Digital problem

I am having a strange problem with my digital setup.

I have a dvd recorder / hdd transport - this feeds into a DEQ then an optical to digital converter (midiman co2) and then a PT de capo dac. DVDs and HDD recordings play audio fine but red book cds come out distorted - though they are fine from the deq output. I can also play cds via the cardinal transport and they are fine also.

Any ideas?

 

What DEQ output? Also, do you mean if you connect a Cardinal in place of the DVD transport then everything is fine? I'm afraid your description is a bit thin.

 

If I connect the cardinal straight to the de capo its fine.

The DEQ optical output.

 

No, still too thin. In the normal set-up, you appear to be using the optical output, but this chain is distorting, but then you say DEQ optical is fine - how do you know that? And do you mean analog overload-type distortion? I think you need to describe in more detail the exact chains that are not fine and are fine, and how you know that, specifiying of course what is analogue or not and what it sounds like.

 

So, you are saying that the CD replay is OK from the DEQ optical output.

How do you know this?

Clearly not by sending that optical output through the CO2 and De Capo as you have said that this distorts.

Anyone else confused?

What is CD replay like taken from the analogue outputs of the DEQ?

 

It may be nothing to do with it, but: I once experienced distortion when a file was mistagged (by automagic shite itunes volume-levelling software) to have +24 dB "replay gain" added (in the digital domain). The Transporter gamely did what it could, but the result sounded distorted. So that would be my first guess: something is set up that adds digital gain.

 

Hi the analog o/p of the deq is fine is what I meant

The deq opt goes to the converter.

Every chain is fine except cd replay to the de capo via the deq and even then that only goes wrong with cds, not dvd or hdd replay

 

On a whim I took the DEQ out of the loop by plugging the CO2 converter direct to the dvd recorder - it now plays cds perfectly. Something about the deq is affecting the cd signal going through it - but not the audio from dvds or hard drive recordings.

 

BBV, I'm confused. Can you attached a drawing to show what you meant?

 

i'm reminded of len gregory's regular, almost medical, advert in hfn etc - front end problems?