cheap spdif input dac to mod

Status
This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.
Anyone know of a reasonably priced dac with spdif (or optical) input that's a good one to mod?

I have a Musiland 01 USD usb -> spdif converter, but no DAC and am just getting into doing my own mods. Thought it could be an interesting project to change some caps, etc, on a cheap DAC.

Cheers!
 
Behringer SRC2496 ADC/DAC or sample-rate converter. It's not the bargain it was a few years ago... but it may still be the best S/PDIF ADC/DAC you can buy for $200.

There's a couple of possibilities... things that aren't DACs out of the box, but have all the necessary innards.

Creative "Live! Drive" module (thing that fits in a 5.25" drive bay and connects to a Soundblaster Live (or other card, depending on model) via ribbon cable. The CT4860 that I scored from a local computer store's salvage bin has a CS8414 which feeds the headphone output. It seems plausible that if you provided the module with an appropriate clock signal, the headphone drive section could become a standalone DAC. "The Sound Blaster Live! Book" has info on how the Live! Drives connect; Google books has it. Searching might turn up a valid link to download it, if you can't get it otherwise.

Digidesign 442. A four channel ADC/DAC that was used with obsolete audio capture cards in Macs. Has a DIP package CS8412, so it should be possible to butcher it a little and turn it into a DAC. No schematics, though. And too many eBay sellers seem to think they're worth something other than for parts value.

And finally, any old CD players that had separate digital filters and DAC chips. If you can saw away the PC board with the output stuff on it, and add power and an S/PDIF receiver, there's your DAC.
 
Last edited:
And finally, any old CD players that had separate digital filters and DAC chips. If you can saw away the PC board with the output stuff on it, and add power and an S/PDIF receiver, there's your DAC.

I am interested to try this out - can you give me some ideas- where can get S/PDIF receiver feeding a CD player DAC ( I have CD player 4 ( laser is skipping and so I can use the Innards for making a seperate DAC ) part
kannan
 
The S/PDIF receiver is the tricky part... they haven't been available in DIP packages for a long time, and the surface mount versions keep getting tinier. Check out TI/Burr-Brown (DIR9001), Crystal, and AKM. Watch out for chips that can't be controlled without a microprocessor (unless you're comfortable with that kind of thing); the DIR9001 has control pins for configuring it; an AKM chip I glanced at didn't.

Site of Asahi KASEI MICRODEVICES -Audio
 
Status
This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.