Audio Issues

[metec26]

Audio for me seems completely broken in El Capitan (since early betas). I was hoping for Apple to resolve the issues but seems like that's not going to happen. I spent hours on Google trying to find a solution with no luck although many people report similar issues.

USB DAC works for a little bit then stops and the only way to get audio back is to restart (killing core audio does nothing). Also, changing the format in Midi Setup (i.e. 44100Hz to 48000Hz) also kills the audio and I have to restart.

Digital Out makes horrible crackling and popping noises. It also makes my DAC constantly click. If no audio plays for a few minutes, the audio stops working and I have to turn off the DAC and turn it back on.

The only remedy seems to be downgrading to Yosemite. Has anyone been able to resolve the audio issues in El Capitan? This is happening on MBP early '15. The fact it works fine in Yosemite, tells me the hardware is fine.

 

[Alrescha]

I'm sorry that I have no suggestions for you. I can only report that my USB DAC (TEAC) works under El Capitan. I also use the optical digital output for Dolby Digital sound with iTunes movies, that also appears to work fine.

A.

addendum:

I should add that there was a known driver issue/conflict with early versions of El Capitan and the TEAC driver. This was resolved in 10.11.2.

 

[metec26]

I'm sorry that I have no suggestions for you. I can only report that my USB DAC (TEAC) works under El Capitan. I also use the optical digital output for Dolby Digital sound with iTunes movies, that also appears to work fine.

A.

addendum:

I should add that there was a known driver issue/conflict with early versions of El Capitan and the TEAC driver. This was resolved in 10.11.2.

Thanks. I have a AudioEngine D1 DAC and there is no driver for it. Did you upgrade from Yosemite or install a fresh copy of El Capitan?

 

[fisherking]

my nuforce uDac3 has continued to work thru all versions of 10.11 (including the current 10.11.4 betas). try resetting the power manager? or pram? or another usb port? and have you contacted audioengine? just some ideas...

 

[Alrescha]

Did you upgrade from Yosemite or install a fresh copy of El Capitan?

I upgraded. I generally do, though once in a great while I will clean house and install from scratch. I do not have any problems with upgrades, but a clean install helps me get rid of my own cruft.

The TEAC I have uses a (crappy) driver for USB. The first iterations of El Capitan behaved as if this driver was not loading or not functioning. The 10.11.2 update fixed that. I haven't had any optical issues at all.

A.

 

[simon lefisch]

OP, I would contact the manufacturer of your DAC and see if they've had any complaints from other users. If so, hopefully they're working on a driver/firmware update that would help to remedy the situation.

 

[metec26]

Thanks for the suggestions. I did reach out to the manufacturer and they provided basic troubleshooting steps that I've tried already. The DAC works fine under Yosemite and Windows so I think the problem is with El Capitan. I'll try doing a fresh install at some point and see if that helps.

 

[colodane]

My FiiO USB DAC also did not operate after upgrading from Lion to El Capitan, even though it was recognized in the menu bar and could be selected as an audio source. In my case, it started working again after I unplugged the USB cable and then re-plugged it.