DCS 1394 problem

Hi Psszo,

I had the same problem as you with my previous dCS elgar+, verona, verdi and purcell. (search mode in the display on the dac)
I was for a time unsure what the reason was, but was narrow it down to either the transport or the dac, however my brother had the delius dac and the problem reoccur.
I was sending the transport for service, however short time afterwards it reoccur again, for me the problem was the 1394 cable/es, I was then using some aftermarked cables purchased here on audiogon.

I was for a period instead of using 1394 using two dig xlr from the purcell to the elgar+ with a very good result, using 24-176.4 upsampling, but since I had the problem both on cd and sacd I was prefering to fix it.
After changing out the cables, the problem disappear.

Regarding verdi I think the transport was very sensitive as mention above, I had several sacd records with problem to read (table of contens) in the display, difficult to get the cd out and some frustration about it of cource.
As mention above, need to power the verdi down7up again to get control and take the cd out.
With my new Scarlatti transport the transport have no problem playing the same sacd, soo I don't think the sacd record are the problem, more of a problem with the verdi being to sensitive for reading information.

For your problem I think the first thing I would have done if the "search mode" appears frequently was to disconnect the purcell, then use one 1394 for a few days and check if it reoccur, then try with the other cable for a few days.
1394 cables are not to expencive either, so another option could be to change them out and try again.

Verdi have to 1394 outlet, assume that delius have two inlets, you may can change the way it is connected today from verdi to purcell and to delius.
There are some option here you can try before you send it to service.

Good luck

Kind regards
Geir
Norway

Hi,
I have a Elgar+/Purcell/Verdi/Verona stack and encountered this "search.." or DAC resuming problem several times. Again, I agree that they are both due to either bad cables or loose 1394 sockets. In my case, I am using ortofon 1394 cables. The socket cannot hold the connector well after a period of time due to the weight of the cable.

I found a loose cable/socket will interrupt DAC because every time when Elgar detect a new machine in the 1394 bus, it stops and resumes. After identifying the bad cable/socket, removing the unnecessary 1394 cable will certainly solve this problem.

During the debugging procedure, I have another interesting problem not relating to the 1394 bus. My Elgar+ cannot decode dual AES 132k and 176k data in synchronized or master mode. But if it operates in slave mode, it has no problem to decode 132k and 176 k data. Though I seldom use dCS stack in this mode, does anyone have experience on this issue? Is there any problem with my Purcell?

BTW, recently when I reset Elgar and Verdi to factory default, the screen shows "Contact dCS for SW upgrate". Does anyone ever see this message? Thanks.

Chau Ching

anyone with an used working 1394 card available?

Hi Ccchiong,

Regarding the message SW upgrade I think it is a normal message, when you reboot you will reboot to the software version you have installed on your Elgar/verdi.
If your stack is "old" and you have not upgraded the software it could be an idea to contact a dCS dealer to get the newest software for your stack.

Regarding 176 k data I was using this in master mode on my purcell/elgar when I had a problem with 1394, I think if I remember correct that you then also have to set something in the menu in the purcell, but memory here is a bit fading out now.

Regarding 1394 cable, I think you know can get them relatively cheap from a aftermarked cable supplier or contact dCS, I will be surprised if they are expencive

Kind regards
Geir
Norway

finally 1394 cards are replaced with new ones and units are working fine. I am looking for the small card that is attached to the rear chasis. If avialble, please email.
Thanks.