[Elderico]

Hello everyone. My volume knob is now scratchy around 1am with my Zen Can Signature HFM. Like if there is a chip or dirt stuck in the axis.

Does anyone experience the same problem ? Has anyone been able to fix it or does it need to be sent to repair ? Sadly my warranty is gone however.
It seems the knob does not like being operated with a thumb over time. It is quite disappointing if the knob can't handle the pressure from one side. My unit still looks brand new.

I'm not sure if all IFI stack use this same Tocos potentiometer/knob. But since they feel similar, I'm asking here.

 

[bixby]

@Elderico You could try the old 100 times of rotating from low to high to see if that helps or clears the issue. Or you could take off the nut, tip so the shaft is vertical and use contact cleaner to squirt at the shaft and module interface to see if you can work some into the pot to help break up any debris. Use the low to high rotation as described prior.

Aside from that you would have to get the impedance and resistance figure in order to source a replacement pot. Soldering may be a pain though.

good luck!

EDIT: Another possibility is to reduce the source volume or gain a bit and use the volume knob in a higher range like 2-4 pm if that area is clean.

 

[Elderico]

@Elderico You could try the old 100 times of rotating from low to high to see if that helps or clears the issue. Or you could take off the nut, tip so the shaft is vertical and use contact cleaner to squirt at the shaft and module interface to see if you can work some into the pot to help break up any debris. Use the low to high rotation as described prior.

Aside from that you would have to get the impedance and resistance figure in order to source a replacement pot. Soldering may be a pain though.

good luck!

EDIT: Another possibility is to reduce the source volume or gain a bit and use the volume knob in a higher range like 2-4 pm if that area is clean.

@bixby
Rotating by applying pressure does not improve the scratch, it seems to even worsen if I keep doing it.

Rotation from the other sides are much smoother. I noticed the scratch is mostly felt when rotating from the top side. Rotating from the other side seem to realign the axis.
When I keep rotating from the top side, the problem comes back, as if the axis was misaligned and hitting a gash.
Rotating with the thumb from the top may have damaged surfaces. Keeping rotating does not seem to smoothen the gash. When the axis is perfectly aligned it seems much better again : I'm rotating gently with 2 fingers right now but it's annoying.

How do you take the nut off? I do not want to make any wrong step in case I want to repair it or having it replaced.
To be honest the Tocos potentiometer looks short comparatively to the length of the axis. Like holding heavy items with a stretched arm.

 

[bixby]

@bixby
Rotating by applying pressure does not improve the scratch, it seems to even worsen if I keep doing it.

Rotation from the other sides are much smoother. I noticed the scratch is mostly felt when rotating from the top side.
When I keep rotating from the top side, the problem comes back, as if the axis was misaligned and hitting a gash.
Rotating with the thumb from the top may have damaged surfaces. Keeping rotating does not seem to smoothen the gash. When the axis is perfectly aligned it seems much better again : I'm rotating gently with 2 fingers right now but it's annoying.

How do you take the nut off? I do not want to make any wrong step in case I want to repair it or having it replaced.
To be honest the Tocos potentiometer looks short comparatively to the length of the axis. Like holding heavy items with a stretched arm.

Sounds worse than a dirty pot. Not sure about the nut since I have opened my zen dac. Sorry I could not be of more help.

 

[iFi audio]

How do you take the nut off? I do not want to make any wrong step in case I want to repair it or having it replaced.

The best way to do that is to use i.e. a piece of rubber around the knob to not damage/scratch it. Once that's done, you can use pliers; close them on that rubber sleeve, apply some force and pull out the knob. Underneath it there's one small nut easy to remove.

Resoldering a pot inside ZEN DAC is a fairly stragitforward procedure if you have good soldering iron and some solder wick. If you don't, replacing ZEN DAC pot shouldn't be an issue for electronic shops/repair centers in your area. Alternately, you can always let us know about your issue here: https://ifi-audio.com/support/

Hope this helps, thanks!

 

[Neutronne]

N

 

[noneuser]

Does anyone knows it the Zen DAC (V1 or V2) has enough power to drive well the Beyer's DT990 250 Ohm?

 

[drhonk]

Does anyone knows it the Zen DAC (V1 or V2) has enough power to drive well the Beyer's DT990 250 Ohm?

Barely enough with Power Match enabled.

 

[bixby]

You sure that 4.4mm cable is fully plugged in?

