ASUS XONAR > S/PDIF processor funk

[Flasherly]

Ultracurve DEQ2496

Lately, cooler weather and a couple nasty PwrCompany brownouts,
hammering a repeated ON/OFF condition over the grid - getting a more
pronounced effect: Either/or reaction to turning the unit on after
sometime after left being off. The unit:

http://lampizator.eu/LAMPIZATOR/TRANSPORT/behringer/Ultracurve/Ultracurve.html

Normal: The factory logo first lights up, as the ROM routines are
initiated for an operational state (real time sound-spectrum/EQ
graph).

Newest abnormal condition: The display/graphical yellow TTL interface
display cycles repeatedly in luminosity, if not a lit/logical
condition being present. Oldest: Upon powering up past the ROM,
there's a momentary high squeal passed to the amp.

Touch warmer now, 10F deg., and I've pulled the top, exposed but not
taken apart the unit. Looks new inside, no capacitor discharges or
crystals on the top, two ribbons from the main board (each either to
full-frontal/rear subsystem I/O boards) are glued down and appear
tight. Using a hard rubber rod (in eraser) to prod and poke anything
for loose solder joints or induce the power-up error.

No luck. Working perfectly (that I should be so lucky if it's a
grounding I/O loop or power-plug condition) with the top removed and
115V fan blowing on it. Can't get it to fault/fail now.

Friggin' replacements in other models, to duplicate its functions
especially in studio or performance stage rack levels, can run
anywhere from $600-$1000. I'm eyeing a mid-level DBX EQ box, however.
(Have a DBX117 compressor that's got to be 40 years old and works like
a friggin' champ. Closest then is possibly an ART dualband
full-octave. Of course, DBX as well sources out to Chinese production
modes these days.)

Goddamn Behringer, friggin' German scum engineering, is a month out of
their warrantee (according to sticker manufacturing dates I'm seeing
inside). Oh, well. What are you going to do...this sort of crap is
very commonplace now-a-days. Make it better and cheaper and not to
last. My, my. And, a one and a two and a three... Hit it: It's Off
and Over-The-Shoulder Again.

 

[Flasherly]

No luck. Can't get it to fault/fail now.

Might if I had a can of electrician's cold-refrigerant, compressed
air. Alas.

 

[Paul]

Ultracurve DEQ2496

Lately, cooler weather and a couple nasty PwrCompany brownouts,
hammering a repeated ON/OFF condition over the grid - getting a more
pronounced effect: Either/or reaction to turning the unit on after
sometime after left being off. The unit:

http://lampizator.eu/LAMPIZATOR/TRANSPORT/behringer/Ultracurve/Ultracurve.html

Normal: The factory logo first lights up, as the ROM routines are
initiated for an operational state (real time sound-spectrum/EQ
graph).

Newest abnormal condition: The display/graphical yellow TTL interface
display cycles repeatedly in luminosity, if not a lit/logical
condition being present. Oldest: Upon powering up past the ROM,
there's a momentary high squeal passed to the amp.

Touch warmer now, 10F deg., and I've pulled the top, exposed but not
taken apart the unit. Looks new inside, no capacitor discharges or
crystals on the top, two ribbons from the main board (each either to
full-frontal/rear subsystem I/O boards) are glued down and appear
tight. Using a hard rubber rod (in eraser) to prod and poke anything
for loose solder joints or induce the power-up error.

No luck. Working perfectly (that I should be so lucky if it's a
grounding I/O loop or power-plug condition) with the top removed and
115V fan blowing on it. Can't get it to fault/fail now.

Friggin' replacements in other models, to duplicate its functions
especially in studio or performance stage rack levels, can run
anywhere from $600-$1000. I'm eyeing a mid-level DBX EQ box, however.
(Have a DBX117 compressor that's got to be 40 years old and works like
a friggin' champ. Closest then is possibly an ART dualband
full-octave. Of course, DBX as well sources out to Chinese production
modes these days.)

Goddamn Behringer, friggin' German scum engineering, is a month out of
their warrantee (according to sticker manufacturing dates I'm seeing
inside). Oh, well. What are you going to do...this sort of crap is
very commonplace now-a-days. Make it better and cheaper and not to
last. My, my. And, a one and a two and a three... Hit it: It's Off
and Over-The-Shoulder Again.

