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ZR2 as a Volume Control (Read 1765 times)
Kamran
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ZR2 as a Volume Control
05/22/23 at 03:41:33
 
Hmm…where to start?

So I got my ZR2 on Thursday and put it before the pre as Steve had recommended, but it was behaving the opposite of what I expected. So after much trial and error and support from Lon (thank you so much!), I reached out to Steve.  He (thankfully) figured out the issue in a heartbeat.  Basically, I didn’t bother paying attention to the input impedance of my Schiit Freya Plus pre, which is 10K, whereas the ZR2 needs to see 20K or higher.  Putting the ZR2 after the pre didn’t help either as I was getting a loud hum.

So now what? After speaking with multiple folks, I was thinking about the following options:

1) Packing up the ZR2 until Sarah arrives (hopefully) Fall/Winter 2023.
2) Selling the ZR2 and getting my money back for now and perhaps put in a new order later (after getting Sarah).  Wait…don’t get too excited.
3) Eliminate the pre and use the ZR2 as a volume control—credit to GroovySauce for that idea!

So I experimented with option 3, which initially didn’t go as planned.  I took out the pre from the chain and went from DAC to ZR2 to Had amp and turned down the gain knob of the ZR2 to 0, thinking of slowly raising it to the desired level.  Well—I forgot that it was in bypass mode. I put on “A Wicked Game” by Chris Isaak and almost blew out my ear drums!

Thankfully, I had the reflex of a Jedi and paused it within 2 seconds.  After calming down, I disengaged bypass mode and started the track again and voila! Silence (remember the gain knob was at 0). I then slowly raised it and perhaps barely got it past 8 O’Clock before reaching the desired volume level.

I was also partly freaking out because my OCD kicked in and I started wondering if I had blown the drivers, arcing my neck up to any remote signs of flabbiness or distortion, but based on my 2 hours of listening, they seem to be fine.  I guess it takes more than 2 seconds of an unattenuated signal to fry the voice coils…

Thank God, as I was not looking forward to the “Honey, I blew the Drivers” conversation.  

Fast forward to my conclusion.  While I cannot get in to magic zone of 1 O’Clock, I plan to burn in the ZR2 in this manner until Sarah arrives and sell the pre (I will post it in the classifieds here first for a couple of days before working my way up to Audiomart).  Figured, I’d share this experience.  A hard lesson learnt about paying attention to input/output impedances and the unintentional discovery that the ZR2 can be used as a volume control.
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Lon
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Re: ZR2 as a Volume Control
Reply #1 - 05/22/23 at 04:17:33
 
Fantastic Kam! Lots of good listening ahead.
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GroovySauce
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Re: ZR2 as a Volume Control
Reply #2 - 05/22/23 at 14:12:48
 
Glad you have a got everything playing nicely!
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Steve Deckert
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Re: ZR2 as a Volume Control
Reply #3 - 05/22/23 at 20:09:08
 
When you placed the ZROCK2 after the preamp and got a loud hum, where was the dial set on the ZROCK2?

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Kamran
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Re: ZR2 as a Volume Control
Reply #4 - 05/23/23 at 00:19:11
 
Steve, tbh, I don’t quite recall where the dial was set on the ZR2 when I was experimenting with that particular chain.  What I do recall is an increase in noise—very faint when bypassed, but pretty loud when the bypass was disengaged.  If you want me to double-check, I can try that chain again tomorrow.  Otherwise, I am ready to get rid of the pre.
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Kamran
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Posts: 919
Re: ZR2 as a Volume Control
Reply #5 - 05/23/23 at 03:57:21
 
So, interesting twist in events in today’s listening session (Day 2 with just using ZR2 as volume control).  I listened to a couple of female artists and felt something was a bit off but couldn’t quite put my finger on it.  Went from Freya Ridings to Diana Krall to Melody Gardot to Chantal Chamberland.  There seemed to be a loss of focus and slight graininess/distortion to the vocals.  This was especially evident in Chantal Chamberland’s cover of “Fever”.  Basically a lack of resolution/solidity/clarity in the mid range — the magic was gone.  I was thinking whether I did damage to the speakers after all and decided to test it by putting the pre back in to the chain (after the ZR2), but since I now know that the ZR2 can’t be engaged due to the impedance issue, I put it in bypass mode and what do ya know…the resolution and focus returned. No grain whatsoever.  There is an ever so slight (ignorable) hum from the speakers in this chain, compared to going directly with the ZR2 (engaged) in to the Had amp.

Steve, then I figured I’d answer your question by putting the ZR2 after the pre and test where on the dial knob the hum manifests and it is evident at 8 O’Clock and gets louder past it.  Past 1 O’Clock—the tonality of the hum changes, but it is still loud.  So this particular chain is not workable.

Might keep me pre for a little while longer after all….
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Kamran
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Re: ZR2 as a Volume Control
Reply #6 - 05/24/23 at 03:23:01
 
Day 3 report:

First, credit again to GroovySauce’s advice to accelerate the ZR2 break-in by unplugging it, letting it cool off and plugging it back in.

Something truly incredible is happening after inserting the ZR2 back after the pre, but with it bypassed (due to the impedance issue). GroovySauce had mentioned to me that even with the ZR2 bypassed, it adds a touch of magic. I was a tad skeptical but it’s undeniable after today’s listening session (which means yesterday’s discovery was not a fluke). While the midrange seems to be richer and more focused, it’s the soundstage that truly took me by surprise. It’s as if the music has been set free—the soundstage is more open, vivid, and more three dimensional that it was previously.  It was extending way behind my head like never before. My neck might be stiff after all the WTF swiveling.  This does not make any sense to me. How is the ZR2 adding anything in bypass mode?
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