Technics SP10 mk2
Jan Allaerts MC 1 Boron mk1 cart
Miyajima Shilabe cart
Hashimoto HM-X SUT
Siggwan (gimballed not unipivot) Cocobola 12"
Aurorasound Vida LCR Phonostage
The Truth linestage
Dave Slagle Autoformer Volume Controller
Cary 805c SET amps
Audio Note ANe-SPX speakers
Townshend Isolda speaker cables
Cardas Golden Presence interconnects
Location: Shenfield
Posts: 574
I'm Slav.
Technics SP10 mk2
Jan Allaerts MC 1 Boron mk1 cart
Miyajima Shilabe cart
Hashimoto HM-X SUT
Siggwan (gimballed not unipivot) Cocobola 12"
Aurorasound Vida LCR Phonostage
The Truth linestage
Dave Slagle Autoformer Volume Controller
Cary 805c SET amps
Audio Note ANe-SPX speakers
Townshend Isolda speaker cables
Cardas Golden Presence interconnects
Location: Shenfield
Posts: 574
I'm Slav.
Location: Reading
Posts: 110
I'm George.
Just to be clear where we are now.
If you play your vinyl into the linestage-ARC75-speakers you have to move the 'balance' control to just past the mid point (4 past). That seems normal.
If you then play the CD player then the 'balance' control has to be advanced to 20 past? This is not normal and there clearly is an issue with the Opus.
If it was like that from the start then it arrived with a problem and I would return it and ask for a refund. You could share the postage.
Did your line-stage cause a problem to the Opus....hmm not sure about that?? It is possible (shorting out the output amps/buffer?} but why does it not damage your phono amplifier and if it works how did it short?
Did the Opus cause a problem to the line-stage'? Doubt it.
My inclination is to ask for a refund as it is causing issues and it does not work as described. Did you cause the problem: I doubt it as these items can take a lot of abuse without causing a partial failure? Although you need a techie's view....
Location: London/Durham
Posts: 6,883
I'm Lawrence.
I have to make a confession, I found out last night I know the seller of the Opus when I looked at his eBay name, it's not the same as his pfm name, where I first saw the listing. I met him at Scalford last year and later sold him a passive pre. I'm not going to give any more opinions on this for obvious reasons but I will say he comes across as a very straightforward and honest guy and if he said the cdp was working perfectly when it left his hands I strongly believe this would have been the case.
Sent from my BLN-L21 using Tapatalk
Thanks for being up front. I'm in touch with him over this and have said I'm not questioning his honesty. I have raised a refund with eBay - but this is born from insecurity - something isn't right but I honestly don't understand what. Im going to try and take the Opus to school tomorrow and try it in the system there - it's not ideal, but it might shed a little more light on what's going on.
When i first connected it up it was via the variable into the linestage, the manual says that if used that way you can set the volume at 99 so it's effectively giving full output (2.5v). It sounded terrible at that level, as though it was over driving the linestage - though the maker of the linestage assures me it can comfortably handle it - I disagree.
It might be that both the Opus and the ref 75 have a slight drop on the left channel - or that output on the right of the Opus is higher than it should be. I don't know.
I'm quite certain I'm not hearing the Opus as it should be, for whatever reason - but my instinct is to take it out of the system and start from scratch.
Maybe tomorrow I'll know a little more.
Technics SP10 mk2
Jan Allaerts MC 1 Boron mk1 cart
Miyajima Shilabe cart
Hashimoto HM-X SUT
Siggwan (gimballed not unipivot) Cocobola 12"
Aurorasound Vida LCR Phonostage
The Truth linestage
Dave Slagle Autoformer Volume Controller
Cary 805c SET amps
Audio Note ANe-SPX speakers
Townshend Isolda speaker cables
Cardas Golden Presence interconnects
Location: London/Durham
Posts: 6,883
I'm Lawrence.
I hope it all works out ok, it's horrible when this sort of thing happens, the best hope is nobody falls out too badly over it in the long run when the emotions have subsided.
Sent from my BLN-L21 using Tapatalk
I'd just like to add my thoughts to others here that it's very unlikely for the CDP to cause a problem into a line input. 2.5 V is only just above theoretical line level. I'm a bit lost as to what processes of elimination you've covered. Surely the variable output into the ARC should say something, even if it's not best sonic practice. (I assume the Ref 75 doesn't have pot's like my E.A.R.). Presumably you've tried all line inputs.
I do think you need to try the CDP into another set-up, if only to check the balance, but I note you're dong that tomorrow (and presumably you're a teacher; E.F.L., by any chance?). I have empathy for your situation, but it seems that you have the hifi nous to ascertain the fault.
Really sorry to hear of your woes, Adey. It's so disappointing... Essentially, you've got a superb CD player there - *if* you can get it to function optimally in your system, and I do hope that's the result you get in the end.
Marco.
Main System
Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & reg mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat/Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight/Isonoe feet & boots/Ortofon RS-212D/Denon DL-103GL in Denon PCL-300 headshell with Funk Firm Houdini/Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.
Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.
Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.
CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.
Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new, by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.
Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. LDR Stereo Coffee. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.
Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.
Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.
Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.
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