Does the Sony WM-DC2 have a low line level output?

[trott3r]

Lo,

I have bought a sony wm-dc2 off ebay shown here:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/150701961583?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

The line level output seems to be lower than my other kit.

Is this a sign of iminent failure?
or a design flaw of the dc2?

Nice weighty bit of kit which i am enjoying otherwise.
Gotta love them mechanical buttons :)

Martin

[Patrik]

What other kit are you comparing it to?
In general I have found that most portables have lower line out levels than moderna stationary equipment.

Lo,

I have bought a sony wm-dc2 off ebay shown here:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/150701961583?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

The line level output seems to be lower than my other kit.

Is this a sign of iminent failure?
or a design flaw of the dc2?

Nice weighty bit of kit which i am enjoying otherwise.
Gotta love them mechanical buttons :)

Martin

[trott3r]

What other kit are you comparing it to?
In general I have found that most portables have lower line out levels than moderna stationary equipment.



I am comparing it to my normal separates setup, ie cd player etc

I thought line level was supposed to similiar levels whether portable or standalone.

So your experience is that all portables are like this.
I do not have much to compare it with apart from some portable minidisc players line outs.

thanks for the reply.

Martin

[Patrik]

I am comparing it to my normal separates setup, ie cd player etc

I thought line level was supposed to similiar levels whether portable or standalone.

So your experience is that all portables are like this.
I do not have much to compare it with apart from some portable minidisc players line outs.

thanks for the reply.

Martin

There have been a few different standards for what line level means, I believe. I think it was raised when CD was introduced to allow higher SNR (due to the inevitable thermal noise floor).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line_level#Nominal_levels

I believe modern stuff like CD players generally swing about 2V. Someone who knows better, feel free to correct me!

My Sony MD player, and portable CD player had lower line level output than my stationary CD player.

[trott3r]

There have been a few different standards for what line level means, I believe. I think it was raised when CD was introduced to allow higher SNR (due to the inevitable thermal noise floor).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line_level#Nominal_levels

I believe modern stuff like CD players generally swing about 2V. Someone who knows better, feel free to correct me!

My Sony MD player, and portable CD player had lower line level output than my stationary CD player.

yes i believe it is around 2v for line level.

Oh well i guess i will have to be careful when switching back from the dc2 to another component.

Martin

[Lapis]

They have a good output level. The WM-D6C has higher because it has 6V rather than 3V (which what the WM-DC2 uses.) At least it is louder than the WM-DD9.

[alxwz]

There have been a few different standards for what line level means, I believe. I think it was raised when CD was introduced to allow higher SNR (due to the inevitable thermal noise floor).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line_level#Nominal_levels
I believe modern stuff like CD players generally swing about 2V.
That's what I remember as well.

Unfortunately, I can't comment on the original question, because my DC2 is nonfunctional due to cracked gear syndrome.

Does anybody have any opinions on the eBay vendor's claim about genuine Sony replacement gears "lasting a lifetime" and the peculiarities of azimuth adjustments on the DC2?

Regards
Alex

[R.Daneel]

Hello!

Standard full size components such as CD players have an output voltage of around 2.0 Volts peak-to-peak. Portable stereos have a much lower output voltage. Specifically, the Sony WM-DC2 has 0.2Vpp give or take so it is perfectly normal.

If there was an electronics failure involved, there would be other symptoms. If the line level output is too low for your amplifier and you have to turn it all the way up and it distorts or the sound becomes congested, hook it up to the headphone output on the DC2 but make sure the level doesn't exceed 50% of maximum level. Portable cassette players in general have poor amplification circuitry that distort the sound when the power output is set to more than 60%. There are exceptions to this rule but with portable cassette players. it is generally the case.

[R.Daneel]

That's what I remember as well.

Unfortunately, I can't comment on the original question, because my DC2 is nonfunctional due to cracked gear syndrome.

Does anybody have any opinions on the eBay vendor's claim about genuine Sony replacement gears "lasting a lifetime" and the peculiarities of azimuth adjustments on the DC2?

Regards
Alex

Alex, as far as I know there are no original replacement parts for none of the Sony WM-DD series machines which includes the DC2 as well. The center gear is the weakest link of any DD machine as it turned out in the long run but there is a way to fix it.

If the eBay seller is selling a metal gear with claims of a "longer service life" keep in ind all the other gears inside are plastic and teflon. As you may or may not know, plastic compounds such as polypropylene (used for the gears in this case) have a very low friction coefficient. It is a different story with metal and given this is a mechanical gear system, this plays a vital part. Sure, the metal gear will last longer but it will damage the other components along the way. Much better option is to fix the existing gear. Once fixed, it won't break again because of reduced tension stress along the rim once a new piece of gear is inserted into the crack.

Adjusting the head azimuth isn't difficult and is accomplished by rotating the screw that's located on the main chassis on the opposite side of the capstan in respect to the head. Note that earlier versions of DC2 have a hyperbolic head design so tuning the azimuth must be done precisely to achieve optimal frequency response.

Cheers!
Antun

[alxwz]

Antun,

interesting points, which I'd like to discuss further. To not further 'hijack' this thread, I think I'll start a new one.

Regards,
Alex

[R.Daneel]

Antun,

interesting points, which I'd like to discuss further. To not further 'hijack' this thread, I think I'll start a new one.

Regards,
Alex

I'm always interested in a walkman topic!