View Full Version : Goodbye Caiman *sniff* :(
Posting back to Stan today, as the relay click (I appreciate it's due to higher quality components) didn't really work with desktop use/my set-up/preferences. A shame, as I loved everything about it.
As it was disconnected, and the standard line out (aaaah) used, the difference was instantly noticeable. Lack of soundstage and presense, detail/clarity. Bleh. Naff sound for a while now.
Miss it already!
Awesome product and service Stan, if I get the spare cash, I'll grab one for the lounge system (rarely use it at the mo).
Will be replaced by an Apogee Duet 2 (http://www.apogeedigital.com/products/duet2.php) when they are available. The DA converters and preamps are derivatives from their flagship Symphony I/O (http://www.apogeedigital.com/products/symphony-io.php), which, from what I've read via industry opinions, is rather excellent. 90% DAC use, 10% recording (voice/guitar), which will change as I get better with the guitar! :¬)
Ross - what about the 'relay click' didn't you like? :scratch:
Ross - what about the 'relay click' didn't you like? :scratch:
It (the Caiman) made a reasonably loud chirp/beep at the end of any sound, albeit a song ending, pausing, skipping etc. It also happened after any noise from OS X; trash emptied, volume change etc., and sometimes during streamed media (football, documentaries etc.).
As it sits right next to me, it was quite distracting. Wasn't happy to open it up and mod it (as others here have done to remove the relays).
Ah, ok, you must be using the USB input. I've never had any problems using the co-ax and optical inputs - and it's not close to me anyway.
Ah, ok, you must be using the USB input. I've never had any problems using the co-ax and optical inputs - and it's not close to me anyway.
I was using optical Martin. Also tried USB, with the same chirping. I'm wondering whether the unit I had was louder than most, as you could hear it from quite a distance.
The Vinyl Adventure
11-05-2011, 19:34
Did a straight swap not appeal?
Mine does the same thing, but I do 99% of listening through headphones so it's not an issue. If I was listening through speakers I'm pretty sure it would drive me crazy!
Did a straight swap not appeal?
If it were to be silent, absolutely. Stan mentioned it was normal though.
Mine does the same thing, but I do 99% of listening through headphones so it's not an issue. If I was listening through speakers I'm pretty sure it would drive me crazy!
99% through speakers here!
Excuse the thread jack, but slight concern- just bought a caiman to use with my Sonos box. Will I have the same issue?
Excuse the thread jack, but slight concern- just bought a caiman to use with my Sonos box. Will I have the same issue?
Not many chimed in when I mentioned the 'issue' in another thread. There is a thread on here how some people have modded the Caiman themselves, removing the mechanical relay that causes the chirp.
Stan offers a great service, if you're unhappy, you can return it. Hopefully you'll get a quiet one :¬)
Werner Berghofer
11-05-2011, 20:01
Ross,
I'm wondering whether the unit I had was louder than most
this might not help you in any way, but the problems you describe never happened in my setup. There are three Macs in my home and four Beresford DACs (two Caimans, two TC-7520, all gatorized). There’s no chirp, not even the slightest trace of it, regardless if the connection to the DAC is established via USB or Toslink.
I've never had this problem either. Quiet as a church mouse. :scratch:
This is quite disappointing to hear (personally, although I'm glad others have silent operation), as a quiet Caiman would be perfect.
This is quite disappointing to hear (personally, although I'm glad others have silent operation), as a quiet Caiman would be perfect.
Is it possible that the Caiman you had was faulty? (Well of course it is...) Could Stan send you another to try, in case? It would be like chopping my cock off (:eek:) but I could send you mine to try Ross if you're not ready to give up on it yet. :)
The Vinyl Adventure
11-05-2011, 21:45
Mines silent too...
Mines silent too...
Leading to...
Is it possible that the Caiman you had was faulty? (Well of course it is...) Could Stan send you another to try, in case? It would be like chopping my cock off (:eek:) but I could send you mine to try Ross if you're not ready to give up on it yet. :)
It sounds like pot luck, whether the relay is noisy or not. Thank you for the very generous offer Alex, but I would not want to remove your listening pleasure/penis! If you say it's silent, that's all I need to know. I am penis-less for the time being, and it's rather pants.
Before continuing, I'll wait for reviews on the Apogee Duet 2 to see if the hype is just that, or whether it has grounds for testing. The Rega DAC has caught my eye, although I doubt it's worth over twice that of the Gatored Caiman. A shame we have no A/B comparisons.
It's quite likely I'll be asking Stan for a quiet Caiman in a month or so :¬)
Received my second Caiman today; got tempted by Stans AOS offer on the SEG model and put in a order during sunday. Sent Monday and received today that was unexpected quick.
It has been running in my office setup all day with my Superlux. Right now it is connect to my main setup; no chirp sounds with this one. I still have to modify my old Caiman+ to remove the chirp.
Haselsh1
12-05-2011, 07:18
I really don't understand this issue as I have had a Caiman for about a year connected to my CDT via Co-Axial link and it is damn near perfect. The only problem I have is that my Caiman is completely unmodded and I hear it can be so much better. Maybe one day...?
I really don't understand this issue as I have had a Caiman for about a year connected to my CDT via Co-Axial link
Some of the Stan DACs have the problem; as I just stated above my 1 year old Caiman+ have the problem while my 24 hour old Caiman SEG does not.
Put it down to subtle component differences that cause the relays to trigger a bit off resulting in the chirp sound when a new track starts.
It has been running in my office setup all day with my Superlux. Right now it is connect to my main setup; no chirp sounds with this one.
Nice. Fancy sending it on to me? :lolsign:
I really don't understand this issue as I have had a Caiman for about a year connected to my CDT via Co-Axial link and it is damn near perfect. The only problem I have is that my Caiman is completely unmodded and I hear it can be so much better. Maybe one day...?
From what I've read here, you can't go wrong adding the Gator. Stephen mentioned the Gator upgrade resulted in hom preferring the Caiman over his Benchmark...
http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=9691
Nice. Fancy sending it on to me? :lolsign:
My precious
Another threadjack- is the gator just a slot in board or am I missing something?
Another threadjack- is the gator just a slot in board or am I missing something?
Pretty much - the original board is glued in, so needs a bit of careful cutting (the glue) before lifting out and replacing with the Gator - making sure you get the pins right, of course... Dead easy, if I can do it anyone can!
Mine chirps a little. It's only noticeable if you really listen out for it though, or on windows sounds but even then it times with the sound which masks it. Sometimes it can be helpful as I can tell when an awkward program has finally let go of the audio device! It sounds a bit like a quick track change on a cd player mechanism.
You shouldn’t have any awkward programs running let alone using the same audio drivers as your Dac :doh:;)
http://www.cicsmemoryplayer.com/index.php?n=CMP.07Optimisations
Yeah yeah, I know everyone thinks you can have your computer making the tea and playing porn while the music is on but the horrible truth is it doesn’t work like that……and no I don’t know why exactly ;)
Hmm no just browsing the web, and sometimes a page will grab the audio device like an embedded youtube link I may have played before. I use xxhighend when i want to go the whole hog and even though I seem to notice a difference over foobar, running a browser at the same time doesn't seem to make one jot of difference, even playing videos muted isn't usually an issue, though I try not to.
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