[RonD2]

dagordon,

I have had a very similar experience. I took the unit apart and found that the PCM1796 chip has blown. Not sure why this happened.

I, also, really liked the sound of it, particularly on the fixed output.

Eddie asked that I send the board back to him. UPS quoted me $89 to ship it!

Does anyone know of a cheaper alternative to ship from the US to HK?

Ron

 

[abs@nilenet.com]

UPS and Fedex will rip you off. I would recommend USPS Global EMS if you want it to get there quickly. You are looking at about $25.00 with Global EMS.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RonD2 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Eddie asked that I send the board back to him. UPS quoted me $89 to ship it! Happy Listening! Does anyone know of a cheaper alternative to ship from the US to HK? Ron

 

[RonD2]

Andy,

Thanks! USPS Global EMS it is. That's much more reasonable.

Ron

 

[lesserpanda]

I wonder why it happened. Did you leave the power on all the time? Eddie once advised that the unit should not be left on all the time.

I have the unit for 7 months now. So far it is working nicely and I am very happy with the music coming out of the Fixed Out.

 

[RonD2]

I have had mine since mid-December. I have it on much of the time as I use it for my (Direct)TV (opt) and DVD playback (aux) as well as for my PC-based music playback via coax (Juli@).

It was not on 24/7.

I did have a transient problem with the variable out a few weeks ago. The volume on one channel was significantly lower than the other and it stopped responding to the remote. Just disassembling and reassembling the unit seems to have fixed this though I can't say that I actually found anything wrong. It worked well for 7-10 days after that. Then the digital inputs stopped working (it did not happen while playing) while the aux input continued to function normally through either output.

Dissembling the unit (a LOT of screws to do this btw) shows a burnt BB chip but nothing else obviously wrong to me (though I am not an electrician by any means).

I have to say again that this thing sounds great with the fixed out easily besting the Squeezeboxes (both modded and unmodded) that I also have.

I also found it to be a great way to get nice HT stereo sound. Note that I am not an action movie, surround sound fan so I have different expectations than many. Good stereo sound is really excellent for many video sources and should not be casually dismissed, imo.

Also, the remote control for both input and volume via the variable out make it very convenient.

I have both the fixed and variable outputs connected to a selector switch and then into an amp. Serious listening always demands the use of the fixed out as it sounds significantly better to me. I miss the remote control when I do this, however.

I did ship the circuit board back today. It was about $30 via the USPS and should get there in about three days (they say). Eddie has been very responsive.

 

[lvis]

question for citypulse owners...with the fixed out, is the volume the same whatever source is plugged in? (optical, coax or aux)

 

[lesserpanda]

yes.

however, i use only coaxial and optical.

 

[Magsy]

Got mine from the shop in HK, man that was quite an experience. I assume the guy I met was Eddie, he spoke good english and seemed to know his game. He told me to get this over the Lite DAC68, cheaper and better. They made a big thing about sitting down and listening to the actual DAC I was buying. They then boxed it infront of me and gave me some freebies, they were all out anyway because he runs them 24/48hrs.

I bought it to go with the balanced Beta 22 I am building, purely because it has balanced output. I wanted a Great March 2 but couldn't find it during my 36 hrs in HK.

It ain't so ugly in the flesh and is very well machined, accurate fit of lids etc but the buttons can be a little sticky. The case is thick and heavy, very solid. The remote makes a good kosh should you need to knock anyone out, wish they had finished it better though because it makes a talking point.

Taking it appart involves removing every screw and small hands. Very big pain in the arse and takes a lot of time. Inside build is great, bit of flux residue on the board and dull joints (lead free probably) but everything fits within the outlines and is finished well. Caps appear to all be Rubycons except the output caps which are Rifa MMK and the PSU caps which are Nichicon FW. It appears like a professional product PCB wise, not like some of the other DAC's I've seen.

Built in headamp is ok, NE 5532 opamp follwed by some kind of buffer. I'm never going to use it but it is tolerable and has good volume with some authority.

I've run it for 48 hours solid playing music and I still don't like the way it sounds. I prefer my modded 0404 by quite a lot, this shouldn't be. High's are harsh and it just never evelops me and sucks me in, it is metallic sounding also. Sounds very similar on Optical or Coaxial, Coax having the edge for me. Upsampling does soften it a little but blurs the sound imo and is best left off (I normally run 176.4k with the Emu, so I like upsampling)

I would not class this as (much of) an upgrade from a stock EMU 0404.

I'm in two minds to sell or mess with it. I'm thinking I may replace all the Rubycons and put Auricaps?(I would normally use BG N) in the output, also tidy up the Coax input, BNC direct to the receiver. I am leaving it run 24/7 in the vain hope it may improve but it is never going to make me go 'wow' compared to the lowly 0404.

 

[lvis]

keep us updated as you burn it in. From the previous threads..people have been saying this thing takes a long time to burn in . im very interested in this dac as well as its usb brother.

 

[ack_0220]

Hi everyone,

I am using my citypulse on my computer with Foobar and Asio4all.
I've been trying out the 2xFs lately, on certain tracks it sounds better, more natural and less noise, but it makes some popping sounds sometimes, not very loud but audible. When i turn the Fs off, its ok. Was wondering if any of you guys have any idea on this. Also, what sampling rate does the 2xFs actually upsample to?

 

[lesserpanda]

anything more to say about this dac?

 

[lvis]

anyone compared this to lite dac 60?

 

[gitarretyp]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lvis /img/forum/go_quote.gif anyone compared this to lite dac 60?

I did this past week. I posted a review on audiocircle.

 

[HumanMedia]

Just a comment on my 7.2x findings reported earlier, replacing digital-in RCAs with 75Ohm BNC, using nice copper analog RCA's output plugs, using a VHAudio Flavor 2 powercord, upgrading the two caps in output and lots of vibrational damping, Eddies clock upgrade, seemed to correct 95% of the deficiencies of this DAC especially in the high frequencies.

Wish they did all this at the factory eh?

 

[paulb30]

humanmedia - I was reading your upgrades with interest - and I am looking to get a warm sounder from my citypulse 2.03e. Chatting with Wu - it seems that the same mod can be applied to this model.

Being competent with a soldering iron - but not competent with the inner workings of the DAC - are the output caps easy to find? Can you give me some pointers? - I might try the same thing as you.