It is ES9028Q2M, not ES9018. I have ask the taobao seller: these function need special firmware to open. As I understand, ES90x8 need soc to control and need specific firmware.
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How about the sound? I love ES90x8 and buy a ES9018K2M kit. I think ES9028Q2m will be better than ES9018K2M.
I buy that one because it include a tiny box, hdd connect board, and power:
The price is impressively low on these ES9028Q2M boards:
Assembled ES9028 I2S input decoders ES9028Q2M mill board DAC | eBay
I am curious about turn on/off pops and overall stability...
Any idea of the output voltage?
Also, how to you access the DAC volume control?
Assembled ES9028 I2S input decoders ES9028Q2M mill board DAC | eBay
I am curious about turn on/off pops and overall stability...
Any idea of the output voltage?
Also, how to you access the DAC volume control?
The pop is present and a clear danger to ears (speakers should be okay). The 9028 does no better than the 9018, and in actual fact the pop mute circuitry is supposed to be external to the DAC. Even some $$$ DAC units do not implement it (my Benchmark 2, for example, does not).
Output voltage is about 1.8Vrms by my estimate, but I might measure it at some point.
The I/V stage is strange, it forces the DAC into voltage mode and then attenuates the output voltage. It is adapted from an old AD datasheet, and simply jacked by by a factor of 2x-3x on all the resistors.
I traced out the circuit and there is a 6k2/3k3 divider at the input, which then requires the LPF to have gain. This makes the opamp fairly audible, and the output carries its sonic footprint. I believe there is some potential locked away in this part of the circuit, though it would need a significant effort to design a proper I/V stage without documentation.
You can't access the volume control unless you know how to program the firmware AND have the register list from ESS (good luck, btw).
On my version of the board the output resistors are mismatched, and when I removed them to fix it it became quickly apparent that the footprints are different as well, a grand mistake that was never corrected.
There's a reason the price is low, and that is that it doesn't deserve any more money. There has been no care, attention or thought applied during the 'design' process. However, for a simple bluetooth speaker or a small portable source, it is quite the buy. It is also the very cheapest I2S DAC you can buy, apart from the ES9023 units now going below $10.
Output voltage is about 1.8Vrms by my estimate, but I might measure it at some point.
The I/V stage is strange, it forces the DAC into voltage mode and then attenuates the output voltage. It is adapted from an old AD datasheet, and simply jacked by by a factor of 2x-3x on all the resistors.
I traced out the circuit and there is a 6k2/3k3 divider at the input, which then requires the LPF to have gain. This makes the opamp fairly audible, and the output carries its sonic footprint. I believe there is some potential locked away in this part of the circuit, though it would need a significant effort to design a proper I/V stage without documentation.
You can't access the volume control unless you know how to program the firmware AND have the register list from ESS (good luck, btw).
On my version of the board the output resistors are mismatched, and when I removed them to fix it it became quickly apparent that the footprints are different as well, a grand mistake that was never corrected.
There's a reason the price is low, and that is that it doesn't deserve any more money. There has been no care, attention or thought applied during the 'design' process. However, for a simple bluetooth speaker or a small portable source, it is quite the buy. It is also the very cheapest I2S DAC you can buy, apart from the ES9023 units now going below $10.
You are superuser. ^ ^
ES9018K2M/ES9028Q2M use OP to be I/V should be better. Indeed, much ES9018K2M/ES9028Q2M design only use resistance. Why? Reference design uses 500R resistance. I think that is Market segmentation: example, CS4397 & CS43122 have difference reference design.
You can control volume using hifiduino code.
For IV stage it really confusing.
It current out, add series Resistor it voltage out
I had forgotten about Hifiduino, thanks for that.
Anyway it's a moot point. With the opamp voltage limited to a little below 12V, getting a clean and high quality 2VRMS output from this board is probably not possible without a totally new I/V stage. The default opamp is quite the performer. OPA2134 is is only very slightly better, LME49720 is quite poor in this board because of the low voltage and high source impedance.
I have it turned down to 95% in the software panel and hooked it up to a little single JFET buffer and cheapo stepped attenuator. With a Raspberry Pi in a case, it's neat little source. Not the highest quality, but still better than many mid-priced DACs I have heard. Very good for a clock radio or suchlike.
Anyway it's a moot point. With the opamp voltage limited to a little below 12V, getting a clean and high quality 2VRMS output from this board is probably not possible without a totally new I/V stage. The default opamp is quite the performer. OPA2134 is is only very slightly better, LME49720 is quite poor in this board because of the low voltage and high source impedance.