Should have had your rack on a sine wave UPS. Then the grid ON/OFF
would not have been seen by your gear.

The luminosity ramp could be some sort of test mode. At the
display panel level. You'd need schematics to figure it out. If
the display panel was commercial, perhaps there would be a pinout for the
display section.

It's either that, or the ROM code is affected in some way. And
that doesn't seem too likely.

A third possibility, is your connection has forced some high
potential into the lower voltage electronics in that box.

Paul

 

[Flasherly]

Should have had your rack on a sine wave UPS. Then the grid ON/OFF
would not have been seen by your gear.

The luminosity ramp could be some sort of test mode. At the
display panel level. You'd need schematics to figure it out. If
the display panel was commercial, perhaps there would be a pinout for the
display section.

It's either that, or the ROM code is affected in some way. And
that doesn't seem too likely.

A third possibility, is your connection has forced some high
potential into the lower voltage electronics in that box.

Nothing too fancy about the PS section inside the rack processor, but
voltage brownouts are about living here and a regular thing with the
power company. The ROM is the only thing socketed on that PCB, or an
otherwise wave-soldered board, and found no unusual/noticeable "chip
creep" on it.

My abilities, as far as I can go - will be to cut off the glue
fasteners to the ribbon connections and use electrical parts cleaner
on all those connectors. I can also go modular breadboard, pull
everything out of it and bring it up running, to stress/flex the PCBs
for evidence of any cold solders I know to reflow.

Being of an intermittent or logical/digital-related nature, though,
I'm kinda stuck and it's beyond me. No logic probes, Oscopes, and I
don't do current flow.

It was functioning fine, had stopped the problems and was powering up
right, until a day or two ago when the power company hit me with three
or four successive brownouts, (it was going on/off during them),
within a few seconds. Nasty crap, but hey, my computers and alarms
clocks survived (as has the processor unit up until now).

Not an ideal environment for its delicate if not indeterminate nature,
perhaps. It's the only EQ units I'm also seeing out there being
resold after being reconditioned. Behringer won't even handle its own
2yr warrantees, so no telling what all's behind that reconditioning.

A totally filtered/backed up power supply might be nice, true, but a
little too much. Got enough boxes already. My sister visited, walked
in and said this isn't a house - called it Flash's TV and Musical
Shop. Not enough flower vases, I guess.

Should have maybe settled on the tried and true - a DBX EQ box. Dunno.
Have to see how this thing limps along. I'll tell you, though,
Behringer just moved down quite a few notches on my credibility chart.
I wouldn't trust them now on a 400-watt amp, say, no farther than I
could throw an old Crown (Crown used to demo their amps at audio
industry shows by arc-welding with current/speaker outputs).

 

[Dustin]

Ultracurve DEQ2496

Lately, cooler weather and a couple nasty PwrCompany brownouts,
hammering a repeated ON/OFF condition over the grid - getting a
more pronounced effect: Either/or reaction to turning the unit on
after sometime after left being off. The unit:

http://lampizator.eu/LAMPIZATOR/TRANSPORT/behringer/Ultracurve/Ultr
acurve.html

Normal: The factory logo first lights up, as the ROM routines are
initiated for an operational state (real time sound-spectrum/EQ
graph).

Have you considered a UPS? It would keep most grid related power issues
from causing your equipment problems.

 

[Flasherly]

Have you considered a UPS? It would keep most grid related power issues
from causing your equipment problems.

I've always had EQs, but it's getting pretty sophisticated with newer
VST plug-in modules (software DSP modules for approximating tubes and
various studio application). Been awhile since looking such things
over, but after trying out several the past couple days, have to hand
it to them -- they're some really classy operations. Educational,
too.

I get hammered with power-grid fairly often over the course of a year.
It's the area -- complete with a big insurance business, electronic
repairs related to power issues, storms and lightning. Survival of
the fittest. My computers take it, everything else, so when Behringer
comes along with its nose in the air and takes to losing it when a
cold spot rolls through, acting up after power interruptions, I'm not
really interested in indulging it further. If it craps out, well,
I'll move on to a DBX unit. That's the plan.

