dddac output cap question

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valleyman

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Joined 2008
I thought it would be a simple question so decided not to bother him with it. Also thought I may get a swifter reply here.

I suppose what I'm really checking is that the output caps don't serve any purpose other than DC blocking. I'm pretty sure they don't but just wanted to check before removing them. I can't see any reason the buffer would mind a little DC (its the discrete transistor buffer from dec dun) and the cap on the buffer output will stop the stray DC from getting into the power amps/speakers
 
justblair

justblair

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Joined 2007
justblair.co.uk
Dont know the answer with the buffer, It will depend on how much DC voltage it is capable of handling. I believe, that the DDAC has a fair bit of DC coming from it. I cant remember how much, but the manual may mention it for testing info.

Are you using the cap combination that comes as standard with the DDAC at the moment? The combo that Doede suppies should only be considered for testing purposes.

I replaced it with Sonicaps, bypassed with MKP1839's. Because the caps required are of a very low value, it was a pretty cheap upgrade. The sound from these caps is pretty damn good.

Why not just check the dc output with a mulitmeter? There are three pins on the ddac for output is I remember correctly, Lout, Rout and GND. Measure here.
 
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ssmith

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Joined 2005
justblair said:
The combo that Doede suppies should only be considered for testing purposes.

I replaced it with Sonicaps, bypassed with MKP1839's. Because the caps required are of a very low value, it was a pretty cheap upgrade. The sound from these caps is pretty damn good.
Click to expand...

I tried:

Audyn cap plus (0.47uf)-- nothing to write home about
Obbligatto (1uf) -- much nicer
BG 'N' (4.7uf) electrolytic -- tonal balance and clarity that seem just right in my set-up.
BG NH (150uf) electrolytic -- ditto.

IIRC Peter Daniel likes BG N's on the output of his NOS DAC.

think the trick here is to experiment and find the best match for your ears/system.

I have a pair of Sonicap 22uf caps for tweater protection (biamping) and they are very nice. Haven;t tried them on the dddac output though.
 
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valleyman

Member
Joined 2008
ssmith said:
out of curiousity, what buffer are you using, and what made you decide you needed a buffer?
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An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.


That's the buffer I'm using. It's on +/-15V so clipping will certainly not be an issue. I can't see why it would have a problem with a few DC volts but I'm no electronics expert and thats why I'm asking.

I have currently replaced the caps with Panasonic FCs that I had, but I think shorting them and letting the buffer's output cap block the DC would sound better than any output caps on the dac

Thanks for all the replies
 
dddac

dddac

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Joined 2003
blog.dddac.com
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The nice thing of using parallel TDA1543 (As I do...) is that the passive R/I resistor goes down. With my 60 chip dac for example, output resistence is 39 Ohm.... Who needs a buffer than?
.... specially when you than put 68 Ohms in series with the output :devilr:

On top of that, les buffers and electronics generally sounds better...

doede
 
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