I'm on the lookout for a new usb dac and came across the thread where 1Audio modded this dac:
SU0 XMOS U8+AK4490 Asynchronous USB Audio Decoder DAC HiFi Headphone Amplifier | eBay
I don't have any soldering skills nor access to any but I could swap the psu. is it a simple matter of buying a linear 12v wall wart?
Also, will going from the 9v up to 12v without any internal mods cause a problem? Don't want to be blowing things up!
Cheers, Lol
SU0 XMOS U8+AK4490 Asynchronous USB Audio Decoder DAC HiFi Headphone Amplifier | eBay
I don't have any soldering skills nor access to any but I could swap the psu. is it a simple matter of buying a linear 12v wall wart?
Also, will going from the 9v up to 12v without any internal mods cause a problem? Don't want to be blowing things up!
Cheers, Lol
I have a similar DAC (same layout but at least the capacitors and the case are different, T Music MiNi HiFi DAC AK4490 + MUSES8920 + XMOS U8 USB DAC Decoder W/ 3.5mm Headphone Output + Power adapter-in Amplifier from Consumer Electronics on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group )
I have been running mine with a 12V DC wall wart (SMPS) since that's what I had easily available and so far it has been working fine. The regulators do feel a little hot at the moment, at least to me.
I'd love to be able to control the volume through I2C and also possibly change the filters which may be possible ( SU0 xmos u8 dac + AK4490 questions ) but the thread in question doesn't have any information on someone actually modding it. My soldering skills won't allow me to lift the traces on that chip...
I didn't easily find the thread with the mods. I'd appreciate a link to it.
I have been running mine with a 12V DC wall wart (SMPS) since that's what I had easily available and so far it has been working fine. The regulators do feel a little hot at the moment, at least to me.
I'd love to be able to control the volume through I2C and also possibly change the filters which may be possible ( SU0 xmos u8 dac + AK4490 questions ) but the thread in question doesn't have any information on someone actually modding it. My soldering skills won't allow me to lift the traces on that chip...
I didn't easily find the thread with the mods. I'd appreciate a link to it.
Thanks for the reply. Here is a link to the instance I found of the modification, don't know if there are others, 1Audio is a prolific poster!
John Curl's Blowtorch preamplifier part II
John Curl's Blowtorch preamplifier part II
You may try without risk the excellent Ifi very low noise smps (check if current capacity is enough for your DAC).
Accessory – iPower
easy, cheap, no soldering skill needed !
what are the elec pink caps near the RCAs ? Elna ?
Accessory – iPower
easy, cheap, no soldering skill needed !
what are the elec pink caps near the RCAs ? Elna ?
My seller had the premium option of Muses 8920 opamp and I chose that one and that's what it says on the package, but I can't be sure if it is genuine... I guess it would be interesting to try it out with other opamps as well.
It works quite nicely at the office with DT770 250ohms, except I would like to have better control of the sound volume. I play music from Tidal as it allows me to use exclusive mode without going through the Windows mixer (I wish Spotify had that as well..) . However, I need to turn the volume down to 10% for it to be comfortable. Going to 9% sounds too quiet and 11% can be at bit too loud occasionally.
Perhaps I should get another one without the case for experimenting with it (for approx $40), hoping that someone at the local hacklab can detach the filter pins for me.
Some people have reported it breaking quite soon. I had an issue with a bad USB cable (both channels crackling) but apart from that it has worked for me so far.
It works quite nicely at the office with DT770 250ohms, except I would like to have better control of the sound volume. I play music from Tidal as it allows me to use exclusive mode without going through the Windows mixer (I wish Spotify had that as well..) . However, I need to turn the volume down to 10% for it to be comfortable. Going to 9% sounds too quiet and 11% can be at bit too loud occasionally.
Perhaps I should get another one without the case for experimenting with it (for approx $40), hoping that someone at the local hacklab can detach the filter pins for me.
Some people have reported it breaking quite soon. I had an issue with a bad USB cable (both channels crackling) but apart from that it has worked for me so far.
Actually on my device the 3.5mm jack is actually a little broken... It doesn't really work for my QC25 as depending on the exact position of the plug I lose the vocals or there is some other issue. The DT770 seems to work properly if I don't wiggle it. I guess I should replace the jack at some point if I can find the correct one.
I have pink caps close to the RCA but as I don't have it at home at the moment I can't check what the label on the caps actually is.
I have pink caps close to the RCA but as I don't have it at home at the moment I can't check what the label on the caps actually is.
the best modification will be change AK4490 for another DAC chip ... like WM8741 if you must have Delta-sigma
Interesting in what you say about the AK4490 chip, not everyone is a fan. I noticed that the HIFIME dac's use the ESS9018k2m chip, and for a small amount this is available using the same chip:
2017 Mini ES9018K2M USB DAC Audio Decoder HiFi Headphone Amplifier PC Sound Card | eBay
Thing is though, am I going to notice any difference from my current dac, this one:
Signstek HIFI USB to Coaxial S/PDIF Converter Decoder Mini USB DAC+USB Cable | eBay
I was also considering this one, cheaper though on Amazon and import taxes:
Sabaj D3 Audio DAC and Headphone Amplifier with Optical Coaxial 32bit/384kHz USB | eBay
Here is my attempt at conducting the heat from the regulators to the case in order to keep them running a bit cooler as some people have had issues with something breaking in the DAC. Might not really be necessary but should not harm either.
I cut two approx 1cm * 5cm pieces of 0.8mm aluminum sheet, bolted them to the regulators, put an electrically insulating sheet between the regulator and the sheet and then a heat pad between the sheet and the case. After some back and forth the fit between the sheet and the case is better than in this image but I didn't take another picture of it.
I cut two approx 1cm * 5cm pieces of 0.8mm aluminum sheet, bolted them to the regulators, put an electrically insulating sheet between the regulator and the sheet and then a heat pad between the sheet and the case. After some back and forth the fit between the sheet and the case is better than in this image but I didn't take another picture of it.
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