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Review: ZERO 24 BIT/192KHz DAC/Headphone Amp/Pre-Amp - Page 186

post #2776 of 9242
5/5/08 at 1:25pm
It may not be a question of honesty but it seems like we have two different chips.

Perhaps the chips have changed how they look on the outside.
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post #2777 of 9242
5/5/08 at 2:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by coredump View Post
It may not be a question of honesty but it seems like we have two different chips.

Perhaps the chips have changed how they look on the outside.
Agreed. No one is saying Tube_buyer is doing anything intentionally, just that he may have a batch or two which are suspect.
The two I have seem to not match up with what has been written about 'genuine' 627B's

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f5/rev...ml#post4173197
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post #2778 of 9242
5/5/08 at 9:19pm
Thread Starter 
The last time this chip authentication thing went round and round, not much was figured out. In the end, it will come down to: Do yours sound good?
Until then, I wouldn't worry too much. Tube_buyer has always been good to me, so I'm fairly sure he'll be good to others as well.

As for the possibility that Lawrence might mess someone over on their order, I have not heard of this happening at all. Any problems that have happened were eventually solved with Lawrence taking it in the shorts, to make sure everyone was happy. In this day and age, with a seller from China, this is very, very good business practice and Lawrence deserves a kind word or two, IMHO.
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post #2779 of 9242
5/5/08 at 9:33pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kezzbot View Post
Ouch. Sorry for your bad luck.

Now i feel nurvous about my order.
Don't be worried. I'm sure your order will work out just like everyone else's has. Krendopolis is still upset that he killed his Zero a very long time ago, and his situation doesn't represent the majority of experiences here, that I have seen.

It's like homework excuses. My dog ate it. The car ran over it. The post lost it. It magically caught fire. My sister flushed it down the toilet. In the end, it is just another excuse for "sheit happens".
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post #2780 of 9242
5/5/08 at 11:04pm
Hey guys, quick question.

I got my Zero in last week from Lawrence and I have what seems to be an odd problem...

If I plug my cans directly into the unit, volume in the left channel is lower than the right channel. I noticed this by slowly turning the volume up and getting sound in my right ear before my left.

If I put the unit into preamp mode and plug my headphones into another amp the sound balance is fine.
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post #2781 of 9242
5/5/08 at 11:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by coredump View Post
It may not be a question of honesty but it seems like we have two different chips.

Perhaps the chips have changed how they look on the outside.
Exactly. If you look at this page it will show the layout of production chips. There are multiple different designs, one reason why this is difficult to discern any fakes. Add to that TI bought BurrBrown in 1996, while the chips havebeen in production since 1991.

Penchum is absolutely right, go by how it sounds. Also, be careful throwing around "this seller has fakes, I know because 'add theory here'". Amateur sleuthing should not be used to damage reputations.

Why am I writing this? Because my amps are in for repair, the zero is on order and my K701's are at APS for recabling. Add to that I have finals all this week and next. And finally I received my Brilliant Green cd's and I can't listen to them
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post #2782 of 9242
5/6/08 at 12:10am
Well I just got two paper cuts so I win.
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post #2783 of 9242
5/6/08 at 2:12am
timb I also have the lower left volume when slowly turning up the pre-amp volume (with headphone plugged in), but only at really really low volumes, as soon as I get to a low-but-listenable volume, the left and right channel are equal in volume.
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post #2784 of 9242
5/6/08 at 2:38am
Quote:
Originally Posted by timb View Post
Hey guys, quick question.

I got my Zero in last week from Lawrence and I have what seems to be an odd problem...

If I plug my cans directly into the unit, volume in the left channel is lower than the right channel. I noticed this by slowly turning the volume up and getting sound in my right ear before my left.

If I put the unit into preamp mode and plug my headphones into another amp the sound balance is fine.

If I keep the unit in headphone mode and plug my headphones into another amp (thus being able to control the volume via the Zero) the sound is balanced fine.

In the last scenario, the sound is still being running through the headphone amp circuit, right? If that's the case what could the problem be?
This happens to all Zero's. It's a matter of the potentiometer inside.
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post #2785 of 9242
5/6/08 at 3:20am
Alright, then my next question is: Has anyone replaced their potentiometer with one that doesn't suck?
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post #2786 of 9242
5/6/08 at 4:03am
Lol, it doesn't suck at all, I use it with my Grado's (32ohm) all the time, and the only time you can hear a difference between the left and right channel is with very very low volume. Does it really bother you?
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post #2787 of 9242
5/6/08 at 4:44am
I recently bought a pair of OPA627BPs. The last piece I need to complete my recent audio splurge is an adapter for the 627s.

Until a day or two ago I was under the impression that all I would need is a 'browndog'. Now I understand that this is just the bottom part and that two sockets need to be welded on top of this. So I'm thinking.. hmmm... I have no welding experience or equipment, and I must not be alone there...

Where are you guys buying your adapters? What is a complete adapter with the sockets already installed called? How much do they sell for? Are there any that are considered of higher quality than others?

K, as always, I appreciate the help.
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post #2788 of 9242
5/6/08 at 5:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by vvanrij View Post
Lol, it doesn't suck at all, I use it with my Grado's (32ohm) all the time, and the only time you can hear a difference between the left and right channel is with very very low volume. Does it really bother you?
Yea, it does bother me. Comfortable listening volume with my HD590s isn't really that high up (the line on the volume knob would be about level pointing to the left). I just measured it, and at that volume the left channel is still a tad lower than the right.

Now if I, say, go into iTunes and set the preamp to -12 dB, then crank the Zero up, it becomes even. I personally don't think this is the correct solution.

I'm a bit OCD about things being even, and I just know this is going to bug the hell out of me until I can fix it...
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post #2789 of 9242
5/6/08 at 5:06am
I ordered 2 627's and 1 browndog adapter from the diykit store, and it was already welded and everything, good to go! I just had to plug it in.
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post #2790 of 9242
5/6/08 at 5:09am
Ow all the way to the left horizontal? Mine is already even by that volume. Its just the very very beginning I can hear it, I also listen at about left horizontal (maybe slightly less).
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