dc Posted January 3, 2008 Report Share Posted January 3, 2008 "d-cee" is owned by someone else here? no, my preferred username has always been dc but many forums don't allow usernames shorter than 3 letters so i had to come up with d-cee anyway, back on topic. my OMZ has the AD1852 but since it's the D2.0 I can swap in the CS4398 board, but I much prefer the AD board. Also, the OMZ can't really be considered neutral since Ori voices it to sound as close to vinyl as possible... oh and one last thing, those aren't LEDs on the OMZ discrete output board, they're strange capacitors, nothing lights in there... nope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sacd lover Posted January 3, 2008 Report Share Posted January 3, 2008 I never had any problems with the digital getting a lock, but my OMZ is a D2.0, not D2.5 like most of them out there The problem is not the model. The problem is he removes the processor that assists with the digital lock in his version 4 mod. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pars Posted January 3, 2008 Report Share Posted January 3, 2008 Also, the OMZ can't really be considered neutral since Ori voices it to sound as close to vinyl as possible... oh and one last thing, those aren't LEDs on the OMZ discrete output board, they're strange capacitors, nothing lights in there... nope. Ahhh, hard to tell from that grainy pic... looked like blue LEDs. Instead, blue probably BC electrolytics. Would be nice to see a more detailed pic of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dc Posted January 3, 2008 Report Share Posted January 3, 2008 The problem is not the model. The problem is he removes the processor that assists with the digital lock in his version 4 mod. oh, forgot to mention that mine's updated to v4 spec ie has no processor, i know cos i removed it myself =\ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBLoudG20 Posted January 3, 2008 Report Share Posted January 3, 2008 oh, forgot to mention that mine's updated to v4 spec ie has no processor, i know cos i removed it myself =\ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dc Posted January 4, 2008 Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 You'll hear from Ori that he has no LED's due to noise, as well so leds in the output stage as current source is ok, but an led far away on the panel connected to nothing important generates noise -rocket i don't know how true the statement about LEDs is, but Ori has removed them all. I remember lan mentioning noise from the front panel LEDs as well on another thread. also without revealing too much of his circuit design (probably why the pic on his web page is such bad quality - i'm sure many Zhaolu owners in Chinese forums would like to try their reverse engineering skills on it!) here is a close up pic of the blue caps that until the OMZ i didn't even know existed. oh, the metal cans appear to be transistors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n_maher Posted January 4, 2008 Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 Does he really leave the board unsupported like that? And that's some pretty craptacular wiring shown there, how hard is it to not end up with 1/4" of bare wire at the RCA jacks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aerius Posted January 4, 2008 Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 Does he really leave the board unsupported like that? It's not unsupported. It's clearly a highly advanced mechanical isolation design to prevent vibration from degrading the workings of the circuit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hYdrociTy Posted January 4, 2008 Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 1/4" of bare wire at the RCA jacks? AIR is the BEST DIELECTRICKS next to a vacuum. The open wire there grabs air from the atmosphere and thus the music becomes airier sounding. Though burn in (corrosion), the sound eventually gets WARM and FULL BODIED just like the shade of rust that will eventually cover the wire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dc Posted January 4, 2008 Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 Does he really leave the board unsupported like that? And that's some pretty craptacular wiring shown there, how hard is it to not end up with 1/4" of bare wire at the RCA jacks? i think the board was made for D2.5 as you see on his website/first post it is screwed down and fits inside a D2.5 exactly again, I must mention that my OMZ is rather unique because it's D2.0 and I did a lot of the installation myself (because Australia is such a far away place that shipping the parts to and from Ori - in California i believe - would cost me an arm and a leg) so i am to blame about the dodgy wiring and lack of mounting p.s. I'm not sure what I walked in on, but does there seem to be a bit of dislike to Ori on these boards? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBLoudG20 Posted January 4, 2008 Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 Does he really leave the board unsupported like that? And that's some pretty craptacular wiring shown there, how hard is it to not end up with 1/4" of bare wire at the RCA jacks? In every occasion that I have seen Ori's work, I have always commented how crappy it looks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBLoudG20 Posted January 4, 2008 Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 p.s. I'm not sure wh at I walked in on, but does there seem to be a bit of dislike to Ori on these boards? Not just Ori, we also dislike all 'designers' who can't hear for shit, build crappy products, then shill them in every shady way possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dc Posted January 4, 2008 Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 Not just Ori, we also dislike all 'designers' who can't hear for shit, build crappy products, then shill them in every shady way possible. gotcha edit: though as a few have discovered, at least one of his products (OMZ) doesn't sound half bad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grawk Posted January 4, 2008 Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 gotcha edit: though as a few have discovered, at least one of his products (OMZ) doesn't sound half bad or rather, sounds great when it works, reportedly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dc Posted January 4, 2008 Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 or rather, sounds great when it works, reportedly. I guess I'm just one of the lucky ones then perhaps it is due to my awesome RCA jack soldering and floating board mounting technique that I am able to achieve such unproblematic results? Feel free to send your wares to me and I will gladly do the dc mod on them lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvdunhill Posted January 4, 2008 Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 Not just Ori, we also dislike all 'designers' who can't hear for shit, build crappy products, then shill them in every shady way possible. 