272 issue/mystery/concern

I have no idea what this could be. It is worth a call or email to Naim customer service if you feel it is the 272 at fault. They will advise if you need to send for inspection/repair or may offer a solution that avoids this.

I am a bit confused because digital 4 is an optical input,and 3 is coaxial,unless you switched cables too.I use the Digital 2 in on my 272 from my Core(coaxial cable) and have never heard static.Could it be something to do with the floating or chassis switch,because of ground?Also,I would make sure that the blueray is outputting a PCM signal in the settings menu.

I apologize - Digital 2 and 3.

Try connecting the TV digital out to the 272 and repeat the experiment - it will carry the sound from the HDMI -

Yes, don't feed both the TV and 272 in parallel from the player. Feed the HDMI to the TV then digital out from the TV (optical?) to the 272.

Does the 272 has a ground switch on the back? Also worth trying to set it to the other position ...

winkyincanada posted:

Yes, don't feed both the TV and 272 in parallel from the player. Feed the HDMI to the TV then digital out from the TV (optical?) to the 272.

This is my setup to a 272 also previously to a UQ no issues.

Most TVs  with optical out sound output can be forced to switch off telly speakers and output only to optical.

I bought a cheap and long Optical cable from the company that uses prime, to take the sound from the TV to N272,. We hardly use the DVD player so general TV usage by all the family gets a SQ over TV speakers

Make sure it's sending a PCM stereo signal to the NAC-N272. The DAC is stereo so works fine with a stereo signal but as soon as faced with a multichannel signal all wil just turn to noise as the DAC can't properly decode it. 

Ok, just re-read your opening post and if it's happening with a CD then that may well indicate a fault. 

Mark,

I post because in a way I was partly responsible for your purchase of the Oppo (which seems to work ok, like my old one). First, I suppose you already had selected 'PCM down mix' In the Oppo otherwise the crackling sound wouldn't wait ten minutes to appear but would start immediately and no normal sound at all. I know because I have used my Oppo with HDMI into my Panasonic TV and via coax into the nuforce DDA 100, and the TV via optical into the nuforce too; and btw, my strage issue was that everything worked but with Netflix, seeing which I only got that crackling noise into the nuforce even having selected, in the Panasonic, PCM output for the optical socket. Mysteries.

I don't fully understand the suggestion of listening to the Oppo via the HDMI to the TV then to the 272 via optical: in my case, it was not necessary,  I selected the proper input in the nuforce and had DVD or TV replay. BTW again, selecting ANY other station or app, the Panasonic sent proper down mixed PCM to the nuforce. Only Netflix caused problems.

It sounds like your 272 ceases to 'see' PCM after a while, and sees DolbyDigital or something but, as Richard says, the use of a CD excludes all these hypothesis. Let us know what the problem was, please. I could discover something for myself even though the nuforce is gone and I now listen through the Panasonic, which has a very decent audio itself.

Ciao

max

Mark, I would suggest running it past Naim and see if they can come up with any possibilities.

In fettling with the menus last night, the audio out was set to "LPCM", which the only other choice (IIRC) was "bitrate". I will call the Naim service folks in Canada (or perhaps I should just go straight to Salisbury?) and I hope I can find a bit of time to go through the Oppo manual this weekend, which weekend is  already overflowing with work and other requisites.

I would also like to point out that when I watch "regular" TV I prefer not to run it through the audio system. This is the same signal path I have always followed, and in fact is how I do it in my bedroom system as well. (Well, except that the Philips DVD player in that room is analogue RCA out for audio because it is so old...I keep expecting it to die but it refuses!)

Further, I got this static on this most recent attempt with playing CD Audio, and the TV was not even on at all. (I say this in case it provides more data for those who are better informed to perhaps discern what might be happening.) I also intend to use the Oppo as a CDP "backup" in the event of streaming/network issues, so the TV would not be in play; does the suggested signal with the HDMI work for music only replay with the TV off? (I cannot see how.)

