Companion LINK failure with Roon AIR

[audio_engr]

UPDATE to my earlier AudioQuest RCA-to-AES LINK cable reported not passing 24/192 & 24.176.4 signals ...

I took this pending issue up with Devialet & AudioQuest after my recent move to the US and today, a few minutes back received my AudioQuest digital WILD having RCA-to-AES ... The AQ guys fixed it ... viola !!!

It now passes all digital signals up to 192kHz yet the DBS battery pack is also engaged ... AQ engineers along with Devialet have managed to work out a terminating scheme wherein they are able to get the AudioQuest top notch cables employing DBS to work with Devialet Dual Monos having RCA-to-AES terminations.

[rafal123]

UPDATE to my earlier AudioQuest RCA-to-AES LINK cable reported not passing 24/192 & 24.176.4 signals ...

I took this pending issue up with Devialet & AudioQuest after my recent move to the US and today, a few minutes back received my AudioQuest digital WILD having RCA-to-AES ... The AQ guys fixed it ... viola !!!

It now passes all digital signals up to 192kHz yet the DBS battery pack is also engaged ... AQ engineers along with Devialet have managed to work out a terminating scheme wherein they are able to get the AudioQuest top notch cables employing DBS to work with Devialet Dual Monos having RCA-to-AES terminations.

How long is your cable? Had the same issue above 2m.

[hardcore]

UPDATE to my earlier AudioQuest RCA-to-AES LINK cable reported not passing 24/192 & 24.176.4 signals ...

I took this pending issue up with Devialet & AudioQuest after my recent move to the US and today, a few minutes back received my AudioQuest digital WILD having RCA-to-AES ... The AQ guys fixed it ... viola !!!

It now passes all digital signals up to 192kHz yet the DBS battery pack is also engaged ... AQ engineers along with Devialet have managed to work out a terminating scheme wherein they are able to get the AudioQuest top notch cables employing DBS to work with Devialet Dual Monos having RCA-to-AES terminations.

Hi @audio_engr. I just ran into the same problem you had.

Just got an AQ Diamond RCA-RCA for the interconnect - which sounds great, better than the AQ Carbon. My cable came with the older design DBS pack (the one with the 'double barrel' design), which worked fine.

However I recently changed to the newer design slimmer DBS pack, and it did not work! My companion unit fails to even work properly.

I'm curious, how did AQ fix your cable? Are you still using the newer-style DBS packs? Did they fix the pack or your cable itself?

EDIT: I emailed Audioquest. They've acknowledged that the new slim-style 72v DBS packs have a different design with a different RF filter circuit. This interferes with the Devialet master-companion connection. The old design 'double barrel' 72v DBS packs work fine.

[kerkhoffd]

UPDATE to my earlier AudioQuest RCA-to-AES LINK cable reported not passing 24/192 & 24.176.4 signals ...

I took this pending issue up with Devialet & AudioQuest after my recent move to the US and today, a few minutes back received my AudioQuest digital WILD having RCA-to-AES ... The AQ guys fixed it ... viola !!!

It now passes all digital signals up to 192kHz yet the DBS battery pack is also engaged ... AQ engineers along with Devialet have managed to work out a terminating scheme wherein they are able to get the AudioQuest top notch cables employing DBS to work with Devialet Dual Monos having RCA-to-AES terminations.

Thank you for sharing @audio_engr. It took me quite a while (years actually) to get this sorted and now wished I had followed this thread more closely, but after consulting AQ again in September 2019, my issue is also fixed. I also feel the need to post another and hopefully final update on my comparable issue. Although I didn't get a nice upgrade to 'Wild' as you did (I am envious btw), AQ sent me two new Diamond cables last week and a final plausible explanation of what seemingly has been going wrong in my setup for all these years since I bought my Diamond cables back in 2015.

They sent me two of the latest version 2 of their Digital coax cable, which seemingly has better isolation and the new Carbon DBS with RFI filter included. This seems to do the trick. AQ said that until around production year 2016, AQ cables with DBS failed with certain DAC's because of their inadequate isolation. They measured all right, so passed QC. The new version remedies that error.

As reported back earlier (2016/2017), my old cables did work with my brother' Devialet, but in my setup with the Linn as source, the interconnecting link was not stable nor would play 24 bit 192khz files. Now it is, and it sounds better than it ever has done. I finally enjoy the full potention of what my Devialet setup is capable of. Very happy camper, but starting to wonder how much better the Wild must be. That must be an utterly amazing experience.

