DIY DAC Kit

[mefinnis]

Hi All,

What would people make of the following kitset?

http://www.diyfidelity.com.au/index.php?cPath=_35&osCsid=721a19c1ab925b908acbc9f50fb89452

Has anyone seen/bought/heard one of these?

Have shifted my music collection to a Sonos system, which is OK for casual listening outside etc., but am planing to driving my Aleph5/VAF speakers from one of the soon to be released ZP80s:

http://www.sonos.com/products/zoneplayer/zp80/

Thus my plan is to make a DAC + (unbalanced->balanced) unit to drive the Aleph directly from the digital out of the Sonos.

The second half I planed on using a X-type preamp section, the DAC/digital part I am blissfully ignorant about :-(

I note Peter's fondness for the TDA1543 ...

his might represent a relatively easy solution.

Thoughts from the learned ones!

Cheers
mark

 

[dddac]

I don't like the opamps in this Kit

had a look at these kits ? http://www.dddac.de



follow dddac1543mk2 in the banner

 

[Leolabs]

I don't like the opamps in this Kit

Yes,they should be subsituted with better opamps.

 

[dddac]

why use opamps? the best opamp is no opamp and 8 x TDA1543 will drive any amplifier with ease !!

Output imepdance around 270 Ohm. That is enough......

But this kit kan be modified to use without opamps of course

Just leave them out and tap the signal straight from the Rload.....



doede

 

[rabbitz]

Yeah.... I'd like to know if the DIYFidelity DAC kit is worthwhile or if anyone has ever used it.

 

[fvdveen]

The ddac website opens with a virus warning. I do not like things on my pc just to view a website. Clean up, please.

 

[dddac]

The ddac website opens with a virus warning. I do not like things on my pc just to view a website. Clean up, please.

I have tried immediately and get no warning ?
Any message on what warning ? I would like to warn my WEB Provider than.

any one else get the same problem ?

thanks

 

[phn]

There's nothing resembling a virus. There's no script or anything else that can cause harm, at least not on the start page. It must have to do with the settings of the browser. That's the first thing I do when I (re)install Windows, spend an hour configuring it. And only because Microsoft is an idiot and insists on making its software susceptible to viruses.

I had no problem.

 

[dddac]

There's nothing resembling a virus. There's no script or anything else that can cause harm, at least not on the start page. It must have to do with the settings of the browser. That's the first thing I do when I (re)install Windows, spend an hour configuring it. And only because Microsoft is an idiot and insists on making its software susceptible to viruses.

I had no problem.

THANKS !!! pfffffffffff .....


doede

 

[Alfetta87]

Website down?

That's what I get when I open the www.dddac.de:

 

[maxlorenz]

Doede's site looks CLEAN from here.



Yesterday I built my first all DIY nonos DAC with 4*TDA1543, on a protoboard, fed through I2S from my new CDPRO-2M
(no CS8414!). All parts were spare.
Collecting the pennies for the real modules

This has nothing to do with the thread but I wanted to share my enthusiasm anyway

Regards
Mauricio

 

[mefinnis]

I'm leaning towards some variation of DDDAC, i.e. multiple TDA1543s feeding a X-BOSOZ - or whatever the current acronym for this pre-amp section is

I appreciate the comment that multiple TDA1543 could drive the amp directly, but my Aleph5 seems to like being driven balanced.

Later staement is listening tests (highly subjective ... but hey, it's what we do!) comparing SE CD ouput directly into the Aleph versus feed via my BOSOZ acting as a SE/Balanced converter stage.

As hinted, I'm reasonably comfortable in the analog world, but my digital knowledge-base is crap.

The Sonos ZP80 will give me optical/coax fixed digital out - so I can leave my 500+ CDs in the cupboard and scroll at will through a LARGE NAS drive using the Sonos. Has some appeal - not cheap, but there you go.

Thanks
Mark

 

[pburke]

Re: Website down?

That's what I get when I open the www.dddac.de:

mime issue - either your browser misinterprets it or the server is misconfigured. However, if everyone else can go there, I'd say it's your browser config.

 

[pburke]

Doede's site looks CLEAN from here.



Yesterday I built my first all DIY nonos DAC with 4*TDA1543, on a protoboard, fed through I2S from my new CDPRO-2M
(no CS8414!). All parts were spare.
Collecting the pennies for the real modules

This has nothing to do with the thread but I wanted to share my enthusiasm anyway

Regards
Mauricio

hey - enthusiasm works for me - got my USB-I2S DAC almost done and posted some info on it on my site. It uses the new USB-I2S board from Doede, rest is kind of my personal hack job

http://didnt.doit.wisc.edu/audio/DDDAC16/dddac16usb.html

Peter

 

[phofman]

I appreciate the comment that multiple TDA1543 could drive the amp directly, but my Aleph5 seems to like being driven balanced.

