C24 Disaster!

[banana boy]

Finally (after waiting since early December when the C24 landed in South Africa) got my delivery yesterday. Spent all day installing the extraordinarily expensive set of cables you have to buy to install the C24 ... cables cost me close to $3000 from the local monopoly dealer who would not even throw in four DB25 plugs I still need to specially wire to get the Cue, SLS and TB outs and the Stereo Ins wired into a bantam patch bay ... but that's a whole other story. I was also forced to pay the full $10000 list price plus local 14% VAT - no discount for cash, despite having spent on the 001, 002, Command 8, HD Accel 2, 192's, 96 etc etc ...

Would all have been worth it - if the C24 worked!

First clue was I got a couple of strange error's reported - clip hold preferences invalid. Dutifully went through set-up again and all seemed fine - sound was fantastic and the controller seemed to be working (except maybe for cue system which I could not hear working on the headphones). I had re-config'd a few current sessions to talk 1&3 for L&R and all was working well into last night.

Then I switched off the power ... and was blasted with full-level digital noise that almost ripped my speaker cones out! Thought hey, maybe I must remember to turn off monitors before the C24 - tried again all seemed OK. Left the monitors on again thinking maybe this was a one time anomaly - and almost lost the speakers again!

Turned off and turned in late at night.

Woke up today excited to get on with my new gear and on opening a session and hitting Play, was blasted by 0dB full-volume through now very stressed speakers. Tried to mute, could not. Tried to turn down the control room pot, could not - it stays stubbornly fixed at 0dB! Turned, off, on, tried again - no joy.

Of course its Saturday and the dealer's not working till Monday. Germany support was closed when I called. Just have to wait.

Want to send it back and get a new one; or maybe just send it back and stay with the Command 8.

SO disappointing!!

[MASTERLINKSTUDIOS]

sorry to hear about your misfortune but mines is working 100%. there must have been damage done to the c/24 during shipping,good thing you bought it from a authorized digi dealer so it is under warranty.good luck

[banana boy]

Hey Masterlink thanks for the sympathy! And thanks for your cool videos.

Update: I reset all anologue routing and monitor gains (under Utility\System menu) and this fixed the 0SPL Control Room gain problem. Also downloaded and installed 7.4 which included a firmware update for the C24 (7.4.0.309) and I have had no recurrence of the full volume problem. I also got the cue to work after these resets and software updates not sure if this had anything to do with the problem or not, but this too has not recurred yet.

Only remaining issue is the HUGE digital fart that happens when you turn off the C24 with your monitors on - even with outputs muted. This noise can't be good for anything! Do you guys have the same symptom, or does the C24 shut down politely when you turn off the power supply?

[Imagine]

Duncan,

Can you hear this digital farting in your headphones?

[banana boy]

Thanks for the interest Dean; no - cannot hear it on the phones, but it does come out through the Alt Mon output. Also noticed that all 16 inputs on the 192 light up like a Christmas tree when powering the C24 down - coincidentally this is where I have routed the C24 line outs - the first 192 has extra AD card . This is a BIG fart. C24 seems good except for this problem.

Can I ask again - no-one else with the new C24 have this power down noise coming from monitors you inadvertently leave on?

[Stylin' Audio]

It is always best practice to power on your monitors last and turn them off first to prevent speaker/ear damage. There is not a lot of gear that can be powered on/off to hot monitors without spikes!

[fasttraxx]

Hey Banana Boy,
My C24 does the same fart sounds. Not cool at all, but I guess we have to deal with this. I just make sure to turn off the power amps to the speakers, and my other powered speaker before shuting off the C24.

[banana boy]

Thanks for that Bill, so good to know this is "normal".

Further update: discovered that if I turn down the input sensitivity on the HR824 Mackie monitors to half way - the "normal" detente position (I had always had them full up and had honestly forgotten this), not only is the scary digital fart substantially softer - by maybe 20dB's - but also the matching with my Alt Mon outs which go to a TV is much closer to the main monitors. I now have the Alt Mon's up 6dB and the mains (and all other ins) down 18dB and I can switch "normally" between the mains and alts and have no scary level jumps.

So ... after all this, I guess the initial 0SPL full volume problem was fixed with a reset of all system analogue routes and monitor gains and/or 7.4 with its C|24 firmware updater (so far, so good - touch wood); and the other issues are actually not issues: the desk has been digidesigned to fart on power down, one must simply turn off monitors before powering down the C24; and any Alt Mon softness is actually main mon loudness - just tweak your monitor sensitivity and off-set your main's down by 18-20dB - all will be well with the world again.

Thanks to everyone for bearing with my rantings. Sorry Digi for doubting you ...

[fasttraxx]

Hi Banana Boy,
Glad to hear you got it worked out.
I have two sets of monitors
1 - main out = Carver power amp+NS-10
2 - Alt monitor = EX66 powered monitors
I turn the carver amp all the way up and the EX66 levels all the way up. When I switch between them, they are the same ( or very,very close) volume, no problems at all with that.