Dear John,
The amp/dac looks great. If you could send me some pics of your product, I would be interested in knowing more. I sent you an email but I think here is probably the best place to reach you.
I have been reading as much as I can on this site, it really is a magnificent resource. The information is frequently over my head technically but very slowly things are coming together! Ok my first post is done!
Thank you all
Adrian
The amp/dac looks great. If you could send me some pics of your product, I would be interested in knowing more. I sent you an email but I think here is probably the best place to reach you.
I have been reading as much as I can on this site, it really is a magnificent resource. The information is frequently over my head technically but very slowly things are coming together! Ok my first post is done!
Thank you all
Adrian
Dan,
Sorry to hear about your DiscMagic, the design is old now (based upon a very early servo chipset, and even earlier Laser pickup). The servo chipset and Laser Pickup where designed to read CD’s to the original Red Book standard, and not designed to read CD-R (not to mention CDRW) and longer playing discs, due to this - even with new optics and with correct alignment, they are not the most reliable disc players…
That said, my Girlfriend uses a very early Cambridge Audio unit that uses the same servo board / Mech. daily without problem - even with CD-R’s (a HDCD player that never made it into production). This unit has become very popular when we perform listening sessions and is used as our “Reference unit” – it never did have a casework cover, much to my Girlfriends continued complaints….
Even with a prevailing wind – do not expect to see P.P unit of DAX1 & T1 for about 4-5 months…
I was careful (however not in spelling) to state that lowest Jitter does not necessarily equate to best sound, it ultimately depends on what happens downstream (!down steam! ) at the DAC. The IsoMagic is a very neutral design – however in its unmodified state it can be described as Bass Light, by using electrical connection between your DiscMagic and IsoMagic you introduce “Mains Hum” correlated Jitter – which subjectively adds “Bass Weight” to the bottom end. However, once the IsoMagic has been improved (OK, I know I’m asking for extra Email Traffic here) with a better PSU and discrete output OPAMP’s, the “Mains Hum correlated Jitter” becomes VERY apparent.
Smithie,
Don’t worry about purchasing optical cables; the DAX1 will come ready supplied with a 1m set of optical cables bundled in the starter kit – as will the T1.
If you require a longer set, then buy the cheapest you can find – there will be no difference in audio quality – so save your funds.
The DAX.1 does not recover the clock from the SPDIF, only the Data – therefore it’s completely insensitive to input Clock Jitter, which is the only parameter of optical cables (and input sources) that effects the audio quality with traditional designs.
Bert,
RF and Ground noise is always a big problem in larger systems – I have a very hard time with test equipment which is housed in two Rack cabinets each side of my lab bench – even though I've gone to great lengths to reduce circulating ground currents between the Racks – if I can measure effects, then for sure the human Ear can hear them!!!
If you connect several digital components together, you will find that there individual RF emissions interfere with each other – the DAX.1 has contingencies in its design to prevent this (and other RF noise sources) becoming a problem and effecting its audio quality.
Alan & Patrick,
Your names have been added to the P.P list, many thanks for your interest.
Patrick (and Arthur), as your both in HK, we could maybe arrange “home” demos of prototype units closer to the time if you are interested? – I’m always happy to audition the designs in different systems
Due to the uncertainty of production times, we will not be requesting or accepting deposits – but rest assured anybody who has contacted me will have been added to the provisional P.P list. Before the P.P run, I will contact you and confirm pricing, full Specs. and confirm your continued interest – any “unwanted units” should not cause too much difficulty .
Alan,
As to speaker matching – from a power delivery aspect, do not be concerned about the DAX.1, as I mentioned in my last post, the prototypes drive my Martin Logins CLS IIz – and these are a really nasty Mid Band / HF load.
At 1KHz the output impedance of the DAX1 at the speaker terminals is less then 0.02 Ohms, far lower then most amplifiers, this combined with a 330VA transformer and 120W into 8Ohms per channel should drive most domestic speaker systems.
With a “User” installed software change & the addition of additional DAX.1sv’s (DAX.1 Slaves) the experienced customer & DIY enthusiasts can design there own digital crossover with supplied graphical PC software, download to the DAX’s and use within active speakers systems.
The Software will be FOC, and programmable via the DAX’s USB ports.
John
Sorry to hear about your DiscMagic, the design is old now (based upon a very early servo chipset, and even earlier Laser pickup). The servo chipset and Laser Pickup where designed to read CD’s to the original Red Book standard, and not designed to read CD-R (not to mention CDRW) and longer playing discs, due to this - even with new optics and with correct alignment, they are not the most reliable disc players…
That said, my Girlfriend uses a very early Cambridge Audio unit that uses the same servo board / Mech. daily without problem - even with CD-R’s (a HDCD player that never made it into production). This unit has become very popular when we perform listening sessions and is used as our “Reference unit” – it never did have a casework cover, much to my Girlfriends continued complaints….
