Quote:
Originally Posted by Pricklely Peete 
Sandchak,
Double check the 627 opamp in the dac section socket. If it's the AU form factor (the small adapter with an over under chip arrangement) it's possible it's been installed backwards or was poorly assembled. If it was then it will cook itself when you turn the unit on with little or vastly distorted signal being passed to the analog outs or the H/Amp section. That's one possibility, another is checking to make sure the H/Amp opamps are also installed correctly. The crescent or cutouts on the IC's themselves should all face towards the rear panel. If you can take a pic of the opamps as they are now before taking them out that would be very helpful. Post the pic and maybe we can spot something obvious.
Another possibility, and this is a remote one, is the vol pot is bad or the relay used to engage the preamp is faulty. In any event the line out or line level should function if you are hearing faint music with the cans plugged in.
One more idea, do you have another amp to run that line level signal to (other than your computer speakers) to establish if it's a conflict with the computer speakers themselves. Like a cheap receiver or integrated amp with either a head phone output or hooked up to your speakers (a regular pair, not the computer speakers).
One other test to try....isolate your computer speakers completely from the computer and only run the RCA outs from the Zero to the computer speaker inputs (2 channel stereo only) Make sure you have selected the Front pair of speakers if it's a MC setup. The only connection to the computer being the optical out.
Another option to try is making sure you don't have a level in your CP mixer low or muted, a driver conflict or configuration problem (such as 5.1 vs 2.1 etc...).
That's a lot of things to try and I hope you can get your problem nailed down soon. It seems to me that if you can hear music than it's a possible easy fix that is being overlooked somewhere.
One last note...a blown opamp will pass some signal so that's no sign of them working properly. The gain level between a blown opamp and one working properly is huge.
One more I thought of...pull the pcbs to check for shorts anywhere...untrimmed legs touching the chassis, sloppy solder clean up causing a short...gently, ever so slightly, flex the pcb's to see if anything changes while passing a signal through the DAC and H/Amp sections. Another trick is wiggle the 1/4 in jack in the Zero's H/Amp socket...it may have a cold solder joint, check the solder joints on the pot as well with a gentle flex of the pcb while powered. Visually inspect the pots solder points.
Make sure the 2 cables (of the 4 wires each) running to and from each board along the right hand side are fully seated and finally...make sure the two black power connectors are fully seated (one is the upper left hand side and the other a small 3pin on the H/amp board ).
A real quick test to see if the 627 is buggered is to try one of the H/Amp opamps in the DAC section's socket. Again this will only allow for a line level output to another amp (with speakers).
That should narrow a few of the possibilities that come to mind.
Good luck and report back...
Peete.
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Hi Peete, I had some free time, so I took these 2 pics (sorry I have a horrible camera..).
I think by the pics you can make out the the opamps are the type you mentioned and placed rightly.
Actually from the beginning I have not involved the PC, just the CD player > Zero> Speakers (klipsch 2.0 active), I also ran the same setup minus the Zero from the headphone out of the CD player to the speakers and it worked fine.
I should exclude problem with digital cables or speakers because it works fine in other setups.
I also pulled out mt NAD C541i CD player and attached the ZERO useing the vandenhull RCS as coaxial - NO Sound again..
All the wire connections you said to check, are placed as it should be.. I havent yet opened the board to see the stuffs behind, But I am waiting for the sellers reply, and I want to hear what he says before taking things apart..
Well, its bad because I bought this ONLY for the speakers as the PH100 is on its way that I would use for the headphones..
BTW, I just heard from a courier that 3 pcs of LM4562NA opamps should reach me tommorow?? Can I do anything with that? I have no clues about single and dual opamps, so I dont know if those can be placed on the ZERO opamps socket just to see if it makes any difference..
I dont know how to thank you.. but then.. Thank you..

