Help with PAM8610

[ipalomo]

Hello,

First of all thanks for the work and the time invested on it.

Here is my issue, hopefully someone can help finding the solution.

Describe the bug
I have set up the audio receiver following the guide up to the DAC. Although it is not explicitly covered in the official guide, I wired the DAC audio outputs to a PAM8610 amplifier module, and from the amplifier to two external speakers.

I'm using the No Screen Analog firmware.

The device boots correctly, appears as an entity in Home Assistant / Music Assistant, and I can send music streams to it. However, as soon as I connect power to the PAM8610 amplifier's power supply, a loud buzzing noise starts coming out of the speakers. When I try to play audio, the music is completely overridden by this persistent buzz, and no actual sound is heard.

To Reproduce
Steps to reproduce the behavior:

1. Power on the full system
2. Notice the constant electrical buzzing noise.
3. Try to play audio via Music Assistant — the stream is received, but only the buzz is audible through the speakers.

Expected behavior
Clean audio playback through the external speakers via the PAM8610 without any electrical buzzing or interference.

Hardware Setup

• Board: Xiao ESP32-S3 plus (running Sendspin / SendspinZero firmware)
• DAC: PCM5102A
• Amplifier: PAM8610 (Class D stereo amplifier)
• Speakers: Two external speakers connected to the PAM8610 outputs
• Power Supply: 12V and buck converter for the ESP32 and the DAC.

** See attached wiring diagram. The GPiOS have been changed in the configuration to match the physical wiring.

[RealDeco]

i would suspect the buck converter, but i fed your image and hardware list to claude and it gave me this:

That confirms it — this is a well-documented combination, and the PAM8610 specifically has a reputation for this. A few points worth citing directly:

The PAM8610 itself is noise-prone by design. Its class-D switching oscillator runs at 250 kHz, and the chip has no RF integrator filters, so cheap breakout boards pass that switching noise straight through unless you add filtering yourself. One forum member with almost your exact setup (PCM5102A DAC feeding a PAM8610) got a noticeable whine similar to alternator whine on the PAM8610 output, but heard no noise at all when using the DAC's own headphone jack directly — which tells you the noise was being picked up or generated downstream of the DAC, in the amp stage itself, not in the I2S/digital side.

Your buck converter is a prime suspect for feeding that noise in. A user-guide troubleshooting page for this exact module states plainly: switching-mode power supplies can inject noise, and a linear regulated supply will be quieter — and the audio input cable should be kept away from the power supply cable and any switching electronics like DC-DC converters. Since your buck converter sits right next to the DAC's analog-out wiring in the layout, that's a direct match.

Given the confirmed parts, here's what to try, roughly in order of likely payoff:

1. Add a small LC filter or ferrite bead between the buck converter output and the PAM8610's power input — this is the single most reported fix for buck-converter-induced PAM8610 whine.
2. Physically separate the DAC's analog LINE OUT wires from the buck converter and its input/output leads — don't run them in the same bundle or parallel on the board.
3. Check the PAM8610's SD (shutdown) pin handling — it should be pulled low at power-on/off, not left floating, or you also get pop/crackle on top of any whine.
4. Try powering the PAM8610 from a separate, cleaner source (even a linear 12V wall adapter temporarily) as a diagnostic — if the whine disappears, the buck converter is confirmed as the source and the fix is filtering, not wiring/grounding.
5. Twisted or shielded speaker wire from the PAM8610 to the speakers also helps, since the amp itself radiates some switching noise that can be picked up by unshielded speaker leads.

If you can, try #4 first (swap the amp's power source) — it'll tell you immediately whether this is the buck converter or something in the PAM8610/wiring itself, and saves you from filtering the wrong stage.

[ipalomo]

Thank you! I will try to test these solutions and provide feedback. I will start as suggested with #4.

[RealDeco]

btw. there is ready made products that do what you want, in case you were not aware: https://sonocotta.com/esp-products/

[ipalomo]

Yes, I'm aware of these products but I already had all the components I'm using, so I was giving it a try. Thank you anyway.