[Merlin-PT]

@matula
Some ideas to try...

Try this without microsd card (maybe there's a bad formated file that keeps cpu busy):
Reset Z1 to factory settings: turn power off, keep pressing left button, turn on, when the led flashes quick you can release the button and turn off, then on.
See if you have the last FW.
Try it with another computer/cable.

See if it could be the microusb connector or cable or the computer connecotr? I mean, when it's working as dac, if you move the cable near the connectors it keeps working?
Do a visual inspection to the microusb, inside the connector, for anything that could block some of the lines connection.
Do the same inside, for each soldered pin of the microusb connector: look for solder jumpers or loose connection.

 

[matula]

@matula
Some ideas to try...

Try this without microsd card (maybe there's a bad formated file that keeps cpu busy):
Reset Z1 to factory settings: turn power off, keep pressing left button, turn on, when the led flashes quick you can release the button and turn off, then on.
See if you have the last FW.
Try it with another computer/cable.

See if it could be the microusb connector or cable or the computer connecotr? I mean, when it's working as dac, if you move the cable near the connectors it keeps working?
Do a visual inspection to the microusb, inside the connector, for anything that could block some of the lines connection.
Do the same inside, for each soldered pin of the microusb connector: look for solder jumpers or loose connection.

I tried most of that, except another computer or the solder joints. I'm using the 0.3 firmware, I could not register to Baidu for the life of me, so I wasn't able to get 0.4, but my problem I think is that it goes into player mode (mine never has an sd card in), and when I plug it in, it just stays in that mode and doesn't show up as anything for the pc. I think it should switch to DAC when plugged in. Thanks for the advice.

 

[Merlin-PT]

I only tried mine in USB DAC mode once or twice and it was instant detected, but I didn't make any more tries.
I'm trying it now and mine is also not detected a lot of times.

OK, What works for me (3 times in a row) is:
power off
connect microusb cable to Z1
power on

Sometimes it takes 3 seconds to be detected.

 

[matula]

Same here!
- plug in (no time)
- notice it's not playing (3 seconds, you can hear the background noise from USB charging in this state)
- turn on and off (1 second)
- wait for it to start playing (10 seconds)

If you pull it out of the socket and plug it in quickly it doesn't do this. Looks like yours work the same way. (I didn't expect it not to)
I love this player for many reasons, but this wouldn't stand a chance on the regular consumer market like this, only in chi-fi.

 

[Merlin-PT]

I now kept the usb cable always connected and turn the power off/on and it was detected 5 times in a row.
I'm not listening to music, only testing if it's detected in windows.

What doesn't work for me is:
Power on
wait led light on
connect usb cable

But if I connect the microusb cable before the led turns on, it is detected.

 

[ThanosD]

...silver is a better connector but not by much 2 ohms to Copper...

The article that you referred to, was mentioning that this was true on a 24 gauge contactor, with 1000 feet length, which is about 300 meters. Keep in mind that the resistance of a conductor depends on the material, the diameter, and the length.

...Silver oxides, copper does not (I was wrong)...

Both silver and copper oxidize. The oxidation of silver is commonly called tarnish. (In many movies regarding an older era, you will see that the household keeper, usually polishes the silverware before a dinner. That's because silver tarnishes, turns black, and loses it's silver shine) Generally, the noble metals are corrosion and oxidation resistant, but they can corrode and oxidize(Silver is a noble metal, and if I am not mistaken, copper is as well). For example, you can dissolve gold with aqua regia (or King's water). Silver is soluble in nitric acid.

...if you are male as you age you lose the higher frequency...

I don't think that the gradual loss of the ability to hear very high frequencies is sex dependent, but it rather depends on age, but don't quote me on that.

Regarding your use of the "silver" wire, the guys here are telling you that it most probably isn't pure silver, and most importantly, it is not insulated. If, while you are closing the zishan's case, force the wire so that it touches another contact, it can cause a short. Even a paperclip could had been soldered, and the circuit would have worked, but that doesn't mean it's ideal.

 

[HeyManslowdown97]

The article that you referred to, was mentioning that this was true on a 24 gauge contactor, with 1000 feet length, which is about 300 meters. Keep in mind that the resistance of a conductor depends on the material, the diameter, and the length.