Even with a prevailing wind – do not expect to see P.P unit of DAX1 & T1 for about 4-5 months…
I was careful (however not in spelling) to state that lowest Jitter does not necessarily equate to best sound, it ultimately depends on what happens downstream (!down steam! ) at the DAC. The IsoMagic is a very neutral design – however in its unmodified state it can be described as Bass Light, by using electrical connection between your DiscMagic and IsoMagic you introduce “Mains Hum” correlated Jitter – which subjectively adds “Bass Weight” to the bottom end. However, once the IsoMagic has been improved (OK, I know I’m asking for extra Email Traffic here) with a better PSU and discrete output OPAMP’s, the “Mains Hum correlated Jitter” becomes VERY apparent.
Smithie,
Don’t worry about purchasing optical cables; the DAX1 will come ready supplied with a 1m set of optical cables bundled in the starter kit – as will the T1.
If you require a longer set, then buy the cheapest you can find – there will be no difference in audio quality – so save your funds.
The DAX.1 does not recover the clock from the SPDIF, only the Data – therefore it’s completely insensitive to input Clock Jitter, which is the only parameter of optical cables (and input sources) that effects the audio quality with traditional designs.
Bert,
RF and Ground noise is always a big problem in larger systems – I have a very hard time with test equipment which is housed in two Rack cabinets each side of my lab bench – even though I've gone to great lengths to reduce circulating ground currents between the Racks – if I can measure effects, then for sure the human Ear can hear them!!!
If you connect several digital components together, you will find that there individual RF emissions interfere with each other – the DAX.1 has contingencies in its design to prevent this (and other RF noise sources) becoming a problem and effecting its audio quality.
Alan & Patrick,
Your names have been added to the P.P list, many thanks for your interest.
Patrick (and Arthur), as your both in HK, we could maybe arrange “home” demos of prototype units closer to the time if you are interested? – I’m always happy to audition the designs in different systems
Due to the uncertainty of production times, we will not be requesting or accepting deposits – but rest assured anybody who has contacted me will have been added to the provisional P.P list. Before the P.P run, I will contact you and confirm pricing, full Specs. and confirm your continued interest – any “unwanted units” should not cause too much difficulty .
Alan,
As to speaker matching – from a power delivery aspect, do not be concerned about the DAX.1, as I mentioned in my last post, the prototypes drive my Martin Logins CLS IIz – and these are a really nasty Mid Band / HF load.
At 1KHz the output impedance of the DAX1 at the speaker terminals is less then 0.02 Ohms, far lower then most amplifiers, this combined with a 330VA transformer and 120W into 8Ohms per channel should drive most domestic speaker systems.
With a “User” installed software change & the addition of additional DAX.1sv’s (DAX.1 Slaves) the experienced customer & DIY enthusiasts can design there own digital crossover with supplied graphical PC software, download to the DAX’s and use within active speakers systems.
The Software will be FOC, and programmable via the DAX’s USB ports.
John
hi john
thanks for info,the downside to your reply was the 4-5 month wait....oh you tease....still the wife will be happy,told her she might have to work the streets to make sure i had enough funds when the time came,i was feeling bad about that...has its quite cold here at this time of year!
still your products are sounding better each time you do a post.
and your right...any upgrades etc for the cambride s700 dac would be a real bonus...i love this dac and would tie me over while im waiting those 4-5 months!
all the best
paul
thanks for info,the downside to your reply was the 4-5 month wait....oh you tease....still the wife will be happy,told her she might have to work the streets to make sure i had enough funds when the time came,i was feeling bad about that...has its quite cold here at this time of year!
still your products are sounding better each time you do a post.
and your right...any upgrades etc for the cambride s700 dac would be a real bonus...i love this dac and would tie me over while im waiting those 4-5 months!
all the best
paul
Hi John,
Many thanks for your reply. You are always welcomed to my house to test your prototypes. I gave you my mobile number via PM. So gimme a buzz when you are ready.
It sounds like a TACT killer - I almost bought TDA 2200 recently but dropped the idea after seeing your thread. Your T1 and DAX1 pretty much cover what I want. A mic jack for room correction through your
Does your DAX do upsampling beyond 24bit/192Khz? On analogue out, does it have balanced outs? Do I need to get an external clock like Apogee's Big Ben to drive the last bit of jitters out?
As I said, if you ever have problem in CNC stuffs, please gimme a call. I may be even able to line you up with good electronic manufacturers if you need it.
Cheers.
Patrick
Many thanks for your reply. You are always welcomed to my house to test your prototypes. I gave you my mobile number via PM. So gimme a buzz when you are ready.
It sounds like a TACT killer - I almost bought TDA 2200 recently but dropped the idea after seeing your thread. Your T1 and DAX1 pretty much cover what I want. A mic jack for room correction through your
Does your DAX do upsampling beyond 24bit/192Khz? On analogue out, does it have balanced outs? Do I need to get an external clock like Apogee's Big Ben to drive the last bit of jitters out?
As I said, if you ever have problem in CNC stuffs, please gimme a call. I may be even able to line you up with good electronic manufacturers if you need it.
Cheers.
Patrick
John,
I hope you had a good Christmas and New Year!
