XMOS-based Asynchronous USB to I2S interface

Hi,

Did someone try several supply type : shunt, linear, oem reg chip, etc and have a testimonial about the one he found to give the best result !

Lorien, what yu think about that please ?

Does the final embeded reg on your board need supply with good transcient, low impedance or just stable voltage ?

I read an interressant testimonial about Wolwes member whom bypassed the main cap with Black Gate ones for better final result !

At least, is there a testimonial somewhere about the Wave I/O and its supply when before a FIFO ? In this case is the Wave I/O PS important yet ?

Thanks in advance for your testimonials/answer about that !
 
Still having problems getting this working
PM sent.

Hi Lorien,

Could you help please how can I connect Waveio card to the Weiliang's AK4399 DAC? I can send you the schematic of the DAC board. The dac board using 12MHz clock. It will cause any problem or not? Sorry for the stupid question.

Thanks
Laszlo
Please send your schematic directly at ekits ( @ ) luckit.biz or use the contact form on luckit . biz web site and I'll do my best!

@ Eldam: In my experience I can say that there's enough noise around any of us so if one will gonna ignore only a part of it then one could get problems later. In my work I'm using Doede's PSU with very good results. The single downside I might have about it is the fact that I blown the protection fuse many times due to some stupid mistakes so a short circuit protection stage would be nice to have. Other than that it's a very good PSU. On another hand I know many WaveIO owners who are using Salas, Belleson, Paul Hynes and TP alternatives. Based on their reports, I saw many cases when the shunt types gave better results compared to linear regs.
As for WaveIO, it does need a good PSU. USB bus powering way is out of the question! The regs on this board will do their job up to a level but are not perfect, the decoupling stages are not perfect too. Hence the need of a good, low transient, pre-regulator in front of any WaveIO.
Regarding cascading boards: I'm on the principle that every board should have its own (good) PSU. If money and space are not an issue then I would choose the best I know to be placed there (in reasonable limits though).
Kind regards,
Lucian
 
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Thanks Lorien for all the inputs of your answer.

I'm curently using a LT1086 reg with fast diodes and Panasonic FC caps as smoothing caps,with a finely choosed cap at the output of this this linear technology oem reg but have the feeling it' not enough reading you and some other testimonials !


Low transcient pre reg ? You mean a fast one can get oscilations ? So a very low noise pre reg... but with a not too fast transcient ? something between the emitter follower of a shunt and a linear reg ?

Any testimonial of users could help ! Please don't hesitate for any testimonial if you tryed many regs with the Wave I/O !

regards
 
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PM sent.


Please send your schematic directly at ekits ( @ ) luckit.biz or use the contact form on luckit . biz web site and I'll do my best!

@ Eldam: In my experience I can say that there's enough noise around any of us so if one will gonna ignore only a part of it then one could get problems later. In my work I'm using Doede's PSU with very good results. The single downside I might have about it is the fact that I blown the protection fuse many times due to some stupid mistakes so a short circuit protection stage would be nice to have. Other than that it's a very good PSU. On another hand I know many WaveIO owners who are using Salas, Belleson, Paul Hynes and TP alternatives. Based on their reports, I saw many cases when the shunt types gave better results compared to linear regs.
As for WaveIO, it does need a good PSU. USB bus powering way is out of the question! The regs on this board will do their job up to a level but are not perfect, the decoupling stages are not perfect too. Hence the need of a good, low transient, pre-regulator in front of any WaveIO.
Regarding cascading boards: I'm on the principle that every board should have its own (good) PSU. If money and space are not an issue then I would choose the best I know to be placed there (in reasonable limits though).
Kind regards,
Lucian
Thanks Lorien, I've sent the schematic.

Laszlo
 
wave lo board help

Just thought I would let everyone know that my wave lo board is now working with my audio note dac and sounds fantastic I have had it working on both j10 and j11 , the problem was my dacs balanced/unbalanced switch at the back was in poor condition this was also causing the clicking sound from my dac I removed the switch and joined the wires ,I will replace it when funds allow, Lucian has been very patience
and helpful with my situation and I would recommend him and his product to anyone , i don't know of anything so well built and designed for the price, best wishes me phil.
 
A question to WaveIO fellow owners and enthusiasts - did anyone notice if wires between I2S output and dac affect the sound? I had a bad experience with some standard ribbon cables in friend's dac recently and now thinking maybe i should replace one in mine...

Hi,
Did someone try several supply type : shunt, linear, oem reg chip, etc and have a testimonial about the one he found to give the best result !
I spent 2 years powering WaveIO by simple 7805 linear regulator (although with fancy caps! :p) but when i connected it to Twisted Pear Placid HD 2.1 i realized there was a lot of room for improvement. Too bad i didn't try it earlier. WaveIO is very sensitive to quality power. Like in all other devices - cleaner power remove more "grain" and harshness from the sound and improve resolution, imaging, separation, transparency and all that stuff

P.S. Try panasonic FM in place of FC - less grain/noise etc. (or better nichicon KZ). Electrolytes are evil, some are less so ;)
 
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Ah, I'm more with FC than FM... most of the time despite the relativ better esr of FM serie ! I prefer the better snap and subjective low end of the FC and the light it often gives in supply or local decoupling ! Best is 15000 uF 35V !

