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Review: ZERO 24 BIT/192KHz DAC/Headphone Amp/Pre-Amp
Oct 22, 2008 at 7:39 PM Post #7,456 of 9,388
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Oct 22, 2008 at 7:52 PM Post #7,457 of 9,388
Syg,

A small gage (22 or 24 gage, whatever you can find that will fit the pcb hole) section of solid core should do the job.

Solder it as instructed and that should solve the buzzing.

Peete.
 
Oct 22, 2008 at 8:02 PM Post #7,458 of 9,388
Peete,

In the mean time, is there any downside to just letting the coax shield ground the thing? My chassis looks different than the one in the pictures I've seen -- there are vent son both the bottom and the top, and they're situated on top of the headphone amp pcb. I wonder if the manufacture made a slight revision and accidentally didn't ground the pot. Anybody else buy a stock Zero recently?

Senofon,

I actually have more confidence in the technical expertise of people in this thread over the seller. :p
 
Oct 23, 2008 at 12:03 AM Post #7,459 of 9,388
Quote:

Originally Posted by syg /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Peete,

In the mean time, is there any downside to just letting the coax shield ground the thing? My chassis looks different than the one in the pictures I've seen -- there are vent son both the bottom and the top, and they're situated on top of the headphone amp pcb. I wonder if the manufacture made a slight revision and accidentally didn't ground the pot. Anybody else buy a stock Zero recently?

Senofon,

I actually have more confidence in the technical expertise of people in this thread over the seller. :p


You can leave it as is for now but get that pot casing grounded at some point in the near future is my advice. Don't listen to Andrea. It's a 5 minute job to add that little section of wire. It should have been caught during testing (unless they used a coax cable for the final QC test...)

You know that's funny you should say that...it's most likely true since the workers that may be assembling these may have no technical skill whatsoever. It's a conceivable fact at any rate WRT China's huge unskilled (and smaller but highly skilled) labor force.

Nothing that isn't done anywhere else mind you on budget electronics, they are simply copying the Western model and killing the competition with better gear at lower cost.

Peete.
 
Oct 23, 2008 at 12:04 AM Post #7,460 of 9,388
Quote:

Originally Posted by senofon /img/forum/go_quote.gif
BTW, I'm having amazing results with THS4031 opamps. I wonder how two of them on a Browndog (type "20302") would sound in the Zero. I'd also feel the urge to try the AD8599 (which is dual, and only SMD so adapter needed) in the Zero, both in the DAC and in the amp. The AD8599 is a new audio opamp, that was reported to be more transparent, and more delicate as well, than the LT1364.


Andrea knock off the obscure opamp advice...your not fooling anyone here.

Peete.
 
Oct 23, 2008 at 12:22 AM Post #7,462 of 9,388
Received my Earth today and it sounds great after only 2 hours of burn in.
atsmile.gif


Still waiting on my Linear samples though. The LM4562's don't sound "bad" but with the Earth in I can really hear the unnatural increase in bass & treble over what I've memorized in my reference songs because of the LM4562's.
 
Oct 23, 2008 at 12:25 AM Post #7,463 of 9,388
Quote:

Originally Posted by Deftoned /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I just came across this thread. And it got me a little worried to be honest.

Any ideas of what could be causing that? Could it be OPAs inserted the wrong way?

I was just about to order! I guess I need not to worry, since there are so many working units...


Personally, I burned the Zero in for 5 hours with some cheap $20 headphones before the Zero even got close to being penetrated by my Ms2i's
smily_headphones1.gif
 
Oct 23, 2008 at 1:09 AM Post #7,466 of 9,388
Thanks D.

It took me quite a while to complete as I was the HDAM guinea pig back then and I wanted to be dead sure of what I was hearing before opening my yap.

Peete.
 
Oct 23, 2008 at 1:17 AM Post #7,467 of 9,388
Quote:

Originally Posted by Deftoned /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I just came across this thread. And it got me a little worried to be honest.

Any ideas of what could be causing that? Could it be OPAs inserted the wrong way?

I was just about to order! I guess I need not to worry, since there are so many working units...


Of the hundreds/thousands of units sold and in use this is the first instance of this kind of failure that I can recall...still, it's troubling to say the least.

Seems LC's QC is down the drain of late. I've never ever heard of an amp melting ear buds voice coils......guess there's a first for everything ?

I wonder if it's a bad batch of transformers ? I've run into that one before on a super expensive German SS power amp I bought (1 of 2 amps I bought went up in smoke within 24 hours of initial power up). Stunk like hell for a few weeks in the old listening room.....yikes what a stench fried electronics make.

I hope this guy's problems are looked after properly and his buds are replaced. I'd demand a new set for my troubles. He'll have to send the buds with the amp though...IMO. Might as well they are toast.

Peete.
 
Oct 23, 2008 at 4:51 AM Post #7,468 of 9,388
It wasn't just my buds that got burned up, I initially tried out the amp with my $50 HD497's (so stupid, but who would think an amp would blow up your headphones). I wasn't hearing any sound and as I was fiddling with my computer to see if something was wrong with the SPDIF output I felt my right ear get warm. I immediately switched to the $2 buds and they burned up immediately (I guess lower impedance). I tested my Senn's on my Zen and the right ear is distorted and about half the volume of the left ear, so basically they are done too.
 
Oct 23, 2008 at 5:22 AM Post #7,469 of 9,388
Someone asked earlier how the Zero compares to the Lavry DA10. My DA10 arrived today and in a quick comparison to the Zero, the DA10's HP amp is far far better, not surprisingly. As a DAC the DA10 is naturally much better, but dollar for dollar the HDAM-upgraded Zero is not 3/4rs off the sound as it is the price. There is less clarity and less soundstage, but not a great deal less in either, at least not without me investing in some hugely expensive amp and balanced headphones.
 
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