Rotel RA1572 MKII Possible DAC Malfunction

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by MadMax4073, Nov 24, 2021.

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  1. MadMax4073

    MadMax4073 Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Tombstone
    Hi, Received my Rotel RA1572 MKII a couple weeks ago., I traded in a Cambridge CXA 81. The amp is great, but I might be having trouble with the DAC. Everytime I close the Cambridge Trasport with a CD loaded in it, the amp will click a relay. Now light switches and appliances are interrupting playback for a split second, even if they are not on the same 15A circuit. This doesn't happen to the turntable or if I hook up a old DVD player to the analog CD input, it plays fine. I didn't have any trouble with this setup with the CXA 81. I spoke to Rotel for over a week and they are hesitant to replace it saying it could be the transport! So I reached out to my dealer and haven't heard back from him yet. Does anybody have any experience with this amp or the Texas Instruments 32-bit/384kHz DAC? I know certain DAC's are sensitive to switches. I checked all the receptacles and ruled out the Iso Tek and the coax cable.. Thanks
     
  2. Cherrycherry

    Cherrycherry Forum Resident

    Location:
    Le Froidtown
    i don't understand your problem.
    What type of CD player do you have?
     
  3. MadMax4073

    MadMax4073 Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Tombstone
    Cambridge CXC Transport. Light switches and appliances are causing a split second interference with playback. Only happening with the transport in the coax input on the DAC. The turntable & a DVD player connected to the CD input NOT affected.
     
  4. Cherrycherry

    Cherrycherry Forum Resident

    Location:
    Le Froidtown
    I think that makes it clearer.
    Can you try a different digital coax cable?
    Would the problem disappear if you used TOSLINK Connection between the CXC Transport and the Rotel Integrated Amp?
     
  5. harby

    harby Forum Resident

    Location:
    Portland, OR, USA
    Besides optical, another mitigation one might attempt is to bond the chassis of the CD transport and integrated amplifier together with a grounding wire. This will ensure that voltage potentials seen between components or induced by the appliances are not primarily carried over the coaxial cable.

    Take a length of speaker wire or whatever you might have (stranded, squishable copper), and unscrew one of the case screws from each component and connect together by wrapping around the screw. Can be made more classy by crimping a ring or spade terminal on the wire.

    It may instead be that the transport is needing servicing (such as power supply capacitors), and has become more sensitive to wall voltage fluctuations, putting out a pulse on what should be two distinct digital voltages on coax. Designed in the UK, made in China, it might never have seen US wall power for validation until arriving in container ships.
     
  6. MadMax4073

    MadMax4073 Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Tombstone
    Did all of what you & Rotel suggested, same result, all cables are ruled out. I used a Toslink, same result. I ran the amp from a different power source, transport from another, same result. So if the house had a electrical problem, it wouldn't dissappear playing the turntable or a DVD player playing a CD in the analog inputs.
     
  7. MadMax4073

    MadMax4073 Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Tombstone
    I
    I'll try the grounding wire, thanks. As in my original post, when I had the CXA 81 as my amp, never had a problem.
     
  8. telemike

    telemike Forum Resident

    Location:
    Greensboro, NC
    Do you have a DVD player you can try with coax and optical to see if issue shows up? That would rule out the dac
     
    Uglyversal and ubiknik like this.
  9. I would ask to return the Rotel for the CXA 81 personally. From what I've seen on forums Rotel seems to have too many silly firmware gotchas for my taste.
     
  10. MadMax4073

    MadMax4073 Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Tombstone
    Thanks, I'll have to see if any of the two dvd players has an optical out. That would rule out the Transport being faulty.
     
    Last edited: Nov 25, 2021
    SonicCzar likes this.
  11. Cherrycherry

    Cherrycherry Forum Resident

    Location:
    Le Froidtown
    I would agree. If a different CD/DVD player would have the same affect when connected using SPDIF digital coax, then, it points directly to the DAC/amplifier and I would return it.
     
