[jjinh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PowerPaul86 /img/forum/go_quote.gif @all: Did you guys removed the protective soft sticker over the HDAM/OPA? I am afraid that the OPA could overheat.

Yes, its only there to protect the opa during transportation.

 

[crapback]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Krackatus /img/forum/go_quote.gif I received my compass yesterday and am very pleased with it. However there is jitter every 5 minutes or so. Has anyone else experienced this?

So you are saying you experience distortion every 5 minutes? If there is enough jitter occurring in your system for it to be easily audible then something is wrong. Can you describe what you are hearing a bit better?

 

[Krackatus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by crapback /img/forum/go_quote.gif So you are saying you experience distortion every 5 minutes? If there is enough jitter occurring in your system for it to be easily audible then something is wrong. Can you describe what you are hearing a bit better?

Basically it happens completley randomly every so often.
Just skips in the music like you would get off a scratched disc in a cd player.
When i've gone back to re-listen to the bit its just skipped on, its played fine. So it really is completley random when it occurs.
Also for what its worth, i don't have this problem out of the headphone out on my PC.

 

[crapback]

I had a similar issue on my eee pc running winamp and asio4all. If I switch back to direct sound drivers the skipping never happens. Numerous google searches lead me to believe my problem is a memory buffer issue but I haven't figured it out yet.

 

[zionic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by haloxt /img/forum/go_quote.gif Most people seem to think usb cable is not worth upgrading. However I do think it's worth the time trying out some free software, ASIO4ALL and either mediamonkey+otachan, 0.8.3 foobar+otachan, or cplay (using in conjunction with cmp makes cplay better than the other two imo). Be sure to set volume to 100% and only use the compass volume knob as the only volume control, less work for the computer and safer that way. If you want to get really obsessive about free tweaks to make the computer better at transporting, read through cMP² | Main / HomePage .

Thanks for the tips. I am using windows and foobar 2000. I tried to install Asio4all and at first nothing seemed to happen. Then I found a download of a asio dll file and added it to foobar components. Now asio playback seems to work however, now all of my 24-96 files are not playing (I get a message format unsupported), the regular cd files work fine. I haven't found otachan yet. Maybe I need a different version(?) Do you have links for the recommended programs? Thanks!!

 

[zionic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjinh /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes, its only there to protect the opa during transportation.

I started to rip the protective OPA foam out of my Compass but it was REALLY glued in there securely which made me wonder so I emailed Kingwa. He said either way is fine. Leave it in to or take it out - either way is fine. So I ended up leaving it. I am at about 250 hrs of playback time now with my K702's. This was my first home headphone amp so now I am thinking of getting a WA6 (and squeezebox & DAC) for the other room to try tubes, and I am sure it won't end there. Wow the upgrade bug hits faster than a drug addiction. I guess you could say the Compass is a gateway drug and I am now officially an addict.

 

[haloxt]

zionic, otachan version is only available on 0.8.3 foobar ASIO builds 2.0 . If you get that error go to foobar preferences>playback> change the "output data format" until it works. Or maybe you have to mess with the sample rate in asio4all, been a while since I used asio4all or new foobar so what I'm saying might not apply. 24/96 gets resampled to 16/44.1 before it goes to the compass with usb btw.

 

[jjinh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zionic /img/forum/go_quote.gif I started to rip the protective OPA foam out of my Compass but it was REALLY glued in there securely which made me wonder so I emailed Kingwa. He said either way is fine. Leave it in to or take it out - either way is fine. So I ended up leaving it. I am at about 250 hrs of playback time now with my K702's. This was my first home headphone amp so now I am thinking of getting a WA6 (and squeezebox & DAC) for the other room to try tubes, and I am sure it won't end there. Wow the upgrade bug hits faster than a drug addiction. I guess you could say the Compass is a gateway drug and I am now officially an addict.

I thought they were supposed to be removed, but fair enough. Your story about removing the foam reminded me of when I tried to replace the opa. Tried to pull them out - nothing. Why are they so secure I thought (they're tied down with cable ties).

 

[PowerPaul86]

Just some pics:



In the last picture you can see the before mentioned foam.
Unfortunately I didn't had much time to listen to it.

 

[cyberidd]

I removed the foam. IIRC it was in the "how to" guide for the Compass on the Audio-gd website. Either way, I feel its safer carrying the Compass opamp-less with a separate case holding them.

 

[jisu]

How long did delivery take for you powerpaul?

 

[Chu]

I've been a very happy Compass owner for months now. Just installed the latest Vista service pack on my computer and . . . my SPDIF out stopped working.

I assume the service pack munged up the audio settings. Anyone else here have a similar experience and knows what might have gone wrong, or can point me to a doc that states explicitly what modes the Compass supports?

 

[PowerPaul86]

I received the tracking number from Kingwa on Oct the 28th and signed the package at my door 5 days later.
So shipping was really fast, but I paid via PayPal on 14. Oct so it took some time till he actually sent the package.

 

[Sparky14]

I'll update my previously discussed Compass problems in case it helps anyone decide what to buy....

My Compass arrived with a R channel that didn't always work. Sometimes not at all, sometimes significantly lower volume. Audio-gd suspected a bad ALPS. They had me send the Compass (at their expense) to someone in Florida to repair.

Repaired unit had same problem. Audio-gd had me check the OPA (I didn't really want to open the unit, but no choice). Upon opening, it was very obvious that the OPA did not have a good connection. Obviously it goes into a DIP socket, but even installed there is a lot of wiggle. With the lid back on, I can make the R channel go in/out just by putting a little pressure on the case.

It's now been 5 weeks since I got the Compass, and I still can't use it.

I contacted Audio-gd, and said I was tired of the hassle and would just like a refund. They said refund of purchase price only, so I would be out their $50 shipping, plus my return shipping (estimated $60).

I don't want to sound too negative. Audio-gd has been working with me every step to get the unit fixed. And I believe they are still willing to exchange the unit for another one, although that may take a few more weeks to return this one and get a replacement. So I certainly feel that Audio-gd is a reputable company.

But dealing with someone on the other side of the planet is not a quick process, and shipping a moderately heavy piece around the planet is not cheap. And I do wish that an internal QA would have caught this problem at assembly, because I caught it as soon as I turned it on.

Just a warning to those considering purchasing from overseas.

 

[jsplice]

Sorry to hear about your bad experience. I had a similar experience with a Yulong DAH1 dac that I purchased about a year ago...I had a lot of problems with power noise and a humming transformer. I had to ship it back for a refund, but I had to pay for half of the shipping back to China(the e-bay seller was kind enough to pay for half the return shipping). After this experience, I refuse to purchase audio gear straight from China. I tried a Compass myself and found that it wasn't for me, but I ordered from Pacific Valve. But I'm also finding that pacific valve is a bit hard to work with. It's been almost two weeks since I returned the Compass and I still have not been issued a refund. I guess nothing is ever perfect in this hobby....

Hope you get your issue resolved and receive a refund promptly.