Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] SB3 Making Pop Sound through Speakers
Phil Leigh;351550 Wrote: That pretty much nails it for me - sounds like there may be a tiny fault (probably a bad electrolytic capacitor) on the right channel of the Numerik output stage. If the popping was on both channels that would have probably indicated a different problem. Good luck - the Numerik is a good DAC - and capable of great things if you fit a clock input to the SB!!! Hi Phil I hope you get this message. After a long conversation on the phone, my dealer agreed to send a courier to pick the Numerik up tomorrow. I had to try really hard to convince him that there is something wrong with the Numerik. He said he will ask an engineer to have a look at it and I will have to include a note explaining the symptom. If it turns out there is nothing wrong with it, I'll have to pay for everything! Well, the only thing I can do now is to make sure that the engineer finds the fauty parts. I think it's a good idea to narrow the list down so he doesn't miss the spot. If you don't mind, could you let me know what I should ask the engineer to look at? You help has been much appreciated. Thanaset -- Thanaset Thanaset's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=16937 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=53996 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] SB3 Making Pop Sound through Speakers
Phil Leigh;352102 Wrote: However, while it is away/before they collect it you could try connecting the SB to the Cyrus via its analogue outputs (removethe Numerik completely) and see if the popping is still there... that would indicate a problem in the amp (unlikely). Thanks for a very quick response, Phil. I immediately disconnected the Numerik once you mentioned that it was the source of the problem for fears of causing harms to the system. Since then I never heard any pop. I am now fairly certain that the Numerik is the suspect. I've got my Musical Fidelity A3 player and a Samsung DVD player connected to the Cyrus -- not one of them causes any noise. I just really want to make sure that they discover the culprit(s). The dealer was very polite on the phone. It's just that he insisted the engineer tested the unit before it was shipped to me and he found no problem. No more E(vil)Bay for me! Thanaset -- Thanaset Thanaset's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=16937 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=53996 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
[SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Benchmark vs. Numerik
Hello Having been suggested (by Phil Leigh - Thanks again!) that my recently-acquired second-hand Numerik is slightly faulty at the output stage, I am thinking of forking out a couple of hundreds quids to get the Benchmark DAC1. I have been thinking about this obsessively last night and cannot really make up my mind in terms of cost and benefit. The only reason I bought the Linn was because of a couple of reviews indicating that it had a characteristic of the LP12. I listen mainly to jazz and I like the system to have revealing and clear mid-range, sweet and soft treble and tight and fast and not woolly bass. Equally important, the soundstage has to be large and focused with a clear separation among instruments. The sound has to be painted on a pitch-black background. (Is that too much to ask for?) The Numerik is capable of most of the items on the above-mentioned list, only the bass is a little woolly and the separation is sometimes blurred if the music is very complex. The only reason that I will be sad to part with the Numerik is the mid-range -- the sound of piano produced by the Numerik brings joy to my life, literally! Now if I want to pay a couple of extra hundreds pounds, I need to be sure that the improvement justifies the cost. Sadly, it is not possible for me to audition the DAC1 as I live in a small village and don't have a car. I know that the DAC1 has got excellent reviews and everybody seems to be praising it. However, what I would really like to hear are opinions from some of you who actually own it. I would appreciate if you could kindly let me know your experiences with the DAC1 (or DAC1 compared to the Numerik). My system comprises: SB3 -- S/PDIF --- Musical Fidelity A3 -- S/PDIF --- (Numerik) -- QED Silver Spiral -- Cyrus aCA7.5 + PSX-R -- QED Silver Spiral -- 2 x Cyrus SmartPowers (Mono) -- VDH TEATRACK Hybrid -- Monitor Audio GR10. Any inputs are welcomed and appreciated. Thanks! Thanaset -- Thanaset Thanaset's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=16937 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=54015 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Benchmark vs. Numerik
DaveWr;351741 Wrote: The Benchmark to my ears seemed to have a very clear but slightly emphasised treble. Dave Thank you for your input. I read from a review somewhere that the DAC1 lacks warmth which is something that I am looking for. Also, my system is already on the bright side as the MA GR10s are extremely revealing. Thanaset -- Thanaset Thanaset's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=16937 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=54015 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Benchmark vs. Numerik
Phil Leigh;351894 Wrote: The later versions of the Numerik have the desirable Brilliant SMPS PSU - you can find out what is in yours (and what other upgrades are available for it) by getting your Linn dealer to use the serial number to access the Linn database). The Numerik has an advantage over many dacs - that clock output... when connected to a transport with a clock in - you can get rid of that blurred sound you mentioned - and the bass will improve too. It really might be worth you keeping the Numerik and getting it serviced - and then finding someone who can add a clock input to your SB. This will give the best digital sound of all IMHO. This is what I am going to do. You already have a dac with clock out - which is a major benefit! Regards Phil Thank you all for your inputs. I really appreciate it. Phil My Numerik is fitted with the new switching power supply and processors. I checked the serial number with the database on a website I stumbled upon before I decided to buy. (I also peeked inside the unit to see the model number on the processors when I first got it.) :-) About adding a clock input to the SB3, if you don't mind, could you please point me in the right direction? I really like to keep the Numerik and would love to get the most out of it. Cheers Thanaset -- Thanaset Thanaset's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=16937 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=54015 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
