Review: ZERO 24 BIT/192KHz DAC/Headphone Amp/Pre-Amp - Page 538

I need to put this back in my sig:

Introduction to the Zero DAC and Headphone amplifier. - Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio

Is the effect of replacing the op-amp with HDAM in the amp section of the Zero as profound as compared to the DAC?

How would the Moon HDAM do if I use it in the amp section?

Yes, that's a BIG help. Thanks!

What about upgrading the headphone opamp? Any guidance on how that's done and where to source parts?

I love me some detail in my music, but I'm a bass-whore at heart. If I'm using an OPA627AU or Moon HDAM which I'm purchasing soon, what would be the best chips for the headamp to pump the bass? I've read that the LM4562 chips are bassy and I've got some shipping to my house right now, but are there any others for better thumping bass?

Thanks a million, I searched through google and came up with the solution, and there is no more pop up sounds on the speakers, guess it had nothing to do with the sound card.

Anyway, I am pasting the solution for Winamp users - may prove helpful :



Gapless playback with Audio CD's

1. Prefs -> Plugins -> Input -> CD plugin -> config:
Checkmark "enable digital audio extraction"
Uncheck: "Use sonic engine" (see notes below)

2. Prefs -> Plugins -> Output -> DirectSound -> config:
Buffering tab: Increase "buffer ahead on track change" slider
(to eg. something between 300 and 1200ms or more if necessary)


Note: Step 1 might require a Winamp restart.

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Gapless MP3 playback

Also applies to OGG, WAV, M4A, AAC, FLAC and unprotected WMA (not DRM)

1. N/A

2. Prefs -> Plugins -> Output -> DirectSound -> config:
Buffering tab: Increase "Buffer ahead on track change" slider
(to eg. something between 300 and 1200ms or more if necessary)

3. DirectSound Output -> config -> Other tab
Checkmark: "Remove silence at beginning/end of track"

Default Cut-Off value = -40dB
I wouldn't go much higher than -30dB
A happy medium is -35dB, though the default -40dB should suffice.

eg. If you went as high as the maximum -15dB
then you will start to notice a fair few seconds of the actual music missing from the beginning & end of the track, so don't do it!

Note: As from Winamp 5.2 (with native gapless mp3 playback support), step 3 is only required if the mp3's weren't encoded with LameEnc 3.90.3 or later (the only mp3 encoder which does gapless encoding).


Important:
Changes to DirectSound Output config only take effect after playback is restarted!

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How good is the Zero DAC's sound after the basic mods in Currawong's intro thread (Moon HDAM, volume pot, etc)? Is it as good as mid-priced, well-respected DACs like the Stello Signature and the Lavry DA10? Or is it just very good for around ~200?

I have just received my Modded Zero DAC from Lawrence.
And I'm very disapointed :
It should be with HDAM, Alps pot and LC1864.
I have opened it and there is only the LC1864, no HDAM and no Modified Pot.
very very sad....
and he does not reply to my mails.

So I just want to know if i'm alone in this case, or if it is usual with him.
I think the guy is honnest but I think also that he does not understand well English.

One of it's ebay competitor offered as bonus a USB->TOSLINK converter for an updagraded version (Not HDAM) but for a lower price, I have asked him if I could have such bonus because the price was higher.
I have the USB->TOSLINK with the Zero DAC but no HDAM and no upgraded Pot.

He understands english quite well, but only when he wants.

Your not alone: http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f5/law...-senns-374621/

And many other cases recently, many mistakes, he does not properly (or at all) warrant his products when mistakes are done on his part.

No you are not alone when it comes to Lawrence, but if you write to him politely - maybe he would help.
I really hope things work out for you..

What would save me, is sending me the HDAM and pot that are missing and I will mount them myself.
But for this, I will need reply from him...and for now he does not respond...I will wait 1 day or 2 again

Well, fixing a new pot will require some soldering skills, but on the other hand the HDAM is pretty easy to install, so if you do have some soldering skills, getting down the HDAM and alps pot would be the best option.
Give him some time to write back, I understand he takes long to reply, but what other choice do you have??..

ads2 contacted me from Ebay to ask some questions and I requested he post his observations here for the good of everyone else. I had a PERFECT transaction with LC and am very happy with my Zero. But some have had bad experiences and have not been supported AT ALL by this gentleman. I won't order anything else from him because of other's experiences. The sign of a Competent businessman is how he handles problems. LC's way of problem handling is to write them off, because it will kill his profit margin for that one transaction. If he QC'd this stuff like he claims, he would have ZERO issues, pun intended.

Guys who run this thread. I'm making a formal request here that you remove reference to his product offering on this page:

Introduction to the Zero DAC and Headphone amplifier. - Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio

"We" should not be sending more unsuspecting customers to his page. With his info on this page you are "endorsing" him in my opinion. I think I have a place to get those ALPS pots.

Audio Catalog

Look at VR-16-100k on this page, I'm 99.999% sure that is the same POT at 1/3 the price.

We can also post the link to LT for the Opamps page and the link to the HDAM, so all the links are there in one place to help folks out put LC's package together for themselves.

Even though I didn't have any issues with him, I wouldn't recommend him at all, and every time I see a reference to him on the intro page, I cringe now. We shouldn't facilitate his business here with members and have them be hurt.

Les , I think you're Right.
I have buy it to LC because he was rezferenced in the forum, so for me it was a very serious seller....

I have one of these on order from obadimports.com
are they cool?

Les, thanks for that site, although it doesn't mention the particular part as Alps, I am sure it is one and at a much better price, in fact the entire site is very interesting..