Hi guys,
I just joined the Zana Deux (non SE) club this week. The amp is nothing short of sensational, even in comparison to today's top of the line SS and tube amps. The one huge difference that has stood out with the Zana that separates it from anything else I've listened to is its ability to produce a vast and accurate soundstage. It really makes music
that much more enjoyable. With that said, it's hard to describe any of the other technicalities since they are well balanced to the point that music just flows properly.
I also began to use the Zana as a preamp with my speaker amplifier, and the music out of the speakers was fantastic.
I do have one issue, and I was wondering if anyone has had a similar experience or is knowledgeable enough to provide suggestions on a solution.
When I hook up audio chain up like so: Macbook Pro -> NAD M51 DAC -> Zana Deux -> Parasound A23 speaker amp -> Speakers, I occasionally get audio drops due to my speaker amp not liking something about the signal coming from the Zana Deux. If I take the Zana out of the chain, and just use the M51 DAC as the source (RCA or XLR connections), I never see the issue.
The A23 speaker amp has a High Temp LED in the front panel that is generally used to indicate that it’s overheating. Along with this, the manual states that the amp is equipped with Relay Protection, Over-Current Protection, Fuse Protection, and DC protection. I’m under the impression that my A23 is not overheating, as it’s fairly cool to the touch and the audio drop sometimes occurs shortly after turning on the A23 and playing music (So there's no way it could get hot enough to overheat), but I do see this light kick on when I observe the drop in audio. As another side note, at the beginning when I power on the amp while the Zana is acting as a preamp, I see the High Temp LED light up for a few seconds before going off and being able to play music. This does not happen with other preamps/DACs I have used in the audio chain paired with the A23.
I purchased a powered A/V distribution amplifier (http://www.amazon.com/RadioShack-Component-Distribution-Amplifier-1500320/dp/B004Z1SO9O) to attempt to re-route the signal that was coming directly from the Zana, and it seems like a workaround solution, at the loss of some quality (subjective though). The A23 High Temp LED no longer occasionally kicks on, and there is no longer a loss of audio.
I e-mailed Craig already, but just wanted to see if anyone had insight while I'm awaiting his response.