Salas hotrodded blue DCB1 build

Still regarding sources is it safe to assume that a well implemented dac like the odac or buffalo will have the guts to drive the dcb1?

the "weakest" source would be the phono stage, ios devices will be only ocasional so not critical at all!

Also, the dcb1 will be driving a F5Turbo, isn't the output impedance of the dbc1 kind of highish for it?
 
Hello all.
I must admit. I really really like this dcb1.
I have a couple of questions I hope someone can answer

1. I notice some people make the dcb1 balanced. What are the benefits of this? and what are the drawbacks? I am thinking soundwise....
2. Is it possible to use as an analog stage in a good dac? (it probably is :D )
3. If I want to do the above and use lightspeed and dcb1 as a linestage. Would the "chain" be like this?
dac_digital -> dcb1_analog_stage -> lightspeed_pot -> dcb1_preampbuffer -> poweramp

Or can I make it even simpler (and possible) better if the electric parameters of dac_digital, dcb1, poweramp are good for this?

It may seem as if me somewhat expensive Audio Note OPT based preamp is getting an early retirement.......

Actually (this may seem a bit strange). The dcb1's sound is not that far from the AN. But it is more quiet...

Maybe it is the sound of nothing?

Thanks in advance.
 
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Paid Member
Hello all.
I must admit. I really really like this dcb1.
I have a couple of questions I hope someone can answer

1. I notice some people make the dcb1 balanced. What are the benefits of this? and what are the drawbacks? I am thinking soundwise....
2. Is it possible to use as an analog stage in a good dac? (it probably is :D )
3. If I want to do the above and use lightspeed and dcb1 as a linestage. Would the "chain" be like this?
dac_digital -> dcb1_analog_stage -> lightspeed_pot -> dcb1_preampbuffer -> poweramp

Or can I make it even simpler (and possible) better if the electric parameters of dac_digital, dcb1, poweramp are good for this?

It may seem as if me somewhat expensive Audio Note OPT based preamp is getting an early retirement.......

Actually (this may seem a bit strange). The dcb1's sound is not that far from the AN. But it is more quiet...

Maybe it is the sound of nothing?

Thanks in advance.


Its the sound of isolation and minimal noise plus little second harmonic progressively with level. Based on a tiny circuit on firm power reserve. As for the several applications mentioned there are people here who had done some of them and are more fit to speak.
 
DCB1 did two things for me

---Restored my faith in optical volume control (lsa/lightspeed).
B1 with PEC pots were much better w.r.t B1 with LSA

---Appreciable increase in soundstage.

Happy happy happy :) :) :)

Sorry I don't understand the abbreviations. Are you saying that the Lightspeed was unsatisfactory until you added the B1, or that the B1 was greatly improved by the Lightspeed, or PEC pots (not sure what those are) were better than the Lightspeed.
 
diyAudio Chief Moderator
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Paid Member
WRT=With Regard To
PEC pot=Precision Electronics Corporation potentiometer. Canadian Milspec pots manufacturer with a good name for hot molded carbon element pots.

2022001333.jpg
 
There was a post started by Peter Daniel a while back which brought the PEC pots to my attention. May be worth looking up.

The upshot: PEC pots are very musical. They do have a downside: the bass can sound a bit loose and tubby, and the tracking in the stereo version is attrocious. You may have to try several stereo pots before you find one that tracks satisfactorily. And that may add up, as they're not inexpensive.

That said, I put one in my Cary SLP-94 and it is extremely musical. Very analog. Tends toward the warm, clear-but-tubey sound. Natural, unelectronic signature. Very nice if you like that kind of thing.

So you like the buffer with the PEC better than the buffer with the optical volume control? Can you tell us why you prefer it and why you like it better?

I'm also building the buffer and was torn between using a PEC or an optical volume control. I was leaning to using the optical, but if your experience suggests the PEC is nicer, I may try that first.

Please let us know!
 
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Joined 2008
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Remember Mr. Pass used PEC pots in the production version of the B1 - he should know. I have them in two different units (B1 and Hagerman Clarinet) and I love 'em - both have two monos rather than a stereo. I like the LDR attenuator too, but only in the right system - it sounds awful after a tubed DAC or phono stage, for example, but great in between my Rotel RCD-971 and a Kenwood or Rotel power amp. I've never tried the LDR in front of a buffer, though I may utilise a set as a trimmer for a six-channel DCB1 setup for SACD/HT. In that case it will go in front of a pot - don't know how that will work.
 
My optivol variant is
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/diya...796-poor-serbian-mans-optical-attenuator.html

I tried

--- Single B1 with optivol. Lifeless
---Two B1 ...b1->optivol->b1.better
---Single b1 with 2 cheap 50k pots..much better
---Single B1 with 2 25k mono PEC log pots.Good.
The pot behaviour is strange though, for the first 75% of the rotation the volume increases by 50%, while the rest 50% volume increase is bunched in the rest 25% turn.No wonder Papa used linear :).

You can read about LSA & B1 here (last 10-15 pages)

Pass B1

By the way my chain is 4xwm8741ebay dac -> dcb1 (ex b1)-> aleph j (ex F5)