The SugarCube Is Here At Last...Clicks & Pops R.I.P.

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by DigMyGroove, Nov 12, 2017.

  1. FrankieP

    FrankieP Forum Resident

    Nevermind, figured it out. I was following the instructions on the app and the manual for the original SC-1 which has a dedicated pair button in the back. With the Minis, you click the repair knob instead and hold for 5 sec. Had to go backs and find the USB drive in the box to retrieve the manual. I'm good now and my unit is in version 2.0-1065. Do I just leave this on to get the updates?
     
  2. marblesmike

    marblesmike Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    Yep it should automatically detect if you need any updates.
     
  3. Jim0830

    Jim0830 Forum Resident

    The latest manuals are found in the Support Area of the Sugar Cube software. I would suggest using these manuals in the Sugar Cube software because they are more up to date than the manuals on the thumb drive which never change. The manuals in the software get updated regularly.
     
    r.Din likes this.
  4. Nubben

    Nubben Well-Known Member

    Location:
    London, UK
    Hi all, I have set up the SugarCube SC-2 (first gen) to record which it does however I have a background noise which is audible, mostly so in the beginning and end where no or very low sound/music level.

    It's not a hum more of "wind"/"ocean" (sorry cannot explain it better) buzz. I don't think this is a grounding issue since it is not a rumble but could be wrong of course.

    I will be reaching out to SweetVinyl but has anyone experienced this and if you have did you manage to rectify it?

    As it is now the resulting recording is unlistenable.

    Many thanks!
     
    FrankieP likes this.
  5. Jim0830

    Jim0830 Forum Resident

    I've never had such a problem but if I encountered it on mine I would check/try the following:
    1) Go into the "Support" area on your SC and check that you are on the most current version of the firmware. If not d/l the firmware and when it is done turn off the SC for 3 seconds and turn it back on.
    2) If your firmware is current I would still turn the SC off for 3 seconds and then turn on again.
    3) Go into the "Settings" area and then "Line-In Level". It is possible there is an issue here, refer to the manual for how to use this area.
    4) Check all of your cable connections to make sure everything is correctly seated.
    5) Go to the "Repair" area and turn on the "Bypass" switch to see if it goes away or remains. If it remains, it is system level issue. If it goes away if is something in your SC 2 itself.

    Good Luck.

    P.S. I just noticed as of this morning there is a new version of firmware for my SC-2 mini, v2.2-143, so definitely check this out first.
     
  6. Nubben

    Nubben Well-Known Member

    Location:
    London, UK
    Hi Jim, many thanks for that! I will follow that and see if it makes a difference.

    Thanks again!
     
  7. FrankieP

    FrankieP Forum Resident

    Oh wow. I thought I was the only one. I’ve noticed this hum after I connected the wifi dongle. My Mini is on v2.0-1065 and still is. Didn’t really notice it til I opened the recorded wav in RX7 and see a line across 1k in the frequency spectrum.
     
  8. Ben Adams

    Ben Adams Forum Resident

    Location:
    Phoenix, AZ, USA
    No hum here. Never seen it in a waveform, and I do needle drops almost daily.
     
  9. Stereolove

    Stereolove Forum Resident

    Location:
    Melbourne
    Is the SC2 out of production, or just out of stock. Website says it has sold out.
     
  10. DigMyGroove

    DigMyGroove Forum Resident Thread Starter

    The original SC-2 wound up not being released beyond the units produced for the original Indiegogo campaign.

    The new SC-2 will include a phono pre-amp.
     
    Stereolove likes this.
  11. Jim0830

    Jim0830 Forum Resident

    I thought I'd mention a nice feature enhancement that made it's way into the last couple firmware updates. I don't know if it is hardware related and available on certain models only, but on my SC-2 Mini I can now save out 10 album sides. This is up from the previous 8. This seems to come close to pushing the limits on the USB thumb drive that came with my SC-2 Mini, but it is no problem when saving to the local file system.
     
  12. Jim0830

    Jim0830 Forum Resident

    I realize you may not have ethernet near by, but have you tried it with the WiFi dongle unplugged? It could be from that. Perhaps the dongle is picking up interference from a nearby device.

    I use ethernet and I have not had any hum issues.
     
  13. r.Din

    r.Din Seeker of Truth

    Location:
    UK
    Experienced the left-channel clicking bug today on my SC-1. After rebooting and using the app I noticed a "clipping" warning displayed. I seem to recall this was thought to be one of the triggers of the bug? Looks like it hasn't yet been fully fixed. First time I experienced it in well over a year though.
     
  14. Phil Thien

    Phil Thien Forum Resident

    Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
    That sounds like a clue that could help the developer fix the issue.
     
  15. Old Zorki II

    Old Zorki II Storm Watcher

    Location:
    near Tampa, FL
    Is gain on your phono pre fixed or you can reduce it a little?
     
