Gator aid. Or how to get the most from your Gator.

[Werner Berghofer]

Do you listen via loudspeakers or via headphones connected to the DAC’s headphone port?

[chapter three]

Loudspeakers. Not really listened to headphones since I've had the Gator. I'll give them a try. I've got Sennheiser HD650s.

[magiccarpetride]

Which is the odd thing...
its only on certain "sounds" that the distortion comes in...higher frequency dynamic swings usually, female vocals, acoustic guitar, piano, that kind of thing.

This makes me think its maybe not JUST a gain issue but somehow related to frequency too.

Whilst I know whats wrong, the solution is out of my expertise so I'm just guessing at this point,
Looking for similar problems other folks have had.

Which to be fair is hardly any - 99.9% of Gator owners seem delighted, its just my luck I have this problem in my system!

Bummer. Any chance you could give us the names of few problematic tracks? Maybe I have some of the same songs in my library, I wouldn't mind trying them.

Also, I recall that you've been doing lots of Soundcheck's mods to the Touch. I did them too, and with each mod I've noticed how the signal was getting stronger and firmer and more authoritative and more in-your-face. Maybe that too plays into the Gator's over-excitedness? Have you tried doing the factory reset on the Touch? See if that makes any change...

[mervinb]

I just listen to ”Bare Bones“ in ALAC file format, streamed wirelessly from a Macbook Pro to an Airport Express which is connected via optical cable to a gatorized Caiman. The Caiman’s fixed line-out feeds my ancient Yahama AX-592 amplifier with Triangle Esprit floor-standing loudspeakers. Everything sounds just fine, I cannot hear any distortion.

However, two weeks ago I noticed an incredible level of distortion on any track of ”Feels like home“ from Norah Jones, again when played through a gatorized Caiman. I even re-ripped the whole CD, but this didn’t change anything. The distortion is stronger with headphones directly connected to the DAC, but it also can be heard from the loudspeakers.

The distortion also is there when listening via a gatorized TC-7520, although not that strong as in the Caiman. Before my DACs were gatorized (using Gator Mk1), I didn’t notice any distortion.

This sounds worrying. Is your headphone volume set at zero while listening to music via the fixed line outputs? Which opamp do you have on the Gator?

Perhaps it would be useful to gather some statistics. A design characteristic of the Beresford dacs is single ended power (+12V or +15V) on the analog section, whereas many others have +/-12V or +/-15V, providing more headroom.

FYI I am using a Gator with LM4562, and I find that distortion on loud, high frequency music (in my case massed strings in classical music, usually quite demanding) is subjectively as low or lower compared to other dacs. The challenge is that I'm not sure if my dac has Mk1 or Mk2 Gator, *and* I've done enough mods on my Gator that any one of a dozen mods to power or signal coupling may have affected things.

[Alex_UK]

I think we need Stan's input here, when he's next around. The "gain mod" on mine (original Gator) completely cured the problem, whereas before it was exactly as Gaz describes, especially piano. It made no difference if I used the variable output set very low, and the amp set high. Gaz - which input are you using on your amp - some have different sensitivity (mine doesn't) on the CD input, which is what I believe the Gator is designed to work with, I understand.

[slate]

I have a Gator mk I and so far I had not noticed anything; when I read these posts last night I played some classical and auntie Krall
.
Now that Norah Jones was mentioned I checked my collection and there was one track from a compilation "Don't know why".... damn there it was; several spots on that track.

That was using the variable lineout on my gatorized Caiman: also clearly "visible" via headphones.
I checked my office setup and I could also hear it there but it was more subtle and I had to listen a couple of times to be able to hear all the static spots.
So no doubt that it is a bad production.

BTW isn't the mk II produced with the adjustment to avoid the gain issue? I think that Stan stated that previously...

[Werner Berghofer]

Is your headphone volume set at zero while listening to music via the fixed line outputs?

Yes, it is. Being an extremely anal type, it’s my habit to turn off everything which is currently not in use.

Which opamp do you have on the Gator?

LM4562 on my gatorized TC-7520s, AD826 on my gatorized Caimans. All DACs are powered by Caiman PSUs (labelled ”Beresford Caiman“ on the outside).

[StanleyB]

I shall try to find some of the tracks that people have reported problems with, and see if I can recreate the distortion on my setup. I know that some of the Norah Jones tracks are dodgy in their production, and even with a TC-7510 I can hear those recording defects. The Gator would make those defects even more noticeable.

In the mean time, anyone who prefers the original PCB to the Gator(s) that they bought can get in touch with me by email and I shall take the Gator back from you.

[Werner Berghofer]

anyone who prefers the original PCB to the Gator(s) that they bought can get in touch with me by email and I shall take the Gator back from you

Stan, this is a very generous offer which at least I certainly do not plan to take. Going back to the dark, pre-gatorized listening era is just not possible for me :-)

Holy sh*t, back in the early 1970s (with the fresh ears of an adolescent) I used to love music recorded on compact cassettes! Nowadays – at the age of 54 – I’m concerned about hi-fi equipment being too revealing?

I’m a big fan of your excellent DACs and I enjoy every minute listening to music reproduced by your gear.

[StanleyB]

Thanks for your comments Werner . The more I develop my products to reveal even more detail at a knock down price, the more difficult it becomes to make users aware that the extra detail might not be what everyone wishes to know about.
Maybe my idea to sell the Gator as an upgrade was wrong. I should have shown how to build it as a DIY project on veroboard instead and let people build it at their own leisure and with whatever parts they want. I don't make anything of note on the project, but it wasn't my intention to make any money out of it in the first place. So I shall pull the Gator upgrade at the end of the month or as soon as the remaining 37 pieces of MK2 boards are finished. So it's back to the passive mod DIY project after that.