[kefs]

Not sure if I posted before, but can anyone explain why the walkman battery gets used up when feeding the TAZ ? I mean, it is rapid !

 

[Vintageaudioholic]

@kefs I use my Samsung Galaxy S10 with the Taz, it burns through around 10-15% of battery even if I play it for a full day, I think music players in general aren't designed for outputting usb efficiently. In fact I can't even output usb audio properly with my Astell & Kern SE200 to the Taz as the music drops out after 1 DSD song, maybe consider getting a streamer or use a usb hub with external power/ Sony cradle

 

[Lookout57]

Not sure if I posted before, but can anyone explain why the walkman battery gets used up when feeding the TAZ ? I mean, it is rapid !

You have to use the TAZ Walkman cable on the Walkman port to keep it from using the battery.

 

[kefs]

You have to use the TAZ Walkman cable on the Walkman port to keep it from using the battery.

I'm using micro usb- usb c into the walkman socket, but not the Sony cable to charge at the same time

 

[The1Signature]

You have to use the TAZ Walkman cable on the Walkman port to keep it from using the battery.

Doesn't exist on generation 2 anymore as it is USB-C

 

[nc8000]

I'm using micro usb- usb c into the walkman socket, but not the Sony cable to charge at the same time

The pure micro usb port on the TA does not supply power, there is a seperate plug for that that was used by the original WMport cable for the older Walkman daps

 

[davidmthekidd]

Not sure if I posted before, but can anyone explain why the walkman battery gets used up when feeding the TAZ ? I mean, it is rapid !

I think any actions or use of the android players results in terrible battery performance; I might have my WM1AM2 battery serviced soon because of this.

 

[Vintageaudioholic]

There was a debate on whether grounding the TAZ has benefits quite a while ago, I decided to test it out using an earthed RCA plug to the COAX input, in my case, I did notice 2 things:
1. My hand stopped feeling that tingling/numbness when I rubbed the chassis with my hand, major benefit as to why I'm earthing it.
2. The background was quieter and darker, but not a lot.
I have the UK electrical code to thank for this little convenience but electrical ground can also be a pretty bad polluter of EMI/RFI itself, so I finally decided to bite the bullet and install this Schurter DEHL-10-0001 grounding choke, I think the most surprising thing is that the music sounds less hazy now compared to my Taz's past states, This grounding choke I installed is a high frequency choke which covers >5Mhz, I'm still learning more about EMI/RFI myself to see if this is the most appropriate application as there is another product from schurter that covers <5Mhz waves.
The IEC socket you see is a splash-proof design with elastic inserts, definitely helps with shock absorption

Tell me more about your experience if you decided to earth your TAZ and how was it done

 

[Vintageaudioholic]

After a bit of learning about split rail power supplies, toasting the input capacitors with an incorrect transformer and sheer dumb luck on Ebay, I got my hands on this vintage STC oil filled, c-core transformer which is everything I've ever dreamed in a vintage transformer, I then proceeded to chain the 4 x13v taps to output 52v, earthed the center tap and increased the primary winding to 245v, the reasons behind this configuration are from my rudimentary understandings of what is required in the TAZ:
5V regulator max. 30vdc
20v regulator min. 23vdc
7918 regulator range: -21 to -40vdc
so my thought is that as long as the unregulated ac voltage lies somewhere between 24-31vac I would be good, and that also factors in a small voltage drop from the load.
Now the primary winding was more of a hit and miss, it was either going to be 235 or 245 and I need to factor in the possibility of a raised secondary voltage (which happened). My last concern is that UK voltage can be between 216.2-253v so the voltage range has to be high enough so there will be no dropouts nor overvoltage.
When I took the measurements, i had an input of 221v into a 245v winding, outputting 24.8v per side under loaded conditions (theoretical 23.45v so an increased output of 1.34v), this is extremely good and it definitely falls within the required voltage range, i can also rewire the primary to 235 if i wanted a different sound signature.
Now, what improvements did it bring? Universally speaking, the depth and presence of the music has improved. For example, I never realised that the original transformer struggled with orchestral music until i heard the STC, the realism and energy of the orchestras are unparalleled. The bass has more depth and energy to it, it's not the speed but the sheer energy and mass of the bass. The most surprising improvement however probably is the expression of character of the music, there are a few songs i can think of that just felt very different with the STC, Eva Cassidy's "Over the Rainbow", Ryuichi Sakamoto's 1988 " Playing the orchestra" album... the original transformer was fine but once i heard the STC sing, it had no match, it fully expressed the soul and aura of the music - the most important aspect of music reproduction in my opinion.
I highly recommend that you upgrade the transformer of your TAZ if possible, it's not a difficult swap either, you just need a center tapped 50v (25-0-25) transformer of AT LEAST 50va and you can do so much to play with the sound, it's entirely up to you to customize your sound signature by core type, power rating, voltage output, winding material... the possibilities are limitless.
Happy listening!