    MadMax4073 and jesterthejedi like this.
  12. MadMax4073

    MadMax4073 Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Tombstone
    Absolutely Cherrycherry
     
  13. Cherrycherry

    Cherrycherry Forum Resident

    Location:
    Le Froidtown
    Looking at the Rotel manual, I might try making a Bluetooth connection from a phone or device and play some music files to the Rotel and see if you can reproduce the problem?
    That removes the CD transport from the equation, too.
    And, for the SPDIF/TOSLINK, I would try to reproduce the problem in both SPDIF 1&2 and TOSLINK 1&2.
    If light switches and appliances still cause an issue, then you've nailed it.

    Getting the hassle of finding other CD players/DVD players with SPDIF outputs puts more work on you.
    You just want to enjoy your new Integrated Amp.
     
  14. MadMax4073

    MadMax4073 Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Tombstone
    Will do, Thanks for your help!
     
  15. MadMax4073

    MadMax4073 Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Tombstone
    I hooked my phone via Bluetooth, I couldn't get the interruption putting the appliances on & hitting all the switches. I don't know if the Bluetooth connection runs through the DAC, I'll have to call Rotel tomorrow. Thanks
     
  16. Cherrycherry

    Cherrycherry Forum Resident

    Location:
    Le Froidtown
    Music files sent over BT from your phone to the Rotel RA1572 should be converted from BT receiver and then internally sent to the same Texas Instruments 32-bit/384kHz DAC which handles SPDIF/TOSLINK and USB digital inputs.
    Interesting that you don't have a problem when using BT input.

    good luck.
     
  17. MadMax4073

    MadMax4073 Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Tombstone
    Thanks
     
  18. telemike

    telemike Forum Resident

    Location:
    Greensboro, NC
    Do you have an iPod, iPad or iPhone to try in front USB port?
     
  19. MadMax4073

    MadMax4073 Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Tombstone
    Yes, My wife does. I'll try it, Thanks
     
  20. shaaft

    shaaft New Member

    Location:
    australia
    Hi There ! I have had exactly the same experience. Replaced an Onkyo TX-82 with the 1572 mkii - connected my squeezebox media touch player to Rotel via coax and when I clicked on the stove piezo, the amp would shut down sound, and could hear relay click!

    As a process of elimination, I connected the SBT via audio out to Rotel - and no issues. Then changed to Toslink and no issues.

    I thought it may have been a ground loop interference on the Coax, as Id not used this set up with the SBT before as the Onkyo is an OLD amp and had no digital input.

    Reading your post - it sounds like there is an issue with digital coax in and noise filtering
     
  21. MadMax4073

    MadMax4073 Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Tombstone
    Thanks! Yes, it seems to be on the 2 coax inputs. The Audioquest Toslink cable I tried, it still was affected. Today I hooked up a dvd/cd player with an optical out to the DAC, no problem with a cheap Amazon Toslink cable. So now it's just in both Coax In inputs that are affected. Did you end up getting a replacement 1572 MkII?
     
  22. harby

    harby Forum Resident

    Location:
    Portland, OR, USA
    Just to clarify: TOSLINK (Toshiba link) is optical. It is S/PDIF format digital - specifically when carried over plastic optical with red LED light.

    It is the optical connector you know (although that connector can also be used for 8-channel ADAT lightpipe). It contrasts to ST glass, a rare audio connection that instead uses glass fiber optic and laser transmission, along with a BNC-like bayonet.

    So when you say the Audioquest cable was still affected, that was an RCA copper coax, and not fiber optic?

    Two people experiencing the same symptom: flawed product design.
     
    2channelforever likes this.
  23. MadMax4073

    MadMax4073 Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Tombstone
    Sorry, it was a audioquest optical cable
     
  24. rodentdog

    rodentdog Senior Member

    Do you have a surge protector on the Rotel?
     
  25. MadMax4073

    MadMax4073 Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Tombstone
    Yes, a IsoTek EVO3 Polaris. I ruled that out by running a separate extension to a different circuit & the Transport to another separate circuit. Same result
     
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