Nichicon KZ could be miracle in some layout having like a Surround sound signature ! (like it at local decoupling of some transsitors but not as main reservoir caps, nore as smoothing !)

Fancy cap.... yeah, after a 78005 use an old cap with bad esr around 220 to 470 uF on the output ! Old Nichicon SX do miracles here ! of course keep a good local decoupling near the load with this time a small value with good esr !

I use myself the non isolate side with uf-l wires ! Have no idea with different wires and the isolated side as I found the non-isolated side to subjectivly sound better !

I was more thinking of difference between a shunt and linear supply ! I'm sure low noise is important while not being all !
 
I'm waiting for the FIFO-reclocker of Ian to experiment if the isolator side could this time be as good as the uf-l side. It should be the same with the gain of the isolation (the Pico seconds lost by the isolator chip becomes not important at all as all is reclocker and synchronize after the Wave I/O with IanCanada's devices! At least have already the Ian's isolator, but who care as far as the I2S is resynchronised and bufered after the USB to I2S device !

In this last context I will experiment if PS on the Wave I/O gives a difference ?!
I also asked because a second less expensive system with just a Wave i/o and no isolator-reclocker-fifo after !
 
Lorien and Eldam
You inspire me to experiment more with PS to WaveIO. Thanks for reference to Doede. I can easily build the regulator portion of his circuit to replace a 3 pin reg on a PS that is quite fine up to that point. I was surprised that upgrading the transformer, rectifier, filter portion did make noticeable change for the better. No doubt Doede's reg circuit will complete the process.
 
Hi Eldam
I added a small (4.7uF) BG N close to the power pin of the clock. It was easy to solder it tight to the + side of the existing SMT cap with other leg to convenient ground nearby. Would have preferred to tag it directly to the power pin of the clock. If you have a WaveIO with the NDK clock, you likely can do this. Mine is equipped with the larger FOX clock and there is not enough access to the solder pad without shorting out on the metal clock case.
If you try this let me know if your ear also favors this simple little tweak.
 
Thanks for the tip.

Argh, I'm jealous, I don't have th BG collection you have and unfornatully not a so low value in N or NX range ! And I agree it's unique caps ! At the right place on a digital device, the step crossed is important.

Yes I have the last Wave i/o with the very little NDK !

Sure I will testimonie about all of that : both supplies an caps...not soon (have many cooking on the fire). But I'm so slow I believe Lorien will launch a revision before... (I can take months sometimes as soon an it's about supplies :eek: ).

Does someone know a cheap shunt PS please or a bare pcb to populate, say less 40 euros (including parts but the traffo) ? I will maybe benchmark a shunt supply to glue to Lorien's advices with the Mravica member TSA7xx chip reg board I ha (oem chip but very low noise and fast transcient) ?
 
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Can anyone tell me the type of connector for the J6 isolated output: what part number is it for Farnell, or otherwise, what the name/specs are?
  • [I understand from the Wave-IO instruction sheet, that the on-board U-FL connectors are only there for Lucien to test with them; we users should preferably use the isolated outputs]

albert
 
+1 !

Yes this reference will be very usefull. I shorted a I2StoPCM fom IanCanada trying to make a plug for J6 but unfornatully had a short ! Because the voltage and the I2S output are on the same plug !:eek: So easy to have a short if a wire touch an other close wire !

I like the philosophy of IanCanada which is to give in the price of the board all the wired plugs for the outputs !

@Triode al : uf-l output works ! It has also a very usefull masterclock output : just plug an uf-l wire to feed a device which need it (e.g. the I2toPCM from IanCanada) : et voilà !
 
PS Success with first baby step

When I built my current DAC/music server I cut a few corners in the PS's to get it done with the plan to go back and make improvements.

This one surprised me. The corner cut seemed a little one. There is a power supply that supplies +5v to the WaveIO isolator, and it also supplies +5v to Ian Canada I2S to PCM board. This PS is the only one that got a simple silicon bridge rectifier. All the others got self build bridges using Fairchild super soft recovery diodes. Rest of this supply is no slouch. It has its own Hammond 229 transformer, the bridge, then 13 Panasonic FM 1500uF caps in CRCRC filter followed by Salas Shunt close to the consumers.

The change was simple. Just replace the bridge rectifier. Big surprise is it has startling positive impact. More separation in 3D image. Continued shift to natural relaxed but detailed presentation. I had been listening to a Haydn Cello Concertos that really had never engaged me. After the change I played the CD and could not give it up as it just had far more musical intrigue.

I never cease to be amazed at the impact of PS. I wonder what it might be like if I had the talent of some of the leaders on this site to build great PSs.
Mean time now have to listen to everything all over again.