Hi,
I just installed a new linestage (ARC LS26).
Sounds great but the remote (fresh batteries) of the LS26 control the Bartok!
Volume + or - on the remote change songs;
Display turns it off.
The remote does not control any LS26 functions.
Any ideas?
thanks
I am unsure if it is generally appreciated that many of the Bartok functions that are usually controlled via Mosaic (wifi) will also respond to IR commands such as from the dCS Universal Remote.
The obvious answer would be that some of the codes that ARC have programmed are identical to those used by dCS for the IR control of functions on the Bartok. Both may use codes based on the Philips RC-5 protocol. The duplication should not happen but I remember at least one command to my old Panasonic TV from its remote would operate one of the functions on my Paganini stack. However as I would imagine that the combination of ARC amplification and dCS digital processing is pretty common around the world ( I was actually using one a few weeks ago with no issues) I think that although duplicate codes are a possibility they are unlikely.
However what deepens the question is that the ARC LS26 remote is not controlling the LS26 itself !
Are you sure that the remote will not control the LS26 because the LS26 is itself not functioning correctly? Can you get all of the LS26 functions to work by manual selection from the front panel? NB: I cannot see any description in the LS26 manual that indicates that there are circumstances whereby the remote will not function or that it needs to be activated in some way.
Are you sure that you have not sited the preamp in such a way that that the window for the IR receiver is being obscured? BTW I am guessing that it is placed within the display panel on the fascia. In some pieces with IR windows placed there the angle of acceptance for the IR signal is relatively narrow as the window is actually positioned deeper than the front surface of the fascia and can then only accept the signal over a narrow area. Have you tried the IR control from various positions including directly in front of the LS26 and not too far away? I expect that these simple points may provide a fix. If not then we need to consider things such as the remote, whilst being from ARC, is not the correct one for this model.
Thanks Pete.
Tried as many variations as in the Kama Sutra.
Close, far, obtuse, adjacent… all positions.
ARC front buttons work fine
Seller told me remote was fully functional 5 days before.
ARC tells me they’ve never heard of such an issue, offering me a new hardcoded remote replacement.
Truly poltergeist stuff.
Anxious to see what dCS says.
Honestly, new gear letdown…
What’s the British equivalent of the comic strip character, Charlie Brown, where a dark cloud always follows him around??
That’s me, audio wise!
First World Problem for sure.
Bernard
Well I would certainly take up that offer from ARC.
I will try another simple possible answer. I am not sure how this relates to the dCS functions being affected but I note “fresh batteries”. Do check that you haven’t mistakenly inserted one the wrong way round. It is so simple to overlook, I did it myself last week with a torch ( British for flashlight) and couldn’t understand why it wouldn’t work, I first thought that I had blown the bulb 
.
But Pete, inverted batteries would produce no signal to the ARC or the dCS.
It sends a signal to …the wrong machine!
Torch, bonnet of a car… all interesting meanings here!
dCS units do use Phillips RC-5, not sure about ARC. This is odd behaviour either way though.
Bernard, may I ask if the LS26 was purchased from an ARC dealer or from a third-party?
The RC-5 protocol should mean that the same command doesn’t get sent to two units that can see the IR signal from the remote, provided you don’t have two CD players for example. The remote you have looks to be giving out the system code 0D which we use for the Bartók, and then some other function codes for the actual commands (although the commands don’t seem to match up to the buttons as we have complied with the RC-5 function codes wherever possible). If ARC do use RC-5 and the remote was coded properly, the Bartók should be ignoring the remote.
I think if the remote will not control the LS26 with the Bartók switched off and with the remote pointed straight at it, it suggests the remote is simply not coded for the LS26. As such, the replacement ARC have offered should resolve this.
Thanks James.
I bought it from a highly reputable seller on an audio exchange site.
The remote was working for him last week, which is the weird part.
I tried again this morning with the same result: it wakes the dCS up but does not do anything to the LS26. Even with the Bartok OFF. At any angle and distance.
I have asked ARC for a replacement remote.
I like to control Bartok’s playback using ATC SCA2 preamp remote. But it also works for the preamp.