Thanks for all the suggestions and I will be experimenting with these recommendations as time permits.

Another thought - night it be worthwhile as an experiment (because if there is a fault I should fix it even if I find a work-around) to try and run analogue audio out to the 272 (if I can) and ditch the digital coax? Could that be a viable possible work around, and would it possibly offer trouble shooting info?

Mark, it may be that the digital signal is not being received well enough - i.e. the DAC is losing lock.  Either way, As you're in Canada then have a word with someone like Manu who may be able to help out and have a better idea of what is going on.

I am in USA but I thought the Naim North America service was that outfit in/near Montreal. (?) (Audio Plus?)

Some components have what they call “a handshake problem” meaning they are not compatible with each other,but I am not sure if this could be the problem,just a guess.This usually happens with HDMI connection,myself I keep 2 channel separate from multichannel,I have 2 separate systems in the same room,using a dedicated multichannel preamp for TV/movies...sorry,but this does not help solve your problem.

I think the North American rep is Plurison.

DrMark posted:

Another thought - night it be worthwhile as an experiment (because if there is a fault I should fix it even if I find a work-around) to try and run analogue audio out to the 272 (if I can) and ditch the digital coax? Could that be a viable possible work around, and would it possibly offer trouble shooting info?

Not really - you could try using optical and seeing if the problem exists which may give more trouble shooting info. As this is happening with two different sources and you've ruled out the PCM issue it all points to the 272 and something drifting. The only other thing i'd suggest is a full power down of the 272, leave for 20 mins or so and then power up again just in case it's a temporary glitch. 

James

With as many lightning storms as we've had this year, the system has been powered down plenty of times in the past months. (This issue has been around for some time, but I was attributing it to the old cheapo BR player - perhaps more hoping than anything else.

An update - yesterday evening I simply disconnected the HDMI cable from the 272, and was able to play CD for about 45 minutes; this is not a lead pipe guarantee because I think it has sometimes  taken longer than that to manifest in the past, but interesting nonetheless. I put this info here in case it gives anyone any ideas.

I tried to call the Naim Service people in Canada, but got a VM, and during my work leaving a call back message is fruitless, because odds are I will not be able to talk when I receive the call back, so I will try again or reach out to Naim in Salisbury on Monday if I can (I have meetings in the AM by which time we are done it is past work hours in the UK).

Mark, I'm confused. You say you have had HDMI connected to the NAC-N272 but now disconnected and it plays ok?? How did you connect via HDMI?

Sorry Richard, in my haste to post before leaving I typed the wrong thing

The HDMI goes from the DVD to the TV. (This was what I disconnected.) The digital coax goes from the DVD player to the 272. The only way the TV plays through the Naim system is with DVD; picture (and sound obviously) going to the TV from the DVD player. And the audio simultaneously going from DVD player to the 272.

The noise has now occurred with both DVD playback (TV on) and with TV off and only using the DVD player as a CDP.

I am almost tempted to reconnect the HDMI, play a CD only, wait for the noise, and quickly disconnect the HDMI from the DVD player and see if the noise stops immediately.

DrMark posted:

Sorry Richard, in my haste to post before leaving I typed the wrong thing

The HDMI goes from the DVD to the TV. (This was what I disconnected.) The digital coax goes from the DVD player to the 272. The only way the TV plays through the Naim system is with DVD; picture (and sound obviously) going to the TV from the DVD player. And the audio simultaneously going from DVD player to the 272.

Hmm - shouldn't be an issue as the coax inputs on the 272 are galvanically isolated so earth currents looking for a route via the 272 shouldn't find it. Have you tried optical instead of coax yet ?

Sounds similar to an issue I had when coax cable connected Skybox to ndac.  Switching to optical cured it.

Just for completeness Mark, what do you have connected to the 272.

Are any of the analogue inputs used, do you have the FM/DAB card and if so what's the antenna connection (i.e. single aerial, apartment distribution system etc) ??