Questyle CMA600i first impressions thread

[vincent1]

Inexpensive tweaks - dust caps

On all my systems I have added caps on unused female terminals. Cardas and AudioQuest both make these caps as do others. They are not really for the dust although that is handy as my 600i is close to a set of louvre windows. Their real purpose is to stop RFI, wireless signals and anything else entering the chassis. I have never tried to assess is there an audible difference but it is such an inexpensive tweak which many recommend and makes a lot of sense for stopping unwanted interference getting into the chassis.

 

[lukeslens]

In my system the fuse upgrade along with audio grade footers made a remarkable difference.

@vincent1, you've mentioned the remarkable difference a couple times, but I'm wondering if you can elaborate on exactly what the "difference" actually is. What are the specific improvements you found in upgrading the fuse? Thanks!

 

[betula]

OK attached (hopefully) are pics of the fuse upgrade.

I have used the SR Black fuse which you can see on top of the 600i - and I have posted the pic this way so you can see the orientation of the fuse.The fuse holder normally sits in the bottom of the IEC housing - you can see the gap there now. Just remember to get the orientation of the fuse correct and to wipe off any fingerprints !

The factory fuse just has clear glass - but there is a slot to store it in the bottom of the fuse holder as a spare.

In my system the fuse upgrade along with audio grade footers made a remarkable difference.

What do you actually mean by remarkable difference? Could you elaborate a bit more? Thanks!

Inexpensive tweaks - dust caps

On all my systems I have added caps on unused female terminals. Cardas and AudioQuest both make these caps as do others. They are not really for the dust although that is handy as my 600i is close to a set of louvre windows. Their real purpose is to stop RFI, wireless signals and anything else entering the chassis. I have never tried to assess is there an audible difference but it is such an inexpensive tweak which many recommend and makes a lot of sense for stopping unwanted interference getting into the chassis.

I have just ordered some inexpensive rhodium/brass caps. Curious to hear if they make any difference. If not, they are still great dust protectors.

 

[Mightygrey]

Just read this thread front to back, thanks for helping me hit "go" on one thanks team. This thing is pretty special - it's about to replace a LOT of my other gear.

 

[betula]

Just read this thread front to back, thanks for helping me hit "go" on one thanks team. This thing is pretty special - it's about to replace a LOT of my other gear.

If you are happy with your AFO, the next step could be a better external DAC for your 600i.

 

[Mightygrey]

I'm using a turntable actually for the most part, so even better

 

[betula]

I am not saying these Rhodium dust covers made the biggest improvement in sound quality ever, but they well worth the £6 asking price. There might be a slight reduction in noise creating a blacker background and more clarity or it might be just my expectation bias. At least my 600i is now protected from dust. I have to say my Wireworld Ultraviolet 7 USB cable makes a more significant difference in sound quality and I am not even a cable believer.

 

[lukeslens]

I've got an RME ADI-2 on order I'm going to try with my 600i, but I've got to say that I got a noticeable improvement in the 600i's DAC by moving from USB to Coax SPDIF.

 

[XP_98]

What do you actually mean by remarkable difference? Could you elaborate a bit more? Thanks!


I have just ordered some inexpensive rhodium/brass caps. Curious to hear if they make any difference. If not, they are still great dust protectors.

Where did you get them ?

 

[vincent1]

Just go to Amazon and search for "RCA noise stopper caps" - I use Cardas and AudioQuest but there are cheaper ones there too.

 

[betula]

Where did you get them ?

Amazon, but you can find plenty on eBay too.

 

[Mightygrey]

Question for you CMA600i owners - I bought one blind to replace my stereo preamp with this (plus headphone capability), but just looked at the manual which states that the pre-outs only work with the internal DAC, but the analogue-ins - meaning I can't use an external DAC/vinyl in my two-channel set up.

Can anyone confirm that this is indeed the case? Ie the xlr/se pre-outs don't engage with an external line-in?

 

[Mightygrey]

Question for you CMA600i owners - I bought one blind to replace my stereo preamp with this (plus headphone capability), but just looked at the manual which states that the pre-outs only work with the internal DAC, but the analogue-ins - meaning I can't use an external DAC/vinyl in my two-channel set up.

Can anyone confirm that this is indeed the case? Ie the xlr/se pre-outs don't engage with an external line-in?

Well whaddaya know - it actually does work. I'm going to run the se-outs to my sub, and the XLR-outs to my power amp and spin-up some vinyl...

 

[FastForward]

Well whaddaya know - it actually does work. I'm going to run the se-outs to my sub, and the XLR-outs to my power amp and spin-up some vinyl...

My CMA600I does mostly preamp duties these days and does a damn fine job.

 

[gcamblin]

Does anyone know if the DragonFly Red would offer any improvement as an external DAC? I do most of my listening from Tidal and the Draonfly supports MQA the cma600 does not.