[Distroyed]

So I was doing some testing with a really old Sylvania CR-2742 receiver (~1972) as a headphone amp, sending the analog out of my 0404 into it. I was testing out the various input sources in hopes of lowering the horribly high noise floor (noticing sparks when placing the connections in; apparently nothing was shielded back then...), but when I gave up, reconnected my headphones directly to the analog out of the 0404, the bass was completely gone in the left side! Everything else seems slightly recessed on that ear as well. The total output volume is significantly lower as well. I swapped headphones and tried with a different source to make sure. Any ideas as to what happened and if it can be repaired cheaply/easily? The soundcard is over a year old; think Creative will provide any assistance?

 

[sgrossklass]

The sparks you saw prossibly resulted from different ground potentials. Measure the voltage (AC) from both the comp's case and receiver ground to an outlet's ground prong. One of them will probably not be grounded correctly, with something like half the mains voltage on it (or more). This may well fry an opamp, coupling caps can't keep everything away. (One of these might also be fried.)

 

[Distroyed]

Is there a way to determine which component got fried? My guess would be an opamp since the volume is halved overall, twice as much in one ear. Do opamps have to match? Ie, do I have to swap out both (assuming there's a left and right one) if one is blown?

 

[grandenigma1]

...sorry but you name is incredibly ironic

and no you would not have to swap out both, just the fried one.

 

[Distroyed]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grandenigma1 ...sorry but you name is incredibly ironic and no you would not have to swap out both, just the fried one.

I chose it in auspice of this very event :b

But if I only swap the one, would the sound quality of the left vary from the right, as well as the volume? Is there a voltage test I can do to confirm that a dead opamp is indeed the situation?

 

[grandenigma1]

you "shouldnt" notice any difference... maybe the first few hrs but not after...

however, if I were you I would take this opportunity and look into modding your soundcard... if you will be replaceing and soldering stuff might as well upgrade

 

[Distroyed]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grandenigma1 however, if I were you I would take this opportunity and look into modding your soundcard... if you will be replaceing and soldering stuff might as well upgrade

I was thinking the same thing. This is exactly the kick in the pants I needed to take my shaky hand in for some mods I've always wanted to try. I'll be hitting the search function, but can anyone provide some affordable recommendations? I've done a small amount of soldering before, but certainly not to the point where I feel comfortable doing it, namely because I'm never certain I'm touching the right component!

 

[grandenigma1]

http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showt...light=0404+mod

just a quick one I came across

 

[Distroyed]

So does anyone know of a way for me to determine which part I fried exactly in this before I go ordering opamps and ripping things apart? Everything sounds completely normal when I throw the volume about 95% to the left channel and then double the volume. Pics disclosing the parts I should replace would be godlike :b

 

[MrD]

Apologies for this thread invasion, but I have recently purchased an 0404 from ebay and it is exhibiting almost exactly the same symptoms, though perhaps with slightly less imbalance towards the left. The seller, of course, insists that it was in full working order when he sent it, and I don't wish to disbelieve him based on the current evidence, but if he's not co-operative it doesn't exactly help me, especially since it is not under warranty.

I know virtually nothing about audio equipment, so these references to opamps mean nothing to me - does it seem as if my card is suffering the same problem, and am correct in assuming it couldn't possibly have happened in transit unless there are obvious signs of physical damage (which there aren't, though I need to look more closely)? Or could I - embarrassingly, given the countless number of PCI components I've installed in the past - have damaged it during installation? It's not an eventuality I particularly want to consider, and although as usual I took no anti-static precautions (who does?) I can't see what could possibly have gone wrong, but I mustn't rule it out nevertheless.

It might be worth noting that when I received it I did not have the required 2x 6.3mm phono -> 2x RCA cable, so I created a makeshift version using two 3.5mm phono -> 2x RCA cables each with 3.5->6.3mm convertors. This produces exactly the same results as with the single cable I later obtained, but at the time I attributed it to the use of stereo rather than mono convertors causing the balance to shift, while obviously failing to account for the fact that the outputs are mono in the first place. Could this have had any effect? If I connect it to my 5.1 speaker set via SPDIF coax the output level sounds right, and I don't think there's any channel imbalance, though it's difficult to tell exactly using its small satellite speakers.

If anyone can tell me anything that might be useful it would be greatly appreciated, as at the moment I have no idea where to go from here.

 

[Asmo]

Have you guys read through the threads on www.productionforums.com about the problems with the 0404s and losing volume in one side? Might be a good idea to post there instead of here, you will get official E-MU technical support there.

 

[Distroyed]

Thanks Asmo, I completely forgot that forum exists.

 

[Distroyed]

MrD - well, there are too many variables for you to definiteively pin it on the seller, but before making accusations, you may want to determine if it's a problem with complaining about. Ie, if it doesnt affect sound quality and you're still able to get as much power as you'll ever use out of it, is it really a big deal that you have to shift the audio to the left a little? For me, the quality is not at all affected (which I was quite relieved), but since I dont have an amp between the card and my cans, I'm not able to get the amount of power I'd like from it, making me want to replace the damaged hardware.

The forum to which Asmo provided the link is frequently trolled by Emu technicians, so asking there will shed more light if you decide to pursue the matter.

 

[MrD]

Thanks very much Asmo, I'd googled around for a forum but no managed to find anything, only this thread on a board I've been lurking on for a while (I promise my next post will be strictly headphone-related). I'll pursue the matter over there, and have also contacted E-MU tech support, who have only spoken of warranty issues and not of whether the card is actually faulty.

The major issue for me is not the imbalance but the output level, if only because one day I'm going to accidentally level my house switching from PC to CD without changing my volume, as I need to set it literally twice as high to achieve the same volume. While I suspect the quality is the same I can't confirm this as I've never heard a fully functional card, though if that is all the card is capable of I'm a little disappointed as I would rank it slightly below my old entry-level Marantz CDP. I also find the maximum volume I can achieve with my headphone amp is sufficient for standard listening but a little below the level I occasionally like to turn it up to.

So overall I can't live with the card like this, I'm happier with my onboard audio despite its inferiority. I'll do some more investigating over at the other forum, though after reading countless threads it does sound like a hardware issue to me...

 

[Distroyed]

Ok, so I've got this really strange phenomenon I just came across. I got my new Senn HD 201's today. Plugged them into my 0404 to test them out, and all the sound was coming out of the left. I went and normalized the channels so they were balanced, and everything sounded exactly like it should! I tried with all my other headphones [a variety of high, medium, and low impedance cans], and they all play out of the left channel except for the 201's. What is it about these headphones that's making my 0404 play properly on them but no others?