Caiman SEG - Any way to remove the click on bitrate change?

[Giovanni68]

It's quite annoying, when playing music off a playlist, to have to hear the click each and every time there is a different bitrate, any solution?


Grazie e buone feste


Giovanni

[mikeyb]

Drop StanleyB a message

Stan is always around to ask, drop him a message and I’m sure he’ll help.

[Landloper]

It's quite annoying, when playing music off a playlist, to have to hear the click each and every time there is a different bitrate, any solution?


Grazie e buone feste


Giovanni

Puzzled to read of your problem, Giovanni. I use a variety of bitrates into an SEG and have yet to hear a click when using playlists. I genrally use an optical cable from a laptop (Mac) rather than USB, though I've never had a problem with the latter and clicks when I have used one.

[CageyH]

What firmware does your SEG have?

I use a coaxial and an optical cable and do not suffer clicks, but my SEG has been upgraded by Stan pretty much as far as you can go, with better RCA sockets, super caps and better clocks.

[Giovanni68]

Hello,

my SEG has a 2.9 firmware and it connects to a MacMini through USB to stream uncompressed music and to a TV through optical, obviously I only hear clicks when streaming off the computer where many mixed playlists carry files with different data rate.

Grazie

[CageyH]

Contact Stan, as the Firmware updates may well fix your problem. I think it is at Version 42 now.

[Jerry B]

From memory SEG-30 Firmware fixed this?

[Giovanni68]

I had Stan sent an email to which he did reply but no follow up to come to a solution of the issue, I find just fun how in the era of final customer serviceable coffee machine firmware update via USB we have to rely on an EEPROM which no matter how cheap it is but not worth the hassle of a shipping, removing and reinstalling not to add warranty void.

Well, maybe time for somebody else to enjoy my SEG and its Dorado, xmas is over and no need for a xmas tree like lighting setup...

[Theadmans]

I wouldn't be so dismissive of Stan...

...I have always found him very helpful (although I tend to ring him as I am in the UK).

My Creek 50CD CD player and DAC (which was nearly £1000) also suffers from these clicks...

...it uses Wolfson chips like the SEG.

I don't use playlists as I am an album kind of a guy - so the clicks to me are not a major problem.

BTW I run a fully modified SEG in a secondary system and am completely happy with it (for the price).

[Wakefield Turntables]

I had Stan sent an email to which he did reply but no follow up to come to a solution of the issue, I find just fun how in the era of final customer serviceable coffee machine firmware update via USB we have to rely on an EEPROM which no matter how cheap it is but not worth the hassle of a shipping, removing and reinstalling not to add warranty void.

Well, maybe time for somebody else to enjoy my SEG and its Dorado, xmas is over and no need for a xmas tree like lighting setup...


Do you really expect something for nothing?

[Giovanni68]

It's not a matter of price, nowadays even your water flush system has an end user upgradable firmware, no big deal if I know I can take off the chip, install a new one and solve the problem, I simply find that to have to send it back or to have to change the chip oneself is anachronistic to say the least but, again, I have done more complicated than that but not to get an answer to an issue related to a product doesn't really make me praise the product itself nor the producer, again, not matter of price, it is not like "ok, what you expect for what you paid...?" makes me feel like an early adopter, a paying beta tester.

I wanna change the chip if that helps to solve the click issue but to today both through the forum here and direct contact I still haven't got to know if it would solve the issue

[Wakefield Turntables]

It's not a matter of price, nowadays even your water flush system has an end user upgradable firmware, no big deal if I know I can take off the chip, install a new one and solve the problem, I simply find that to have to send it back or to have to change the chip oneself is anachronistic to say the least but, again, I have done more complicated than that but not to get an answer to an issue related to a product doesn't really make me praise the product itself nor the producer, again, not matter of price, it is not like "ok, what you expect for what you paid...?" makes me feel like an early adopter, a paying beta tester.

I wanna change the chip if that helps to solve the click issue but to today both through the forum here and direct contact I still haven't got to know if it would solve the issue

You've been told that a later firmware fix will sort this out. Just buy the chip. Install, forget, and enjoy your SEG. :)

[Giovanni68]

You've been told that a later firmware fix will sort this out. Just buy the chip. Install, forget, and enjoy your SEG. :)

I have not got any confirmation from the builder itself that it would solve the issue

[RockAddict]

I've just had a new Caiman SEG (presumably with the latest FW onboard) with exactly the same problem as the OP; loud sound (a bit like fat static) when playing tracks with differing bitrates / resolutions. Years ago (2014ish), I tried a Bushmaster MKII and experienced the same thing. Another thread on this forum mentions what seems to be the same issue with the Bushmaster TC-7530DC.

When playing consecutive files with the same bitrates / resolutions, the SEG appears to work fine but I have several compilations with differing bitrates etc so, for me, the SEG isn't a keeper and has been returned. Maybe it's fate because an opportunity arose to make the financial equation work for a rather more expensive Denafrips Pontus II... If the Pontus II is even half as good as the feedback from user experiences suggests, I should be very happy!

[StanleyB]

I have done a firmware re-write, which sorts out some of the issues that some have had with playing 192KHz tracks. But the clicking during bitrate change is unfortunately a technical problem that is beyond my control. The DAC's input receiver is connected via I2S to the DAC chip. And that I2S connection allows for faster bits transfer than the time it takes for the mute function to engage. If I adjust it for no clicks you'll start getting missing signal errors.
A lot of designers use the CS8416 input receiver, which uses a different method to deal with incoming signal. But is is not crystal controlled. So jitter is higher by up to 600%!

[Seeker-Smith]

I had Stan sent an email to which he did reply but no follow up to come to a solution of the issue, I find just fun how in the era of final customer serviceable coffee machine firmware update via USB we have to rely on an EEPROM which no matter how cheap it is but not worth the hassle of a shipping, removing and reinstalling not to add warranty void.

Well, maybe time for somebody else to enjoy my SEG and its Dorado, xmas is over and no need for a xmas tree like lighting setup...

You sure the click is not coming from your Macmini?