I had similar issue when I owned my ZEN DAC v2, was my first DAC/amp and I just got my first pair of headphones and my first Balanced cable. brought it back to the shop, I got laughed out of the shop because apparently I wasn't plugging the 4.4mm in fully I learnt it takes a bit more force than I thought, especially on this device - I was trying to be gentle and was babying all my new gear, turns out I played myself hahahaha

If that does not solve the issue then yeah probably either a issue with either the cable or the unit - though you would be very unlucky if both the front and back ports on your device have the same issue

Thank goodness I kept searching this subject. Got a new pair of iems with a 4.4 option and for the life of me could not figure out why it was out of phase, right channel pretending to be center, etc. Even pulled out the multimeter and checked continuity for all poles and pins on the iem. Even checked the back jack which passed with flying colors but without the HP amp gain.

You gotta jam that plug into the front 4.4 bal jack like you are trying to force it clear out of the back, haha!

 

[GlenAppleton]

Thank goodness I kept searching this subject. Got a new pair of iems with a 4.4 option and for the life of me could not figure out why it was out of phase, right channel pretending to be center, etc. Even pulled out the multimeter and checked continuity for all poles and pins on the iem. Even checked the back jack which passed with flying colors but without the HP amp gain.

You gotta jam that plug into the front 4.4 bal jack like you are trying to force it clear out of the back, haha!

I had a similar issue with the 4.4mm jack on both the Zen DAC v2 and the Zen CAN (OG), where only one channel would be active with some cables, and I assume it has to do with different tolerances of measurements. What I ended up doing was getting a short-ish extension 4.4mm cable that worked with the Zen jacks, and it works perfectly fine with all my 4.4mm balanced cables now.

 

[iFi audio]

I had a similar issue with the 4.4mm jack on both the Zen DAC v2 and the Zen CAN (OG), where only one channel would be active with some cables, and I assume it has to do with different tolerances of measurements. What I ended up doing was getting a short-ish extension 4.4mm cable that worked with the Zen jacks, and it works perfectly fine with all my 4.4mm balanced cables now.

Just as a reminder I did report these issues with 4.4mm and I know it was being examined, but I do not know any outcome, as some cables work fine and others seem to require that great effort.

Cheers!!

 

[GlenAppleton]

Just as a reminder I did report these issues with 4.4mm and I know it was being examined, but I do not know any outcome, as some cables work fine and others seem to require that great effort.

Cheers!!

In my case, most of my 4.4mm balanced cables suffered the issue, with only one or two working without issue. Again, tolerances in measurements for a batch / run of jacks is the most likely culprit.

 

[makbrown]

Hi guys! I'm very sorry if this has been discussed hundreds of times.. I have a Zen Dac V2. Which firmware is better, 7.4 or 7.4c? I read a couple of articles, but understood little about GTO filtration.

1) I listen to MQA via Tidal.
2) Using headphones: Sennheiser HD660s and Hifiman Ananda Nano.

What benefits will I get with which mode and which of my headphones?

(Also, I have a Fiio K7, and would like the iFi Zen Dac to be configured a little differently so I could change them depending on my mood (warm/analytical/dry, etc.))

I'd be grateful for any advices

 

[iFi audio]

Hi guys! I'm very sorry if this has been discussed hundreds of times.. I have a Zen Dac V2. Which firmware is better, 7.4 or 7.4c? I read a couple of articles, but understood little about GTO filtration.

1) I listen to MQA via Tidal.
2) Using headphones: Sennheiser HD660s and Hifiman Ananda Nano.

What benefits will I get with which mode and which of my headphones?

(Also, I have a Fiio K7, and would like the iFi Zen Dac to be configured a little differently so I could change them depending on my mood (warm/analytical/dry, etc.))

I'd be grateful for any advices

I would (personally) try a setup that involves the Zen V2 with the GTO filter engaged, and compare, you can always change this if you don't like it.

You can also read more here about GTO...

https://ifi-audio.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/iFi-audio-Tech-Note-The-GTO-Filter.pdf

Cheers!!

 

[makbrown]

I would (personally) try a setup that involves the Zen V2 with the GTO filter engaged, and compare, you can always change this if you don't like it.

You can also read more here about GTO...

https://ifi-audio.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/iFi-audio-Tech-Note-The-GTO-Filter.pdf

Cheers!!

Thanks for the quick answer!
Without delving into dozens of narrowly focused definitions, can you please tell me what the difference is?
Very short, in simple language.