Hi, syklab,
May I make it clear that you are talking about SDTrans192? Or about the I/V board? As for SDTrans192, we have no stock as of now and Chiaki is planning the next revision. We have no new detailed information on this kit now beyond my previous post.
Bunpei
I browsed his product page and found no balanced in/out version.
As you pointed out,however, I think we can use two boards for Buffalo II Dual Mono Mode. In this case, two usual SE outputs on one board can be used as a single balanced output in the same manner in IVY III.
Recently updated picture by Sunacchi shows this configuration.
He says he is satisfied with its performance.
yep thats what I meant, that will work, I would be using it with ackodac, waiting to see what his discrete JFET IV us like before I jump on this, but the fact this has been changed to SMD caps makes it perfect as space is at a premium with my build. plus it will be nice to not have to worry about massive heatsinking as with the pass mosfet Class A IV I have. the price is reasonable too by the sounds of it, though I wonder if linear systems LSK170s could be used in place of the tosh parts. they are much more available, performance is possibly even better and are available in small SMD parts, making it perfect for me.
Update for the next release plan
I talked with Chiaki on a rough schedule for the release of a new revision of SDTrans192 kit. The development is still in a design phase because Chiaki is considering new circuit patterns very carefully in order to obtain the best quality. However, he said hopefully that he would be able to start a release of the next revision by the end of this year.
Therefore, a new price is not decided.
I think a certain number of readers of this thread look forward to the next release. I'd like to ask those people to wait patiently for a while.
Bunpei
I talked with Chiaki on a rough schedule for the release of a new revision of SDTrans192 kit. The development is still in a design phase because Chiaki is considering new circuit patterns very carefully in order to obtain the best quality. However, he said hopefully that he would be able to start a release of the next revision by the end of this year.
Therefore, a new price is not decided.
I think a certain number of readers of this thread look forward to the next release. I'd like to ask those people to wait patiently for a while.
Bunpei
Prototype of SDTrans192 Rev. 3.0
At the beginning of this month, we started an evaluation of prototype board of SDTrans192 Rev. 3.0.
We are now requesting comments from SDTrans192 Rev.2.1 users in Japan by giving them demos.
Sound quality has changed when we compare it to a Rev. 2.1 board.
My impression is a better SNR and reproduction of more details that are originally recorded in CD. However, in some environments, some people may feel that "bass becomes weak" or "not enough energy". I believe the bass is never degraded, instead, getting more accurate.
The new board has a PS-Audio type I2S interface on LVDS/HDMI Connector & Cable. We confirmed that it is compatible with the receiver side implementation on CAPRICE DAC (ES9018 based) produced by Fidelix.
We will announce soon the expected release date and price for the new kit.
At the beginning of this month, we started an evaluation of prototype board of SDTrans192 Rev. 3.0.
We are now requesting comments from SDTrans192 Rev.2.1 users in Japan by giving them demos.
Sound quality has changed when we compare it to a Rev. 2.1 board.
My impression is a better SNR and reproduction of more details that are originally recorded in CD. However, in some environments, some people may feel that "bass becomes weak" or "not enough energy". I believe the bass is never degraded, instead, getting more accurate.
The new board has a PS-Audio type I2S interface on LVDS/HDMI Connector & Cable. We confirmed that it is compatible with the receiver side implementation on CAPRICE DAC (ES9018 based) produced by Fidelix.
We will announce soon the expected release date and price for the new kit.
Bunpei,
thank you for the update.
Just looking at the PCB, I see you have moved almost every part compared to rev 2. A major task.
Reading about the objectives
"Main objectives for the coming update are;
1. Improving sound quality
2. Providing better connectivity to peripheral devices
For Objective 1.,
A. Adopting NDK low phase noise crystal oscillator modules
B. Improving power supply circuits to obtain low noise profiles
C. Improving signal line print patterns
For Objective 2., the following interfaces will be on board
(in addition to such existing interfaces as I2C, I2S (single end, logic level),
S/PDIF
A. I2S on LVDS/HDMI connector & cable (PS-Audio spec)
B. Serial interface for outputting necessary file and play information
C. External master clock signal input connectors
D. External operation switch signal input connectors
"
what has been implemented in version 3?
