Faulty Hi-Fi, like buses...

luckylion100

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First the Yamaha WXC-50 giving up the ghost. Once back and 'repaired' the pre-amp section nearly exploded. That went, never to return.

A new day, new component, pennies saved and the Oppo HA-1 arrived, straight out of the box and unable to mute either pre-amp section when using headphones or mute all outputs. Sound via headphones not right, sadly bettered by a cheap mobile phone coupled with some B &O noise cancelling H3 ANC's... Obviously I had a runt.

I spoke directly with Oppo Tech Dept, what a joy! Helpful, full of interesting stories, pleasant as can be. So in this day and age where many perhaps assume good customer service is a thing of the past, what a lovely surprise! Must mention the gentleman by name, James Soanes, Oppo's Technical Officer, if you ever read this thank you.

New Oppo arriving Wednesday! ;-)
 

muljao

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Oh my, at least it's being replaced and I guess rightfully so at the price.

I never seen one of these until I googled earler. I know sound is all that matters but it looks a thing of beauty. Please inform here what you think of this as time goes on
 

insider9

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Gazzip said:
insider9 said:
Sorry to hear that! Are you sure that there are no underlying issues though? It's rather rare to have so many units failing.

You've obviously never owned any Cyrus equipment... *aggressive*

Hehe, not so far. What I was hinting at is there may be spikes in voltages or something else causing this. A dodgy power socket... I really don't know but after a few I'd at least consider the possibility.
 

luckylion100

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The Yamaha worked flawlessly apart from a slightly weak bluetooth signal, but this didn't concern me as it was hardly used. Then suddenly it wouldn't power up at all, red lights flashing. Apparently the main board was replaced. First day back and I think the pre-amp section was buggered. My god, you should have heard the sudden, beyond deafening burst it sent through my speakers. I'm surprised they weren't blown! So many other faults, I returned it with a list a page long.

The Oppo refuses to mute. There are two options, one to mute all pre-amp/rear outputs allowing the headphone section to kick in uninterrupted. The other is mute everything. Neither of these work. I went through it together on the phone with James from Oppo's Tech support, he called me back three times very swiftly after checking things behind the scene. It's not a complicated piece of kit to operate, having few tailor made options, in fact none really.

In a post on the headphone section of the forum I mentioned the other night how poor i felt the headphone section was considering the cost of this unit and being Primarily a headphone amp of sound repute. I simply put it down to my AKG's being outclassed. James suggested this shouldn't be the case and in fact I should have been blown away with it's performance. My previous odac was ten times superior to what was being output I kid you not.

the point of the original post I suppose was that I just wanted to praise some great customer service, not moan about either of these units. I miss the Yamaha, when working as intended it's a fantastic piece of gear.

I can't imagine any other factors causing these problems, if anyone has more insight as to a potential problem or acommon theme i'm all ears.
 

luckylion100

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muljao said:
Oh my, at least it's being replaced and I guess rightfully so at the price.

I never seen one of these until I googled earler. I know sound is all that matters but it looks a thing of beauty. Please inform here what you think of this as time goes on

Jack Black does really entertaining Hi-Fi reviews.... well I can't shift the image of Jack Black when I watch Z' reviewing gear. ;-)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTGjaJsft0g
 

insider9

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luckylion100 said:
The Yamaha worked flawlessly apart from a slightly weak bluetooth signal, but this didn't concern me as it was hardly used. Then suddenly it wouldn't power up at all, red lights flashing. Apparently the main board was replaced. First day back and I think the pre-amp section was buggered. My god, you should have heard the sudden, beyond deafening burst it sent through my speakers. I'm surprised they weren't blown! So many other faults, I returned it with a list a page long.

The Oppo refuses to mute. There are two options, one to mute all pre-amp/rear outputs allowing the headphone section to kick in uninterrupted. The other is mute everything. Neither of these work. I went through it together on the phone with James from Oppo's Tech support, he called me back three times very swiftly after checking things behind the scene. It's not a complicated piece of kit to operate, having few tailor made options, in fact none really.

In a post on the headphone section of the forum I mentioned the other night how poor i felt the headphone section was considering the cost of this unit and being Primarily a headphone amp of sound repute. I simply put it down to my AKG's being outclassed. James suggested this shouldn't be the case and in fact I should have been blown away with it's performance. My previous odac was ten times superior to what was being output I kid you not.

the point of the original post I suppose was that I just wanted to praise some great customer service, not moan about either of these units. I miss the Yamaha, when working as intended it's a fantastic piece of gear.

I can't imagine any other factors causing these problems, if anyone has more insight as to a potential problem or acommon theme i'm all ears.
I understand these things happen sometimes. Glad Oppo was helpful. You may save yourself from buying new headphones in the end which would save you some money. Good luck.
 

luckylion100

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insider9 said:
luckylion100 said:
The Yamaha worked flawlessly apart from a slightly weak bluetooth signal, but this didn't concern me as it was hardly used. Then suddenly it wouldn't power up at all, red lights flashing. Apparently the main board was replaced. First day back and I think the pre-amp section was buggered. My god, you should have heard the sudden, beyond deafening burst it sent through my speakers. I'm surprised they weren't blown! So many other faults, I returned it with a list a page long.

