Help with system/ARC noise

1. No I haven’t had similar problems.

2. I don’t think it would help to buy a power conditioner.

3. Unless there is a problem with the Dac in your Oppo, there should be no benefit to adding another Dac unless the Dac is a better sounding one than the one in your Oppo, but that’s not what you’re trying to find out here.

I would not buy anymore gear until you figure out what the problem is.

I have not heard of anyone having problems connecting an Oppo to an ARC preamp but you have had the same problem with two different ARC preamps.

I would start by making sure your Oppo is working properly. Clean the contacts on the Oppo and the interconnects you are using. If the noise persists try a different pair of interconnects. Also try using a different input on the ARC.

If that doesn’t solve the problem, put your receiver or a borrowed preamp other than an ARC in your system, or take your Oppo to a friend’s place and try it in his system.

If you still have noise with your receiver or another preamp, the problem is in your Oppo.

If the Oppo is not making any noise with other preamps, then the problem is with the ARC preamp or the Oppo is not compatible with ARC preamps.

Try using a different cd player in your system with your ARC preamp.  If you still have noise, the problem is the ARC preamp.  If there is no noise with another cd player, then the problem is incompatibility between the Oppo and the ARC. 

In that case, I would keep the ARC and find a different disc spinner to use with it. The Oppo is a good player but I think it is the weak link in your system as far as sound quality goes (just my opinion).

big, Power conditioners are a complicated topic. Some people swear they result in a big improvement others say they hurt the sound quality. There has to be a good match between system and conditioner.

You seem to be very anxious to get your system sounding great but this is something that takes time. If you’re in too big a hurry you can waste a lot of money.

Now that you have the Oppo working with your ARC, take some time to familiarize yourself with the sound of your system. Move your speakers around a little bit to see if that makes an improvement. If it sounds great just listen for a while before any more purchases and read up on audio in general and individual products.

Make sure you like your speakers, the biggest difference in sound in components is between different speakers. Once you’re sure you have the right speakers, start figuring out where you might best put your money to improve your sound.

On Amazon you can buy "Get Better Sound" by Jim Smith or "Introductory Guide to High-Performance Audio Systems" by Robert Harley. These books would probably help a lot in getting your system to sound the way you want it to sound.

If you decide that you want to start experimenting with power conditioners, power cords, interconnects, speaker cable, etc, check with The Cable Company who will give you advice and let you try out different cables etc. for a price. They may save you a lot of time and money in your search.

In the end it’s about listening to music and not about buying gear, so take your time and enjoy what you have before deciding what to buy next.

Welcome to this fine hobby and enjoy your music!