Best regards,
Ingemar
thank you for the update.
Just looking at the PCB, I see you have moved almost every part compared to rev 2. A major task.
Reading about the objectives
"Main objectives for the coming update are;
1. Improving sound quality
2. Providing better connectivity to peripheral devices
For Objective 1.,
A. Adopting NDK low phase noise crystal oscillator modules
B. Improving power supply circuits to obtain low noise profiles
C. Improving signal line print patterns
For Objective 2., the following interfaces will be on board
(in addition to such existing interfaces as I2C, I2S (single end, logic level),
S/PDIF
A. I2S on LVDS/HDMI connector & cable (PS-Audio spec)
B. Serial interface for outputting necessary file and play information
C. External master clock signal input connectors
D. External operation switch signal input connectors
"
what has been implemented in version 3?
Best regards,
Ingemar
Dear IngemarR,
Oh, it's a good question. I'm sorry for my late reply.
Exactly speaking , the following items are partially implemented.
> B. Serial interface for outputting necessary file and play information
The interface hardware is prepared but a firmware support is not achieved yet.
> C. External master clock signal input connectors
Not BNC connectors but pin headers are provided.
All the other objectives are fully implemented.
Chiaki has announced SDTrans192 Rev.3.0 on his web page,
SDƒJ�[ƒh�Eƒgƒ‰ƒ“ƒXƒ|�[ƒg‚ð�ì‚Á‚Ä‚Ý‚Ü‚µ‚½�@�|‚»‚Ì2�|�@SDTrans192(In Japanese)
For orders from foreign countries, we can just tell;
1. Payment can be accepted only via PayPal on JPY base price.
Items attached to the board kit are;
- A plug for power input connector
- Cables compatible for I2S, I2C lines
- Optional SMD resisters
(No SDHC memory with sample music files is included.)
2. Estimate request or inquiry should be sent to Bunpei
bunpei<at>ta2<dot>so-net<dot>ne<dot>jp
(Quantity and your preferable shipping method and your country should be given.)
3. Expected first delivery will start at the end of January
(Mainly due to long lead time for getting NDK oscillators)
Bunpei
I'm very sorry. I need to correct the description above.
- A plug compatible for I2S line pin header
Additional information on specs are;
1. Power supply requirement
DC + 5.0 V ( +- 5 %), > 0.5 A
When you want to use a battery, applying three UM-1 (+1.5 V x 3 = +4.5 V ) is recommended.
Pin headers for connecting the following external DC power supplies are available.
CN1 3.30V 2.97V～3.63V 50mA for NDK clock osillators
CN5 3.30V 3.00V～3.45V 150ｍA for MCU, Memory card
CN7 3.30V 3.14V～3.45V 150ｍA S/PDIF, I2S interfaces
CN10 2.50V 2.375V～2.625V 50ｍA FPGA
CN13 1.20V 1.15V～1.25V 100ｍA FPGA
You can power off LCD back light by removing a jumper.
2. Board size
100 x 160 x 36 mm ( Thickness does not include connector plugs to be applied.)
3. I2C through HDMI connector
I2C lines are defined in PS-Audio I2S on HDMI connector spec.
http://www.fidelix.jp/img/PS-HDMI.jpg
To enable connections I2C line signals to HDMI jack on SDTrans192 Rev. 3.0 board, optional SMD resisiters (a source terminator in serial) are provided.
