[Pricklely Peete]

Those hearing crackling/noise using the head amp section....

Check to make sure the ground wire to the pot casing is there, number 1, and if it is, that is has a solid solder joint to the pot casing....see the pic...also make sure the opamps are oriented properly and fully seated in the DIP8 sockets. If there is no ground wire present then you'll need to add one. 24 gauge solid core copper or whatever you have on hand should suffice. You'll have to clean the pot casing and rough it up (a bit) before attempting to solder the wire to it...(so it will have a solid connection that will stay put). If you have a wire there already and it's lose just re flow the solder so that adheres to the pot again.

That pot in the pic is the upgraded Alps stepped unit. Hope this helps a little.

Peete.

 

[Bencrest]

Well, mine arrived earlier, from eBay seller ' coolfungadget ' - and so far I'm very impressed!

I was expecting it to arrive DOA, and thought it was broken when I connected it to my Xbox and just got huge amounts of digital noise (clicking)... turns out that I hadn't set my Xbox to digital stereo - now it's fine

Infact, it's a very substantial improvement over my old setup (taking the phonos from the Component lead, converting them to 3.5mm and plugging into a Fiio E5)... only played a bit of Fallout 3, but there is quite a bit more detail.

I've ordered the DAC with the OPA627 setup, although I've not opened it up to check that's what I've received. I'm not wanting to open it at all, just in case it winds up faulty

Very happy though, definitely seems to add a bit more definition, especially in the treble area, which brightens my Alessandro MS2i up a bit - but not to the point where they are fatiguing. Cymbals are definitely more prominent, but not obtrusive.

Fingers crossed I get plenty more happy listening from it

Oh, mine is the USB version as well. USB seems to work fine, will set up some proper software with ASIO drivers and have a play with it later.

 

[damsonlee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by laobrasuca /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've already tested the preamp (RCA outputting to a 2.1 auto-powered speaker) and had no noise (maybe only the one I described in my last post). Just remember that the preamp and the headphone amp are activated at the same way, ie, pressing the phone bottom, so, do you hear the same noise when connecting only the headphone (unplug the RCA out)? If you don't have the same noise with the headphones, there is a small chance that it is the receiver who's cracking for some reason. Did you test using another receiver or amplifier or speaker? lao

I have contacted the seller (he is really very nice and professional) and did some diagnosis following his instruction and found it is the problem with the OPAMP627 chip. When I took off the 627 chip, the noise disappeared. The seller is going to send me a replacement chip.

 

[laobrasuca]

@Bencrest: just remember that the USB input is limited to 16bits/44.1kHz. I don't know at what resolution/frequency the audio part of Xbox games is created, but if it is something more detailed than this, it would be better to use either the coaxial or the optical input.

Quote:

Originally Posted by damsonlee /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have contacted the seller (he is really very nice and professional) and did some diagnosis following his instruction and found it is the problem with the OPAMP627 chip. When I took off the 627 chip, the noise disappeared. The seller is going to send me a replacement chip.

oh

yet another reason to believe that those OPA627 are fake. Definitively a thing to be taken into account by the new buyers.

lao

 

[damsonlee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by laobrasuca /img/forum/go_quote.gif oh yet another reason to believe that those OPA627 are fake. Definitively a thing to be taken into account by the new buyers. lao

Exactly! I knew all those bad things about the ZERO but still thought the 09 version could be better. I was wrong

 

[WLC-1989]

Quote:

Originally Posted by damsonlee /img/forum/go_quote.gif Exactly! I knew all those bad things about the ZERO but still thought the 09 version could be better. I was wrong

Out of interest, did you ever get that replacement chip, and was it the genuine article this time?

I've finally decided that I need to get an external DAC/amp, and the Zero is the best in my price range. My dilemma now is whether I should get the basic 09 version or get the 627 version and cross my fingers...

 

[coolfungadget]

Thanks for the positive comment.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bencrest /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well, mine arrived earlier, from eBay seller ' coolfungadget ' - and so far I'm very impressed! I was expecting it to arrive DOA, and thought it was broken when I connected it to my Xbox and just got huge amounts of digital noise (clicking)... turns out that I hadn't set my Xbox to digital stereo - now it's fine Infact, it's a very substantial improvement over my old setup (taking the phonos from the Component lead, converting them to 3.5mm and plugging into a Fiio E5)... only played a bit of Fallout 3, but there is quite a bit more detail. I've ordered the DAC with the OPA627 setup, although I've not opened it up to check that's what I've received. I'm not wanting to open it at all, just in case it winds up faulty Very happy though, definitely seems to add a bit more definition, especially in the treble area, which brightens my Alessandro MS2i up a bit - but not to the point where they are fatiguing. Cymbals are definitely more prominent, but not obtrusive. Fingers crossed I get plenty more happy listening from it Oh, mine is the USB version as well. USB seems to work fine, will set up some proper software with ASIO drivers and have a play with it later.

 

[damsonlee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by WLC-1989 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Out of interest, did you ever get that replacement chip, and was it the genuine article this time? I've finally decided that I need to get an external DAC/amp, and the Zero is the best in my price range. My dilemma now is whether I should get the basic 09 version or get the 627 version and cross my fingers...

Not yet. The seller said it may take 5-6 business days from Hongkong to Canada. Should be arriving soon.

 

[garson]

Is OPA627 in Zero 09 Edition fake? If it is, maybe it's better to buy version with OPA2604 (if it isn't fake

).

 

[bbbretzel]

it may be a solution.....

 

[WLC-1989]

While damsonlee waits to find out if the new OPA267s are real, can anyone with a OPA2604 Zero confirm whether they too are fake/real?

 

[mplee79]

Dude, it does not matter. Trust me when i tell you that you'll be changing it. I can guarantee you that you will. The opamps are dirt cheap to purchase from the actual makers such as Linear Technology $3.00-4.00

Opamp627 is not the end of the road in terms of quality. There are many that cost just a few dollars that are just as good in sound quality. Plus, you can get them for free by asking for samples.

It's very easy to change, you pull out the old one and drop a new one in.

If i had to do it all over again, i would've just picked up the cheapest Zero that I could and got different opamps. There is a huge list of amazing opamp combinations on the first page of the Zero review.

 

[mplee79]

There's absolutely no point in wondering whether not you're receiving a fake opamp or not. Let's face the facts, you probably are.

To avoid this inevitable reality, just get the base unit and place real ones in.

I purchased the opa627 and if they were fake, well, i never tested it. It sounded decent.

I changed it already...to a different and better one.

 

[mplee79]

Everyone interested in the Zero should first read:

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

It is a very good article by Currawang about what the zero can and can not do for you.

 

[WLC-1989]

Ok guys, thanks for your advice. I'll go ahead and buy the basic one and upgrade it myself.

Good luck with your purchases, fingers crossed you don't have to change them!