Pretty amazing VST modules -- I need to figure out how to chain at
least a couple. Heavy stuff, attempting to add subtleties for shades
of improvement to already good mixes on good monitors. But, it's
really too basic when about full control with 2 banks of 31-bands of
stereo hardware filters. When it comes time, I'll just move past the
Behringer processor. Find something more suitable. They're a bit of
a mixed bag and just not ready for prime time. Great concept box,
though, except I took a chance after I'd seen some pretty dicey
reviews on their other gear, notably high-end amps -- played and,
depending when and if it fully craps, may have lost. Win some, lose
some.

 

[Dustin]

I get hammered with power-grid fairly often over the course of a
year. It's the area -- complete with a big insurance business,
electronic repairs related to power issues, storms and lightning.
Survival of the fittest. My computers take it, everything else,
so when Behringer comes along with its nose in the air and takes
to losing it when a cold spot rolls through, acting up after power
interruptions, I'm not really interested in indulging it further.
If it craps out, well, I'll move on to a DBX unit. That's the
plan.

You realize a low end (not much runtime) UPS can be had for under $40
at a walmart these days, right? Is your equipment worth less than that?

 

[Flasherly]

You realize a low end (not much runtime) UPS can be had for under $40
at a walmart these days, right? Is your equipment worth less than that?

Deep-cycle motorcycle-sized replacement batteries probably cost more
than that. ...Recently looking at, curious about how people are
motorizing (project types) a bicycle these days with technology
available.

Sort'a, as for your question, yes, it's worth less. I expect,
electrically, a degree of ruggedness to a fully digitally-designed
sound processor for spreading out sound into spectral bands.

Appears temperature related, as it dropped a few degrees, today, and
the LED/TTL display has some resultant flickering;- hasn't started
with the sharp whine, or cycling/pulsing LED when powered up. At
least so far.

It initially gained its reputation, starting getting recognition from
the home "hifi" crowd, at $500US;- I came in at $250, what I paid for
mine, new, probably a couple years later.

Just kind'a burns my butt, taking down, finding and looking at
stickers with dates inside the unit from two years and one month ago.
With a warrantee expiration of two years. Seems an old perspective,
now to say - 'Where in hell are they getting off by charging that
money for something that breaks.' (Worse, I'm seeing that unit
"refurbished" and being sold for $200;- refurbished EQ units, now,
that's a first!)

It's like déjà-vu all over again with my $500, internationally
renowned GE, Chinese built/assembled, front-loader washing machine.

Btw-
http://independentmastering.blogspot.ru/2014/05/free-vst-review-1-two-masteringbus.html

Between a lot of commercial sound PC applications, some free I'm
looking at - not many, but a few get in there, do the job, (according
to how and what the individual focus is on), and kick some butt. I
mean, if that Behringer unit is all digital soundchips, how about
focusing on a CPU, proper, with suitable but portable code.

Not saying I'd give up a 31-band EQ (-another brand- when/if it comes
time) unit, only that upon encountering Luftikus -hey- that one spun
my head around a couple times. Cool stuff !!

--
(Sign on the dotted line and be a part of) 'The Plan'

They headed down to, ooh, old El Paso
That's where they ran into a great big hassle
Billy Joe shot a man while robbing his castle
Bobbie Sue took the money and run

Go on take the money and run

Billy Mack is a detective down in Texas
You know he knows just exactly what the facts is
He ain't gonna let those two escape justice
He makes his livin' off of the people's taxes

Bobbie Sue, whoa, whoa, she slipped away
Billy Joe caught up to her the very next day
They got the money, hey
You know they got away
-Steve Miller Band

 

[Dustin]

Deep-cycle motorcycle-sized replacement batteries probably cost
more than that. ...Recently looking at, curious about how people
are motorizing (project types) a bicycle these days with
technology available.

These are just tiny sealed lead acid batteries. I don't think they
have enough to crank over a riding lawnmower, let alone a multiple
cylinder motorcycle. I've seen them in six and twelve volt versions.
You don't need anything fancy to ensure that the power your delicate
electronics are getting isn't as dirty as it would be if you'd just
plugged them in.

Sort'a, as for your question, yes, it's worth less. I expect,
electrically, a degree of ruggedness to a fully digitally-designed
sound processor for spreading out sound into spectral bands.

