubleshooting again, I found that the problematic lines were these two config lines in /etc/pulse/daemon.conf:

rowantran

Short guide detailing how to use the new drivers included in kernel (since 5.1) for an XP-Pen tablet.

As of 5.1, this method should work for at least the XP-Pen G540 and G640 (I am using a G540 but commands given should be identical across either tablet.)

Running xinput list should yield something similar to this:

$ xinput list
⎡ Virtual core pointer                          id=2    [master pointer  (3)]
⎜   ↳ Virtual core XTEST pointer                id=4    [slave  pointer  (2)]