The Oppo refuses to mute. There are two options, one to mute all pre-amp/rear outputs allowing the headphone section to kick in uninterrupted. The other is mute everything. Neither of these work. I went through it together on the phone with James from Oppo's Tech support, he called me back three times very swiftly after checking things behind the scene. It's not a complicated piece of kit to operate, having few tailor made options, in fact none really.

In a post on the headphone section of the forum I mentioned the other night how poor i felt the headphone section was considering the cost of this unit and being Primarily a headphone amp of sound repute. I simply put it down to my AKG's being outclassed. James suggested this shouldn't be the case and in fact I should have been blown away with it's performance. My previous odac was ten times superior to what was being output I kid you not.

the point of the original post I suppose was that I just wanted to praise some great customer service, not moan about either of these units. I miss the Yamaha, when working as intended it's a fantastic piece of gear.

I can't imagine any other factors causing these problems, if anyone has more insight as to a potential problem or acommon theme i'm all ears.
I understand these things happen sometimes. Glad Oppo was helpful. You may save yourself from buying new headphones in the end which would save you some money. Good luck.

Could be a short term blessing in disguise... but I still have one eye on some new headphones... won't be so rushed though. ;-)
 

luckylion100

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"What I was hinting at is there may be spikes in voltages or something else causing this. A dodgy power socket... I really don't know but after a few I'd at least consider the possibility."

Sorry i missed this previous comment. This is an area (one of a much greater number) I know little of... I know both issues, I think, were pre-amp linked but how would one go about further investigation re this? Sadly i live in rented accomodation, sockets are at a premium but all my gear goes through Tacima CS947 surge protectors... what more can one do? In terms of moving to a differnt socket I'm out of options...
 

insider9

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luckylion100 said:
"What I was hinting at is there may be spikes in voltages or something else causing this. A dodgy power socket... I really don't know but after a few I'd at least consider the possibility."

Sorry i missed this previous comment. This is an area (one of a much greater number) I know little of... I know both issues, I think, were pre-amp linked but how would one go about further investigation re this?  Sadly i live in rented accomodation, sockets are at a premium but all my gear goes through Tacima CS947 surge protectors... what more can one do? In terms of moving to a differnt socket  I'm out of options...
It's a shot in the dark really. If you have a multimeter I'd start from checking your mains voltage and monitoring it. If you don't maybe borrow one or you can get a basic one for about £20.

There's been a thread a few weeks back which inspired me to get one. From memory the issue was that on some days hi-fi sounded great and poor on others. Having checked the poster was only getting about 180V on the day his hi-fi sounded rubbish. He then reported it and it got fixed.

After checking mine it's usually 250V. It may explain why we go through so many light bulbs. This Christmas one literally spontaneously exploded.

I've no idea whether that would've been something similar in your case but thought it maybe worth looking into.
 

luckylion100

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insider9 said:
luckylion100 said:
"What I was hinting at is there may be spikes in voltages or something else causing this. A dodgy power socket... I really don't know but after a few I'd at least consider the possibility."

Sorry i missed this previous comment. This is an area (one of a much greater number) I know little of... I know both issues, I think, were pre-amp linked but how would one go about further investigation re this? Sadly i live in rented accomodation, sockets are at a premium but all my gear goes through Tacima CS947 surge protectors... what more can one do? In terms of moving to a differnt socket I'm out of options...
It's a shot in the dark really. If you have a multimeter I'd start from checking your mains voltage and monitoring it. If you don't maybe borrow one or you can get a basic one for about £20.

There's been a thread a few weeks back which inspired me to get one. From memory the issue was that on some days hi-fi sounded great and poor on others. Having checked the poster was only getting about 180V on the day his hi-fi sounded rubbish. He then reported it and it got fixed.

After checking mine it's usually 250V. It may explain why we go through so many light bulbs. This Christmas one literally spontaneously exploded.

I've no idea whether that would've been something similar in your case but thought it maybe worth looking into.

I think it may have been BIgFish that started the thread,,, I'll look the thread up. Thanks for mentioning it, if a simple check can be done on the cheap it's definitely worth investigating. Ta
 

muljao

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That guy Z would not be my favourite tech reviewer but I may start saving for one of these. It is way beyond the budget of any hifi I have ever bought so I may get sense, but I want it (at the moment anyway). Might have to get actives and nice headphones to.

(maybe the kids don't need to eat every single day ;) )
 

luckylion100

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Re the Z ;-)

I'm not generally a Youtuber but I find him funny and he makes what could sometimes be a cold and overly technical, dare I even suggest boring subject to some entertaining. He nows his stuff though. Plus you get to see a lot of stuff Stateside. I still reckon he sounds like Jack Black too, ;-)

I have a feeling actives and a decent preamp being at the centre piece is the way you could go... it's been calling you according to some of your posts of late.