I expect the opposite. Infact, I expect that the more complex,
delicate components inside, the more it's not going to like dirty
power coming into it. Oh sure, it's probably got all kinds of
electronics to help it clean the current up, but I'd rather begin by
feeding it clean power in the first place. Less work for it to do,
less chance something gets past it's own filters and causes undesired
operation.

charging that money for something that breaks.' (Worse, I'm
seeing that unit "refurbished" and being sold for $200;-
refurbished EQ units, now, that's a first!)

I'm leary of refurbished equipment.. Unless I know what the applied
fix was ahead of time. If it's had a main transformer change out and
I know the one that was installed is a better unit, I'd be okay with
it. Not knowing what was replaced, reflashed (with modern equipment,
it's probably got flashable firmware) etc.. I'd be disinclined to
purchase.

Not that the latest and greatest is always better anymore, either.
I've read many reviews where people bought the next version of a
stereo component or something like that only to find it's less
capable than the model it's replacing.

(Sign on the dotted line and be a part of) 'The Plan'

I sold my soul to the corporate world some years back. I'm still
getting the stench out of my clothing.

They headed down to, ooh, old El Paso
That's where they ran into a great big hassle
Billy Joe shot a man while robbing his castle
Bobbie Sue took the money and run

Go on take the money and run

Billy Mack is a detective down in Texas
You know he knows just exactly what the facts is
He ain't gonna let those two escape justice
He makes his livin' off of the people's taxes

Bobbie Sue, whoa, whoa, she slipped away
Billy Joe caught up to her the very next day
They got the money, hey
You know they got away

Good tune!

 

[Flasherly]

I expect the opposite. Infact, I expect that the more complex,
delicate components inside, the more it's not going to like dirty
power coming into it. Oh sure, it's probably got all kinds of
electronics to help it clean the current up, but I'd rather begin by
feeding it clean power in the first place. Less work for it to do,
less chance something gets past it's own filters and causes undesired
operation.

Behringer is OK in some regards. But, they're undercutting most for
the price and, at times, take an innovative approach to it. There's
one little board in the EQ, about 4x4, two I/O boards and a power
section. All the good stuff is on that board (better Japanese
processing chips). The problem, I've a strong hunch, will be
identifiable with a can of (electricians) cold-compressed refrigerant.
Physically that'll tell me where or close to what components are at
fault. My troubleshooting abilities, then, are limited to pretty much
reflowing solder or cable reconnections. I'm not confident about
tracing current from a schematic, identifying intermittent conditions
for faulty components.

Might try, see what happens with a can of cold air, though. Then,
again, the unit might not get any worse and limit itself to marginal
conditions during the cold while remaining, basically, in working
condition.

I'm leary of refurbished equipment.. Unless I know what the applied
fix was ahead of time. If it's had a main transformer change out and
I know the one that was installed is a better unit, I'd be okay with
it. Not knowing what was replaced, reflashed (with modern equipment,
it's probably got flashable firmware) etc.. I'd be disinclined to
purchase.

This Syntax 32" monitor is over 10-, 15-years-old (close to $1000 when
they first came out) and refurbished. Broke at a year, they sent me
the next model up, (dunno if it was new, though), but it's still going
and just won't quit. That's running it 24/7 too. An EQ that's
refurbished is pretty much unheard of, ludicrous, but EQs are normally
physical bandpass filters -- different approach and not a totally
chipped digital analysis of an signal for analog output
reformation/modulation.

Not that the latest and greatest is always better anymore, either.
I've read many reviews where people bought the next version of a
stereo component or something like that only to find it's less
capable than the model it's replacing.

Right after I bought the Behringer, I ran into this -

http://www.stereotool.com/download/

It's another "heavy duty" piece of software, popular in studio and
broadcast environments. (There should be a free version, not at all
that limited/crippled last I looked. Very nice, but requires some
processor-umph.) Does quite a bit, a definite overlap processing
wise, along what the semi-faulty EQ does (or will do) so far as
dynamic limiting/compression, e.g. - normalization. Stereo/studio
stuff, hardware, can be on shaky ground with advancements in
technology from digital inroads going head-to-head with equipment
boxes from yesterday. Had a hell'va time, a couple years ago,
locating a multitracker for a singer who didn't want to record through
a computer. As you say, a different market depending on the
application and complexity of factors involved.