DAC 2496 (AK4393) DAC KIT With CS8416+AK4393+5532

might i suggest LTC6655 as a better alternative? thats if you need a simple IC reference, IC refs are one of the areas you can still produce not only better sound, but much better objective noise performance too. the ICs above are excellent and very flexible, but given a known load and no power or size restrictions they can be used at the heart of superior devices

Thanks for your advices ;);)
Serge
 
I don't see the two approaches in opposition but rather complementary. :)

..

Hi Dario, a little misunderstanding - miss-writing. I didn't mean to imply Giovanni's build as an alternative to your work - more correctly an additional step. I Didn't use the right words.

Actually my bigger concern was having to redesign the chassis the DAC will be housed in, as you suggested on the Integrated thread. I've seen a couple excellent completed units that will require a lot more space than I had planned. Before I go too far I'm just investigating all the options. Kinda like "measure twice and cut once";)
 
you should have read my post carefully. this mod is only applicable when you are using off board output stage :)

You're right... sorry :)

I didn't mean to imply Giovanni's build as an alternative to your work - more correctly an additional step. I Didn't use the right words.

No problem ;)

Actually my bigger concern was having to redesign the chassis the DAC will be housed in, as you suggested on the Integrated thread.

My shunt is pretty small, as you seen on Fremen Edition PCBs.

Just leave some space for it... if it's good enough...:D
 
My idea comes from some concepts:
1) in "serious" dac the tendency is to separate the power supplies as much as possible.
2) dario has understood that a cleaner power supply is a big improvement for this DAC. (better 78XX regulator like Motorola or CT than standard ones included in the kit)
3) Salas shunt is acclaimed as a great power source in audio equipment...and I LOVE IT! (I use it in B1 buffer and for Hiface)
4)I had all the necessary components...:D:D
5) my English sucks!!:D:D

How this mod improve sounds? Honestly, I'm not able to say:I never heard the dac before mods. One thing is for sure: it sounds better than my old dir9001 + 4xtda1543. Maybe he did it without the changes even...but now I'm afraid it's a bit late to try :D. And then I have to confess something: I am not able to hear how it really sounds in my humble setup until my hiFace back to me. The Salas shunt in this case is a tangible improvement and a couple of friends are trying it for a few weeks.;)

scheda12.jpg


sopra14.jpg


try it and let me know....

Giovanni
 
My idea comes from some concepts:
1) in "serious" dac the tendency is to separate the power supplies as much as possible.
2) dario has understood that a cleaner power supply is a big improvement for this DAC. (better 78XX regulator like Motorola or CT than standard ones included in the kit)
3) Salas shunt is acclaimed as a great power source in audio equipment...and I LOVE IT! (I use it in B1 buffer and for Hiface)
4)I had all the necessary components...:D:D
5) my English sucks!!:D:D

How this mod improve sounds? Honestly, I'm not able to say:I never heard the dac before mods. One thing is for sure: it sounds better than my old dir9001 + 4xtda1543. Maybe he did it without the changes even...but now I'm afraid it's a bit late to try :D. And then I have to confess something: I am not able to hear how it really sounds in my humble setup until my hiFace back to me. The Salas shunt in this case is a tangible improvement and a couple of friends are trying it for a few weeks.;)

scheda12.jpg


sopra14.jpg


try it and let me know....

Giovanni

it sounds better than my old dir9001:eek::eek:
It is as good as the CS 8416 :):).....Actually i have a DAC ( totaly DIY :D:D ) with a DIR9001 and a AK4396 and it sounds very good .:cheers::hphones:

Serge
 
Volume drop off with op amp change

Hi, I'm new to this thread and have been following progress. I bought a complete DAC (AK4396) with the intention of making a few upgrades over time.

The first was to replace the standard op amp with an OPA627BP. I ordered one from Farnells and installed it. When I plugged everything back in there was a drop in the volume of maybe 3 dB and the dynamics are off. I put the old op amp back in and everything was fine again. I thought the OPA627 might have been faulty. I returned it to Farnell for a replacement and it performs the same as the first one. I even tried the same op amp from a friends AK4396 DAC (he doesn't get the volume drop using it in his.). Same result in my DAC.

I'm back to using the standard op amp and scratching my head.

Any ideas what the problem might be?
 
Hi, I'm new to this thread and have been following progress. I bought a complete DAC (AK4396) with the intention of making a few upgrades over time.