Both silver and copper oxidize. The oxidation of silver is commonly called tarnish. (In many movies regarding an older era, you will see that the household keeper, usually polishes the silverware before a dinner. That's because silver tarnishes, turns black, and loses it's silver shine) Generally, the noble metals are corrosion and oxidation resistant, but they can corrode and oxidize(Silver is a noble metal, and if I am not mistaken, copper is as well). For example, you can dissolve gold with aqua regia (or King's water). Silver is soluble in nitric acid.

I don't think that the gradual loss of the ability to hear very high frequencies is sex dependent, but it rather depends on age, but don't quote me on that.

Regarding your use of the "silver" wire, the guys here are telling you that it most probably isn't pure silver, and most importantly, it is not insulated. If, while you are closing the zishan's case, force the wire so that it touches another contact, it can cause a short. Even a paperclip could had been soldered, and the circuit would have worked, but that doesn't mean it's ideal.

Thanks for the tip on the short! It’ll just put electrical tape or Abrasive tape on the ONE thing I used it on. It’s flush to the board and I’m sure I could get insulated material when I put it together. (Had to pick up my niece from school so I was short on Time.) No biggy.

It is sex dependent. There of course abrasion and anomalies but in general it’s true.

Yea I know what you mean about the gauge, etc. I was even thinking about how things correlate rather it being causality. Like you change something and you think it’s a direct relationship when it make something you change that didn’t sound that much different.

The nice thing about the DIY community is that MORE variables of A/B Test then say at Sony or Ashton & Kern so ever mod isn’t a “Standard.” The best comparison I can make at least it was like this years ago is French wine vs Italian wines.

French wines were more uniformed in the standards in terms of laws wherein Italy there was more nuances good quality to bad quality and also tastes from town to town. I know it’s a generalization but my point is that when open source/ Free Market you get more variety and (dare I say it) “Freedom.”

 

[HeyManslowdown97]

Got the Audio Notes on this sucker and it’s burning it nicely! Sounds great but I don’t recommend the 470uf they are pain to get because they are big! The purchase was made so had to find a way!

The angle of the one Capacitor near the 3.5mm is just bad angle I rotated the pic. It sits fine on the board.

 

[HeyManslowdown97]

Is it worth replacing the 3V and I’m assuming circled blue ones are 5V??? The reason is the Audio Notes Capacitors are way to powerful for the voltage and at very high volume it distorts and shuts down. Honestly, I really don’t listen to music that loud so it’s the “shutdown” threshold is beyond my listening point. The reason for increase in voltage is for more clarity in the lower volumes. (Its fine as it’s is but it could be better)The lack of real eq and good software is an impermanent to the components I thinking. I don’t want to keep or start tweeking resistors and the like if it isn’t necessary to open up the sound!

Would increasing the voltage to say 9V, 6V or 5V possible??? If so are there advantages/disadvantages to doing so??

 

[Ivan TT]

Cirled components are an output delay relay and a bunch of inductors.
Player shuts down due to over current protection most likely, check your rails for shorts.

 

[HeyManslowdown97]

Cirled components are an output delay relay and a bunch of inductors.
Player shuts down due to over current protection most likely, check your rails for shorts.

@Ivan TT Thanks I’ll check but it gets really loud at 31. It was never like that before putting these capacitors. Audio Notes are REALLY great! I’ll check there first with the Multimeter. I maybe the battery termnal shorting because my dac is out of it’s case.

Wanted to put some Audio Notes at the lpf but they don’t make them small enough.

If anybody wants to change the 3.5mm Capacitors with Audio Notes don’t do what I did Get the 220ufs! They are fine and fit perfectly!

Updated: Yea the short was caused by a short from the battery terminals. It gets really, really painfully loud and distorted at 27-31- you can’t even enjoy it! Not that I want to listen that loud but it would nice to know why???

 

[HeyManslowdown97]

Audio Notes definitely live up to the hype. Warm and very smooth analog sounding imo.

These are the 220ufs I highly recommend for any rig.

https://www.hificollective.co.uk/catalog/220uf-16v-audio-note-standard-electrolytic-capacitor.html

 

[HeyManslowdown97]

@Ivan TT Can the 220ufs 16v Audio Notes be put @ the lpf in powering the balance but instead of 4 Capacitors you put only two???

