Meaning of the back panel diode, blinking red

On my Reference DD, I spotted a diode on the back panel :


If my memory is right, upon first installation, it was blinking green. Since a while it is a blinking red. I have not found any mention of this diode in the user manual (or I’m totally blind not o have found it). Page 8/11 there are color code explanations about the front panel diode only.
Is there a specific meaning about why it blinks red or green or else ? The only rational explanation I could imagine is:
Green : So Signal
Red : Existing Signal
Is that right ? Thx

Blinking red means the DD is in passthrough mode, meaning no digital filtering via DD. Blinking green / yellow meaning the digital filtering is activated and there will be a + sign showing in the display.

1 Like

Correct! :sunglasses:

@dodger0629 is correct.

If you have the digital director enabled in the menu and it still doesn’t work, it’s probably a connection issue. Check and make sure the control link (the small toslink) cable is connected. Feel free to email me pictures of your setup and I can help troubleshoot further if needed.

I recommend using the included toslink cable from us. We don’t use it in the traditional way and it’s only active when a command is sent (input change, volume change, etc…). There is not reason to use a audiophile toslink cable.

@dodger0629 thx a lot
@Jonathan : everything is working fine !
Looks like I only checked the back panel diode when the DAC was in video mode…
The DAC+DD combo works nominally !

Note : for what it is worth, an update of the online DD user manual indicating the status of that diode would be useful for the future buyers of a DD, my 2 cents…

1 Like

Noted. We will keep this in mind. I’m happy to hear it’s working as expected.

If I may suggest: regarding Reference user manual updates I also noticed that there isn’t a Grounding scheme when used with the DD, if I’m not wrong.

Hello @luca.pelliccioli

We don’t talk about grounding the digital director because it’s best to not ground it directly to your analog gear (DAC, preamp, amps) for isolation purposes.

Grounding systems seem to have different results in different places. What works well for one system seems to have the opposite effect elsewhere. When it comes to grounding, in my opinion it’s best to try it and trust your ears.

3 Likes

Thanks Jonathan, got it! I was just wondering because I’m still dreaming about a refurbished DD, when you’ll be able to find one for me!

1 Like

@Abascal , thanks for that feedback. We will make sure to add it.

Hey @Kevin_Turnquist , could you take a look?