DAC 2496 (AK4393) DAC KIT With CS8416+AK4393+5532 - Page 60

carlmart · 28th August 2011, 03:56 PM

What happened to me was in the late '90s, with tantalum caps that came on (supposedly) high quality & expensive Turtle Beach audio board.

The fired-up tantalums ruined the board.

I also had some malfunctioning tantalums on a good quality motherboard. Those were the ONLY cases of polarized caps not working on me. So I ran from tantalums. They are not a story someone told me.

johnm · 28th August 2011, 03:58 PM

Let's not also forget that Naim have been using tants for decades, and I have yet to hear of anyone with an exploding tant in their equipment (and Naim is usually left on 24/7). Having said that Naim do recommend a recap every 10 years I believe and they replace all the tants as well as electrolytics. Personally I like the sound of tants when used as coupling caps also, but I wouldn't use them everywhere as I don't wish to unbalance the sound.

I wasn't aware of the environmental issues that you posted JP, and on those grounds I'll cease buying these from now on. I'll stick with the orange types that came with the kit (polyester?) for decoupling around the chips.

pjblakey · 28th August 2011, 04:18 PM

Carlmart...
What software do you use to make digital convertions of your LPs?

fulvio · 29th August 2011, 09:48 PM

Hi to everybody,
I’m building my own preamplifier, and I would like to insert a DAC board inside it.
I think that Chinese board using CS8416+AK4396+5532 could be the right choice, also considering its price on ebay.
Before I buy it, I need some help.
The DAC board has just one coaxial input, but my digital sources have optical or USB interface.
I’m considering to use the input multiplexer of the CS8416 (four inputs in hardware mode operation) and add, in front of it, a Toslink receiver and a USB to S/PDIF converter.
In order to do it, I suppose it is necessary to disconnect the RX_SEL0 and RX_SEL1 (pin 11 and 10 of CS8416) from ground and connect them to a rotary switch (binary encoded) or other selection device.
Question 1: has anybody tested this solution?
Question 2: in order to obtain an optical input, is it sufficient to connect directly a Toslink receiver (like Toshiba TORX173) to one of the four digital inputs of the CS8416 or something in the middle is required?
Question 3: which Toslink receiver should be used ?(I mentioned TORX173 only because I can easily find it)
Question 4: can anybody suggest a good but not too expensive USB to S/PDIF converter?

Furthermore, I’m planning to use an external power supply for my preamplifier (a spare part of a Sun Computer analog interface) but it has a limited output power.

Question 4: has anybody measured the real current consumption of the AK 4396 DAC board (or a similar one)? According to AKM data sheet, the AK4396 should use only 47 mA (max) for analog supply, and 19 mA (max) for digital supply, and the CS8416 should work with less than 20 mA total (analog + digital), but this is not coherent with the specification of the board sellers (they suggest to use a transformer of 10 to 30 W); furthermore, I don’t believe that a SMD IC can dissipate more than 1 W of power, so a 5 W power supply should be adequate (in order to save current I can remove the LEDs from the board).
Thanks for any answer or suggestion.

jeffzen · 30th August 2011, 04:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fulvio

Question 4: has anybody measured the real current consumption of the AK 4396 DAC board (or a similar one)?

My AK4396 DAC consumes maximum 7 W on the 230 V side of the transformer using a single 230 V to 2x12 V 20 VA transformer. However, it would consume more if I used a higher voltage transformer. (Many use a 2x15 V one, for example.)

aircondition · 30th August 2011, 10:28 AM

I bought the 4396 kit from zoe_thang and this thing *rocks*. I have never heard better sound at any time from my digital frontend!

I did not use the onboard SMD regulators (2x 3V3, 1x 5V), but used my lownoise regulators from previous DAC (zhaolu) - Newclassd UWB reg and Belleson (see picture)

It is not even optimized yet in terms of wiring distance from regulator to DAC and receiver chip (I plan to solder it directly to board with some trace cutting on the bottom of PCB etc...) after more investigation.

