Sunk-cost bias (fallacy)
https://litemind.com/sunk-cost-bias/
That said, the basic SOEKRIS kit is quite economical, so not much sunk.
But that said, the "cost" is very much time-cost ... look at the number of posts in myriad Soekris threads, as well as all the usual ad nauseam fanboyz blogs/sites related to this project (moreDAMfilers, etc.)
Jihad!!!!!!!!!
Yes, and one name for that is...
https://litemind.com/sunk-cost-bias/
That said, the basic SOEKRIS kit is quite economical, so not much sunk.
But that said, the "cost" is very much time-cost ... look at the number of posts in myriad Soekris threads, as well as all the usual ad nauseam fanboyz blogs/sites related to this project (moreDAMfilers, etc.)
Jihad!!!!!!!!!
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For economical, at less then 1/3 the price of soekris board, the AK4495 board is even cheaper. Owning both boards, I would say its easier to get sound out of AK4495 as good as soekris by adding battery and an output transformer. All of which is cheaper than a soekris board. But then this just my experience.
I would agree for R2R experience, Soekris is certainly one of the best value in town. However, after playing with ak4495, my opinion has completely changed about delta sigma dac and I don't really much advantage of R2R over delta sigma (I believe those 2 Bigsound video from above post already pointed that out).
It all comes down to implementation (as always for hifi).
Bitstream, me, baby!!!
The big boyz (TI, ESS, Crystal, AK, AD, et. al.) have the R/D budgets to tweak DS designs. They did abandon bitstream because SQ was compromised (and DS evolved from that).
I think if DS was so much inferior (and/or M-B was so much superior), the big boyz would have stuck with M-B.
But they didn't.
And the majority of the audiophile community didn't complain. They did vocalize their complaints quite sharply when 1st gen CD players appeared, and those were all M-B.
Remember the ultra-$ Jadis JS1 Symmetrical D/A processor--Dual-differential Bitstream DAC:
Based on Philips SAA7332
Price: $11,990. [ca. early 1995]
So, yes on proper implementation ... Jadis could have gone M-B -- all those chips were readily avail. (manuf'd in the foundry) and stocked and competitively priced.
Wow! Now that's a juicy bit of history that that may start a cult, here at the 'Y. Methinks all the bored fanboyz will one day be hoarding TDA1547s off eBay.
TDA1541A??? TDA1387???? "What me?" ... "Never!". Or as the Holocaust survivors would say: "Never Again!!"
The new ESS models are also worth considering.
The big boyz (TI, ESS, Crystal, AK, AD, et. al.) have the R/D budgets to tweak DS designs. They did abandon bitstream because SQ was compromised (and DS evolved from that).
I think if DS was so much inferior (and/or M-B was so much superior), the big boyz would have stuck with M-B.
But they didn't.
And the majority of the audiophile community didn't complain. They did vocalize their complaints quite sharply when 1st gen CD players appeared, and those were all M-B.
Even many Bitstream DACs made it into high-rated, top-of the-line processors in the early-mid 1990s.
Remember the ultra-$ Jadis JS1 Symmetrical D/A processor--Dual-differential Bitstream DAC:
Based on Philips SAA7332
Price: $11,990. [ca. early 1995]
So, yes on proper implementation ... Jadis could have gone M-B -- all those chips were readily avail. (manuf'd in the foundry) and stocked and competitively priced.
Wow! Now that's a juicy bit of history that that may start a cult, here at the 'Y. Methinks all the bored fanboyz will one day be hoarding TDA1547s off eBay.
TDA1541A??? TDA1387???? "What me?" ... "Never!". Or as the Holocaust survivors would say: "Never Again!!"
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I had Soekris at home week ago ...to made Vref mod to my friend. Input that i was listen to was usb diyinhk xmos board. I had a feeling that input board must be set to i2s usb not autodetect. It was cleaner sound on i2s than autodetect.
I listened trought raw output, despite less gain for me more right sounded.
Sound was very fluid, never anoying, resolution is good, no sign of jitter shaking sound, very stable. But not for music lovers who want action, drama, dynamics, big sound.
Compared to my tubeout AK4490, it is shy and to relaxed and stage is smaller it is pushed a little behind the speakers, but last rows are easy to hear. Neutrality is also not perfect. before and also after mod...hard to describe has one sound character that you notice after some time.
Despite all, i think that with right modification and better output stage can be very good dac for reasonably price.
I listened trought raw output, despite less gain for me more right sounded.
Sound was very fluid, never anoying, resolution is good, no sign of jitter shaking sound, very stable. But not for music lovers who want action, drama, dynamics, big sound.
Compared to my tubeout AK4490, it is shy and to relaxed and stage is smaller it is pushed a little behind the speakers, but last rows are easy to hear. Neutrality is also not perfect. before and also after mod...hard to describe has one sound character that you notice after some time.
