Anyone with D120 could help me?

[ufnv]

I have the D120 and run in a very strange issue - when I stream over AIR and the input clipping occurs, the amplifier stops playing. 

I am discussing the problem with the support for a couple of months and there is still no solution - they seem to be unable to reproduce the problem. So I need help to understand it this is a problem with my particular unit or not. 

The problem is visible on this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDRFqbbi-Ug

Please if you own a D120 (best streaming from Mac) and could spend several minutes, write here, so I can send the detailed instructions on how to test your amplifier?

[Jean-Marie]

Looking at the video it looks more like a problem with VLC / MaCOS Core Audio and Air than a problem with the D120 itself.

What makes me think so is that to resume playing you only need to act on the mac and not at all on the D120.

However as a rule on thumb you shall absolutely avoid digital clipping in the MAC because you could be damaging your tweeters.

Jean-Marie

[ufnv]

Looking at the video it looks more like a problem with VLC / MaCOS Core Audio and Air than a problem with the D120 itself.

What makes me think so is that to resume playing you only need to act on the mac and not at all on the D120.

However as a rule on thumb you shall absolutely avoid digital clipping in the MAC because you could be damaging your tweeters.

Jean-Marie

I've tried also other computers and it's all the same.

The biggest problem is I cannot use any room correction SW and other digital engines.

[Jean-Marie]

Looking at the video it looks more like a problem with VLC / MaCOS Core Audio and Air than a problem with the D120 itself.

What makes me think so is that to resume playing you only need to act on the mac and not at all on the D120.

However as a rule on thumb you shall absolutely avoid digital clipping in the MAC because you could be damaging your tweeters.

Jean-Marie

I've tried also other computers and it's all the same.

The biggest problem is I cannot use any room correction SW and other digital engines.

Have you tried adding some headroom so that the correction never clips?

Jean-Marie

[ufnv]

Well, certainly I can use different workarounds, but it is still a workaround. I don't think I am expected to use workarounds after buying quite expensive product.
What I want to check if this is the issue of my amplifier or the general one. Currently I suspect it is my unit.

[chrisc]

I found with VLC it is not a good idea to exceed 100%, or there is some distortion

About 5 years ago I started using JRiver (on a MacBook) and it is perfect. I select (no volume) for the output.

How sensitive are your speakers (db output for 1 watt)?

[Jean-Marie]

Well, certainly I can use different workarounds, but it is still a workaround. I don't think I am expected to use workarounds after buying quite expensive product.
What I want to check if this is the issue of my amplifier or the general one. Currently I suspect it is my unit.

Adding headroom before correction so that you don’t clip is not a workaround but a proper way to do. 

Any other way will give bad results potentially blowing up your tweeters if you generate powerful high frequencies due to digital clipping!

My two cents. 

Jean-Marie

[ufnv]

Well, once again.

I fully understand there is a need for headroom, etc.

The problem is - if nevertheless the clipping occurs, the amplifier stops working completely. Not just clips or stops playing for 1 second while the signal is too strong - that would be a correct behaviour. It just stops and requires some manual intervention to start playing again.

[Jean-Marie]

This will be my last intervention, but watching the video, I suspect the issue to come more from the Mac side (including the AIR application and its associated virtual sound card) rather than the amplifier itself.

I’m sorry,but I do not intend to send any digitally clipped signal to my ribbon tweeters therefore I won’t be able to try to reproduce the issue.

Jean-Marie

[chrisc]

Is there any difference using a USB connection?

The work done by the computer in sending music files (whether FLAC or DSD) is so minimal that I cannot see how it can affect the sound

I might have mentioned before on another post, that I had an extended listening session with a few friends and we considered the USB and LAN connections to be on a par. However, only USB can resolve DSD recordings