You can follow along some of the story on my blog if its interesting to you. I haven't updated it very recently though. Measurement-wise I'm pleased enough with the results I'm getting (multiple paralleled 8 pin NXP DACs) and sound quality is still on an upward path.
Probably my design won't suit your budget then as I'd like to get the design into significant volume which means the target price is <$1000.
More a DAC-pre than a pure DAC then?
Thanks for the info always enjoy your insights, I personally have yet to beat either the PMD100-AD1862 or the PMD100-PCM1704 designs using a rankin driver asynch Legato with any NOS DAC I have tried, especially with PM2 recordings (which is the bulk of my collections.) Both of these beat the heck out of the Monica, perhaps it was the PMD200 you used (this early gen DSP chip was dismissed by many as inferior to the mature SIW PMD100 which may have been your issue?). But probably this is because I have not found a solution I find acceptable for slaving the transport which I still think is a requirement for the TDA1541 and no way I am going back to a disk player ( then again we all have different sonic preferences.)
Well of course we know you are an expert
, but let me know when microsoft has a UAC Audio Class 2.0 Native driver for asych usb. Until then all us non-experts have is Rankin's UAC1 asynch firmware which costs $500 a pop. Proprietary drivers are just troublesome IMHO. If you have Linux or Mac its is not an issue but many still use tools that are only available on a PC.In a few years this will be solved, and If I were you I would keep my mind open about using the computer to oversample and send this to the "NOS DAC". Look at the Phasure , it is innovative. Have you tried playing with a good upsampling like Ozone or many others (which compete with the big boys programers AD Blackfin's for 5 figure DAC's) with your USB TDA1541 (with of course simpler analog filtering), just for kicks ?
Basically the computer is set to replace the digital receiver and digital filter (complete opposite direction of say the ESS DAC), now if done right you must admit it is worth looking into or at least find it interesting, I wouldn't sit on my laurels with this on the horizon
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There is neither much info nor schematics on you your blog, so I have no idea how to evaluate it.
Anyhow, since it's still being developed, there is nothing to talk about right now.
$1,000 is lower than my $2,000 limit…
Anyhow, I'm not going to purchase anything unless I'll either hear it first or have enough reliable feedback to go for it.
Well, yes, but it is after your suggestion.
To be very clear.
I'm not considering any upgrade for my loudspeakers, power amp, turntable and cartridge, even if I'll win the lottery.
Upgrading my present digital chain is a nice to have, but not a must. I can live happily with what I have right now for the rest of my life.
The two things that deed upgrading are the phono-stage and the pre-amp.
As for the phono-stage, I believe the best one, or the best one I can afford, is the phono-stage in the late Allen Wright's RTP3C. Since it isn't a stand-alone stage, but an integral part of the pre-amp, the actual solution is the entire RTP3C phono-stage/pre-amp combo. I believe that the RTP3C as pre-amp is as good as it can get and I can afford building it. This is most probably the solution I'll go for. I intend to add to it a tape-head stage and a tape out stage after some of John Curl's designs.
Now should a proper DAC/pre-amp come along, I may consider it.
However, its' digital (DAC) section should be better than the AMR CD-777 that I own and its' analog section should be fully balanced all the way and it should have a sound quality not inferior to that of the RTP3C's. – I highly doubt if such an animal will come along.
Thanks for the info always enjoy your insights, I personally have yet to beat either the PMD100-AD1862 or the PMD100-PCM1704 designs using a rankin driver asynch Legato with any NOS DAC I have tried, especially with PM2 recordings (which is the bulk of my collections.) Both of these beat the heck out of the Monica, perhaps it was the PMD200 you used (this early gen DSP chip was dismissed by many as inferior to the mature SIW PMD100 which may have been your issue?). But probably this is because I have not found a solution I find acceptable for slaving the transport which I still think is a requirement for the TDA1541 and no way I am going back to a disk player ( then again we all have different sonic preferences.)
Well of course we know you are an expert
In a few years this will be solved, and If I were you I would keep my mind open about using the computer to oversample and send this to the "NOS DAC". Look at the Phasure , it is innovative. Have you tried playing with a good upsampling like Ozone or many others (which compete with the big boys programers AD Blackfin's for 5 figure DAC's) with your USB TDA1541 (with of course simpler analog filtering), just for kicks ?