Your products are looking very interesting! As I have said, I like the products you made for Cambridge Audio. I have all of them! As discussed with you before, I have had to try many different CD players and DACs for health reasons (severe intolerance to certain sounds, for those who are unaware, because of the neurological condition I have called ME/CFS), and I can identify differences between all of them. They really are still outstanding for very little money, and I really enjoy using them. I like engineering anyway – more as a layman of course – but I also like the technology behind them and simply listening to them, which is the most important thing!
If you could carry on keeping me – us! – informed as you have done anyway that would be great. The information you have put here regarding CD players, DACs, jitter, etc., is amazing. Carry on! Thank you.
Take care.
Regards,
Carl
I hope you had a good Christmas and New Year!
Your products are looking very interesting! As I have said, I like the products you made for Cambridge Audio. I have all of them! As discussed with you before, I have had to try many different CD players and DACs for health reasons (severe intolerance to certain sounds, for those who are unaware, because of the neurological condition I have called ME/CFS), and I can identify differences between all of them. They really are still outstanding for very little money, and I really enjoy using them. I like engineering anyway – more as a layman of course – but I also like the technology behind them and simply listening to them, which is the most important thing!
If you could carry on keeping me – us! – informed as you have done anyway that would be great.
The information you have put here regarding CD players, DACs, jitter, etc., is amazing. Carry on! Thank you. Take care.
Regards,
Carl
FPGA technology
Hi,
FPGA technology seems very appealing but way beyond DIY!
How is FPGA to work with?
The Chord DAC64 uses FPGA. The Feb 06 issue of Hi-fi article reviews the Chord DAC64, and mentions Rob Watts' design influence on it, and in previous DPA designs.
Kind regards,
Ashley.
JohnW said:
Hi,
FPGA technology seems very appealing but way beyond DIY!
How is FPGA to work with?
The Chord DAC64 uses FPGA. The Feb 06 issue of Hi-fi article reviews the Chord DAC64, and mentions Rob Watts' design influence on it, and in previous DPA designs.
Kind regards,
Ashley.
Compatable with Cambridge products - but what about PT?
Hi John,
Will the upcoming products be compatable with older PT kit?
If the issue is just that there is so much more Cambridge Audio kit out there, fair enough. If however, the issue was one of not having enough PT kit to play around with at the design stage (and if its not too late, of course) please contact me directly. I may be able to help you out with spare transports (mechanisms and Cardinals) Ordinal/Da Capo boards (again both boxed units and boards) I also have a few DCs - unfortunately all without casework ('donated' for service jobs).
You also seem to suggest that you dont have any PMD100 chips. I've probably got about a dozen left - again, let me know.
Hi John,
Will the upcoming products be compatable with older PT kit?
If the issue is just that there is so much more Cambridge Audio kit out there, fair enough. If however, the issue was one of not having enough PT kit to play around with at the design stage (and if its not too late, of course) please contact me directly. I may be able to help you out with spare transports (mechanisms and Cardinals) Ordinal/Da Capo boards (again both boxed units and boards) I also have a few DCs - unfortunately all without casework ('donated' for service jobs).
You also seem to suggest that you dont have any PMD100 chips. I've probably got about a dozen left - again, let me know.
May I first wish you all a very happy New Year,
Well my New Years resolution is to finally release my products this year – unfortunately I’ve been busy with other projects (and getting busier) – however by Summer I should have a full team of staff to relieve my work load.
Designs are ready – however Patent applications need to be filed, with all that this involves – which it’s never something one looks forward too. However, I feel the products have a whole host of advance technology that is well worth protecting.
In the coming months I will release Pre-Production units for evaluation to those who are interested – on the condition that NDA (Non Disclosure Agreements) are signed to protect the Patent applications.
The good news is that over the last year the products have been continually developed, tested and improved – over the last couple of months we have been spending a great deal of time just listening – its just amazing how they completely out perform everything we can compare to – and this includes very High-End ML units we use as our “reference”.
I’m sorry for keeping you all waiting, I’ve traveled over 200,000 air miles in just under 6 months, sleep an average of 3 to 4 hours a day – 7 days a week. I hope by this time next year, this thread will be full of post about the products performance.
John
Well my New Years resolution is to finally release my products this year – unfortunately I’ve been busy with other projects (and getting busier) – however by Summer I should have a full team of staff to relieve my work load.
Designs are ready – however Patent applications need to be filed, with all that this involves – which it’s never something one looks forward too. However, I feel the products have a whole host of advance technology that is well worth protecting.
In the coming months I will release Pre-Production units for evaluation to those who are interested – on the condition that NDA (Non Disclosure Agreements) are signed to protect the Patent applications.
The good news is that over the last year the products have been continually developed, tested and improved – over the last couple of months we have been spending a great deal of time just listening – its just amazing how they completely out perform everything we can compare to – and this includes very High-End ML units we use as our “reference”.
I’m sorry for keeping you all waiting, I’ve traveled over 200,000 air miles in just under 6 months, sleep an average of 3 to 4 hours a day – 7 days a week. I hope by this time next year, this thread will be full of post about the products performance.
John
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