I have it turned down to 95% in the software panel and hooked it up to a little single JFET buffer and cheapo stepped attenuator. With a Raspberry Pi in a case, it's neat little source. Not the highest quality, but still better than many mid-priced DACs I have heard. Very good for a clock radio or suchlike.
Which software do you use and which device do you choose? I use moode player.
Otherwise, I never trust op from taobao. It is so many fake product...
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I bought ES9028Q2M from the same store...
1) Design is "getting Started" level←bad
2) I/V use register as reference design←not bad
3) LPF only use DC 12V, that means have to use capacitor to avoid dc←bad
I think K4000k(ES9018K2M) is much beeter than that one(ES9018Q2M).
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ES9028Q2M:
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
ES9018K2M:
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Summary:
1) That 2 sets from the same taobao stoe.
2) They are very very very cheap.
3) The design is cheap too.
4) The sound of ES9018Q2M should be better.
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ES9028Q2M from other soter:
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Summary:
1) Much better design.
2) Much Expensive.
3) The sound←I do not know. I do not have one.
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ES9018K2M-X4000K
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Summary:
1) A very good kit; include a box, HDD board, and a power.
2) Very good design.
3) The sound is very good; the same level with my parallel PCM1794A.
Hi,
I bought both of these boards so can offer an opinion.
Firstly, the power supplies on both boards are not great, but powering from a stable, low ripple supply mitigates the shortcomings easily. Further, it's not hard to make some adjustments Eg to DC coupling and smoothing.
Secondly, control. I used moode 3.1 build and the generic-2 I2S rpi-DAC option. This gave a smooth crystal clear output for a range of sample rate sources (i tested up to 192kHz). However, as neither board allows control of the registers, if you change track when the output is non-zero, there is a loud click/thump. This can be improved by adjusting the buffer settings, but never goes away. Only really a problem when jumping tracks not when playing albums.
Thirdly, SQ. Outstanding! My reference is an Arcam irDAC and the resolution is almost indistinguishable- the sound is highly transparent with a wide tonal range: deep bass, crystal clear mids (vocals) and sparkling top. Most of all the detail is fantastic. It would take some very critical listening to detect differences between the boards. But for £11 vs £400 for the Arcam this represents incredible value for money.
Fourthly, conclusion. I won't give up my Arcam. The 9028 board is better made and easier to set up but it's hard to hear a difference to the 9018k2. I am building a DAC preamp and will install the 9028 board with a very high quality power supply and a custom RPi MPD/shairport-sync build.
It's exciting that such high fidelity can be available for such low cost. Fill your boots!
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
I bought both of these boards so can offer an opinion.
Firstly, the power supplies on both boards are not great, but powering from a stable, low ripple supply mitigates the shortcomings easily. Further, it's not hard to make some adjustments Eg to DC coupling and smoothing.
Secondly, control. I used moode 3.1 build and the generic-2 I2S rpi-DAC option. This gave a smooth crystal clear output for a range of sample rate sources (i tested up to 192kHz). However, as neither board allows control of the registers, if you change track when the output is non-zero, there is a loud click/thump. This can be improved by adjusting the buffer settings, but never goes away. Only really a problem when jumping tracks not when playing albums.
Thirdly, SQ. Outstanding! My reference is an Arcam irDAC and the resolution is almost indistinguishable- the sound is highly transparent with a wide tonal range: deep bass, crystal clear mids (vocals) and sparkling top. Most of all the detail is fantastic. It would take some very critical listening to detect differences between the boards. But for £11 vs £400 for the Arcam this represents incredible value for money.
Fourthly, conclusion. I won't give up my Arcam. The 9028 board is better made and easier to set up but it's hard to hear a difference to the 9018k2. I am building a DAC preamp and will install the 9028 board with a very high quality power supply and a custom RPi MPD/shairport-sync build.
It's exciting that such high fidelity can be available for such low cost. Fill your boots!
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
How can this be ?
Maybe my brain has flown out the window or perhaps I dream ?
I have the ebay es9018 dac as shown in the first post.
I needed an opamp for a trial circuit and raided the dac's one because, you know, it was closest... (this despite it being connected to my listening system ! yes turned off at the time
Of course, the inevitable happens... I forget to replace it and switch on and...everything works !!?!
So it is running without the opamp, gain is a little lower perhaps and sq a little better on first impressions.
Is this expected behavior ? should it work without the NE5532 ?
Maybe my brain has flown out the window or perhaps I dream ?