I did not solder the Opamp output stage but used sendler's direct-out idea with two Mundorf caps and no filter resistors. I did follow some of Dario's recommendation on putting caps (SEPC, Silmic, Cerafine)

Playing with cMP transport the sound is nothing short of spectacular! The soundstage is, 3D holographic, the "boogie factor" - unbelievable. Thanks to erin, dario and steve (sendler)

Image:
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/phot...eat=directlink

carlmart · 30th August 2011, 11:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pjblakey

Carlmart...
What software do you use to make digital convertions of your LPs?

I'm not doing any conversions yet. In fact I'm also interested in knowing what to use that can handle higher resolution forms.

One very important point is the RIAA preamp to amplify the LP sound, which has to be very high quality.

Quote:

Originally Posted by aircondition

I bought the 4396 kit from zoe_thang and this thing *rocks*. I have never heard better sound at any time from my digital frontend!

I did not use the onboard SMD regulators (2x 3V3, 1x 5V), but used my lownoise regulators from previous DAC (zhaolu) - Newclassd UWB reg and Belleson (see picture)

There are several external regulator boards. Can you clarify what's in them: regulators, etc.?

It would have been a good idea, for the on-board SMD regs bypass, to find a way to check if there was any difference with the external ones.

I believe the most important ones to go independent with, going totally external, are the DAC supplies and the output stage. But in your case you didn't use the external chip.

Quote:

It is not even optimized yet in terms of wiring distance from regulator to DAC and receiver chip (I plan to solder it directly to board with some trace cutting on the bottom of PCB etc...) after more investigation.

Yes, traces are thin and delicate.

Quote:

I did not solder the Opamp output stage but used sendler's direct-out idea with two Mundorf caps and no filter resistors. I did follow some of Dario's recommendation on putting caps (SEPC, Silmic, Cerafine)

Going direct out it's an interesting idea. What Mundorf type and values did you use?

aircondition · 07:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carlmart

There are several external regulator boards. Can you clarify what's in them: regulators, etc.?
.
Going direct out it's an interesting idea. What Mundorf type and values did you use?

Sure, above green board uses MUR860, 4700uF/40V, newclassD [lnk] UWB 3.3V into C3 blue/black cable

Lower green board MUR120, s.o., Belleson 3.3V superpower
into C29 blue/black cable

Blue board MSRF860, s.o., 470 Silmic, Belleson 5V superpower
into C11 red/blue cable

In the past Ive replaced very similar SMD regulators on AD1852 zhaolu DAC with these uwb/Belleson and the sound upgrade was.. 'massive' and wiring distance between the regoutput and C is important

(move)

Direct out ATM 2x 2.20uF mundorf Mcap MKP, I have no bass complaints despite size, had no bigger values at hand and I wait until the dac has "burned in" until more tweaking ^^

carlmart · 30th August 2011, 07:30 PM

Well, we seem to be talking the same "regulator language" then, as the Belleson are Jung type regs:

BELLESON "Superpower" Regulator:

That's what I intend to use later on.

carlmart · 30th August 2011, 09:34 PM

I meant I intend to try Sulzer/Jung types made by myself, not Belleson. They are a bit expensive, I think.

Of course, if you implement a Sulzer/Jung type reg you have to get rid of the SMD regs. It would be stupid not to.

But I think it would pay off more if you use a Sulzer/Jung on the AK and on the output, if you keep it. Then the main supply can be used as pre-regulators.

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28th August 2011, 03:56 PM	#591
carlmart diyAudio Member Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Brazil	What happened to me was in the late '90s, with tantalum caps that came on (supposedly) high quality & expensive Turtle Beach audio board. The fired-up tantalums ruined the board. I also had some malfunctioning tantalums on a good quality motherboard. Those were the ONLY cases of polarized caps not working on me. So I ran from tantalums. They are not a story someone told me.

