Kelvin Labs DAC - Any good ??

hillbear · 17th July 2010, 01:41 PM

I have just 'found' an old DAC in the garage. It is a Kelvin Labs, no model number - just a black box. THought I would take it apart and have a look inside. I'm a bit puzzled - there doesn't seem to be much of a circuit following the DAC chip , no caps or opamps. I'm no expert (far from it) but I don't really know how it works ! Plugged it in and it plays fine - just wondered if any of you guys knows any thing about it - is it worth keeping and tweaking around with ??

wwenze · 17th July 2010, 04:32 PM

No caps?

If the DAC chip used is a good one it is probably worth playing with.

Hurtig · 17th July 2010, 05:17 PM

That is just about the worst misunderstanding in Audio... But still very popular.

If this was true, you could list the performance of a DAC-system, by the DAC-chip used. No way.

Audio is about sonic performance, and to achieve sonic performance, the implementation of the DAC chip is MUCH more important than the chip itself.

A well-designed DAC with an let's say "mid-level" DAC chip, can easily beat a "no-brain application note op-amp desing".

Unfortunately, the cost of implementing the Chip right, may very well cost more and take much more R&D time, than just using the most expensive chip. That's why most designs is just made with the "best DAC" by datasheet, in an traditional app.note style.

17th July 2010, 01:41 PM	#1
hillbear diyAudio Member Join Date: Mar 2010	Kelvin Labs DAC - Any good ?? I have just 'found' an old DAC in the garage. It is a Kelvin Labs, no model number - just a black box. THought I would take it apart and have a look inside. I'm a bit puzzled - there doesn't seem to be much of a circuit following the DAC chip , no caps or opamps. I'm no expert (far from it) but I don't really know how it works ! Plugged it in and it plays fine - just wondered if any of you guys knows any thing about it - is it worth keeping and tweaking around with ??

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17th July 2010, 04:32 PM	#2
wwenze diyAudio Member Join Date: Mar 2008	No caps? If the DAC chip used is a good one it is probably worth playing with.

17th July 2010, 05:17 PM	#3
Hurtig diyAudio Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Denmark - Århus	That is just about the worst misunderstanding in Audio... But still very popular. If this was true, you could list the performance of a DAC-system, by the DAC-chip used. No way. Audio is about sonic performance, and to achieve sonic performance, the implementation of the DAC chip is MUCH more important than the chip itself. A well-designed DAC with an let's say "mid-level" DAC chip, can easily beat a "no-brain application note op-amp desing". Unfortunately, the cost of implementing the Chip right, may very well cost more and take much more R&D time, than just using the most expensive chip. That's why most designs is just made with the "best DAC" by datasheet, in an traditional app.note style.

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