WTB - Balanced vintage DAC

lil' knight · 30th May 2011, 12:36 PM

I'm looking for a mint vintage DAC that has balanced outputs. Currently interested in the Parasound DAC-2000, Assemblage 3.0/3.1 and Sonic Frontiers SFD-2 MKIII. The thing should be in absolute mint condition and seller willing to ship worldwide. Please let me know if you happen to have one of them. I'm willing to listen to any other option.

TIA.

Chris Daly · 02:24 PM

You might want to look at the Audio Synthesis DAX range, no longer in production but should be available second hand.

For the best reproduction don't use SPDIF it has lousy stereo image and bass
The best way I know of to transfer digital is lots of hard electronics work using
flip flops to individually transfer DATA BITCLOCK and LRCK to the DAC oversampling
filter where flip flops are used to clock those same signals in again. I did this in 1997
and had an article published in Wireless World. But I warn its lots of hard work and very unconventional.
The Deficiencies of SPDIF as a Digital Transmission Method

The use of a DBX type 1 compander though is much easier, and remarkably has a similar effect with improving bass and stereo separation.
Once the audio emerges out of the DAC, use a Type 1 DBX encoder like a 180a or 155 or my favourite model the 150x available on ebay in tandem with a dedicated audio hard disk recorder like a Yamaha CDRHD1500 enabling storage of 500 hrs or more of audio, and with the DBX , gaining the advantage of 20db+ dynamic range - if you use balanced connections. You also have to be quite patient recording your CD's real time, and would need a balanced to unbal conversion and back again to use the Yamaha or quite a bit of very fiddly work on the Yamaha board to make it fully balanced in and out.

There might be other ways, but this is the best I have found.

Cheers / Chris

jrenkin · 30th May 2011, 03:10 PM

I have a Forte 50A dac if you have any interest.

Secips · 30th May 2011, 04:06 PM

Muse Model 2. Mint.

lil' knight · 31st May 2011, 10:49 AM

Thanks all. I think I'm pretty settled on the Assemblage 3/3.1 or Processor 3. If you have one, I'll take it from you

30th May 2011, 12:36 PM	#1
lil' knight diyAudio Member Join Date: Dec 2009	WTB - Balanced vintage DAC I'm looking for a mint vintage DAC that has balanced outputs. Currently interested in the Parasound DAC-2000, Assemblage 3.0/3.1 and Sonic Frontiers SFD-2 MKIII. The thing should be in absolute mint condition and seller willing to ship worldwide. Please let me know if you happen to have one of them. I'm willing to listen to any other option. TIA. __________________

30th May 2011, 02:16 PM	#2
Chris Daly diyAudio Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: hobart tasmania	You might want to look at the Audio Synthesis DAX range, no longer in production but should be available second hand. For the best reproduction don't use SPDIF it has lousy stereo image and bass The best way I know of to transfer digital is lots of hard electronics work using flip flops to individually transfer DATA BITCLOCK and LRCK to the DAC oversampling filter where flip flops are used to clock those same signals in again. I did this in 1997 and had an article published in Wireless World. But I warn its lots of hard work and very unconventional. The Deficiencies of SPDIF as a Digital Transmission Method The use of a DBX type 1 compander though is much easier, and remarkably has a similar effect with improving bass and stereo separation. Once the audio emerges out of the DAC, use a Type 1 DBX encoder like a 180a or 155 or my favourite model the 150x available on ebay in tandem with a dedicated audio hard disk recorder like a Yamaha CDRHD1500 enabling storage of 500 hrs or more of audio, and with the DBX , gaining the advantage of 20db+ dynamic range - if you use balanced connections. You also have to be quite patient recording your CD's real time, and would need a balanced to unbal conversion and back again to use the Yamaha or quite a bit of very fiddly work on the Yamaha board to make it fully balanced in and out. There might be other ways, but this is the best I have found. Cheers / Chris Last edited by Chris Daly; 30th May 2011 at 02:24 PM.

31st May 2011, 10:49 AM	#5
lil' knight diyAudio Member Join Date: Dec 2009	Thanks all. I think I'm pretty settled on the Assemblage 3/3.1 or Processor 3. If you have one, I'll take it from you __________________

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30th May 2011, 03:10 PM	#3
jrenkin diyAudio Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Denver, Colorado	I have a Forte 50A dac if you have any interest.

30th May 2011, 04:06 PM	#4
Secips diyAudio Member Join Date: Nov 2007	Muse Model 2. Mint.

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