Any good TDA1541A DAC kit?

[Joshua_G]

Originally Posted by Extreme_Boky

Excellent compared to what? What is your reference?

Excellent in the ears of the responding.

Originally Posted by Extreme_Boky

AYA DAC is not in the production any more. Those kits were all based on AD844 that exhibit close to 1% distortion when used the way Pedja had used them - something I find unlistenable. Later, his finished products incorporated much better implementations of all stages, not only analog ones -> that no doubt sound exceptional. Maybe you can get one of his finished DAC's and be done with it?

Have you heard Pedja's finished DACs?
I'm not going to spend any money on "maybe" or "no doubt" in a way of conjecture.

[s3tup]

I bet you need a stereophile to tell you what to buy

[studiostevus]

I have built John Brown's dac (mk7). Although I have made my own PCB based on his schematics, and used different power supplies and output stage, this sounds excellent.

He sells kits/boards.

[Joshua_G]

Originally Posted by s3tup

I bet you need a stereophile to tell you what to buy

No, I do not.
Also, Stereophile do not review kits.

[Joshua_G]

Originally Posted by studiostevus

I have built John Brown's dac (mk7). Although I have made my own PCB based on his schematics, and used different power supplies and output stage, this sounds excellent.

He sells kits/boards.

AFAIK, John do not sell anymore DAC kits or boards, only finished Memory Card Reader, which he don't have any at the moment, he is developing the next generation of it.

[Joshua_G]

Originally Posted by s3tup

I bet you need a stereophile to tell you what to buy

BTW, you made a huge leap from recommending DACs you never heard yourself right to Stereophile.
I'd love to hear from you what DACs did you hear and what's your impression from them.

[s3tup]

Dunno, i prefer looking at schematics rather than reading praises from unknown people.
I've been there once, reading reviews.
It ended, when i started removing the covers from these highly regarded devices.

I'm on DIY route, as i don't want to swallow all that commercial bullsh*t available from broad range of information sources - company claims, product sheets, review magazines, salesmans, various independent people over forums/real life.

DIY has less of that bullsh*t, yet it has some.

I can't tell which equipment i've heared, as i don't remember the badges. Last d-town show? I've checked everything there, nothing good for my ears. Nola viper had nice tweeters, cabasse had nice solid sound, but sounded digitallish and pretty far from my understanding of highend. Kinda PA system.
If you call it highend.

[Joshua_G]

Originally Posted by s3tup

… i prefer looking at schematics …

I prefer listening.

Originally Posted by s3tup

… as i don't want to swallow … various independent people over forums/real life. …

Yet you recommended me a DAC you never heard.

Originally Posted by s3tup

… I can't tell which equipment i've heared …

Perhaps a DAC you own right now?

[s3tup]

Originally Posted by Joshua_G

Yet you recommended me a DAC you never heard.

You've asked for it, in a forum. Yes.

Originally Posted by Joshua_G

Perhaps a DAC you own right now?

Yes, i've posted a pic of it. TDA1541 all the way. Not that reference tho. Pretty much playground prior to making own PCBs.

[Joshua_G]

Originally Posted by s3tup

You've asked for it, in a forum. Yes.

I asked in the forum, but I didn't ask for opinions which aren't based on actual hearing.

Originally Posted by s3tup

Yes, i've posted a pic of it. TDA1541 all the way. Not that reference tho. Pretty much playground prior to making own PCBs.

I'm interested only in "reference", or superb sound quality, I have no interest in playgrounds.

If I wasn't clear enough, I'll try to make myself as clear as I possibly can.
I have a superb CDP which can serve also as a standalone DAC – the AMR CD-777 designed by Thorsten. It has a superb sound quality and I enjoy it enormously, I can happily spend the rest of my life with it.
Yet:
1. I assume even better sound quality can be obtained. From what I heard, the AMR CD-77 has a better sound quality (it is based on TDA1541A DAC chip), but I cannot afford it and I will not be able to afford it, unless I'll win the lottery.
2. My financial means are meager. Hence, my only hope for better sound quality, within my budget, is a superb sound quality DIY DAC. Most probably based on TDA1541A DAC chip.

From the information given here so far, there is no such available DIY DAC. There is a development by John Brown (ecdesigns), but it is a Memory Card Reader, not a standalone DAC, and it is still in development, no finished product is available right now.

So, if anyone know (from first hand listening experience) of a superb sound quality DIY DAC based on TDA1541A, please let me know.

Again, I'm interested neither in rumors nor in playgrounds, only in available options of superb sound quality.

I hope that now I'm clear enough.