Despite all, i think that with right modification and better output stage can be very good dac for reasonably price.
I am using a really odd japanese Nihon Kohden tranny I got real cheap over 10 years ago, probably for telephony, has 37+37+37+37 : 187+37 .
I was really just checking if it will work and it did.
I am going try other transformer, but I believe many audio transformer will work as well .
Using high qualty transformer really makes difference. But good ones are expensive.
I am wondering if you need an output transformer at all with this board. Is it a Vout or Iout dac?
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I have owned many commercial DAC from $200 - $4000, stock or modded, and my current conclusion is "They're so close there's no way I could blind test that." as someone said in the above InnerFidelity article.
One thing I have noticed is the output stage affects the overall sound quality much more than DAC itself. Especially, transformer output makes huge difference compared to the other solution, in my experience.
I'm very curious to hear the difference between several R2R and delta-sigma in the same condition (the same output stage, psu, input). I expect I can't hear any meaningful difference between them, but please correct me if I'm wrong.
One thing I have noticed is the output stage affects the overall sound quality much more than DAC itself. Especially, transformer output makes huge difference compared to the other solution, in my experience.
I'm very curious to hear the difference between several R2R and delta-sigma in the same condition (the same output stage, psu, input). I expect I can't hear any meaningful difference between them, but please correct me if I'm wrong.
I own a 1021 0.02% rev1 modded with the official Vref mod plus 4 x 470uF organic polymer caps on the Vref rails.
I have removed its bridge rectifier and am powering it by a bipolar Salas BiB set to 10V.
For a USB receiver I use a DIYINHK XMOS unit powered by a Salas Ref-D P.S.
Most of the time I use one of Paul's (moredamfilters) filter, the second one from the EQHQ variations v1 pack.
I use the direct output (~1V RMS with my filter of choice).
All of the above implementation choices undoubtedly contribute to my DAC's sound. Most prominent are the Salas BiBs and the choice of filter, plus the Vref mod but that shouldn't be an issue with the current rev on sale.
I have done A-B testing with many DIY DACs and a few commercial units.
To my ears the Soekris is the most neutral sounding DAC I've heard, compared to the DIY DACs that I have pitted it against. I am talking about several 9023s, 9018s, AD1865s, PCM1704s, and a few more that I am forgetting.
Compared to commercial DACs, I'll just say that I found its sound indistinguishable from a PSAudio DirectStream. However, it was bested by a Rockna Wavedream and an MBL monster. Furthermore, people whose ears I trust tell my that it easily beats an Yggdrasil.
So I consider myself a satisfied customer.
I have removed its bridge rectifier and am powering it by a bipolar Salas BiB set to 10V.
For a USB receiver I use a DIYINHK XMOS unit powered by a Salas Ref-D P.S.
Most of the time I use one of Paul's (moredamfilters) filter, the second one from the EQHQ variations v1 pack.
I use the direct output (~1V RMS with my filter of choice).
All of the above implementation choices undoubtedly contribute to my DAC's sound. Most prominent are the Salas BiBs and the choice of filter, plus the Vref mod but that shouldn't be an issue with the current rev on sale.
I have done A-B testing with many DIY DACs and a few commercial units.
To my ears the Soekris is the most neutral sounding DAC I've heard, compared to the DIY DACs that I have pitted it against. I am talking about several 9023s, 9018s, AD1865s, PCM1704s, and a few more that I am forgetting.
Compared to commercial DACs, I'll just say that I found its sound indistinguishable from a PSAudio DirectStream. However, it was bested by a Rockna Wavedream and an MBL monster. Furthermore, people whose ears I trust tell my that it easily beats an Yggdrasil.
So I consider myself a satisfied customer.
See: Stereophile, April 1996
The review and lab metrics are not on the Stereophile web site (yet) but looking at my print copy, the DAC2000 measures quite a bit better.
Basically, Harley concluded that the DAC2000 was considerably better than the DAC1100. I'm sure implementation had a lot to do with that remark; that is, it ain't just the PCM63.
Dunno about the DAC 1000, but its closely related DAC 1100 (which had the HDCD filter; $950 USD) was reviewed along with DAC2000 ($2000 USD) in Stereophile April 1996. The DAC2000 uses the UltraAnalog D20400A 20-bit 2-channel DAC module; the output stage of the DAC2000 is very different from the DAC1100, as is the PCB layout and PSU topology. The DAC2000 was made in USA; the DAC1100 was made in Taiwan.
The review and lab metrics are not on the Stereophile web site (yet) but looking at my print copy, the DAC2000 measures quite a bit better.
Basically, Harley concluded that the DAC2000 was considerably better than the DAC1100. I'm sure implementation had a lot to do with that remark; that is, it ain't just the PCM63.