By the way, I've been on beans on toast for a year now! ;-)

0
 

paulkebab

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[/quote] From memory the issue was that on some days hi-fi sounded great and poor on others. Having checked the poster was only getting about 180V on the day his hi-fi sounded rubbish. He then reported it and it got fixed.

[/quote]

was myself. It wasn't a spike issue I had, the 180V - 200V dip was live (no pun) for about half an hour in which time the MDAC rebooted several times as it obviously upset the internal power rails. Didn't realise at the time that the oven and toaster took ages to get hot, bathroom fan sounded sick and other things but it's been great since. Something like Electro has suggested might be a start as spikes really are trouble. Power companies have a duty to maintain voltage supplies to within +10/-6% @230V so I had a big problem but sudden spikes and dips are a different story. I hope you find an answer very soon - just wondering if the Tacima isn't performing as it should?
 

luckylion100

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From memory the issue was that on some days hi-fi sounded great and poor on others. Having checked the poster was only getting about 180V on the day his hi-fi sounded rubbish. He then reported it and it got fixed.

[/quote]

was myself. It wasn't a spike issue I had, the 180V - 200V dip was live (no pun) for about half an hour in which time the MDAC rebooted several times as it obviously upset the internal power rails. Didn't realise at the time that the oven and toaster took ages to get hot, bathroom fan sounded sick and other things but it's been great since. Something like Electro has suggested might be a start as spikes really are trouble. Power companies have a duty to maintain voltage supplies to within +10/-6% @230V so I had a big problem but sudden spikes and dips are a different story. I hope you find an answer very soon - just wondering if the Tacima isn't performing as it should?

[/quote]

I have two Tacima in use, both recently new. Everything HiFi related is plugged into them, one active speaker per block.. The TV, the two Nas' the PS4 and Minix Neo U1 box is connected to a much older 8 socket Sounds Fantastic block.

The Yamaha went mental, maybe a spike, maybe not, it had just been returned from repair, was it repaired well enough? Who knows...

The Oppo simply refuses to mute in general or mute the rear pre-out section to aid headphone listening. The headphone section (unbalanced) was awful sounding. I think it was a fauty unit as James Soanes from Oppo supported. 'veI never had so many hifi related headaches. ;-)

Thanks to all that have replied.
 

MajorFubar

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I've asked the mods to change your name to unluckylion

shades_smile.gif
 

insider9

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paulkebab said:
  From memory the issue was that on some days hi-fi sounded great and poor on others. Having checked the poster was only getting about 180V on the day his hi-fi sounded rubbish. He then reported it and it got fixed.

[/quote]

was myself. It wasn't a spike issue I had, the 180V - 200V dip was live (no pun) for about half an hour in which time the MDAC rebooted several times as it obviously upset the internal power rails. Didn't realise at the time that the oven and toaster took ages to get hot, bathroom fan sounded sick and other things but it's been great since. Something like Electro has suggested might be a start as spikes really are trouble. Power companies have a duty to maintain voltage supplies to within +10/-6% @230V so I had a big problem but sudden spikes and dips are a different story. I hope you find an answer very soon - just wondering if the Tacima isn't performing as it should?
[/quote]
Yes, indeed. Thanks for the inspiration. I remember reading it late one evening and still managed to place an order for next day delivery. Mine turned out to be consistently high. Just within spec but at high end. Usually 250-252V. Very rarely see 245V or less. It may be their cheeky way of making sure my electricity bills are as high as possible.

Definitely worth monitoring and something I wouldn't think of if it wasn't for your post.
 

luckylion100

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nopiano said:
luckylion100 said:
Electro said:
For mains voltage monitoring I use a device similar to this one so that you can monitor the voltage constantly .

http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/13a-plug-in-energy-saving-monitor-n67fu

At least it provided me with an idea as to what to look for and hopefully it won't break the bank.

Oppo along with a seemingly long suffering Peter Tyson. ;-)

Next time I'm up Maplins I'll definitely be getting a couple. Many thanks.
Read the review which say the display is unreadable! Glad Oppo have come up trumps, rightly so.
 

Electro

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nopiano said:
luckylion100 said:
Electro said:
For mains voltage monitoring I use a device similar to this one so that you can monitor the voltage constantly .

http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/13a-plug-in-energy-saving-monitor-n67fu

Next time I'm up Maplins I'll definitely be getting a couple. Many thanks.
Read the review which say the display is unreadable! Glad Oppo have come up trumps, rightly so.

Yes I noticed the reviews but I always take them with a pinch of salt.

It does not have to be that exact model as there are many others for a similar price .

This is the one I have used for about 10 years but it's discontinued now, I bought it from maplins but you might find old stock somewhere else.

http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/15a-plug-in-energy-saving-monitor-l61aq
 

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