[SlimDevices: Audiophiles] SB3 Making Pop Sound through Speakers
Hello Has anyone here experienced this? I've got my SB3 coupled with Linn Numerik, which I just got a couple of days ago, using coaxial digital interconnect. The pair then feed through Cyrus pre and powers. I notice that whenever I change the source at the pre I hear a little audible pop sound coming out of my speakers. This is especially true when I switch in and out of the SB3. I've just had the SB3 for over a year and don't think it's developed any faults or anything. But before I hooked it up with the Linn, I never heard this sort of noise before. Could anyone kindly let me know if this is common? Thank you. Thanaset -- Thanaset Thanaset's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=16937 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=53996 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] SB3 Making Pop Sound through Speakers
Phil Leigh;351527 Wrote: Based on what you have written it would appear that the Numerik may have a small DC offset on its analogue output. The issue is not with the SB. This isn't usual with Linn gear, but it is possible that the Numerik may have a faulty output cap that should be blocking DC but isn't. The Numerik will be quite old by now...you should probably think about getting it serviced. Phil Phil Thank you for your response. I forgot to mention in my previous post that I did a little experiment by disconnecting the SB3 from the main and tried switching between various inputs. No pop sound. I actually thought that there was something wrong with the Numerik and so I rang Linn up this morning. It was the engineer who actually suggested that I should try this experiment. I wish I could try connecting the SB3 to the Numerik using an optical link, but unfortunately the Numerik doesn't have an optical input. Any thought? Thanaset -- Thanaset Thanaset's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=16937 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=53996 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] SB3 Making Pop Sound through Speakers
seanadams;351529 Wrote: SB3 has DC blocking caps of course, but it does not have resistors to keep the output at 0V if there's no load. The vast majority of preamps have some input resistance which does this. This subject has come up before, and I forget the details but somehow we ended up with the conclusion that not having those resistors on the output device was standard practice and considered OK. But in this case, what's probably happening is that there is no load at all on SB3's outputs and this is causing them to drift up to its op-amp's bias of ~4V. Sean I wish I could understand what you're trying to explain. :-( Can I take it that it's normal? Thank you for your response anyway. Thanaset -- Thanaset Thanaset's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=16937 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=53996 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] SB3 Making Pop Sound through Speakers
Phil Leigh;351536 Wrote: Thanaset, how exactly is your system wired? is it: SB3 - coax spdif - Numerik - analogue out - Cyrus? You don't have the SB also connected to the Cyrus via its analogue outputs as well do you? Phil Phil That's right -- just like what you said (SB3 - coax spdif - Numerik - analogue out - Cyrus). No analogue connection from SB3 to Cyrus. Thanaset -- Thanaset Thanaset's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=16937 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=53996 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] SB3 Making Pop Sound through Speakers
Phil Leigh;351546 Wrote: OK - then if I'm understanding correctly, with the SB turned off the Numerik will be muting its output as a good DAC should, in the absence of any spdif input. So you won't get any popping if there is a fault in the Numerik output stage while the SB is off. I really feel you should get the unit serviced by Linn. You could prove this by attempting to measure DC across the output of the Numerik while the dac is on but not playing any music. There shouldn't be any. One final question - is the popping in both channels or just one? Phil Thank you for your response. The popping comes out from only the right channel. I am not very technical so don't really know how to measure DC across the output. I will speak to my dealer tomorrow if you really think that there is something wrong with the Linn. Thanaset -- Thanaset Thanaset's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=16937 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=53996 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] SB3 Making Pop Sound through Speakers
Phil Leigh;351550 Wrote: That pretty much nails it for me - sounds like there may be a tiny fault (probably a bad electrolytic capacitor) on the right channel of the Numerik output stage. If the popping was on both channels that would have probably indicated a different problem. Good luck - the Numerik is a good DAC - and capable of great things if you fit a clock input to the SB!!! Phil Thanks for all you help. Last question: can the SB3 be fitted with a clock input? If so, then it is possible to sync it with the Numerik then? Thanaset -- Thanaset Thanaset's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=16937 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=53996 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
