[The Monkey]

IPodPJ, I remember you said that Kingwa wished he had more time to test the DAC. Do you think he ever really felt comfortable with it?

 

[IPodPJ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lag0a /img/forum/go_quote.gif IPPJ, have you tried just using a stock power cord on the DAC? Maybe all that power cable switching confused the power circuitry of the DAC.

I hope you're not serious.

I mentioned earlier in the thread that I wound up eventually using the stock power cord as I felt it sounded best with the RE1.

 

[IPodPJ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Monkey /img/forum/go_quote.gif IPodPJ, I remember you said that Kingwa wished he had more time to test the DAC. Do you think he ever really felt comfortable with it?

I don't know, but read my previous posts about what I said about testing the switches.

Anyway, after several e-mail exchanges, Kingwa has agreed to send me a new unit first. I told him please no customizations

and to take as long as you need to test it and make sure it works perfectly.

The one thing we have always been able to say about Kingwa is that he does his best to please the customer and I commend him for that.

 

[lmswjm]

I didn't mention earlier about the conditon of the RE1 and CD7 upon delivery. No issues with tape, loose fitting panels, etc. Overall A+ except, one of the plastic feet on the CD7 appears to have cracked during shipment. Kingwa says he'll ship out a replacement ASAP.

I'm at approx 350 hours on the RE1, and it has really started to blossom. For the first time, I've experienced holographic realism I didn't know was possible. It helps that I recabled my D7000's with Aural Harmony's Cryo-Gold. What amazing wire it is.

I've got this Vivaldi disc featuring mandolins, lutes in a chamber ensemble that is very well recorded. There aren't too many instruments, and they have their own distinct sound that is ideal to experience separation at it's finest. The plucking is so palpable, it's eerie. There's an effervescence to the music that is so incredibly enjoyable. The bowed cello feels like it's breathing in your ear. The bass is so perfectly controlled (due in part to headphone burn-in, recable and JMoney pads). I wouldn't normally listen to this disc as much if it weren't for the Kingwa combo.

 

[IPodPJ]

.

 

[scootermafia]

So Kingwa only pays your return shipping if you get the cheapest option? Shady. Why anyone would send a $1700 back via donkey mail is anyone's guess....seems risky.

 

[IPodPJ]

Well, I was just about to send out my DAC to someone who Kingwa asked me to, when I decided to try one more thing. The other day he told me to make sure DIP 7 was set to ON (because they were all set to off when he had done the customizations, whether this was on purpose or not I have no idea). I had done that and noticed no difference the other day, maybe the unit was on at the time, I'm not sure. Well today I decided to give it one more shot and I switch DIP 7 back to the ON position and I hear no sound. Apparently, I didn't realize my headphones weren't plugged in today so I plugged them in and rebooted the DAC. It's working! I turn it off again just to make sure. It's still working. No inverted sound. I change songs, do everything I can think of to make sure it still works. And it does. Unfortunately, since I disconnected all the other customizations, now I have two wires twisted together so I need to have someone solder them properly.

There is still one issue however and I think there is a grounding issue with the unit. When I turn the A/C on and off, it no longer throws the DAC back into normal phase but I can still hear the clicking. I also hear that same clicking/drop out in music every few minutes. My Power Plant Premier arrived at my office today so I will be bringing it home tonight and trying it. Hopefully, that eliminates any of the ground issues but at best it would be a patch.

Does anyone else here have a Ref1 and an A/C wall unit or a fan or anything they can plug in on any circuit in their home (but preferably one close to the unit), turn it on and off, and see if it makes a clicking noise/drop out in your music from the Ref1? And please try it a few times to make sure. If you don't have that problem, then there is something not properly grounded in this unit and perhaps Kingwa can have it repaired for me. This doesn't occur with any of my other gear so I can only conclude that it is an issue with this particular Ref1.

But at least one problem seems to be fixed (the major one), and I'm happy about that. I'll deal with the other soon if the PPP doesn't eliminate it altogether.

 

[IPodPJ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by scootermafia /img/forum/go_quote.gif So Kingwa only pays your return shipping if you get the cheapest option? Shady. Why anyone would send a $1700 back via donkey mail is anyone's guess....seems risky.

That's not what he said. He said he covers $120 max both ways, because that's what it cost to ship DHL from China to USA (which happens to be very fast service). Unfortunately, to send the Ref1 from the USA to China costs $200 via USPS (slow mail) and about $400 to send it via DHL, UPS, or FedEx.

 

[sandchak]

Quote:

Originally Posted by scootermafia /img/forum/go_quote.gif So Kingwa only pays your return shipping if you get the cheapest option? Shady. Why anyone would send a $1700 back via donkey mail is anyone's guess....seems risky.