What I was thinking do is putting the two capacitors on both the inner terminals and then running an “insulated” copper wire from a electricans supply store ( of course) so I can connect the inner terminals to Right and left channels on the outer end terminals proper and free the space to then put a Soic to Dip8 Adapter where the Capacitors normally would be bent! That would be rad only problem is that an adapter like that would be kind of brittle and exposed and you would have to be careful with every op amp roll and mod afterwards.

is that wishful thinking???

 

[yurt28]

Great work! I thought about taking the STEM Out and replacing it but this could be a better option.

Then designing a brand new board schemed like a Zishan but trying it on an existing one.

The MOST expensive thing would be a the Ak4497 chip ($52us)

Ernest, Ibaso D90 modded witj Rokbox it beats them all for on the go. I'm listening to it right now and I have never ever heard any device push this much air out that is almost as close to the hardware effect.

 

[HeyManslowdown97]

Ernest, Ibaso D90 modded witj Rokbox it beats them all for on the go. I'm listening to it right now and I have never ever heard any device push this much air out that is almost as close to the hardware effect.

Yea I’ve heard nothing but great things about the Ibaso D90 but it’s a little too steep for a device that came out 4, 5 years ago.

D90 performing to Rockbox’s Power is impressive. I remember putting it on an iPod Video 5 Gen “classic” the one with the Wolfson and the Rockbox was just too powerful with all its features that the iPod’s battery would die or the thing would just over heat.

That being said, how did you get it above 48 sampling rate? According to another thread I read about putting on the Zishan that that was for the dealbreaker (Being Ernest. I would agree pun-intended).

It would be nice to have Rockbox specs up to the Ak4497 chip but that would require some software engineering I haven’t seen anyone attempt to try.

I’m actually thinking about some options like programming on a development CPU STEM and then taking the Zishan one out for the development board once a software was programmed in its place. I’ve also thought about contacting AKM to ask about how I could get their filters for their chip on the software aka Sharp, Soft, etc

I’m already thinking about concept of cloning the Zishan with a programming Stem CPU but I’m more quite there yet since I am more focused on the DAC’s side of the hardware. It has to be STEM32 though since it’s the only (cheap) CPU that’s mod to stigma delta blah blah for DSD (my preference).

Be Ernest (pun-intended again because it’s funny to me) I already have some ideas floating around in my head. If I do get serious about it then I’ll have to decide on a budget to spend since the AK4499 is coming out in May and it has 4 channels!

The payoff would be by developing my own device, I’ll know what it takes to scheme another like a AK4499 where all I would have to do is scheme it from a picture because at some point and I’ve said this often on this thread you are taking so much out of the Zishan fake components and keeping some on that it becomes hard to know what is actually working and what is in the meta. Also it becomes a zombie Zishan anyway with its guts out and you putting Mo’ Money on a board that’s Mo’ Problems (see what I did there).

I don’t want to sound too prejudiced but the Chinese really fascinate me. I can’t figure out if they are too cheap to put real components (in this case the Zishan) or they want to be sneaky.

One thing I can tell you off the bat is that they are stil a ways from developing their own top notch semiconductors and can’t code for s*** (in terms of making software more intuitive like a human). That’s why they steal IP with cyberattacks (that’s just my 25 cents anyway and my opinion).

The major smartphone companies are getting close though and chi-tech in Audio is really great at a low prices. That’s because Big Tech turned Music and it’s macro industries like the music experience into a niche market for “Audiophiles” that will pay enormous prices for “great” gear and for the masses to pay enormous prices for cheaply made Beats for enormous prices sound “great” to the poor man’s Prosumer.

Although I will say that Bluetooth 5.0 with Qualcomm’s Apt-x?? and Sony’s LDAC and their real-time upsampling algorithms are pretty impressive of how much progress they are making. 5G once it is rolled out and stable will revolutionize all things media like Direct Stream Digital. I’m actually looking forward to Sony unveiling of the Xperia XZ4 smartphone later today or tomorrow in Spain for this reason for its all encompassing media specs! I like the idea of a 21.1 ratio and steaming it to a tv on a smartphone for example and also a high res audio player on a smartphone.

Japan is THE country where great audio is zen! Chi-Tech is impressive and having a moment though...