I have the ebay es9018 dac as shown in the first post.
I needed an opamp for a trial circuit and raided the dac's one because, you know, it was closest...
(this despite it being connected to my listening system ! yes turned off at the time Of course, the inevitable happens... I forget to replace it and switch on and...everything works !!?!
So it is running without the opamp, gain is a little lower perhaps and sq a little better on first impressions.
Is this expected behavior ? should it work without the NE5532 ?
Yes it will work. The output impedance of the chip is a few hundred ohms. The OP amp is there to buffer its output. If you happen to load the chip with a very low impedance, say 10'ths of ohms the output level will be very low but no harm is made. If it is high, say several 10ths of kilo ohms, there is really no need for an output stage. Now there are a lot of hocus pocus around how to terminate these chips and loading it with a very low impedance - a few ohms followed by a gain stage with low output impedance is deemed by many to be the best solution. Finally, there is one aspect that should be noted - the chip has a voltage level offset on its output in form of DC voltage - this is not good to connect to a DC coupled amplifier as your speakers stand a great chance to be fried in this case.
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Bogi, that's a decent way to do it. You can lose the output cap and the opamp gains a lot of voltage headroom, though with 12V to the opamp (that's 13.5V in) you can already get 6V P-P signal nice and clean with an OPA2134 or similar rail-to-rail opamp.
I would think more of an improvement is still possible by removing the 6k2 resistors and taking those pads to a better I/V. I see that as the major issue, as BJT-based opamps sound like trash in this because of the very high source impedance and a badly designed I/V. For low current output stages like this a discrete I/V at about 6-8mA will fit the bill perfectly.
I wonder if it's worth the cost though. The base unit is already overperforming its price bracket, and with simple higher V+ input and few cap swaps it is at a very competitive level. We compared it to an iRDAC after mods and it was quite a bit ahead.
I would think more of an improvement is still possible by removing the 6k2 resistors and taking those pads to a better I/V. I see that as the major issue, as BJT-based opamps sound like trash in this because of the very high source impedance and a badly designed I/V. For low current output stages like this a discrete I/V at about 6-8mA will fit the bill perfectly.
I wonder if it's worth the cost though. The base unit is already overperforming its price bracket, and with simple higher V+ input and few cap swaps it is at a very competitive level. We compared it to an iRDAC after mods and it was quite a bit ahead.
I'm thinking of using these two boards to put together my first USB DAC
ES9028Q2M ES9028 I2S Input Decode Board DAC amplifier DIY DSD IIS-32bit 384K | eBay
NEWEST XMOS U8 USB 384K 32B I2S SPDIF output,support DSD for es9018 DAC | eBay
Does anyone have any experience of using these two boards together? Would appreciate any comments on how well they perform.
ES9028Q2M ES9028 I2S Input Decode Board DAC amplifier DIY DSD IIS-32bit 384K | eBay
NEWEST XMOS U8 USB 384K 32B I2S SPDIF output,support DSD for es9018 DAC | eBay
Does anyone have any experience of using these two boards together? Would appreciate any comments on how well they perform.
I use the xmos with the older 9018 board and find it mostly good.
These dacs do not have the official firmware so there can be some problems when switching sample rates and file types...no internal muting means clicks pops and sometimes sharp cracks.
If you are using any linux os then the xmos will work ootb but Windows needs a driver that the vendors don't supply.. you may find it hard to source...
If you are looking for more inputs or connections for other devices then this board between the two you mention will give i2s, spdif optical, coaxial and Aes switchable in.
AK4118 Digital Receiver Board SPDIF to I2S Converter LCD Sampling Rate Indicat | eBay
If you have a raspberry pi and want to use it's i2s as well as the xmos then this switch is what you need.
5V Two-way Audio I2S Switching Module DIY Kits can Connect Self-locking Switch | eBay
These dacs do not have the official firmware so there can be some problems when switching sample rates and file types...no internal muting means clicks pops and sometimes sharp cracks.
If you are using any linux os then the xmos will work ootb but Windows needs a driver that the vendors don't supply.. you may find it hard to source...
If you are looking for more inputs or connections for other devices then this board between the two you mention will give i2s, spdif optical, coaxial and Aes switchable in.
AK4118 Digital Receiver Board SPDIF to I2S Converter LCD Sampling Rate Indicat | eBay
If you have a raspberry pi and want to use it's i2s as well as the xmos then this switch is what you need.
5V Two-way Audio I2S Switching Module DIY Kits can Connect Self-locking Switch | eBay