Hi, all. I have a Zenith with the latest 3.3.1 software. When I play a track in my library, the time display starts counting from 0 up to about 9 seconds and then loops back to 0 over and over. There's no sound. I've rebooted both the Zenith and my remote device (iPhone). Any suggestions?
Zenith stuck in loop
- Thread starter MadCityGeoff
- Start date
This happens if the system is failing to play out of its output properly - what do you normally have the ZENith connected to in terms of DAC etc?
Hi, Bob and Stephen. I tried power cycling the preamp/dac (McIntosh C52) with no luck. I haven't changed any cabling or other hardware. The problem just appeared out of the blue. Any ideas?
I seem to recall that some DAC modules on McIntosh gear can be very sensitive to the order in which the devices are booted up. Try booting up one device at a time, so for example turn on the Innuos and wait for that to boot fully, and only then turn on the McIntosh. If that does not work, try the order (so with both systems off, turn on McIntosh first and select input, and then turn on Innuos).
I tried both boot order methods as you suggested, but no luck. After many trials, I noticed that the Zenith will occasionally start playing a track. The timer counts up normally and I hear sound. Unfortunately, when I try to play another track, the looping/no audio problem comes back. I tried the phono and other inputs on the Mac C52 and they work fine. So, I guess the problem is the Zenith and not the dac or usb cable.
For what it's worth, I tried a different USB cable. Same issues.
(By the way, is the new Zenith really $21K? Holy cow.)
(By the way, is the new Zenith really $21K? Holy cow.)
Okay, the other variant to try then is if you have any other kind of DAC at all to the ZENith, even something like a USB headset, to see if the issue repeats.
Equally, does plugging a different USB source like a laptop into the USB input module on the McIntosh work okay?
The STREAM3 is the direct replacement to the ZENith Mk3, which is about 1/3 the cost of a ZENith Next-Gen which is a much higher-end product rather than a replacement to the Mk3.
Equally, does plugging a different USB source like a laptop into the USB input module on the McIntosh work okay?
The STREAM3 is the direct replacement to the ZENith Mk3, which is about 1/3 the cost of a ZENith Next-Gen which is a much higher-end product rather than a replacement to the Mk3.
I plugged a USB headset into the Zenith and it worked perfectly. I switched back to the Mac and the problem returned. However... I noticed that one of the files I was using was in DSF format. Out of curiosity, I rebooted everything and tried playing a series of WAV and FLAC files through the Mac. They all worked fine. I've been listening to music for a couple of hours and, as long as I avoid DSF, I don't get the looping problem. I still think that something odd is going on because I've been able to play DSF files in the past, but I really don't care since almost all my music is WAV or FLAC. So, for now at least, I'm greatly relieved. Thank you very very much for your help and I hope I haven't taken too much of your time on this issue.
No problem Geoff - it's all about process of elimination!
Sounds like you've successfully narrowed down the matter to DSD with this particular DAC module.
The only thing i can suggest on the part of the ZENith will then be to go into the Settings in Sense, where you can alter the behaviour of DSD playback. You might get better results switching to 'No DSD Support'
This will transcode DSD into high-resolution FLAC instead, meaning you can at least still play those files and it bypasses any inherent DSD playback issues the DA1 module might have.
You can also have a try with DSD over PCM which might work, but would need to test. Having a Google around online, I have seen some users say that the McIntosh would not process Native DSD, at least not from anything besides a Windows PC, so perhaps that was the issue.
