[PROBLEM] USB DAC working only in two ports

[andybri]

Hallo, I've MoOde installed in a Raspberry Pi4, and i use an external USB DAC (SMSL Sanskrtit, first version).
It work flawlessly in only two USB ports, if i connect it to the others ports, i don't hear nothing and i gett displayed the following message:
Failed to open "ALSA default" (alsa); Error opening ALSA device "hw:1,0"; snd_pcm_hw_params() failed: Broken pipe
I've tried to connect an usb keyboard to the ports where the DAC doesn't work, and the keyboard is ok.
I'm sorry, but i'm new to Linux and haven't found nothing about that in the forum.
Thanks in advance.

[Tim Curtis]

Which ports are causing trouble for your DAC the blue USB3 ports or the the black USB2 ports?

If it's the USB3 ports then it would suggest an incompatibility between DAC's USB chipset and Pi4 USB3.

[andybri]

The working ports are the upper USB2 and the lower USB3 
Now i'm listening to the music with the dac connected in the lower usb3 port

[Tim Curtis]

Very odd. Maybe a cable issue or something phy like that?

[andybri]

I've tried with a 30cm shielded cable. Same thing.
I've also tried to change the micro sd and to use the DAC with Raspian. Again same thing.
Hence the problem seems not strictly related to moOde.

[CallMeMike]

I've tried with a 30cm shielded cable. Same thing.
I've also tried to change the micro sd and to use the DAC with Raspian. Again same thing.
Hence the problem seems not strictly related to moOde.

Yes, it looks like a hardware-related issue... If possible:
- test with a different RPi
- test with a different USB DAC

By the way, has the problem occurred from the very beginning as soon as you've switched to another USB port?

[TheOldPresbyope]

@andybri

I didn't recognize this DAC so as is my wont I hit the InterWeb™. Have you read the AudioScienceReview report on the SMSL Sanskrit 10th DAC? Did you notice this line at the end of amir's rather negative remarks?

EDIT: with input from SMSL engineers, the USB port is under powered. Using an external power supply restores full performance. 

I don't know if your model is the same or similar, but have you tried an external power supply? Granted, amir is talking about the effect of poor power on the performance of the DAC but the behavior of the USB interface itself could be affected as well.

If that doesn't do it, and you've already tried @CallMeMike's suggestions, then perhaps you should kick this issue to the Raspberry Pi forums where the RPi hardware/firmware/software folk hang out.

Regards,
Kent

[andybri]

@CallMeMike
I'm sorry, but i haven't another pi nor another dac. Likely another dac would be the solution.
The problem appeared at the beginning, then i switched to another port and all worked.
At this point, i've tried all the ports, and i've found that only two ports are working.
Every port change was made at shutdown and restart.

@TheOldPresbyope
Ok, my dac is not the best, is a much older version compared to the dac tested by Amir, is not usb powered and have its own power supply (9v dc), but my goal was to understand why the same dac, in the same conditions, works in two ports and not in the others two. If i will found another power supply, i'll let you know if it makes any change.
Waiting for better times and better dac , i can live also with this dac plugged in the lower usb3 port.

[TheOldPresbyope]

@CallMeMike
I'm sorry, but i haven't another pi nor another dac. Likely another dac would be the solution.
The problem appeared at the beginning, then i switched to another port and all worked.
At this point, i've tried all the ports, and i've found that only two ports are working.
Every port change was made at shutdown and restart.

@TheOldPresbyope
Ok, my dac is not the best, is a much older version compared to the dac tested by Amir, is not usb powered and have its own power supply (9v dc), but my goal was to understand why the same dac, in the same conditions, works in two ports and not in the others two. If i will found another power supply, i'll let you know if it makes any change.
Waiting for better times and better dac , i can live also with this dac plugged in the lower usb3 port.

Were I you, at this point I'd present your conundrum to the Raspberry Pi gurus on the Raspberry Pi Forum. The likelihood that we moOde enthusiasts can figure out why only these two ports work on the RPi4B is aproximately zero.

Regards,
Kent

[andybri]

Ok, i'll try, given it's an unknown and non-moode-related behavior.

Thanks again and praises for your work with moode!