tda1541+ discrete output dac= high end?

[PreSapian]

what are your opinions on this dac that i'm about to try my hand on?

i like the straight forward layout and from what i tried on cs4398, i like the sound of a discrete output

 

[abraxalito]

Whose version of the TDA1541 are you talking about? The sound of a multibit DAC is rather unlike the CS4398 - rather like quality silk compared to cheap rayon.

 

[PreSapian]

oops i forgot this ebay link! shame on me, sir.

HiEND TDA1541 A DAC (CS8412 & SAA7220 OS) assembled borad | eBay

hehe im well aware hiw much better the 1541 will sound over single bit chips, just not by experience.

i liked what the discrete out did in place
of an op-amp is what i wanted to say.

 

[abraxalito]

That designer's layout philosophy is a bit strange to my tastes - for example he's put all the regulators on the opposite side of the board from where they're actually needed. Having such long tracks (inductance, resistance) between the regulator and its chip defeats some of the advantages of using regs.

Also hard to believe its 'HIEND' when there's an SAA7220 in there - it tends to add a lot of noise to the power rails. Try it out NOS would be my advice.

 

[PreSapian]

Thanks abrax. The traces will definitely be cut not too concerned about the regulator distance. In the past I've done some silly mods that defied the guideline on impedance and got away with excellent sound. I am looking for a suitable r core trafo for this project, tho.