1 Topic by blackeye-liner (edited by blackeye-liner 2019-11-18 22:20:36)

  • Registered: 2019-04-28
  • Posts: 5

Topic: Channel balance drifts right all by itself

I had my ADI-2 DAC for about 6 months now and a month ago something really weird started happening.

Balance randomly drifts to the right channel. Sometimes it will _slowly_ drift 10% to 30% to the right. Sometimes it will slowly drift to 100% right channel.

I honestly thought in the beginning there was something wrong with my hearing and got scared. But it's not, it's the device.

Then I started playing with balance control to bring it back to center. It helps, but when it drifts 100% right, there's literally no sound coming from the device.

I thought it was the source. But nope, volume meters show perfectly stable levels on right and left channels. To verify it's not the source or the material (music) I set the accessibility option in MacOS to play audio as mono - still the same thing.

As well as it randomly drifts right, it will sometimes drift back.

Then I thought it was oxidation on the cable and tried plugging it back and plugging back in. It worked and balance is perfectly center after that. BUT here's where it gets extremely interesting: it ALSO gets back to the center when I press the button on remote that switches from phone to line and back. So it's NOT oxidation, because physically nothing changes.

Last thought - it happens only when the device is cold, i.e. for 30 minutes or so after I turn it on from off state. When it warms up, it never happens again.

Any ideas?

  • Registered: 2019-01-07
  • Posts: 1,462

Re: Channel balance drifts right all by itself

Blackeye. 

Are you fighting a Head Cold by any chance?   I am, and they they Always migrate toward my hearing.   Stereo Balance is typically the first victim.

Curt

Vintage 2018 ADI-2 DAC. "Classic AKM4490 Edition"
Cables:  Red, and White Ones.
Speakers:  Yes
  • ramses
  • DAW Mastermind
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  • From: UTC+1
  • Registered: 2012-10-14
  • Posts: 12,041

Re: Channel balance drifts right all by itself

Can you validate this in these screens:
- Global Level Meter or
- Analyzer (Horizontal Level Meter)
I would set the option
    Options -> Display -> Hor. Meter -> Dual
to be able to compare levels Pre-FX/Post-FX in Analyzer screen.

BR Ramses - UFX III, 12Mic, XTC, ADI-2 Pro FS R BE, RayDAT, X10SRi-F, E5-1680v4, Win10Pro22H2, Cub13
  • Registered: 2019-04-28
  • Posts: 5

Re: Channel balance drifts right all by itself

Curt962 wrote:

Blackeye. 

Are you fighting a Head Cold by any chance?   I am, and they they Always migrate toward my hearing.   Stereo Balance is typically the first victim.

Curt

No, this is not what is happening. I can doublecheck with a number of other headphones side by side, other amps output straight center, ADI-2 drifts, and by swapping headphones I can momentarily hear that sound output is different balance-wise. It's not my hearing. Other people hear it as well.

  • Registered: 2019-04-28
  • Posts: 5

Re: Channel balance drifts right all by itself

ramses wrote:

Can you validate this in these screens:
- Global Level Meter or
- Analyzer (Horizontal Level Meter)
I would set the option
    Options -> Display -> Hor. Meter -> Dual
to be able to compare levels Pre-FX/Post-FX in Analyzer screen.

That's what I did. Pre- and post-FX levels are identical even when balance drifts to full right. Device apparently thinks it outputs center-balanced signal.