Counterpoint DA-10 (from early 1990s)
Take a look at this full-page ad from the back of Audio magazine (11-1993):
The Counterpoint DA-1: A digital/analog converter with interchangeable DAC cards. Available DAC cards: Ultra Analog D20400, Analog Devices AD1862, Burr-Brown PCM69, Crystal Semiconductor CS4328.
It was reviewed in Stereophile (Feb 1994).
The review is not on the Stereophile web site yet, but from my print copy, Robert Harley favored the AD1862 over the others.
The review unit had problems with the AD1862s MSB trimmer (poor linearity resulted). Counterpoint sent a second sample and same issue!
(This is one reason major manufs abandoned R2R!)
There were more plug-in "DACCards" (incl. PCM1702) but Counterpoint's Mike Elliot, in the Manuf. Comments, noted:
Refs:
COUNTERPOINT DA-10st/DA-10UA
Methods/tool to just that in a very controlled/scientific manner have been avail to consumers in the past (up to, TTBOMK, as far as 23 years ago!)
Take a look at this full-page ad from the back of Audio magazine (11-1993):
The Counterpoint DA-1: A digital/analog converter with interchangeable DAC cards. Available DAC cards: Ultra Analog D20400, Analog Devices AD1862, Burr-Brown PCM69, Crystal Semiconductor CS4328.
It was reviewed in Stereophile (Feb 1994).
The review is not on the Stereophile web site yet, but from my print copy, Robert Harley favored the AD1862 over the others.
The review unit had problems with the AD1862s MSB trimmer (poor linearity resulted). Counterpoint sent a second sample and same issue!
(This is one reason major manufs abandoned R2R!)
There were more plug-in "DACCards" (incl. PCM1702) but Counterpoint's Mike Elliot, in the Manuf. Comments, noted:
Refs:
COUNTERPOINT DA-10st/DA-10UA
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the 20 bits modul sounded good because it had also many BG N caps around the dac supply ! Imho It could be sound good again and better today with a little tweaking on the inputt side : IanCanada stuffs before the DAC stage itself.... be it it the pcm63 , AD or 20 bits module !
That's why I also favor a TDA1541 which can be clean but not borring and have a great subjective dynamic in a good topology (linear supplies, mods on the 3 voltages rails), good I/V : diamond buffer or good tube stage....
That's why I also favor a TDA1541 which can be clean but not borring and have a great subjective dynamic in a good topology (linear supplies, mods on the 3 voltages rails), good I/V : diamond buffer or good tube stage....
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D/AC 1000/1100 come with stock PCM63J chips, changing them to K-grade produced a significant improvement, mostly in the bass region (better control). 1100 has balanced inputs/outputs, nothing else more. All internals appear to use Nichicon KW with 3 transformers.
I was curious if anyone had a chance to compare it or any similar sounding DAC to the Soekris discussed here.
I guess one should bring up the biggest problem with the SOEKRIS DAC.
The lack of seamless transition from one track to the next - for recordings that seque from one track to another without a defined silence there is a momentary unwanted silence.
One gets used to it but never ceases to want it to behave as every other DAC I have ever used behaves.
One wonders if this is impossible with the SOEKRIS DAC? It has got better but it is still an annoyance.
The lack of seamless transition from one track to the next - for recordings that seque from one track to another without a defined silence there is a momentary unwanted silence.
One gets used to it but never ceases to want it to behave as every other DAC I have ever used behaves.
One wonders if this is impossible with the SOEKRIS DAC? It has got better but it is still an annoyance.
I've never had the problem you are describing.
You want a silence, but don't want the silence that's been artificially inserted?
Could this be mute function that is engaging between different frequencies?
Is your source a CDP or music server? My music server has an adjustable "delay" before the track starts to prevent the rack from being cut off due to buffering or switching between frequencies. Kind of like "wait 5 seconds before starting the track" function.
Can you site a song or record that would recreate this problem?
Two records I can think of that might behave as you are describing: Dark Side of the Moon and Abbey Road.
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The first firmware revision took a little time to resync when changing sample rates, but that have been fixed looong time ago....
What about doing a little research before bringing up issues fixed looong time ago ?
I am using the latest firmware and have had the problem with both computer/wave io and the SDTrans so I figured it was the DAC.
Where should I look for a problem?
Should I reload the firmware?
I thought it was odd this had not been fixed but I had got used to it. Was listening to an old orchestral CD with those "tracks" within the track and it is really obnoxious with those pressings.
Thanks,
Where should I look for a problem?
Should I reload the firmware?
I thought it was odd this had not been fixed but I had got used to it. Was listening to an old orchestral CD with those "tracks" within the track and it is really obnoxious with those pressings.
Thanks,
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