28th August 2011, 03:58 PM	#592
johnm diyAudio Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Hampshire	Let's not also forget that Naim have been using tants for decades, and I have yet to hear of anyone with an exploding tant in their equipment (and Naim is usually left on 24/7). Having said that Naim do recommend a recap every 10 years I believe and they replace all the tants as well as electrolytics. Personally I like the sound of tants when used as coupling caps also, but I wouldn't use them everywhere as I don't wish to unbalance the sound. I wasn't aware of the environmental issues that you posted JP, and on those grounds I'll cease buying these from now on. I'll stick with the orange types that came with the kit (polyester?) for decoupling around the chips.

28th August 2011, 04:18 PM	#593
pjblakey diyAudio Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Smoky Mountains, NC	Carlmart... What software do you use to make digital convertions of your LPs?

29th August 2011, 09:48 PM	#594
fulvio diyAudio Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Trieste, Italy	Hi to everybody, I’m building my own preamplifier, and I would like to insert a DAC board inside it. I think that Chinese board using CS8416+AK4396+5532 could be the right choice, also considering its price on ebay. Before I buy it, I need some help. The DAC board has just one coaxial input, but my digital sources have optical or USB interface. I’m considering to use the input multiplexer of the CS8416 (four inputs in hardware mode operation) and add, in front of it, a Toslink receiver and a USB to S/PDIF converter. In order to do it, I suppose it is necessary to disconnect the RX_SEL0 and RX_SEL1 (pin 11 and 10 of CS8416) from ground and connect them to a rotary switch (binary encoded) or other selection device. Question 1: has anybody tested this solution? Question 2: in order to obtain an optical input, is it sufficient to connect directly a Toslink receiver (like Toshiba TORX173) to one of the four digital inputs of the CS8416 or something in the middle is required? Question 3: which Toslink receiver should be used ?(I mentioned TORX173 only because I can easily find it) Question 4: can anybody suggest a good but not too expensive USB to S/PDIF converter? Furthermore, I’m planning to use an external power supply for my preamplifier (a spare part of a Sun Computer analog interface) but it has a limited output power. Question 4: has anybody measured the real current consumption of the AK 4396 DAC board (or a similar one)? According to AKM data sheet, the AK4396 should use only 47 mA (max) for analog supply, and 19 mA (max) for digital supply, and the CS8416 should work with less than 20 mA total (analog + digital), but this is not coherent with the specification of the board sellers (they suggest to use a transformer of 10 to 30 W); furthermore, I don’t believe that a SMD IC can dissipate more than 1 W of power, so a 5 W power supply should be adequate (in order to save current I can remove the LEDs from the board). Thanks for any answer or suggestion.

30th August 2011, 10:28 AM	#596
aircondition diyAudio Member Join Date: Nov 2007	I bought the 4396 kit from zoe_thang and this thing rocks. I have never heard better sound at any time from my digital frontend! I did not use the onboard SMD regulators (2x 3V3, 1x 5V), but used my lownoise regulators from previous DAC (zhaolu) - Newclassd UWB reg and Belleson (see picture) It is not even optimized yet in terms of wiring distance from regulator to DAC and receiver chip (I plan to solder it directly to board with some trace cutting on the bottom of PCB etc...) after more investigation. I did not solder the Opamp output stage but used sendler's direct-out idea with two Mundorf caps and no filter resistors. I did follow some of Dario's recommendation on putting caps (SEPC, Silmic, Cerafine) Playing with cMP transport the sound is nothing short of spectacular! The soundstage is, 3D holographic, the "boogie factor" - unbelievable. Thanks to erin, dario and steve (sendler) Image: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/phot...eat=directlink

30th August 2011, 07:30 PM	#599
carlmart diyAudio Member Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Brazil	Well, we seem to be talking the same "regulator language" then, as the Belleson are Jung type regs: BELLESON "Superpower" Regulator: That's what I intend to use later on.

30th August 2011, 09:34 PM	#600
carlmart diyAudio Member Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Brazil	I meant I intend to try Sulzer/Jung types made by myself, not Belleson. They are a bit expensive, I think. Of course, if you implement a Sulzer/Jung type reg you have to get rid of the SMD regs. It would be stupid not to. But I think it would pay off more if you use a Sulzer/Jung on the AK and on the output, if you keep it. Then the main supply can be used as pre-regulators.