Have a look at http://www.kutloch.cz/Engl/cd/radac.htm Fully balanced 2 x 6 TDA1543.

 

[maxlorenz]

Hi Peter

hey - enthusiasm works for me -

That, I have plenty!
I see you are allways many steps in front of the rest of us.

My very cheap nonos DAC is sounding better today: I used BG NX 47uF as output caps. They may take a while to sound good.

Have you listened to directly I2S-fed nonos DAC's??

I will abuse of your kindness:
1) I see you use ERS paper on chips. I hear good things with them like improved clarity but also reduced dinamics and slower transients. What do you think?

2) I've allways wondered what's the use of the 100K resistor from signal to ground at the output connector. I saw an explanation somewhere but forgot it. Can you enlight me?
What if I take it off?

Many thanks

Mauricio

 

[mefinnis]

Originally posted by phofman
Have a look at http://www.kutloch.cz/Engl/cd/radac.htm Fully balanced 2 x 6 TDA1543.

There are some discussions elsewhere in this forum looking at "digital->balanced" (as above) versus digital SE then "analog->balanced".

One criticism is potential mis-match between the DAC chips. Now if you are using 6-per-side this will diminish greatly - sort of an electronic version of "regression to the mean".

What do others think?

If we have multiple chips as above, which would be better performance-wise???

Thanks

Mark

 

[phn]

I'm no mathematician. But I agree with mefinnis. With six DAC chips I would think the law of average will take care of any symmetry issue. Now, the 47 Laboratory Progression Gemini DAC is unbalanced. But it does use separate DAC chips for left and right channels.

I can't help but think the importance of this symmetry thing is exaggerated, and that includes RIAA headamps. This talk about symmetry implies that the recording and mastering equipments should be symmetrical.

When it comes to mass-market CD, there's no symmetry to worry about. Forget about 3D image. A mass-market CD is basically dual mono.

 

[maxlorenz]

If you want balanced output lets look at AK4393 or AK4395
My M-audio superDAC has it and it sounds wonderfull, but with superregulated digital supplies and fed through a DIP upsampler.

I wish I had the knowledge and parts to do this:
CDPRO-->I2S-->upsampler chip like AK4122 or CS8420-->I2S-->AK4393 or AK4395--> what ever output stage you like the best

Maybe in a couple of years
Mauricio

 

[pburke]

steps in front of the rest of us.

My very cheap nonos DAC is sounding better today: I used BG NX 47uF as output caps. They may take a while to sound good.

47uF is a mighty big coupling cap - why not a 10uF or maybe 22uF? Guess you had that size sitting around

I only used BG caps on the headphone output of the last DAC I built, because you need rather large values there (220uF if I remember correctly). For coupling, I went from 0.47 to 2.0 and now 5.0uF. Maybe you're on to something...

Have you listened to directly I2S-fed nonos DAC's??

if you you mean directly from a transport? no

I will abuse of your kindness:
1) I see you use ERS paper on chips. I hear good things with them like improved clarity but also reduced dinamics and slower transients. What do you think?

I have done test listening with a large sheet of ERS put over the entire DAC and taken away by a friend while listening. I never really heard a difference. The only reason I am putting this on there now is that it is pretty much established that there's a measurable impact, even if I can't hear it. I also have some of it laying around from other uses. The biggest ERS impact I ever noticed was after applying about 20 small 1x1cm squares to the mounting screws of my ribbon tweeters all the way up the side of each speaker. Really turned everything smoother and more spacious. Obviously, this is probably a speaker-specific use that's not easily replicated, but it sure worked for me. Lining AC outlets with the stuff also did some serious good for the system (caution - this ERS stuff is conductive...). Compared to that, the little pieces inside the DAC are really inaudible. Anyone who claims to hear any reduced dynamics even with a fat sheet of that stuff over the ICs is smoking something that may not be legal in all countries.

2) I've allways wondered what's the use of the 100K resistor from signal to ground at the output connector. I saw an explanation somewhere but forgot it. Can you enlight me?
What if I take it off?

here's a good answer I saw on the Bottlehead forum way back when I built by tube preamp - same thing there (a 470k resistor on the output jacks). I am using 1M ohm on the DDDAC, not sure if there's any difference in sound if you vary them to lower values.

http://db.audioasylum.com/cgi/m.mpl?forum=bottlehead&n=73351

from what I read here, you clearly can experiment doing this without those resistors on the output connectors, but you may have some "issues" depending on what you connect to the DAC

Peter

PS - regarding balanced outputs - you can always add them using something like the Burr-Brown balanced line drivers (DRV134 and DRV135), but then there goes the simple and direct signal path... I have been looking at these because I am building power amps that are really designed to be connected to a balanced source. I'll try it unbalanced first.