DAW (Logic Pro, Reason etc) distorting iTunes, Safari etc

Question

This is a problem that seems to be related to the control of the audio clock/sample rate within core audio.  Here's the scenario:
I have a DAW (I get the same problem whether the DAW is the latest version of Logic Pro, or Reason, so I'm therefore confident it's not just a Logic Pro problem) running.  There isn't a difference whether there's a project/file open within the DAW or not.  Simply by having a DAW running when I try to play audio from iTunes, or Spotify, or Soundcloud or any internet based audio such as YouTube it's distorted.  It kind of sounds like the audio is being run through a mild to medium strength Bit Crusher. 
Only if I quit the DAW can I listen to audio from any other program without the distortion.
Has anyone else experienced this problem or found a solution to it?
My audio interface is a Prism Sound Orpheus.

Answer 1

What sampling rate are your DAW's operating at?
Sometimes you'll get noise and 'bit crushing' distortion if the main OS X system is set at, say, 44khz and your DAW tries to switch to something like 88 or 96.
I often switch between 48 and 44 khz on my system (with MOTU audio hardware) and it USUALLY works seamlessly, but every now and then there's bit-crush effect as the system adjusts the sampling rate.  For some reason, the Mac will occasionally make the transition from one sampling rate to another veerrrrry sloooowly, as if changing speed limits with the lightest accelerator foot on the planet...   Might take a minute or two, but it SHOULD eventually arrive at the new sampling rate and the distortion goes away.  
SHOULD.
hope that's helpful.   As Bee Jay said, check your audio driver (for the Prism) and see who's in control of sampling rate (ie. internal clock, external, etc.)
cheers