Capacitors quality for NON-OS dac with TDA1541

[hifiwolf]

Hello,
i will make something good DAC for my tube amp. and will ask some help/ideas from the best with long experience DIY makers.

1. Is the adagio DAC project with one TDA 1541 good enough ?
2. If yes please let me know if somebody have and can send me the PCB layout ?
3. If not --please let me know some another good alternative for non-os dac ...
4. What kind of type of decoupling Capacitors ( o,1 mf) are the best for this DAC (http://www.fortunecity.com/rivendell...io/Adagio.html )
Are somebody tested different types of good audio caps by TDA1541 project ?
I write next possible types, about what i think:
--- jensen oil- aluminium foil-paper- or some another oil capacitor wit aluminium foil
----Mundorf M-cap superme or MCAP ZN
----Hovland caps
----Kimber caps

Sorry for my englich, but seriously will make one good DIY DAC ( i hope that non OS is good for me ...?!)

hifiwolf

[Peter Daniel]

From the caps youy mentioned Hovland would be my choice. I was testing Jensen copper foil paper in oil type, but was not impress by them. Although they have body and musicality, they lack in detail. I had to bypass them with siver foil Ultracaps to get what I wanted. OTOH hovlands posses all around good sound and it's hard to be disappointed by them. Some people recommend Auricaps, but I didn't try them yet.

[infinite baffle]

Hifiwolf,

i´ve been in contact with Thorsten Loesch on this specific DAC for a while. He himself says that tinfoil caps are highly recommended. He did use some KS/tinfoil from Philips. But that is old stock and hardly available. The alternative would be hovland maybe, so he did recommend Audyn or Mundorf tinfoils; they are somewhat the Hovland equivalent in Europe, as is solen´s tinfoil said to be.
He also did use sanyo oscons, about 15µF on the msb pins. Discussing wih him made it look like he had thought it out;-)

BTW according to him the greatest fault you can do is use a wet string, excuse me i meant the jensen caps, there ..

Philipp

[hifiwolf]

Do you have experience with the the output stage by 1541 chip:
--tube output
--opamp output
--transformer output
I have not jet seen/find this projekt with transformer output, but some of DIY makers find transformer the best ??

[rbroer]

Transfromers:
Passive 25 ohms & Sowther 1:18.7, nice, but lacking dynamics, bass, low output volume
Amplimo TM3; no way...

Capacitors:
In CD players with 14 ceramic caps, replacing them with WIMA MKS 100n is very worthwhile.
"Better" caps are almost impossible to fit in existing players.
I've been using 68n MKS parallel with 10n KP on LSB and 15u Oscons on the MSB.

Google search of "TDA1541A-S1" gives all you want.

[Elso Kwak]

Hi Rudolf & infinite baffle,
I made a PCB for the TDA1541 with place for 1µF decoupling caps. I tried Polyester, Polycarbonate and Polypropylene. The latter did not fit well but I was able to hear the difference. In my experience the type of cap is not utterly important. I tried also different values. I found the 1µf a optimum value. 15µF is absolutely overkill.
I am not fond of tinfoill caps anywhere in my equipment and that is not the first time I disagree with Thorsten...
............

[peranders]

Originally posted by hifiwolf
Sorry for my englich, but seriously will make one good DIY DAC ( i hope that non OS is good for me ...?!)

I don't spoil your fun but why choose an antique and a low performing chip? Today you have at least half a dozen of really good chips. The last one AD1955, something for you? AK4395, CS43122 is also good.

[hifiwolf]

Hello,
it is here in my country not far one piece TDA 1541-S1, what i can simple get ---and it is very complicated to find differences between older and newer production--only i find,that the 1541 is a old good -with no big risk thing... so i have read in a lot of forums... and home pages...

The antique things are for one audiophile fun alltime very good staff---all good things --vinyl, tubes, capacitors, loudspeakers, resistors.... all these things are only good-- if are "RARE"---it is the thing, of course a matter of taste but i now belive to this staff.
For me is important analog and with the big spirit voice--but no voice with the digital image.. it is not simple to explain the thing...

Do you have real alternative offer for the TDA 1541, what i can look ?

best regards

hifiwolf

[peranders]

Originally posted by hifiwolf
Do you have real alternative offer for the TDA 1541, what i can look ?

Analog Devices throws chips after you. I have no trouble at all to get AD1955 for free as samples.

[peranders]

I admit there is one problem: Most of the chips are SMD and 0,63 mm pitch......