Cable INteracion Question

You might want to discuss this problem with someone at SAS, and inquire if the V cable is appropriate for the location in which you are using it. It may be meant for source to preamp applications.

It sounds like the SAS IC is a Kimber-style cable made with Jena Labs wire. Does the cable have a strong stress-relief at the connector? Perhaps the solder joint was damaged in shipping. I'm not sure if that Vampire connector will let you look inside easily or not.
Hmmm.

I did an experiment this am. I reversed the directionality of the cables between the amp and preamp. Now instead of just doing it at power up, it does it every 30 seconds in a pulsating manner. It sort of sounds like an electric razor that gets gradually louder then just cuts off. It then repeats 30 seconds later. When I put the sonorans back in the system, there are no issues at all.

I was going to mention the connector(s) too, however I assumed the noise was on both channels which would pretty much (not completely) rule that out.

The pulsating phenomenon sounds to me like digital "hash" (RFI) coming from your CDP (or DAC). Unplug your digital equipment and see if the problem persists. Also, make sure your digital equipment is on a different circuit (if you can) and that it is connected to AC using a shielded power cord.

What could be causing this? Several things, but they all come down to one thing: The new IC is defective. Don't use it. Problem solved.