At our shipment, these resisters are not installed.
interesting thread..looking forward to the complete kit 
btw, this player plays wav file only? able to play flac, WMA, ape, and m4a would be fantastic.. and does this player have usb, coaxial, and optical out?
btw, anyone care to explain what is this and how to use assemble this? http://www.seeedstudio.com/depot/music-shield-p-642.html?cPath=104_109. the link said that it Plays music from micro SD cards Decodes:MP3,WMA,WAV,MIDI,Ogg Vorbis,FLAC(with software plugin ). but i don't see any screen or button to navigate the player
btw, this player plays wav file only? able to play flac, WMA, ape, and m4a would be fantastic..
and does this player have usb, coaxial, and optical out?btw, anyone care to explain what is this and how to use assemble this? http://www.seeedstudio.com/depot/music-shield-p-642.html?cPath=104_109. the link said that it Plays music from micro SD cards Decodes:MP3,WMA,WAV,MIDI,Ogg Vorbis,FLAC(with software plugin ). but i don't see any screen or button to navigate the player
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Yes. PCM WAV file only. However, it supports sampling condition up to 352.8kHz/24bit or 192kHz/32bit. We have no plan to support other formats because we do not want to consume CPU power.
Regarding S/PDIF, coaxial is only available for up to 192kHz/24bit.
Please read this page Arduino Forum - Ipod dock compatible Arduino Music shield and look at the picture below;
Along upper margin of the shield board, you can find buttons for operation. In this case, CPU is on Arduino board. The board employs VS1053b CODEC chip that Chiaki used to develop his micro players. The chip has a resolution limit of 48kHz/16bit.
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interesting thread..looking forward to the complete kit
btw, anyone care to explain what is this and how to use assemble this? http://www.seeedstudio.com/depot/music-shield-p-642.html?cPath=104_109. the link said that it Plays music from micro SD cards Decodes:MP3,WMA,WAV,MIDI,Ogg Vorbis,FLAC(with software plugin ). but i don't see any screen or button to navigate the player
Software runs on the Arduino which controls the music shield. Software is open source, so you can modify it to your liking including adding an LCD screen and remote. It is a nice board with I2S outputs, except everything is resampled to 48KHz (according to the datasheet of the VS1053...
Revision 3 confirmed to be superior performing and better sounding
Yesterday, December 11, I had the great honour of having Bunpei visiting my Tokyo home bringing along the brand new SDTrans 192 Revision 3 as well as a particular power-supply tweaked SDTrans 192 Revision 2 that we previously had found to be the best sounding among all Revision 2 samples. Bunpei also brought an elaborate, self-built Buffalo DAC with an NDK 100MHz oven-clock and multiple (transformer, battery, instrument-supply) power supplies for different parts of the DAC and the SDTrans itself. I also had the Fidelix Caprice at hand, so we ended up comparing not only the two SDTrans Revisions, but also with playback from my MacBook Pro (run by internal battery) and M2Tech Evo (powered by external Lithium battery) with AyreWave and Audirvana playback applications.
In the Buffalo configuration both SDTrans 192 Revison 2 & Revision 3 were connected by direct, extremely short I2S wiring. Unfortunately the Fidelix Caprice at hand did not have the available I2S option, so we were only able to connect the SDTrans 3 via S/PDIF. SDTrans 192 is also equipped with HDMI/LVDS port compatible with PS Audio and Fidelix Caprice (among others), but testing this was left for another day.
By the way; it is important to understand that the Revision 3 is actually more than just a simple tweak of a Revision 3. It is a physically larger unit (the shorter side is the same as before, while the longer side (width) has grown a lot). There are more regulators and the local power supplies are more sophisticated, among other changes that in effect amounts to a BIG update almost amounting to a full model change.
The system used for testing was: Lyra Connoisseur 4-2SE line preamp, 2 x Accuphase A20V power amps run in normal, non-bridged mode, and JBL 4333A (all Alnico drivers) studio monitors.
We played a wide variety of program material including High Resolution Music DOWNLOAD services files including DXD 24BIT/352.8kHz, but also normal EAC ripped CD-files. Many of the files we played have become "standard comparison" files that we have played on various equipment and in various locations, so this program material is very well known to us.