Basically the computer is set to replace the digital receiver and digital filter (complete opposite direction of say the ESS DAC), now if done right you must admit it is worth looking into or at least find it interesting, I wouldn't sit on my laurels with this on the horizon
Have you tried either AMR CD-777 or AMR DP-777?
The story is what I have put up because that's the kind of way I evaluate people's designs, from the thinking behind them. Designers' philosophies are what I like to mull over.
Well there is plenty to talk about if you have the curiosity to ask. Not that you should have, mind. Each to their own.
I know from my own experience that people have budgets and if they spend quite a lot less than their budget they'll find it hard to believe they're getting a good enough product.
I'd certainly not expect you to. I don't plan to sell it myself incidentally, I prefer to recruit others for that task so I can focus on design.
I evaluate designs by listening, either my own, or others' that I trust.
Is there any feedback about its' sound quality?
Not me, I evaluate products only by their sound quality, not by price, brand name, reputation or looks.
Is there any built such a DAC?
Would love to if anyone has one near me and would allow a listen. I honestly have never heard an NOS TDA1541 that handled the clock properly like these do and I imagine that is the issue, the problem is to do it right like the DP-777 it is at this time expensive for DIY. I know when I went with the $500 Rankin/Jocko Legato the jitter improvementor whatever it was made the PMD100-AD1862 sound like a new DAC but IMHO this filter/dac chip combo was engineered with some emphasis on reducing jitter sensitivity while the TDA1541 at the time it was engineered Jitter was hardly on the radar let alone typical spdif level jitter. Hence I would very much to hear a well executed TDA1541 like the DP-777. ( I am a crazy headphone guy so I would just bring my little SET amp and a pair of Grados.)
For some reason I have always been very sensitive to DAC quality, or should say Politically correctly "sonic preference." I remember buying the DLIII when it was all the rage and promptly sending it back for a refund, just awful to my ears. So I either build or listen first. I built the Jfet D1 that was on this forum a few years ago it was a PCM63k OS DAC (I also used the PMD100 for this), not bad but I lost interest in it when I replaced the complicated Jfet I/V-buffer analog stage with a simple 6n6P anode follower that sounded better and measured better.
DAC's are a fascinating subject and ThorstenL's philosphies have always interested me, when I said the experts are holding back UAC USB2.0, I was meaning the guys making big bucks programing DSP for Meridian/Alpha/Esoteric/Cambridge, not individual innovators like ThorstenL.
Well me too, but its hardly possible to let you listen from a blog posting. I myself evaluate the extent to which I can trust the designer from reading what he/she has to say about the design process.
Yes, some who have listened have had nice things to say. One asked when he would be able to buy it. One or two others haven't been impressed but those guys I noticed listened more with their eyes than their ears
Well you're really a rare species on this forum. Perhaps when the time comes I'll consider you as a beta site, if that would interest you? You can then tell me what price you'd be prepared to pay for the sound
Not yet, as the design hasn't been finalized yet. There's some firmware to write too as I plan to include some digital processing. So don't hold your breath for at least another six months.
There is the AMR CD-77: 6moons audio reviews: Abbingdon Music Research CD-77 and AM-77 (beyond my budget).
Yes, I am, not only on the forums here, also on audiophiles forums.
I'm definitely interested.
You can then tell me what price you'd be prepared to pay for the sound
Pay for what? For PCB + schematics? For prototype? For finished product?
For a finished product with sound quality surpassing that of the AMR CD-777 – up to about $2,000.
Is it TDA1541?, I'd be interested too, shoot me a PM when you get there.
As far as the discussion above about SQ evaluations, I recommend Olsen's website as an interesting read. His theory is that everyone has a unique sonic "preference", I think it has a lot to do with ear and skull geomtetry. Think about all the resonant sinus "cavities' in the skull. But any way Olsen says if you can find someone with similiar preferences as you (just sound not topology) you have found a good friend because you will tend to be satisfied with similiar gears.
I'll make a mental note to PM you when there's something available to hear.
For whatever I send to you to listen to, based on some negotiations nearer the time about how it would need to slot into your system.