Well he pays for what you paid for shipping the gear to you - thats the max limit, so if you can ship it DHL at the rate he shipped you the gear its fine with him.. I mean if you paid Kingwa USD200 to ship your gear, then that is the max he will compensate for shipping the gear back to him + free ship back to you, which I think is fair enough.

EDIT - PJ, glad to hear that at-least the major problem is solved, I have an AC running too, but I had rewired the house lately, and my audio gears have dedicated lines which is why I dont hear the clicking noise..

 

[IPodPJ]

Thanks sandchak.
I finally found a package that weighs more than the Audio-gd gear!! My PPP arrived at my office and the box weighs 46 lbs.

 

[les_garten]

Quote:

Originally Posted by IPodPJ /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well, I was just about to send out my DAC to someone who Kingwa asked me to, when I decided to try one more thing. The other day he told me to make sure DIP 7 was set to ON (because they were all set to off when he had done the customizations, whether this was on purpose or not I have no idea). I had done that and noticed no difference the other day, maybe the unit was on at the time, I'm not sure. Well today I decided to give it one more shot and I switch DIP 7 back to the ON position and I hear no sound. Apparently, I didn't realize my headphones weren't plugged in today so I plugged them in and rebooted the DAC. It's working! I turn it off again just to make sure. It's still working. No inverted sound. I change songs, do everything I can think of to make sure it still works. And it does. Unfortunately, since I disconnected all the other customizations, now I have two wires twisted together so I need to have someone solder them properly. There is still one issue however and I think there is a grounding issue with the unit. When I turn the A/C on and off, it no longer throws the DAC back into normal phase but I can still hear the clicking. I also hear that same clicking/drop out in music every few minutes. My Power Plant Premier arrived at my office today so I will be bringing it home tonight and trying it. Hopefully, that eliminates any of the ground issues but at best it would be a patch. Does anyone else here have a Ref1 and an A/C wall unit or a fan or anything they can plug in on any circuit in their home (but preferably one close to the unit), turn it on and off, and see if it makes a clicking noise/drop out in your music from the Ref1? And please try it a few times to make sure. If you don't have that problem, then there is something not properly grounded in this unit and perhaps Kingwa can have it repaired for me. This doesn't occur with any of my other gear so I can only conclude that it is an issue with this particular Ref1. But at least one problem seems to be fixed (the major one), and I'm happy about that. I'll deal with the other soon if the PPP doesn't eliminate it altogether.

What source is this clicking occuring with? I mean Ultimate source.

.

 

[IPodPJ]

I'm not sure what you mean "ultimate source" ?

When I use the analog outs from my Transporter to my amp, squeezebox to my amp, Blu-Ray player to my amp, computer sound card to my amp.... none make the clicking/drop out noise. Only when the Ref1 is hooked up (via RCA, CAST, or XLR to the amp, same thing) does the drop out occur, regardless of whether it's hooked up via RCA digital coax out from the squeezebox to the Ref1, RCA or BNC digital coax out from the Transporter to the Ref1, RCA digital coax out from my soundcard to the Ref1, or RCA digital coax out from my Blu-Ray player to the Ref1. So it's the Ref1 that has the problem.

 

[les_garten]

Quote:

Originally Posted by IPodPJ /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm not sure what you mean "ultimate source" ? When I use the analog outs from my Transporter to my amp, squeezebox to my amp, Blu-Ray player to my amp, computer sound card to my amp.... none make the clicking/drop out noise. Only when the Ref1 is hooked up (via RCA, CAST, or XLR to the amp, same thing) does the drop out occur, regardless of whether it's hooked up via RCA digital coax out from the squeezebox to the Ref1, RCA or BNC digital coax out from the Transporter to the Ref1, RCA digital coax out from my soundcard to the Ref1, or RCA digital coax out from my Blu-Ray player to the Ref1. So it's the Ref1 that has the problem.

That's what I was asking. I guess when you relocated it to your "office" it was clicking there.

.

 

[Currawong]

Interesting, switch 7 is the NOS switch. He would have switched it off so it could be controlled by the external switch instead. The list of DSP switches is here.

 

[IPodPJ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by les_garten /img/forum/go_quote.gif That's what I was asking. I guess when you relocated it to your "office" it was clicking there. .

My "office" ? Is that supposed to mean you don't believe me or something? Yes, it was still clicking there, too. At the time though switch 7 was still set to OFF, but that was another issue that is apparently separate from this one.

I just got my PPP plugged in so I'm going test it out now and see what happens. I'll report back in a little while.

Curra,
If switch 7 is for OS or NOS, then something is wrong with it because the sound should not be "inverted" whether NOS is active or not.