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sge

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  1. Just wanted to post the end result to the issue I had with my W4S DAC2. I ended up sending the unit back to W4S because the input buttons continued to act quirky. W4S replaced one (or more) of the input buttons and was incredibly customer-friendly in the process. They fixed the unit the same day they received it from me and shipped it back out to me - I was without it for only two days. It is now completely cured and well on its path down the break-in process. Thanks to Clint and everyone else at W4S for top-notch customer service. And thanks to those of you here who responded with ideas. I'll try to post some thoughts once I get some more hours of break-in and have some time to really sit and listen critically.
  2. Thanks to all who responded on my question re: input cycling. It seems like this extra power button push I mentioned has solved my problem and I have been listening all day today. Or maybe it was switching to WASAPI event mode that fixed it (although I am not sure that makes sense since the problem was happening even when my computer was not connected to the DAC2). Regardless, the unit is working as it is supposed to for now and I am thoroughly enjoying it (no critical listening yet until it is burned in). I will touch base with W4S tech support to get an explanation and fully understand it and will post an update on that topic as well as my thoughts after listening for a while. Thanks again.
  3. Hifitubes - thanks so much. I will add that to the list of possible things to address (right now I am just using WASAPI, not WASAPI-Event Mode). I don't think it is a computer problem though because JRMC continues to play and the DAC2 picks up the signal just fine as it cycles through the inputs, and because the problem was occuring even with the USB cable unplugged and using the coax input from my CD player. One thing I just tried is completely unplugging the computer and just running it from the digital coax out of my CD player. I also put a piece of black tape over the remote sensor thinking that maybe some stray IR signal is getting to it. It was working fine for about 15 minutes and then went haywire, this time cycling through the inputs quite rapidly unlike the previous slow progression. But then I stumbled onto something - I turned the unit off and turned it back on, and then hit the power button again, and the dashes on the outside of the display moved from the top line to the bottom line and the unit seems to have locked in on the signal. Now it is running fine. I didn't see anything about this in the instruction manual, so I don't know what this means. It is all very weird! Will see how this plays out over the next couple hours and then try to power up the computer again.
  4. Thanks for the advice Randy. I spent the day today messing around with it trying all sorts of shut-downs, restarts, inputs, etc. (all with the remote batteries out) but to no avail. I had one short glimmer of hope this morning but it didn't last long. The system played for about an hour with no problem and did not mess up until right when I changed albums on my J River Media Player feed. So I thought that was it - something triggered something when I made that change and it went all screwy. I shut everything down, unplugged all the cables, waited a while and started over. It worked fine, so I thought I had figured out the source of the problem. But five minutes into the first track, it started again. So now I am back to square one! I usually don't look forward to starting the work week on Monday, but this week I am eagerly awaiting the opening bell to get to W4S tech support!
  5. I just received and set up my W4S DAC2 last night. It was an easy set up process and I was fired up to listen, which I did for about an hour before I ran into a little glitch - just randomly, it started cycling through the various inputs and would not stay on my USB input signal that I had set it to. It was as if I was holding down the input scroll button on the remote control. I powered down the system and unplugged the DAC2 and then restarted everything and it was all fine. I was fired up that my glitch had disappeared and listened for another couple hours and was loving it. Unfortunately, when I got home from work and turned everything on today, I experienced the same problem, and this time I can't get it to stop. After playing fine for a little while locked in on a proper signal, it started cycling through all the inputs and I can't stop it from doing this. Has anyone had a similar experience with this? I am sure W4S will help me troubleshoot it but since it is 9:00 on Friday night I thought I might have some luck here first. Any help is appreciated.
  6. I have been lurking here for a few weeks trying to learn as much as I can as I dive into the world of computer music. Of course, for every small bit of info I learn and think I understand, there is at least a corresponding amount of confusion. There are a couple of questions I have that I have not been able to gather a good understanding on, so I figured I would throw them out and see if I can get some input. My current set-up is as follows – Digital source will be through a Windows 7 PC with J River Media Center installed. Until now I just play CD’s the old-fashioned way on a California Audio Labs Mark II CD Player, but I’ve been playing around with a few hi-res albums downloaded from HDTracks and some CDs I ripped in FLAC format (more on this below). Preamp = Conrad Johnson ET2. Amp = Conrad Johnson Sonographe (Solid State 200x2). Spkrs = B&W Signature 805S. All cables = Tara Labs. I recently tried out a Simaudio Moon 300D DAC, hooked up to my PC through a Xonar XTS sound card through its SPDIF out (as recommended by Simaudio). I liked it a lot, particularly the high res files (Coltrane – A Love Supreme in 24/96 was pretty awesome), but returned it as I am still trying to figure out exactly what I want and what the right setup is. It was a good fit with my system overall and I may end up back with that setup, but also want to try out the Wyred 4 Sound DAC2 based on the reviews it has gotten. So I just ordered it and will set it up using its asynchronous USB (as recommended by W4S). So here are my questions: 1. Given that the W4S DAC is asynchronous USB, is it right that using USB out from my PC is the best way to send the source to the DAC? The way I understand it, this would mean the sound card is completely irrelevant since the DAC is doing all the work that the card would otherwise be doing, and therefore I would not need to spend money on a sound card like the Xonar or the Lynx. Or am I better off with SPDIF out of the Xonar card or AES/EBU out of a Lynx Card? 2. Assuming I use the USB connection, and I know this is a long-debated question, but I’ll ask it anyway – how much does the cable matter? The thread on this forum on this topic seems to pre-date the proliferation of asynchronous USB’s, so I guess I am asking more specifically – with Async USB and a short cable run (i.e. 6 ft), will the $20 Belkin Gold cable work just as well as the $200+ cables? Or does it make technical sense that a superior cable would provide a sonic improvement in this type of setup. Again, just looking for a little guidance on a starting point here. 3. And if I am using an external USB hard drive to store my music files, then same question as #2 for the cable from the hard drive to the computer? Or am I better using an NAS that is connected via Ethernet? I am a big believer in listening and testing for myself, so I am not necessarily looking for the “here is the answer” answer, but with so many choices out there I would love to get some feedback from those who have gone through this process and who can provide some guidance on good starting points. Thanks in advance.
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