Arcam Alpha 5 DAC Board Connexion Problems

[lostintheozone]

I noticed that the sound quality from my Arcam A5 CDP is prone to degrade and have traced this to poor connexions between the DAC board and the main pcb. So when this happens I have to open the box wiggle the DAC board a bit and then it is fine for a while (normally however long I leave it before screwing the top back on). A forum search didn't bring up similar problems - except for a cracked pcb/loose pins and I have checked and that doesn't seem to be my problem. Have others had similar difficulties or can anyone advise on a solution or am I going to have to leave the top off just so I can wiggle the DAC board when necessary?

Thanks
Guy

 

[anatech]

Hi Guy,
As a guess, why not try to solder a wire for the grounds, you may have an analog and digital ground.

Otherwise, the socket may be defective. Replace.

-Chris

 

[lostintheozone]

Hi Chris
Thanks. It is behaving at the moment but I guess I thought that I would have to solder in the end if the problem wasn't easy to solve.

Guy

 

[anatech]

Hi Guy,
I'm thinking the grounds are the most critical connections. Noisy grounds will make a mess of everything. You can try using a 0.1uF cap to avoid ground loops.

-Chris