ackoDAC based on ES9018

acko · 2010-01-21 10:29 pm

USB interface

Hi Guys,

I guess this HiFace unit is for standard commercial applications from equipment to equipment so the Spdif output is most suited. Internally unit converts from usb to I2S and then to spdif, so carefully tapping into I2S for diy use will the best option right now. Also this propriatery driver to enhance audio stream makes this product particulary atttactive.

On this DAC module itself you could pipe in an external MCLK (see coax connection pad (CLK) under the SMD X1) instead on the on-board XO and in this way synchronize to a source Master clock.

Regards, Acko

acko · 2010-01-21 10:39 pm

DAC build progress

All boards as in the preview (ackodac Sys) have arrived and assembly/testing work is in progress

Coming to terms now-There is a freakin' amount of work to put them all together :crazy:

Will update and post pics soon

Regards, Acko

labjr · 2010-01-22 2:00 am

glt said:
Probably implementation dependent.

For many, hiface vs musiland will depend on soldering skills (I myself would destroy the hifice if I attempt to mod it)

It would be easier to have a module designed for use with this DAC even if it uses

In addition, the ess chip will throw away the master clock and resample the data, so the difference in clock implementation between musiland and hiface may or may not matter. I think jkenny was going to repeat his experiment with the asrc enabled with a proper clock.

Does the ESS always throw away the MCLK?

jkeny · 2010-01-22 3:03 am

acko said:
All boards as in the preview (ackodac Sys) have arrived and assembly/testing work is in progress

Coming to terms now-There is a freakin' amount of work to put them all together Will update and post pics soon

Regards, Acko

This is great news & looking forward to pics and a report on the sound

labjr said:
Does the ESS always throw away the MCLK?

I'm not sure if glt is referring to operating it in asynch mode without MCLK coming from I2S or if he is referring to the upsampling that it does with the I2S MCLK- I suspect he means the latter & I misinterpreted it in my earlier post.

AFAIK, the other ES9018 DAC allows you to turn off upsampling of the DAC but I'm not sure about the others in the range. The lowly one that I'm using ES9022 has no such feature so upsampling can not be turned off, I think.

jkeny · 2010-01-26 9:44 pm

Hey, guys,
I'm offering a service to mod the HiFace USB transport for PS improvements & to allow I2S output. The PS mods really allows this transport's low jitter clocks to work properly & the I2S will allow it to plug directly into the ESS DAC board. Price 50euro

Anyone interested? Email me rather than PM me if you are interested as I want to keep control of my correspondence!

I've spoken to Acko about this so not thread hijacking (I thought I posted this here already but it seems to have disappeared)?

Joe Rasmussen · 2010-01-26 10:08 pm

jkeny said:
I've spoken to Acko about this so not thread hijacking

Well done, that's the way. 50 Euro sounds reasonable too. Speaking to others there is a lot of interest.

Can't wait till Acko gets it runing.

BTW, Acko, where did you get the NDA form from? No Oz rep, so did you email ESS head office (or whatever)?

Cheers.

Joe R.

jkeny · 2010-01-26 10:20 pm

Joe Rasmussen said:
Well done, that's the way. 50 Euro sounds reasonable too. Speaking to others there is a lot of interest.

Thanks, Joe

Can't wait till Acko gets it runing.

It's in test at the moment

BTW, Acko, where did you get the NDA form from? No Oz rep, so did you email ESS head office (or whatever)?

Cheers.

Joe R.

Are you really struggling with this NDA - there must be a distributor for Oz?

Joe Rasmussen · 2010-01-26 10:57 pm

Dark spark · 2010-01-31 2:54 am

Joe Rasmussen said:
What I would like to know this: There is an off-set voltage on the I outs, is there an I off-set as well? Yes or no.

Do I need to sign an NDA to find that out? Yes or no.

Joe R.

That depends on the voltage connected to the + pins of the I/U converters. If it is AVCC/2, virtually no corrent will flow when the channel is idle. But you can also opt to connect them to lower voltages, even down to ground. The current flow will be according to the equations posted here earlier, and the superior THD performance of the ES9018 will not be affected.
In any case, the choice of an audio op amp with very low EIN is crucial to obtain the full dynamic range found in the ESS specs (yes, they are true!). While the AD797 is the best in this regard, it is quite expensive and you need two per channel. The LME49722 is a good alternative - a mild DR penalty, but even slightly better THD than with the AD797. And only one 8-pin SOIC per output channel, of course!

acko · 2010-02-07 10:44 am

Build Progress & Update

See attached pics for assembly in progress. All lownoise regs and other modules on a motherboard for testing purpose. DAC Module will be mounted on top (centre) and plugged in to supply pins. Top right is the MCU and bottom left is a Spdif receiver.

Some update of specs as in the attached DACpreview.

All looking good so far. Once testing is completed this DAC will be prepared for release ~ end of this month.

Some ordering info and pricing:

1. Bare Boards from US$50

2. Populated boards from US$220

More updates to come.

Regards Acko

acko · 2010-02-07 11:18 am

More Updates

Additional specs. for the DAC board and also a matching external MCU (connects to I2C connector of the DAC unit).

Regards, Acko

realmadrid · 2010-02-07 1:43 pm

Hi Acko!

Can the DAC board be tuned to accept 24/352.8 kHz DXD files?

Regards

labjr · 2010-02-08 1:46 am

realmadrid said:
Hi Acko!

Can the DAC board be tuned to accept 24/352.8 kHz DXD files?

Regards

As far as I know the DAC FS will run up to 200KHZ. So I would say not.

acko · 2010-02-08 4:45 am

DXD Audio

Need to check further but someone has reported success with ES9018:

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/digi...-reference-dac-8-channel-147.html#post2068199

Also, the maximum sample rate with internal oversampling filters is specified as 500KHz, so should be possible. Could anyone else shed more light on this interesting topic?

woodturner-fran · 2010-02-08 10:56 am

Very interested in this Acko. Can you put me down for one please?

Fran

jkeny · 2010-02-08 11:07 am

Hey, Fran, just come to me - I'll be organising it from here!

woodturner-fran · 2010-02-08 11:42 am

Good stuff John, just wanted to get my name on the list to give an idea of numbers....

I think I'd go the prebuilt route!!

Fran

jkeny · 2010-02-08 12:11 pm

Sure, no probs

qusp · 2010-02-08 4:58 pm

looking great acko, i'm sorted for regulated PSUs and regs for my output stage battle, but for ease of use I might use your low voltage regs and ikolexers for the 'other dac'

. i'll play with some of mine for the 3v3 regs, but I dont think I could be bothered with trying to use discos for the 1v2 supplies, since yours will be tuned for this dac. I think i'm in love!! I love gold pads for some reason. hmmm PTFE or not PTFE

jkeny · 2010-02-08 5:05 pm

qusp said:
looking great acko, i'm sorted for regulated PSUs and regs for my output stage battle, but for ease of use I might use your low voltage regs and ikolexers for the 'other dac' . i'll play with some of mine for the 3v3 regs, but I dont think I could be bothered with trying to use discos for the 1v2 supplies, since yours will be tuned for this dac. I think i'm in love!! I love gold pads for some reason. hmmm PTFE or not PTFE

Hi qusp,
It will be interesting to hear how Ikoflexer/Salas shunt regs sound on this! Yes I don't believe the 1V2 supplies will be that crucial to the SQ but who knows until we start to experiment?

ackoDAC based on ES9018

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