no dirac, netreset and systemreset and still heavy distortion on mqa
I wonder how many listening hours SA30 owners have lost this year while tinkering and fiddling with settings etc? Hours that should have been spent relaxing and listening to music.
I appreciate amps such as the SA30 are not straight out the box plug and play the way traditional amps are, but this product was launched several months before it was fit for consumers to purchase, in fact given it’s still not really fit for purpose you could argue it shouldn’t even be available to purchase today.
I admire you guys for your perseverance with it, but I lost patience months ago.
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With the latest firmware I’m mostly happy. There are a couple of niggles like still not being able to ‘cast to device’ from a Windows 10 PC and the very occasional distortion on MQA files. But they are far out weighed by the superb sound I get and the fact I was able to get rid of my Arcam CDS27 CD streamer and go to a one box solution.
I agree completely . I have enjoyed high end audio for 25 years. I have never spent so much time with any component to just get music out of it. If I had not already sold my Cat Ultimate preamp and bought a subscription to Roon I would throw this SA 30 back into the box and back to the dealer in a flash. I feel ripped off. No more Arcam for me. I hope they get it sorted out soon. I have just reloaded the firmware via USB, reset everything and installed no Dirac filters hoping to have some distortion free Christmas music for the holidays. I am going to have a long discussion with my dealer after the holidays about this situation.
Ken
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You are probably referring to this issue: Cannot cast music from Windows pc to SA30, ref#66
Did you have a look at the next topic? It is possible to cast music from Windows to the SA30, not with the Windows10 build in cast tool, but with a free 3rd party tool. Be sure to check it out, in my option this tool is better (e.g. search) then the Win10 built in tool.
I use Foobar already. I wasn’t aware of that particular plug-in. Thanks for that, I will give it a go. It’s not something I regularly do but there are occasions where I may be given some files and just want to quickly listen to them without the fuss of putting them onto my NAS.
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The thing with the bit rates and file info not matching up between MusicLife, the web client and the amp, I think has always been an issue.
It doesn’t help when my main MQA source is Tidal as I can’t see on Tidal itself where it gives you the info. But when streaming files from PC instead including ding DSD and FLAC I found the web client details to be correct, but the part it shows in bright white like “MQA [48khz]” to often not be the same even though it coincides with the amp display.
I’m still on 521 firmware by the way, no sound glitches/skips and no distortion and no “thin” sound. Until I hear everyone here saying these things have gone away in all cases and uses with newer firmware, I’m sticking with it!
E.g.
I could be imagining this, but it seems to me that the amp is running a lot warmer than it was before the upgrade.
Another annoying issue is a short fade in effect at the beginning of a new track, “eating” the first note of a song. Imagine Beethoven’s ‘5th’ starting not with the famous “ta-ta-ta-taaa!” but “…ta-ta-taaaa” instead. :))) After stopping and restarting the music plays without that problem. Another shame to Arcam.
Yes that one irritates me too.
Is it an idea to send a common error message to Arcam regarding the things we have found in this forum. Maybe JVS1 can do that as it seems you have a contact there? I have the following errors that I have discovered:
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Distortion. I can not force the error but it occurs randomly. But at MQA, it seems like it happens more often when I play. I’m running this from ROON.
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If I put SA30 in standby, the remote control will be strange. It reacts by e.g. by pressing the volume control act as if I pressed several times. Even the menu if I go into it after having SA30 in standby crashes as it closes automatically after a few seconds then.
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If I switch from NET (ROON) to analog input, there will be no sound. I then have to either switch to another input and back again or set it to DIRECT ON and back to OFF for the sound to come.
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PM I get distortion on and have to have that input in DIRECT ON to not get distortion.
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It is not possible to activate DIRAC on analog input. I then have to switch to NET, turn on DIRAC and go back to analog input, then DIRAC works.
First of all I wish you all and your family Merry Christmas and stay in good health!
I spotted something that sounds similar, I create the next issue for it. Do you agree it is the same (e.g. it doesn’t occur always). If not please then please comment on it in the referring topic. Thanks.
Absolutely, I agree to provide some feedback. However I perfer to create for each problem a separate issue. I know it takes some effort but I think it is the better way to go. An advantage of one report for one problem is having a better conversation (there is one id assigned to each issue).
On the other end all our feedback is already provided as it is, e.g. just have a look at this thread (it is a public forum).
Please create separate issues for found problems and I’ll pass them on. I try to help as much as I can and create them by myself, but I cannot reproduce all use cases because I do not own specific subscriptions (roon) or use some features (e.g. dirac). Just create them and I’ll try to add information (if missing).
Ok but then I do it. hope it will be correct, otherwise you have to tell and I will fix it.
It is a perfect start. I will try to find some time and pass them on.
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I took delivery on the 20/12/20. I have since boxed it and will be returning this amp. Unbelievable this amp is on the market.
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Hi @Jay, it’s a pity you didn’t find this forum before you bought the SA30. I think it would put most people off buying, which is a shame as it’s potentially a brilliant all in 1 amp.
Is it worth trying @madfiddler suggestion in post 86 and using firmware v521 which he has found to be acceptable? Depending on what version of firmware you are on “out the box” I think you can upgrade either upwards or downwards to get to v521, although somebody might correct me on that.
Might be worth a go?
Out of the box there was a stutter on both optical input and analogue. The update did not fix, but did introduce more problems - distortion. Given the money I spent on this amp I’ve given up problem solving and consider this unit unfit for the purpose it was manufactured/sold.
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Mine is stone cold and distorted like a cold POS. Soooo disappointed …
Ken
All I know is if a live piano ever sounded like the way the SA 30 plays it sometimes, hatchets would beat the piano to bits. I have tried everything , USB download from scratch, no Dirac, baby the crap out of it, no MQA, and still … out of no where the piano from hell. Well maybe they recorded a piano with a busted sound board and loose strings and used a 5 dollar usb mic…