Assembled-AK4490EQ-II2S-DAC

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I listened the Chinese AK4396 board.. after that, I heard the same chip implemented correctly, the difference is huge..

Possibilities which AK4490 offers are enormous, native DSD is only one of them..
Read the pdf and you'll see just how many things is on this desperate board is left out..
 
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I listened the Chinese AK4396 board.. after that, I heard the same chip implemented correctly, the difference is huge..

Possibilities which AK4490 offers are enormous, native DSD is only one of them..
Read the pdf and you'll see just how many things is on this desperate board is left out..

This is like saying "I drove a Russian car and it was terrible. After that I drove a French car with the same engine and it was much better. Therefore, there is no possible way that this other Russian car, made by some different company, from a different design and parts, can be any good."

The logic is just non-existent.
 
Listing says:

"Using original AK4495SEQ, op amp AD827, LT1963-3.3 "

Name of the listing states AK4490EQ DAC presence...

This is one reason i wouldnt buy this kit at the first place ;) In the end you might get AK4399 with fake opamp, or even worse... With a bunch of cheapest caps on the market. On the other hand - why should you expect more from 30USD? Its the price of PCB only:)
 
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Board do not have any value, it has poor implementation of very good chip.. opamp and caps are not problem.. read carefully pdf for AK4490, there are many options in the digital part that have been completely neglected in this Chinese crap.. just look how everything is awkwardly placed on board, power supply is desperately performed..

The listing says AK4495SEQ, so I am reading that pdf. Digital options are irrelevant if I don't need them (like DSD). The analog output sections described in the pdf look simple enough to me. If the board gets it wrong, I will fix it.
 
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It seems like the reference to the AK4495SEQ has been removed. It would also surprise me if it was really the AK4495SEQ, which is much more expensive than the AK4490.

I am bit surprised by the choice of op-amp. It is not exactly low noise or intended for audio applications, but it might be OK. I have no experience with it myself.

The AK4490 is an interesting device and I am working on a design using this part.
 
I see no value in a complete board loaded with potentially poor/dodgy/fake components and the wrong DAC chip. The DIYINHK board does need additional external elements to function, but most of us would be buying these bits anyway to replace the low quality ones on a cheap finished DAC PCB. The Hifiduino report on the DIYINHK board is pretty positive - seems like a good kit to start with to me....

https://hifiduino.wordpress.com/2014/12/07/akm-verita-4490-dac/
 
I see no value in a complete board loaded with potentially poor/dodgy/fake components and the wrong DAC chip. The DIYINHK board does need additional external elements to function, but most of us would be buying these bits anyway to replace the low quality ones on a cheap finished DAC PCB. The Hifiduino report on the DIYINHK board is pretty positive - seems like a good kit to start with to me....

https://hifiduino.wordpress.com/2014/12/07/akm-verita-4490-dac/

Sending a board with the wrong DAC chip is disappointing, sure, but assuming that's it's a a mistake rather than deliberate, I think the correct board represents good value, even if one has to swap a few parts to get the best out of it. If someone doesn't want to do that, then sure the DIYINHK model may give more peace of mind, but it does have a lot fewer parts in hte first place, and therefore requires even more expenditure and effort to get working at all.
 
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