 

[jirams]

I rarely use my Sony TA-ZH1ES now. It was bought in April 2017 new.
I would sell it to anyone in Glasgow area who is welcome to audition it and collect on sale.
In imaculate condition.

With remote and IEC mains cable.

Walkman connection cable not included.

PS. Also Sony MDR-Z1R going into shop window.

 

[carb0mb]

Anyone here use their TAZ for gaming and experience this..

Idk what happened but my audio was legit reversed. I was playing Overwatch and things were in front of me sounded like they were behind me, and left sounded like it was right, etc. Overwatch doesn't have a lot of audio settings so it's not like I had changed a setting on accident.

Turning the amp off and back on fixed it but it was extremely strange.

 

[Vintageaudioholic]

@carb0mb can you tell us more about how your system is set up during gaming? I think you should look into the oddity a bit further, maybe check if your game/ rig is outputting 2 channel stereo vs other potential formats, check the integrity of your digital/analog connections by using other cables or cans, if all doesn't seem to work, you can always reinstall the firmware of the Taz and this would hopefully remove the digital gremlins living in your Taz

 

[carb0mb]

@carb0mb can you tell us more about how your system is set up during gaming? I think you should look into the oddity a bit further, maybe check if your game/ rig is outputting 2 channel stereo vs other potential formats, check the integrity of your digital/analog connections by using other cables or cans, if all doesn't seem to work, you can always reinstall the firmware of the Taz and this would hopefully remove the digital gremlins living in your Taz

There's nothing crazy going on with the settings or setup. It was literally just some kind of one-time gremlin.

I do have a question for TAZ owners though. I just got an RME ADI-DAC and it's on the way in the mail. That dac does not have a 4.4 output on it, so I swapped my cables on my HD800S and my Monarch Mk3 to single-ended to prepare for the DACs arrival.

I swear I am not crazy, but the unbalanced ports on the TAZ have the warm, veiled sound that I have read about in all the TAZ reviews. When I swap back to the 4.4 port, I swear it sounds less-veiled/more clear. Also since having used the unbalanced outputs, the volume that I've been listening to has reduced by a good bit. I used to listen on high gain, -23.0 dB. Since having used the unbalanced ports, then swapped back to the 4.4 to test what I'm hearing... I am down to -30.0 dB...

What is going on!?

 

[kota1]

I have been using the Paradigm Link streamer into the TA-ZH1ES DAC and listen through speakers primarily, not headphones, in my living room. I chose the Link because it uses Anthem ARC room correction and I have Paradigm speakers. I am thinking of upgrading the Link as my transport but it needs to be able to have a remote control or an app to control what's playing. Can anyone recommend a good digital transport for this DAC? I prefer it to have an optical in and an optical out connection. I am thinking of the Eversolo unit but that might be overkill as I don't need the internal DAC, just a good transport. Thanks, my system is posted online here:

https://www.audiogon.com/systems/10503

 

[nc8000]

I have been using the Paradigm Link streamer into the TA-ZH1ES DAC and listen through speakers primarily, not headphones, in my living room. I chose the Link because it uses Anthem ARC room correction and I have Paradigm speakers. I am thinking of upgrading the Link as my transport but it needs to be able to have a remote control or an app to control what's playing. Can anyone recommend a good digital transport for this DAC? I prefer it to have an optical in and an optical out connection. I am thinking of the Eversolo unit but that might be overkill as I don't need the internal DAC, just a good transport. Thanks, my system is posted online here:

https://www.audiogon.com/systems/10503

I have for 7-8 years been using an

AURALiC ARIES MINI​

with a build in disk as my source for the Tazzy but don’t think that’s available any longer