The first was to replace the standard op amp with an OPA627BP. I ordered one from Farnells and installed it. When I plugged everything back in there was a drop in the volume of maybe 3 dB and the dynamics are off. I put the old op amp back in and everything was fine again. I thought the OPA627 might have been faulty. I returned it to Farnell for a replacement and it performs the same as the first one. I even tried the same op amp from a friends AK4396 DAC (he doesn't get the volume drop using it in his.). Same result in my DAC.

I'm back to using the standard op amp and scratching my head.

Any ideas what the problem might be?

Only one OPA627?!?! It's a single opamp and you need two, one each channel.

Giovanni
 
@Giobax :
You can get I2S out of your Hiface by tapping wires, then you could try to feed directly the AKM dac on this board bypassing the I2S->SPDIF->I2S chain (hence the DIR PLL induced jitter).

With a little mod on this board (ACKS pin to HI see pic), you can also set it in auto mode for master clock.

With short coax or twisted pairs and proper grounding I think you could get good results.

A question about your shunt regulators for OPAMP rails, what capacitor values are you using on shunts and local ones to decouple OPAMP ? For now, I get weird (oscillation) results with my Salas +/-15V regs at this place...
 

Attachments

  • DSC_8493.jpg
    DSC_8493.jpg
    294.2 KB · Views: 976
  • DSC_8504.jpg
    DSC_8504.jpg
    185.6 KB · Views: 928
  • DSC_8487.jpg
    DSC_8487.jpg
    121.3 KB · Views: 903
I thought OPA827 were single channel. OPA627 is a dual op amp. As I said it works fine in another identical DAC.

OPA827 and OPA627 are both single opamps from TI/Burr-Brown.

Maybe yours is AD827 from Analog Devices, which is a dual and completely different part...

Or maybe ADA4627 from Analog devices which is single...
 
Last edited:
Giovann, this appears to be an additional component (Re: post # 1347). Can you describe the full signal path with all the pieces from source (PC, iPod ??) all the way to the power amp?

Thanks.

I can not understand what you mean with "an additional component ".
About the signal path:
PC--> M2Tech hiFace-->DAC2496 (this one)-->Buffer B1 (Pass) --> Aleph M (Pass). Nothing else. What you see in post 1347 is only the 2496 dac with its 6 power supply, each one feeded from a different secondary winding.Nothing else.

Giovanni
 
@Giobax :
You can get I2S out of your Hiface by tapping wires, then you could try to feed directly the AKM dac on this board bypassing the I2S->SPDIF->I2S chain (hence the DIR PLL induced jitter).

With a little mod on this board (ACKS pin to HI see pic), you can also set it in auto mode for master clock.

With short coax or twisted pairs and proper grounding I think you could get good results.

Thank you for the valuable advice, as I have just a little time I will try this interestin mods.:up::up::up:

A question about your shunt regulators for OPAMP rails, what capacitor values are you using on shunts and local ones to decouple OPAMP ? For now, I get weird (oscillation) results with my Salas +/-15V regs at this place...

I use version 1.0 of Salas shunt,

forfor12.jpg


On shunt output and remote sensing Nichicon 220uF whit a little 0,1uF to bypass. For opamp decupling Elna Silmic II 100uF. I completely removed all other caps on OPAMP rails....and now..I remenber i forgot to put the 10nF FKP2 cap that Dario reccomended to decouple OPAMP +V-V rail!!!:eek:
CCS resistor 15 Ohm for around 180mA. Shunts are powered by double 15V secondary of the R-core transformer. 3,3V and 5V for analogic section by double 9V of the same transformer. Two separate 3,3 for digital came from a second transformer (the blu one on photo): no Salas shunt for them...only the lm1117(3,3V) from the kit and two new L7809CTG (and all the caps they need).

Giovanni
 
I guess I just fried my AK4393 chip. The 5V SMD reg blew, so I bought a 7805 for temporary work. Minutes afterwards the music playback stopped and.. 12V on the analog PS pin.

I knew this shop was selling typos and I feel like cutting their heads off right now..
I can only get AK4396 the fastest way, but I guess I have to change some components values. May you give some tips about it?
 
I can only get AK4396 the fastest way, but I guess I have to change some components values. May you give some tips about it?

AK4396 will be a perfect fit, no components value must be changed, it works perfectly as is but for optimal frequency response, IMHO, LPF's resistors and caps value should be changed according my BOM (see 'Signal Path (AK4396)' section).

BTW AK4396 is a much better DAC...