Our conclusions from comparing the SDTrans 192 Revision 2 & Revision 3 was that the Revision 3 has an even more detailed, more sophisticated, more capable musical presentation than the Revision 2. Even though we both agreed that the Revision 2 still holds its own and is entirely satisfying to listen to; in direct comparison to the Revision 3 it sounded a bit simpler, rounder and not quite as articulate. We can imagine that some listeners would personally prefer, and also that some system matchings would favour, Revision 2 over Revision 3. Especially bass reproduction of the Revision 3 feels like it goes deeper and favours the really bottom octave, something that depending on the speakers used could under some circumstances give the impression that the bass is weaker and less powerful on the Revision 3 (than on the Revision 2). However, with capable speakers and careful listening, the bass on the Revision 3 is more articulate and have better definition than on the Revision 3. It produces the kind of bass that can make you tell the differences in tone colour between different types bass instruments, and you can even tell the size and position of these bass instruments.
The midrange and treble of the Revision 3 is richer and more detailed than the Revision 2 (and the Revision 2 ain't bad ;-)). Depending on how the bass reproduction ends up with YOUR speakers and YOUR system, some listeners who have heard the Revision 3 reports hearing more (a bit too much?) energy in the treble, but I personally think that this is a balancing issue depending on how the bass is reproduced. The Revision 3 NEVER sounded bright or uncomfortable in my system.
As mentioned above; we also tested the Revision 3 via S/PDIF into the Fidelix Caprice (using the bypass internal preamp/volume mode), and this also sounded extremely good, albeit not quite up to the level of the ultra-short I2S to Buffalo DAC connection. However, other tests of the Fidelix Caprice with the MacBook Pro and M2Tech Evo shows that the potential of the Fidelix Caprice is really at top level, so I am looking forward to testing the Revision 3 with Caprice I2S input. Another comment in this regard is that my recent tests of AyreWave from sbooth.org with M2Tech USB interface http://www.m2tech.biz/ has finally made it possible for me to truly enjoy direct computer file playback. (I prefer AyreWave to Audirvana). But still SDTrans 192 playback is superior again!
As far as I am concerned, I am giving Bunpei & Chiaki my unreserved thumbs up for the SDTRans 192 Revision 3 (and I have ordered a unit).
Yesterday, December 11, I had the great honour of having Bunpei visiting my Tokyo home bringing along the brand new SDTrans 192 Revision 3 as well as a particular power-supply tweaked SDTrans 192 Revision 2 that we previously had found to be the best sounding among all Revision 2 samples. Bunpei also brought an elaborate, self-built Buffalo DAC with an NDK 100MHz oven-clock and multiple (transformer, battery, instrument-supply) power supplies for different parts of the DAC and the SDTrans itself. I also had the Fidelix Caprice at hand, so we ended up comparing not only the two SDTrans Revisions, but also with playback from my MacBook Pro (run by internal battery) and M2Tech Evo (powered by external Lithium battery) with AyreWave and Audirvana playback applications.
In the Buffalo configuration both SDTrans 192 Revison 2 & Revision 3 were connected by direct, extremely short I2S wiring. Unfortunately the Fidelix Caprice at hand did not have the available I2S option, so we were only able to connect the SDTrans 3 via S/PDIF. SDTrans 192 is also equipped with HDMI/LVDS port compatible with PS Audio and Fidelix Caprice (among others), but testing this was left for another day.
By the way; it is important to understand that the Revision 3 is actually more than just a simple tweak of a Revision 3. It is a physically larger unit (the shorter side is the same as before, while the longer side (width) has grown a lot). There are more regulators and the local power supplies are more sophisticated, among other changes that in effect amounts to a BIG update almost amounting to a full model change.