[hardcore]

They sent me two of the latest version 2 of their Digital coax cable, which seemingly has better isolation and the new Carbon DBS with RFI filter included. This seems to do the trick. AQ said that until around production year 2016, AQ cables with DBS failed with certain DAC's because of their inadequate isolation. They measured all right, so passed QC. The new version remedies that error.

Hi @kerkhoffd. As you've seen from my reply, I ran into the same problem with my AQ Diamond RCA cable for the master-companion link. My cable is probably from an older batch, with the older-style (bigger) DBS Carbon pack, and it works.

I got a chance to try the new-design (slimmer) DBS Carbon pack on my older cable, and this did NOT work.

Interesting that you said you have a newer production Diamond cable with better isolation, which works with the new DBS pack. Is it possible for you to share a photo of that?

[kerkhoffd]

They sent me two of the latest version 2 of their Digital coax cable, which seemingly has better isolation and the new Carbon DBS with RFI filter included. This seems to do the trick. AQ said that until around production year 2016, AQ cables with DBS failed with certain DAC's because of their inadequate isolation. They measured all right, so passed QC. The new version remedies that error.

Interesting that you said you have a newer production Diamond cable with better isolation, which works with the new DBS pack. Is it possible for you to share a photo of that?

@hardcore: I will try and post one tonight when I am back home. The Diamond cable and jacket of the new cables look the same as they did on my old cable, but the new cables have the new shiny Carbon DBS attached. My old cables had the matt black (rubber coated) 'double barrel' DBS package. I had two of them. One between source and Devialet, and one RCA-AES terminated between the Devialets. They worked with all music except for 24 bit 192khz files. If DBS was unplugged, all files played well, but the music just didn't sound as good. So I doubt it is due to the DBS package, and more like what AQ stated the problem was in the shielding within the cable itself. They even reterminated my old cables first to see if the problem was in the plugs, but that didn't help. I tried with the old cable and the two different kinds of DBS package, but that didn't solve it either. Only when they replaced the cable itself with - what they called - the new and improved, better insulated cable, the problem went away. By then I didn't have the old DBS package anymore, so I could not test those anymore.

[hardcore]

The Diamond cable and jacket of the new cables look the same as they did on my old cable, but the new cables have the new shiny Carbon DBS attached. My old cables had the matt black (rubber coated) 'double barrel' DBS package. I had two of them. One between source and Devialet, and one RCA-AES terminated between the Devialets.

Thanks for sharing @kerkhoffd . I have a single Diamond RCA-RCA cable, for the master-companion link, which came with the older 'double barrel' DBS. However my old DBS unit's plastic was getting tacky/sticky, so the retailer replaced the DBS unit with the new shiny design one - and unfortunately this did not work at all - my companion Devialet wouldn't even power on. The same old cable works with no DBS attached or with the old DBS unit. I eventually got a replacement old-style DBS carbon unit.

The cable with old DBS unit works with all signal types including 192K and DSD64. Sounds great too (and yes it sounds better with the DBS pack than without).

I've taken some pains to ensure there is no other grounded equipment connected to my Devialets, to avoid ground loops - the only input cable connected to the master Devialet is the XLR/AES input, which comes from a Singxer SU-6 USB-DDC which is galvanically isolated with a floating super-capacitor power supply.

[kerkhoffd]

@hardcore As requested:

[audio_engr]

@kerkhoffd and @hardcore

The explanation AQ Technical Team gave me for the issues I was facing were that the 'new carbon 72V DBS' were configured slightly differently with the AQ Diamond cable wiring. And this was upsetting Devialet's clock hence they had to float the DBS connections with the Diamond which means DBS is still connected but it no longer interferes with Devialet's clock. 

Upgrade to Wild was a super great boost ... more silver content in the Diamond cable with even lesser noise ... just everything is 3x Diamond ! 

[hardcore]

@kerkhoffd and @hardcore

The explanation AQ Technical Team gave me for the issues I was facing were that the 'new carbon 72V DBS' were configured slightly differently with the AQ Diamond cable wiring. And this was upsetting Devialet's clock hence they had to float the DBS connections with the Diamond which means DBS is still connected but it no longer interferes with Devialet's clock. 

Upgrade to Wild was a super great boost ... more silver content in the Diamond cable with even lesser noise ... just everything is 3x Diamond ! 

Thanks @audio_engr and @kerkhoffd. I realize one difference in our situations is that I'm using the standard RCA - RCA version whereas you guys are using the custom RCA to XLR one.