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Review: ZERO 24 BIT/192KHz DAC/Headphone Amp/Pre-Amp
Dec 5, 2008 at 8:30 PM Post #8,252 of 9,388
Quote:

Originally Posted by jujulio /img/forum/go_quote.gif
that leads me to this question: i intend to buy a little dot mkv after the zero. Is it of any use to use the amp section of the zero if i buy the mkv? Or am i better off turning it off?


The Mk V Blows the Stock Zero's Head amp away in Base Extension and tightness, midrange detail, and everywhere else. Unfair comparison. It's fun going back and forth real easy though. And with the Zero Vol Pot, you can match the levels and go back and forth with little drama to do A-B comparisons. Zero + MK V is a Nice Combo. The Zero Head amp makes a lot of heat though, and long term, I most likely will D/C it.
 
Dec 5, 2008 at 8:34 PM Post #8,253 of 9,388
Quote:

Originally Posted by jujulio /img/forum/go_quote.gif
that leads me to this question: i intend to buy a little dot mkv after the zero. Is it of any use to use the amp section of the zero if i buy the mkv? Or am i better off turning it off?


You would be bypassing the amp circuit completely and only using the DAC on the ZERO.

And regarding the LD MKV, read this: http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f5/rev...ot-mkv-383033/
 
Dec 5, 2008 at 8:34 PM Post #8,254 of 9,388
I checked with the distributor that makes the mini to mini plastic optical cables I use. The bandwidth is a minimum of 38MHz to a max of100MHz.

I am wrong. The newest plastic cables have a higher bandwidth than what I stated. I have the white paper if anyone wants it. It would appear there is plenty of bandwidth with the plastic cable I use mini to mini and mini to toslink.
 
Dec 5, 2008 at 9:17 PM Post #8,255 of 9,388
Quote:

Originally Posted by jamato8 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I checked with the distributor that makes the mini to mini plastic optical cables I use. The bandwidth is a minimum of 38MHz to a max of100MHz.

I am wrong. The newest plastic cables have a higher bandwidth than what I stated. I have the white paper if anyone wants it. It would appear there is plenty of bandwidth with the plastic cable I use mini to mini and mini to toslink.


The article quoted is from 1993, stands to reason the process has evolved quite a lot since then, making such BW possible in POF. Much like plastic based lens these days, not quite up-to glass, but allot better than 10 years ago. Still, when it comes to TosLink I would probably go for glass (probably a OPTOCOUPLER) as BW is not the only issue (if at all these days) with POF (lossy?, I'd like to see specs/test about this particular spec).

Not too recent but should still stand, and may be of interest to some: 6moons.com - audio reviews: A Toslink vs. RCA digital cable comparison
 
Dec 5, 2008 at 9:46 PM Post #8,256 of 9,388
Plastic transmission has come a long ways. Bandwidth on what I quoted above has increased 3 fold. I will take the plastic and ability to flex and bend over and over to the more delicate and expensive glass, when the plastic is done right. I get mine out of Canada, they aren't expensive and I can get lengths including the ends of 3.5 inches.
 
Dec 5, 2008 at 10:15 PM Post #8,257 of 9,388
Quote:

Originally Posted by jamato8 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Plastic transmission has come a long ways. Bandwidth on what I quoted above has increased 3 fold. I will take the plastic and ability to flex and bend over and over to the more delicate and expensive glass, when the plastic is done right. I get mine out of Canada, they aren't expensive and I can get lengths including the ends of 3.5 inches.


I bought a beautiful "Plastic" Toslink with heavy metal connectors and covered in Multifilament Nylon for Bumpkus from Monoprice. Bought one of their Dirt cheap Coax's that is nice too. Compared it all to High Dollar Audioquest COAX, no difference in sound quality. My Optical is 12 feet long with bright light coming out. Cost something like $5 or $8 or something so cheap I was amazed. Monoprice has got Kewl stuff CHEAP!
 
Dec 5, 2008 at 10:22 PM Post #8,258 of 9,388
thanks for the tip dude! i am gonna buy this to connect my audigy 2xz platinum pro to my future zeo
smily_headphones1.gif
For only $2.98 each when QTY 50+ purchased - 6ft High-quality Coaxial Audio/Video RCA CL2 Rated Cable - RG6/U 75ohm (for S/PDIF, Digital Coax, Subwoofer & Composite Video) | High Quality RG6 Digital Audio 24K Gold-Plated Cable w/ Fancy Connector
 
Dec 5, 2008 at 10:32 PM Post #8,259 of 9,388
Dec 5, 2008 at 10:42 PM Post #8,260 of 9,388
Quote:

Originally Posted by les_garten /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Mine has a voltage switch and it does not hum.


Mine has the switch and it has no hum. I do have very clean power here though.


Quote:

Originally Posted by les_garten /img/forum/go_quote.gif
The Mk V Blows the Stock Zero's Head amp away in Base Extension and tightness, midrange detail, and everywhere else. Unfair comparison. It's fun going back and forth real easy though. And with the Zero Vol Pot, you can match the levels and go back and forth with little drama to do A-B comparisons. Zero + MK V is a Nice Combo. The Zero Head amp makes a lot of heat though, and long term, I most likely will D/C it.


This is the combo that I'm using right now. Great sound/cost ratio. Sounds great, didn't cost much.
 
Dec 5, 2008 at 11:26 PM Post #8,262 of 9,388
Ah, poo. Looks like my Zero has died over the last 2 days. I moved my room around, the other day, plugged everything in and tested my stereo was working - which it was, and it was being fed by the Zero. PC has been powered up the whole time(20+ days), so I'm quite confident nothing has changed on that side of things. I've rebooted it since the problem started to ensure that it wasn't the cause - it didn't make any difference. I know the sound card(AV-710) itself is working, as I'm now using its built-in DAC to feed my headphones and stereo.

Now, I've got no sound coming out from either the RCAs or the headphone amplifier. I've pulled the case, and the LED is illuminated confirming an optical signal lock from the PC. The headphone amplifier is working properly, as I can hear hiss when the volume is all the way up, with a slight buzz in each channel if I touch either of the opamps on the headphone amplifier board.

Have removed the HDAM from the DAC section, and swapped it for my other one, with no difference. Even tried a trusty old opamp in there, but with no avail.

Removed the DAC PCB and inspected underneath. Nowt has burned. There is no change to the sound output when tapping components on the top of the board whilst the unit is powered up.

Have tried the optical output from my Sky+ satellite box - I've never tested it before, so this isn't really 100% confirmation, but the Zero locked on to the signal and still produced no sound. Optical is enabled in the menu on the Sky box, so I'll assume it's doing what it should be.

Oh well, such is life. I doubt I'll buy another Zero - I've had one that's worked great from the off, which now lives with my brother. My second one was DOA, and the seller skanked me. The third one worked great for several months... I've not had the best success rate with them
smily_headphones1.gif
.

Can't return it, as it's been well modified. Most of the capacitors have been upgraded, so the warranty would be well-and-truly extinct. Besides, it'd probably cost me £30 to mail back to China, which I can't be bothered with.

I'll try and get the 'scope on it at some point over the next few days, try and diagnose exactly what has gone wrong.

~Phewl.
 
Dec 5, 2008 at 11:43 PM Post #8,264 of 9,388
Tried 2 cables. Signal lock LED illuminates with both, so I'd say it's a fair assumption that both are working correctly
smily_headphones1.gif
.

I've tried 2 sources with optical out, with both cables, with no joy. I'll try and dig out my M-Audio Revolution soundcard to try it with coax, but I'm not hopeful.

~Phewl.
 
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