The system used for testing was: Lyra Connoisseur 4-2SE line preamp, 2 x Accuphase A20V power amps run in normal, non-bridged mode, and JBL 4333A (all Alnico drivers) studio monitors.
We played a wide variety of program material including High Resolution Music DOWNLOAD services files including DXD 24BIT/352.8kHz, but also normal EAC ripped CD-files. Many of the files we played have become "standard comparison" files that we have played on various equipment and in various locations, so this program material is very well known to us.
Our conclusions from comparing the SDTrans 192 Revision 2 & Revision 3 was that the Revision 3 has an even more detailed, more sophisticated, more capable musical presentation than the Revision 2. Even though we both agreed that the Revision 2 still holds its own and is entirely satisfying to listen to; in direct comparison to the Revision 3 it sounded a bit simpler, rounder and not quite as articulate. We can imagine that some listeners would personally prefer, and also that some system matchings would favour, Revision 2 over Revision 3. Especially bass reproduction of the Revision 3 feels like it goes deeper and favours the really bottom octave, something that depending on the speakers used could under some circumstances give the impression that the bass is weaker and less powerful on the Revision 3 (than on the Revision 2). However, with capable speakers and careful listening, the bass on the Revision 3 is more articulate and have better definition than on the Revision 3. It produces the kind of bass that can make you tell the differences in tone colour between different types bass instruments, and you can even tell the size and position of these bass instruments.
The midrange and treble of the Revision 3 is richer and more detailed than the Revision 2 (and the Revision 2 ain't bad ;-)). Depending on how the bass reproduction ends up with YOUR speakers and YOUR system, some listeners who have heard the Revision 3 reports hearing more (a bit too much?) energy in the treble, but I personally think that this is a balancing issue depending on how the bass is reproduced. The Revision 3 NEVER sounded bright or uncomfortable in my system.
As mentioned above; we also tested the Revision 3 via S/PDIF into the Fidelix Caprice (using the bypass internal preamp/volume mode), and this also sounded extremely good, albeit not quite up to the level of the ultra-short I2S to Buffalo DAC connection. However, other tests of the Fidelix Caprice with the MacBook Pro and M2Tech Evo shows that the potential of the Fidelix Caprice is really at top level, so I am looking forward to testing the Revision 3 with Caprice I2S input. Another comment in this regard is that my recent tests of AyreWave from sbooth.org with M2Tech USB interface http://www.m2tech.biz/ has finally made it possible for me to truly enjoy direct computer file playback. (I prefer AyreWave to Audirvana). But still SDTrans 192 playback is superior again!
As far as I am concerned, I am giving Bunpei & Chiaki my unreserved thumbs up for the SDTRans 192 Revision 3 (and I have ordered a unit
).
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A good friend pointed out a mistake in my post above, and the time-window for editing has expired.
The third paragraph should read:
By the way; it is important to understand that the Revision 3 is actually more than just a simple tweak of a Revision 2 (including Rev. 2.1). It is a physically larger unit (the shorter side is the same as before, while the longer side (width) has grown a lot). The number of local regulators have increased and their power supplies are more sophisticated, among other changes that in effect amounts to a BIG update almost amounting to a full model change.
The third paragraph should read:
By the way; it is important to understand that the Revision 3 is actually more than just a simple tweak of a Revision 2 (including Rev. 2.1). It is a physically larger unit (the shorter side is the same as before, while the longer side (width) has grown a lot). The number of local regulators have increased and their power supplies are more sophisticated, among other changes that in effect amounts to a BIG update almost amounting to a full model change.
and how about this one
perhaps in order to avoid posting such a confusing paragraph ever again, you might consider just saying 'the new model sounded....' there is no need to name it every time, it only serves to make it difficult for you to write and for us to understand.
thankyou for the comparison
perhaps in order to avoid posting such a confusing paragraph ever again, you might consider just saying 'the new model sounded....' there is no need to name it every time, it only serves to make it difficult for you to write and for us to understand.
thankyou for the comparison