Modifying this dac

[Lol999]

I'm on the lookout for a new usb dac and came across the thread where 1Audio modded this dac:
SU0 XMOS U8+AK4490 Asynchronous USB Audio Decoder DAC HiFi Headphone Amplifier | eBay

I don't have any soldering skills nor access to any but I could swap the psu. is it a simple matter of buying a linear 12v wall wart?
Also, will going from the 9v up to 12v without any internal mods cause a problem? Don't want to be blowing things up!

Cheers, Lol

 

[jussik]

I have a similar DAC (same layout but at least the capacitors and the case are different, T Music MiNi HiFi DAC AK4490 + MUSES8920 + XMOS U8 USB DAC Decoder W/ 3.5mm Headphone Output + Power adapter-in Amplifier from Consumer Electronics on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group )

I have been running mine with a 12V DC wall wart (SMPS) since that's what I had easily available and so far it has been working fine. The regulators do feel a little hot at the moment, at least to me.

I'd love to be able to control the volume through I2C and also possibly change the filters which may be possible ( SU0 xmos u8 dac + AK4490 questions ) but the thread in question doesn't have any information on someone actually modding it. My soldering skills won't allow me to lift the traces on that chip...

I didn't easily find the thread with the mods. I'd appreciate a link to it.

 

[Lol999]

Thanks for the reply. Here is a link to the instance I found of the modification, don't know if there are others, 1Audio is a prolific poster!
John Curl's Blowtorch preamplifier part II

 

[phase]

I know someone with one of those, it has responded well to replacing the parts in the output filter, and the op amp.

 

[Henderson]

You may try without risk the excellent Ifi very low noise smps (check if current capacity is enough for your DAC).


Accessory – iPower


easy, cheap, no soldering skill needed !


what are the elec pink caps near the RCAs ? Elna ?

 

[jussik]

My seller had the premium option of Muses 8920 opamp and I chose that one and that's what it says on the package, but I can't be sure if it is genuine... I guess it would be interesting to try it out with other opamps as well.

It works quite nicely at the office with DT770 250ohms, except I would like to have better control of the sound volume. I play music from Tidal as it allows me to use exclusive mode without going through the Windows mixer (I wish Spotify had that as well..) . However, I need to turn the volume down to 10% for it to be comfortable. Going to 9% sounds too quiet and 11% can be at bit too loud occasionally.

Perhaps I should get another one without the case for experimenting with it (for approx $40), hoping that someone at the local hacklab can detach the filter pins for me.

Some people have reported it breaking quite soon. I had an issue with a bad USB cable (both channels crackling) but apart from that it has worked for me so far.

 

[jussik]

Actually on my device the 3.5mm jack is actually a little broken... It doesn't really work for my QC25 as depending on the exact position of the plug I lose the vocals or there is some other issue. The DT770 seems to work properly if I don't wiggle it. I guess I should replace the jack at some point if I can find the correct one.

I have pink caps close to the RCA but as I don't have it at home at the moment I can't check what the label on the caps actually is.

 

[miro1360]

the best modification will be change AK4490 for another DAC chip ... like WM8741 if you must have Delta-sigma

 

[Lol999]

the best modification will be change AK4490 for another DAC chip ... like WM8741 if you must have Delta-sigma

Interesting in what you say about the AK4490 chip, not everyone is a fan. I noticed that the HIFIME dac's use the ESS9018k2m chip, and for a small amount this is available using the same chip:
2017 Mini ES9018K2M USB DAC Audio Decoder HiFi Headphone Amplifier PC Sound Card | eBay

Thing is though, am I going to notice any difference from my current dac, this one:
Signstek HIFI USB to Coaxial S/PDIF Converter Decoder Mini USB DAC+USB Cable | eBay

I was also considering this one, cheaper though on Amazon and import taxes:
Sabaj D3 Audio DAC and Headphone Amplifier with Optical Coaxial 32bit/384kHz USB | eBay

 

[jussik]

Here is my attempt at conducting the heat from the regulators to the case in order to keep them running a bit cooler as some people have had issues with something breaking in the DAC. Might not really be necessary but should not harm either.

I cut two approx 1cm * 5cm pieces of 0.8mm aluminum sheet, bolted them to the regulators, put an electrically insulating sheet between the regulator and the sheet and then a heat pad between the sheet and the case. After some back and forth the fit between the sheet and the case is better than in this image but I didn't take another picture of it.