Today I got acquainted with this kit on eBay:
ES9038PRO Ulitmate DSD DAC LCD Display Successor of ES9028 DAC,Amanero/XMOS USB | eBay
It looks quite interesting, but I'm not sure if there are traps there that diminish or disqualifies it as a very good quality DAC.
Several things could be upgraded, like the regulator chips or the output ICs, but it costs half of what another DAC kit is sold here based on that DC chip.
ES9038PRO Ulitmate DSD DAC LCD Display Successor of ES9028 DAC,Amanero/XMOS USB | eBay
It looks quite interesting, but I'm not sure if there are traps there that diminish or disqualifies it as a very good quality DAC.
Several things could be upgraded, like the regulator chips or the output ICs, but it costs half of what another DAC kit is sold here based on that DC chip.
If you buy into state of the art technology you have to pay premium price, I prefer to work with equipment which is a generation older and yet performs faultlessly, ie with all the bugs removed and at the same time cheaper.
The decision is yours, everyone is different.
BTW I am confident the ES9028 will also perform well(may not outperforms the ES9038) in DSD mode. More importantly sound quality is not determined by the quality DAC you choose alone but also the rest of the equipment in the audio chain.
The decision is yours, everyone is different.
BTW I am confident the ES9028 will also perform well(may not outperforms the ES9038) in DSD mode. More importantly sound quality is not determined by the quality DAC you choose alone but also the rest of the equipment in the audio chain.
Like these ones ?
Latest ES9028 ES9028PRO 32bit 384K DSD DAC D/A Converter,Optional USB Input | eBay
ES9028 ES9028PRO 32bit DSD DAC Dua R-Core Power Trans RC Control ,Optional USB
I am very interested in your opinion on these. Do they emit any kind of noise or pop on turn on/off?
Or are is there a timed relay or something?
Yes like the 1st one you showed here, maybe I might paid a little more than US$110 more like closer to US$150 like this one I bought:
Assembled HiFi ES9028PRO +TCXO 0.1PPM 4 Layer DAC decoder board, support Amanero iis / XMOS USB Card-in Amplifier from Consumer Electronics on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group
No popping noise when switching on and off, and it works fine
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Very interesting and tempting, thank you.
I don't think an ES9038 would have an advantage here, with the analog stage being the limiting factor, and the potential design issues and risks of using a chip that is very different to the 9018/9028 in the way it has to be implemented.
IIRC a guy from Twisted Peer stated that the ES9038 only made sense when doing multi channel DACs compared to the ES9028.
EDIT:
found it: Buffalo lV with ES9038 ?
That seems to indicate that a direct transposition of an existing ES9018 design (like the ones shown in this thread) albeit working perfectly with the ES9028, might not be optimal for the ES9038 and even bring more bad than good.
I don't think an ES9038 would have an advantage here, with the analog stage being the limiting factor, and the potential design issues and risks of using a chip that is very different to the 9018/9028 in the way it has to be implemented.
IIRC a guy from Twisted Peer stated that the ES9038 only made sense when doing multi channel DACs compared to the ES9028.
EDIT:
found it: Buffalo lV with ES9038 ?
That seems to indicate that a direct transposition of an existing ES9018 design (like the ones shown in this thread) albeit working perfectly with the ES9028, might not be optimal for the ES9038 and even bring more bad than good.
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ttan98, can you please confirm that this kit (or these kits really, as the ES9038 kit is probably in the same boat) has some sort of delay on turn on, and maybe a relay click on both turn on and off, to make sure no transient goes to the output? No noise *at all*?
The reason I ask with such insistence is because I plan on using them with high gain and digital volume control (probably at the source, not in the DAC), so even the slightest pop can become a problem, especially with compression drivers in an active setup.
Thank you
I guess I will have to wait for a finished product with all the protections.
For now I have a pair of SMSL M8 that are very well behaved (no pop at all, nice menu layout, etc.) and sound good (very low noise floor), but have unbalanced outputs and an OLED screen that is always on...
Thank you
For now I have a pair of SMSL M8 that are very well behaved (no pop at all, nice menu layout, etc.) and sound good (very low noise floor), but have unbalanced outputs and an OLED screen that is always on...
Thank you
With these low cost chinese DACs you pretty much get what you pay for: an original ES9038Pro chip (most likely.. you can actually confirm that if you hook up an Arduino to it and read a specific register), a rather sloppy design (I can't really imagine someone taking his time, going through several iterations and revisions so as to properly design such a DAC), low-end (by any standards) power supplies, low-end (by any standards) analog stages, low quality parts (if even original), and poor workmanship.
However, I can't really know if at this price point you could get a better sounding DAC since the 9028/9038 are pretty amazing sounding chips.
However, I can't really know if at this price point you could get a better sounding DAC since the 9028/9038 are pretty amazing sounding chips.
It really depends on what your existing controller is already capable of doing.
For starters you get to choose the filter that sounds best to you. You also choose the best possible DPLL bandwidth to match your source.
But if you don't have a controller at all, you should definitely put in an Arduino.
For starters you get to choose the filter that sounds best to you. You also choose the best possible DPLL bandwidth to match your source.
But if you don't have a controller at all, you should definitely put in an Arduino.
What I have is a DAC board kit, with an AKM AK4396 DAC chip.
It has a coaxial input that's already provided and an I2S input, that I should arrange to select between the coaxial and an USB input, which I want to provide for.
Going the Arduino path would mean going altogether a different path.
One idea had been to use a DSD board, like a Springxer or DIYHINK, using the I2S interface, using relays, hoping the two boards (DSD and my DAC) can interface fine. My DAC goes up to 192KHz, which is one limitation.
I also need a way to know what I'm switching (bit rate, sampling) on a screen or LED panel.
It has a coaxial input that's already provided and an I2S input, that I should arrange to select between the coaxial and an USB input, which I want to provide for.
Going the Arduino path would mean going altogether a different path.
One idea had been to use a DSD board, like a Springxer or DIYHINK, using the I2S interface, using relays, hoping the two boards (DSD and my DAC) can interface fine. My DAC goes up to 192KHz, which is one limitation.
I also need a way to know what I'm switching (bit rate, sampling) on a screen or LED panel.
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