  16. r.Din

    r.Din Seeker of Truth

    Location:
    UK
    There's no clipping coming from my phono stage (well, there shouldn't be) I've measured with test discs/oscopes. Also, I rip every LP I play direct from the phono stage and no clipping present in those either. Not sure what triggered that alert - possibly part of the bug?
     
  17. Phil Thien

    Phil Thien Forum Resident

    Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
    Well the clipping would be on the input or output of the Sugarcube itself. So if you could reduce the output of your phono stage by even a small amount, you might able to avoid the problem in the future.
     
  18. r.Din

    r.Din Seeker of Truth

    Location:
    UK
    The SC is unity in/out so there cannot be clipping on the output without clipping on the input and, like I said, I've passed test signals through the SC and measured them to ensure there is no clipping through the unit even at very high signal levels. I've also checked the rips I made today - nowhere near clipping on any of them... I suspect the clipping warning is linked to the clicking bug rather that genuine clipping on input.
     
    Phil Thien likes this.
  19. ZippyPippy

    ZippyPippy Forum Resident

    Has there been any update on when the SC2-Plus will be available? Have people who have preordered it gotten it yet?
     
  20. JorgeGvb

    JorgeGvb Senior Member

    Location:
    Virginia Beach
    Dan at Sweet Vinyl told me a couple of weeks ago that they working on final engineering steps on the SC-1 & SC-2 plus models currently. It will be 60-90 day timeframe to get through the work and the backorder queue. At that time they had about 50 unit orders in place.
     
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  21. Joel Cairo

    Joel Cairo Video Gort / Paiute Warrior Staff

    Location:
    Portland, Oregon
    Yes-- there's light at the end of the tunnel...! :righton:

    - Kevin
     
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  22. GuildF512

    GuildF512 Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Merritt Island Fl
    The latest from Dan:

    Hi –


    Just a quick note to let purchasers know we have received the first 20 board fabs back and are in the process of sending them for a production test run. This will take a few weeks to get back and then we will know if this design will work – we do have high confidence in this step and have already ordered another 100 board fabs that should arrive in the next week. They are currently clearing customs in Los Angeles.


    If this build comes back clean and we will then build another run of 50 – 100 to make a production run.


    The software work has progressed and we have the SVNR software now running on a number of upgraded units in the field. The issue with our unit appearing correctly as an ADC and DAC with different sample rates has been fixed – so at this point we have software integration, board bringup, UI work and documentation as next on the list.


    We do hope to have these units shipping to you as soon as we can and will give another update when the first 20 boards are back and brought up.


    Best,

    -Dan
     
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  23. matthew zagar

    matthew zagar Well-Known Member

    As of today I've completed 1475 album rips with the SC-1. Many of these records are out of print and/or not available on other media. They have been cleaned by several methods and most appear to be Goldmine VG to NM (visually). Many of these records yet have a fair amount of noise that is mostly eliminated by the SC-1.
    The way I see it, this device has saved a lot of money that would have went towards obtaining better (quieter) copies which tends to be a gamble.
     
    marblesmike, Mintsauce, r.Din and 5 others like this.
  24. Dave Mac

    Dave Mac Retired Sophisticated Gentleman Of Leisure

    Impressive! I've just tested a few so far with my SC-1 Mini that I know are problematic with excellent results.

    As for saving money, my badge of honor is for ELP's first album, US George Piros. 8 (or is it 9?) copies at roughly 20 bucks each until the final UK Island for about $50. Coulda-shoulda-woulda just waited.

    Dave Mac
     
  25. Jim0830

    Jim0830 Forum Resident

    I couldn't agree with you more. In many ways my SC-2 Mini is the best money I have spent on anything in my system since I did my major system upgrades and got back to vinyl in 2017. I am about 300 disks into digitizing about 1,400 LPs. I was originally planning on just digitizing the used / slightly abused records in my collection. But the process is so easy and the sound is so good I plan to digitized them all.

    One of the things that drove me to CDs when they came out was my total aversion to clicks and pops on LPs. I like Jazz from the 20's and up. Many of the used LPs I have bought featuring this music were pressed in the 50's and 60's and are certainly not click free. I love a lot of these LPs and I would have listened to them more, but I find the noise takes me out of the moment. I know many of my records so well I know where a lot of the ticks and pops occur and I find myself awaiting them with dread. Now these less than perfect LPs which are cleaned with my UCM and processed with the SC-2 Mini are almost totally click/pop free. I do not hear any audible difference between the original and the processed sound except for no clicks / pops. I play both new and old LPs through the Sugar Cube. I have become spoiled and I expect listening to LP's to be as quiet as any other source. I don't tend to buy badly damaged LPs, and I plan to continue to not buy badly damaged disks. But I will buy more used LPs. I like the idea that for some of the ones in worse shape, I can now play the digital files and spare additional wear on the stylus.

    An added bonus this last weekend is I was quickly able to digitized my RSD purchases while I was auditioning them. I now had digital files I could listen to on the go on my iPhone. or on an SD card. It will take a while for these albums on streaming services, but I was able to listen to them in my car that same day.
     
    HiFi Guy and Dave Mac like this.

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