Well your input would be to ascertain in what respects it approaches (or exceeds) the sound quality of the CD-777. And then estimate the price accordingly.
@regal - no, not TDA1541A based. Still interested?
AFAIK, no.
I'd rather listen than read.
I know for a fact that different people have different sonic preferences, I need no further reading about it.
Good, thank you.
I'm willing to pay, should I'd choose to keep the DAC.
Should I not keep it, I'm willing to pay the shipping costs, both ways.
If you give me useful feedback (description of how it sounds to you on material we can both agree on, in comparison with your then-current favourites) I'd consider that adequate recompense for the DAC.
Bear in mind that its designed to work without a preamp so would require a bit of leg-work on your part getting it set up, given that you currently are using a pre. But we can go into that nearer the time.
Should I'd choose to keep the DAC, I insist on paying at least the build cost, or the materials cost, plus shipping. This is my term, I'm firm on having a clear conscience (according to my own standards).
An honest and detailed feedback, for good and for bad, is guaranteed either way. (I'm not easy to be pleased on sound quality. I may be a very harsh critic, however I'm unbiased and honest person and audiophile).
BTW, the main type of music I listen to is classical, mostly symphonic music and operas. Some of Mahler's symphonies, with Georg Solti conducting either the Chicago Symphony Orchestra or the Concertgebouw are my major references.
No problem.
I don't mind legwork and it may not be necessary, since my pr-amp has a tape-out, which bypasses the pre, other than the input selector.
The build cost might exceed your budget because it'll probably be hand-built by myself. But materials and shipping costs are fine since you insist
Excellent. It'd be a waste of time for me if you didn't do your utmost to tear it apart (figuratively speaking).
Classical is my staple diet too so that's fine. Not sure why but I've never been a great Mahler fan though. Of late I've been getting a ton of enjoyment out of a boxed set of Mercury Living Presence - recordings from the 50s and 60s.
I'd appreciate you wiring it up in a way that I fully understand the system - the pre-amp even if only going through an input selector might introduce colouration by virtue of introducing a common-mode interference loop via grounds. Is the pre fully balanced? - the DAC will be. I'll not be using standard XLRs though so I'll probably ship you some cables as well.
The build cost might exceed your budget because it'll probably be hand-built by myself. But materials and shipping costs are fine since you insist
Okay, let's agree on materials and shipping costs, should I'd like to keep it. Else, I'll ship it back to you.
I'm open to any suggestions. It's better that I'll evaluate it with some of my reference CDs and some of yours. Your suggestions need not be restricted to classical music only.
No problem, I'll hook your device directly to the power amp.
My present pre-amp has only RCA ins and outs. My power amp has both RCA and XLR inputs. My present interconnect cables are NeoTech NEI-3002. Your interconnect cables are fine, though I'd like to evaluate your DAC with both your interconnect cables and NeoTech XLR cables which I'll purchase and burn in.
Does your DAC have also USB input? If yes, I'll fix my HTPC, which isn't working right now.
When do you estimate your DAC will be ready?
Its a single, stereo power amp right?
Then its most definitely your weakest link
If you'd like to use your own cables then we'd have to work a way to adapt the more compact 3pin ones (Lemo clones) that I'm using. Or I ship you some connectors and you replace your XLRs on one end of yours.
Nope. I strenuously avoid USB because of the difficulty of isolating the noise and also the driver issues. I do sometimes use a cheapo USB-SPDIF converter for casual listening.
My initial guess is sometime late summer. But really its a guess - I do have something that's listenable right now but only implements some of the features I'm going to put in the final design. However its too fragile to ship, being hand-wired and heavily bodged... So its hard to say how things will evolve over time as my development style is chaotic to say the least
Yes.
Then its most definitely your weakest link
Indeed, I said so and not only because it is SE...
Your connectors are fine, I can hook them to my cables.
My initial guess is sometime late summer. But really its a guess - I do have something that's listenable right now but only implements some of the features I'm going to put in the final design. However its too fragile to ship, being hand-wired and heavily bodged... So its hard to say how things will evolve over time as my development style is chaotic to say the least
There is no hurry. Whenever it will be ready is fine with me.
I believe your DAC has volume control. Does it?
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