Hi I just joined today after lurking for many years and learning heaps. Sorry if this is far too long. Maybe a Moderator will edit it?
I must have read 5 or 6 related topics on here and even more elsewhere about connecting my newly bought rHead amp. However none totally answered my seemingly unique query. In the end I finally resolved it thankfully by simply switching DIN sockets. But I’m still puzzled about why I had to.
I bought a used Arcam rHead 2 weeks ago as I had no way to listen to my Olive range system (180,102,HiCap, Napsc, CD3) or LP12. I have a CA DacMagicPlus so use it’s OK headphone amp for files on my PC & TV (PCM only). When it arrived I read up and followed instructions on here. I had a 5 pin DIN to 4 RCA tape cable (from Grahams in 2000) used fine with my Nak CR1-E deck. So I taped up the Output plugs and used the Input L&R taking the monitoring signal at line out level from socket #4. NOTHING? Not a whisper. I tried mute & mon buttons of course and even switched the Blue, Yellow, Red & White plugs around.
Yesterday a 3 metre cable arrived. I tried again but with the Outputs still in the Nak deck and the inputs (102 outputs) into the extension cable’s RCA females. STILL NOTHING!! Despite being advised that this ‘should’ work. With nothing to lose I re-read the 102 manual and it stated that #4 & #5 both had ‘buffering’ for monitoring (I’m not that technical) capability. #6 the 3rd 5 pin DIN didn’t btw. It stated that #5 was for a VCR, 2nd deck or R2R that should be used to monitor for tape to tape recording. To my delight it worked. I replugged the CA DAC that had been in 5 into 4 instead. I could move it to another socket if advised to.
Can someone explain why socket 4 didn’t work? I wanted to use it for cosmetic reasons as it reads ‘Tape’ on the front. I can’t listen to cassettes with the rHead btw, no great loss.
Something else though. When I thought to ‘fool’ the 102 into letting me listen to the Nak via my Nak AV10 5.1 pre-outted to the 102 using the AV socket (both DAC & AV10 use optical to 4K TV) I hit another problem. I was all set to unplug & tape up these Output plugs and insert 2 RCAs from Nak to Nak when I heard a loud 50 Hz type hum, so plugged them back in.
Perhaps the socket 4 (Tape) Buffer bits inside the 102 are loose? But I just think the circuitry differs compared to socket 5.
Anyway thanks for reading even if I’ve gone on a bit. Very pleased with final results though. SQ identical (to my semi-audiophile 60 year old ears) when connected via XLR from DAC or RCAs from 102 btw, same volume too.
Best Regards
Paul C