I thought the rca jack is soldered to the logic board. Can the rca jack alone be replaced without replacing the whole board?
andytts said I thought the rca jack is soldered to the logic board. Can the rca jack alone be replaced without replacing the whole board?If I recall correctly yes a board has to be replaced but no different than when I installed the kit, same as would be done if returned I assume.
Sorry about this guys. Yes, we received a bad batch of connectors from the vendor–and we were not happy. RCA are mostly manufactured as a machined shell that fits over the inner insulator and for some reason a few of these have disconnected. A dab of superglue does fix the problem as described or we’re happy to replace it for you. If you live in the US call us, if outside, contact your dealer or distributor for assistance.
When an RCA connector is properly manufactured, what holds it together?
Luckily, I use the XLR connections so I haven’t had to worry about the RCA connectors failing. I am curious about the use of superglue, however. The portion of the connector that is coming off is the ground or shield connection, it appears to complete the connection within the DAC through the corresponding gold/brass piece that surrounds the white insulator (in the picture). if superglue is applied on the gold/brass piece there is a chance of insulating this connection and thereby defeating the ground/shield conection, correct? As such, should there be more specific information to the do it yourself folks as to where they should be applying the glue?
We have been using this connector source for many years. Just recently we have begun to see the failures mentioned here at an increased level. We are involved with the distributor to correct the problem, but as yet we don’t have any meaningful information regarding the root cause or corrective action.
As you can see, the ground sleeve is held on to the connector body with a press fit. It is my guess that there was a slight tolerance shift in the machining of the two metal pieces, so that on one end of the manufacturing distribution, it is possible to get less interference between the two mating pieces, making the force required to join or separate the two pieces less.
Paul’s superglue suggestion is reasonable. Pmotz rightfully mentions the possibility of insulating the connection between the metal pieces thereby insulating the ground. I think this might be possible if too much glue is used and/or it is put in the wrong places, but with reasonable care, superglue should make a big difference.
My recommendation is to insert the ground shield about ½ way on to the connector put a couple of dots of glue on the connector barrel, then push and twist the ground shield the rest of the way on.
This happened to me also. But I was suspecting it was possibly causing a hum problem in my system. Using the balanced connection (XLR TO XLR) there is no hum. Maybe the power cord is causing a problem. Maybe I should try a PS AC-5. Both DS and PWT are plugged into a P10. My only two gripes are loss of use while it’s a PSA being fixed and the $250 spent to ship it back (insurance is expensive).
This just happened to me again so I decided to Google it to see if it was a common issue. This is the THIRD PS Audio DAC I’ve had that this has happened to. It happened on a Digital Link, a PerfectWave and now on my DirectStream. How long has this bad batch of connectors been around anyway? :^ / I was able to pop the end with the little white tube back on but the pin on my cable won’t insert. I popped the end back off again and it looks like the female part that accepts the pin is damaged.
I’m having trouble visualizing what is happening here. Can someone post a picture or further describe what piece is coming loose? I have a DS DAC & will check mine next time I have it out.
Thanks,
Kev
Refer to the picture at post #17.
brodricj saidRefer to the picture at post #17.
Thanks, missed it.
As far as super gluing it back, I think Paul or someone at PSA should be a bit more diligent at describing the procedure. A dab of super glue in the wrong spot may compromise the ground continuity. Right?
Since this post has been revived recently & Paul M. mentioned a bad batch of RCA’s back in 2015, does anyone know if this is a current problem?
Thanks,
Kev
Well, as usual, PS Audio customer service has already responded. They have indicated that per my SN there were a bad batch of RCA sockets at the time of my build. They have offered to repair and ship both ways at their expense. They definitely have the best customer service I’ve ever encountered on any product. I do wish though that on a DAC this expensive that they would use some nicer Furutech or WBT’s, or at least use a non-PCB mount so that we could have an easier upgrade path should we choose to go that route.
robwilgus saidI do wish though that on a DAC this expensive that they would … at least use a non-PCB mount so that we could have an easier upgrade path should we choose to go that route.
FWIW PCB mount connectors were chosen for sound quality reasons. The extra pig tail of wire would have more connections (not good), would not be shielded (even tho it’s a short run) which could be a problem and would be microphonic (not good). In addition each PCB mounted connector contributes to a firm mounting of the PCB which also matters.
Ted Smith saidFWIW PCB mount connectors were chosen for sound quality reasons. The extra pig tail of wire would have more connections (not good), would not be shielded (even tho it’s a short run) which could be a problem and would be microphonic (not good). In addition each PCB mounted connector contributes to a firm mounting of the PCB which also matters.
Ha ha…oops…well I guess that’s why you’re the engineer and not me. My apologies and thank you for the info.