2 outta 3 is enough for me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBLoudG20 Posted January 4, 2008 Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 I guess I'm just one of the lucky ones then perhaps it is due to my awesome RCA jack soldering and floating board mounting technique that I am able to achieve such unproblematic results? Feel free to send your wares to me and I will gladly do the dc mod on them lol So, what other good sources have you heard? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvdunhill Posted January 4, 2008 Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 So, what other good sources have you heard? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pars Posted January 4, 2008 Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 i don't know how true the statement about LEDs is, but Ori has removed them all. I remember lan mentioning noise from the front panel LEDs as well on another thread. also without revealing too much of his circuit design (probably why the pic on his web page is such bad quality - i'm sure many Zhaolu owners in Chinese forums would like to try their reverse engineering skills on it!) here is a close up pic of the blue caps that until the OMZ i didn't even know existed. oh, the metal cans appear to be transistors. LEDs are pretty damn quiet. Actually, its the Cat5 wiring supporting the board Fortunately, the electrons have no idea what they're running thru. Build quality on the board is so-so... those blue caps actually look like some kinda tantalums , or possibly polystyrenes. Granted, when you overlay a board onto a design not made to support it, you can get into some interesting problems as to how to wire it in, etc., but the workmanship here is lacking. The metal cans are transistors... not a package you see often these days but alot of mil-spec shit used that type of packaging (as well as the ceramic DIPs you see sometimes, which are usually better than the plastic package normal varieties). Looks like about $15 in parts plus the PCB... dunno what he charges for these but if he's not making money on them That said, remember that pretty-looking professional PCBs, etc. don't insulate you from shitty engineering, irregardless of the price tag. Read Jocko, John Westlake, etc. on diyhifi and you will see some references to this in well respected expensive equipment. The good looking PCBs do give you a warm fuzzy however on thinking you got what you paid for Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dc Posted January 4, 2008 Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 So, what other good sources have you heard? yep i'll give you something to laugh about today the sources i have extensive experience with: DAC-AH stock, DAC-AH modded, Stock Zhaolu D2.0A, the OMZ of course, 0404 USB, 0404 PCI, Chaintech AV-710 and some other crappy PC sound cards not worth mentioning. As you can see my experience doesn't hold a candle to what other guys here have heard, but the OMZ is such a huge step up from anything I have ever heard that I am completely satisfied with it considering its cost (lots of other stuff are out of my budget) p.s. my previous comments about some finding its sound quality acceptable include your own posters here 5678 and Jon L, but also some other posters on head-fi who have heard really good gear and vouch for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dc Posted January 4, 2008 Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 Granted, when you overlay a board onto a design not made to support it, you can get into some interesting problems as to how to wire it in, etc., but the workmanship here is lacking. The metal cans are transistors... not a package you see often these days but alot of mil-spec shit used that type of packaging (as well as the ceramic DIPs you see sometimes, which are usually better than the plastic package normal varieties). Looks like about $15 in parts plus the PCB... dunno what he charges for these but if he's not making money on them Thanks for the links, I'll have a read of it. As for the workmanship, it was I who installed it, as for pricing, according to the latest pricing on his website he charges USD$459 + shipping for a complete unit where he supplies the DAC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guzziguy Posted January 4, 2008 Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 As for the workmanship, it was I who installed it, as for pricing, according to the latest pricing on his website he charges USD$459 + shipping for a complete unit where he supplies the DAC. You know, if you can give a good sob story to Nate, he'll rebuild it for you. If your story is really good, he might even recase it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dc Posted January 4, 2008 Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 You know, if you can give a good sob story to Nate, he'll rebuild it for you. If your story is really good, he might even recase it. i see... how do i get in contact with "Nate" my OMZ doesn't look half bad all cased up with its shiny black face plate and big gold plated RCAs... not sure what sonic improvements would come about but come ooooon, how can you say no to a face like this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dusty Chalk Posted January 4, 2008 Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 i see... how do i get in contact with "Nate" my OMZ doesn't look half bad all cased up with its shiny black face plate and big gold plated RCAs... not sure what sonic improvements would come about but come ooooon, how can you say no to a face like this Easy: G: Kick me out of bed. Me: No. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pars Posted January 4, 2008 Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 As for the workmanship, it was I who installed it, as for pricing, according to the latest pricing on his website he charges USD$459 + shipping for a complete unit where he supplies the DAC. Ooops, sorry to bust your balls on it (having a hard time saying that given the pic below ) Casing and wiring is an ongoing thing, and I use/have used Cat5 etc. Like I said, sometimes it presents interesting problems. I find that everytime I open something I've built up, I think of better ways to do stuff. Then redo it the next time This is probably the biggest area of delta between DIY'ers and commercial manufacturers (tho I don't know if Ori really fits in there). Hard to justify the amount of money involved in the case/machining and board layout to fit said case design (well, unless you're KG ). I think that Justin does an awesome job since ditching the Gilmore V1/V2/lite V1 designs, and from a business perspective, the amount of labor required to wire panel components in his initial designs versus now with most if not all things board mounted and aligned with the case design has to save inordinate amounts of time, aggravation, and just presents a damn professional looking product. Same with Ray insofar as his cases go. Don't like the design aesthetics as well, but whatever... <snip> but come ooooon, how can you say no to a face like this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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