thank you for interesting in our product,
it is the industrial standard i2s signal connection, you are welcome to test other usb to i2s pcb and report!
we have tested our usb to i2s board for es9018 with no unlock and sound distortion problem using 49.xxx/45.xxxM sync clock operation with es9018 default power on hardware mode. It's not good to comment on other brand as we also has similar type of product.
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Sure..
there are three usb to i2s devices available costing 29,39,49 usd.
The first is reported as a general purpose device ie for all dacs
The second as above plus a mounted toslink input and
The third seems to be dedicated to 9018 dacs yet with the possibility to work in synchronous mode.
question is : can a 9018 owner use the first and cheapest device if he is not interested in the synchronous option?
or to put it in another way if you have a 9018 your only choice is the 49 usd unit?
the last question is quite simple.
mac users need drivers?
osx 10.5 in particular
Ordered and looking forward to testing it. Thanks to glt for the tip on his site. Ordered the usb with clock for ess9018 as well and if this work as intended I will only need a optical module (TTL output) in order to get my headphone/computer setup up and running. I allready have a controller (or three...) 
However, this solution looks very well suited for dual mono as the SE output then simply become mono balanced if I understand correctly?
However, this solution looks very well suited for dual mono as the SE output then simply become mono balanced if I understand correctly?
Hi,
I've done this before, in decades, but I guess centuries would work well with the right caps... so a 1uF, 100nF and 10nF, or a 10uF, 100nF and 1nF. Two smd x7r and one through hole electro in this case ?
Someone should start a build thread in the digital line level forum section ? This thread should be for feedback to the seller ?
Cheers
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ES9018 V2 suggestion{s}
In the pictures I see I2s long parallel wires, why not male gold pins on the CM6631 $49 receiver and female SIP socket on the DAC board? USB->i2S-ES9018 board no wires? WHat about the clocks? If the $49 board is designed for the ES9018, why not couple everything at one edge with gold pins? card to card? Or $49 CM6631 could have socket-pins socket top, long pins bottom, snip off pins if not using with ES9018 DIYINHK. You show I2s harness but it is not for sale, wrong way to do it anyway, but for DIY, you show long run of harness nobody has or needs. PLUG $49 CM6631 I2s and clocks in with SIP pins. THEN if you make a new USB receiver [for us FLAC people], it can just plug in. Maybe it has I2s isolation...Xmos, Via Vinyl Envy, blah blah blah.
I also would want easy access to V-out differential if there is such a thing with ES9018 or later in the circuit. I am a big fan of the Broskie Unbalancer and the Broskie Cathode follower both tube circuits. I am also a big fan of direct out no caps, since next stage usually HAS caps, that cuts the component count down by about 1/2 or more. Maybe bring that audio out with coaxial cable? I have some Twinax small style from 10Gb ethernet cable. Does ES9018 output I or V natively? differential V-OUTs would be GREAT somewhere on the board. I would not use anything further. Well...has anyone seen SSM2141 used in a DAC? Inferior or great? It would be an IC that does differential to single-ended conversion very precisely? Or am I wrong?
If there is a market, why not add artwork for best of breed headphone buffer IC? Not that I want to start wars on THAT topic. I do not use headphones but I can appreciate that someone must have made Magnepan-in-a can by now LoL.
I would want access to any nice modes or optional filters in the ES9018 {I know nothing of] but in DIY I would just want the very best and easiest, or a control PCB with remote for filters, volume, anti-clip? A little bit of cross-feed mixing {shhhhhhh} I have a theory ESS may already be doing that in some way. Easy to toss in a little analog cross-blend. I suppose the wizards would use Arduino or Raspberry Pi board, way over my head.
I think most of us want to make the best DAC we can AFFORD, and including principals our forum friends have taught us. I would like to think I can DIY a DAC with the CM6631 and ES9018 boards, which can blow away anything selling retail for lots more, and is improving yet too.
The FIFO buffer project I just started reading, obviously if that is a nice thing, if the edge of the DAC board can invite the FIFO... I don't know if you can hear the difference FIFO to ES9018 or not, but I'd probably pay to find out. U.fl sockets, pins, pads, sockets.. cheapest is anything you just add to the PCB artwork and let DIY take over from there.
In the pictures I see I2s long parallel wires, why not male gold pins on the CM6631 $49 receiver and female SIP socket on the DAC board? USB->i2S-ES9018 board no wires? WHat about the clocks? If the $49 board is designed for the ES9018, why not couple everything at one edge with gold pins? card to card? Or $49 CM6631 could have socket-pins socket top, long pins bottom, snip off pins if not using with ES9018 DIYINHK. You show I2s harness but it is not for sale, wrong way to do it anyway, but for DIY, you show long run of harness nobody has or needs. PLUG $49 CM6631 I2s and clocks in with SIP pins. THEN if you make a new USB receiver [for us FLAC people], it can just plug in. Maybe it has I2s isolation...Xmos, Via Vinyl Envy, blah blah blah.
I also would want easy access to V-out differential if there is such a thing with ES9018 or later in the circuit. I am a big fan of the Broskie Unbalancer and the Broskie Cathode follower both tube circuits. I am also a big fan of direct out no caps, since next stage usually HAS caps, that cuts the component count down by about 1/2 or more. Maybe bring that audio out with coaxial cable? I have some Twinax small style from 10Gb ethernet cable. Does ES9018 output I or V natively? differential V-OUTs would be GREAT somewhere on the board. I would not use anything further. Well...has anyone seen SSM2141 used in a DAC? Inferior or great? It would be an IC that does differential to single-ended conversion very precisely? Or am I wrong?
If there is a market, why not add artwork for best of breed headphone buffer IC? Not that I want to start wars on THAT topic. I do not use headphones but I can appreciate that someone must have made Magnepan-in-a can by now LoL.
I would want access to any nice modes or optional filters in the ES9018 {I know nothing of] but in DIY I would just want the very best and easiest, or a control PCB with remote for filters, volume, anti-clip? A little bit of cross-feed mixing {shhhhhhh} I have a theory ESS may already be doing that in some way. Easy to toss in a little analog cross-blend. I suppose the wizards would use Arduino or Raspberry Pi board, way over my head.
I think most of us want to make the best DAC we can AFFORD, and including principals our forum friends have taught us. I would like to think I can DIY a DAC with the CM6631 and ES9018 boards, which can blow away anything selling retail for lots more, and is improving yet too.
The FIFO buffer project I just started reading, obviously if that is a nice thing, if the edge of the DAC board can invite the FIFO... I don't know if you can hear the difference FIFO to ES9018 or not, but I'd probably pay to find out. U.fl sockets, pins, pads, sockets.. cheapest is anything you just add to the PCB artwork and let DIY take over from there.
You can take the raw differential Vout from the input pads to the opamp. I use standard Cat5E cables to connect from DAC to amp. Works great.
more ES9018 suggestions
Bravo! SO maybe a V3 or V4 of the board, a full piggyback or daughter card, the USB receiver and clocks? Isolated I2s I think you MAY be doing soon... Sometimes items like that 5-pin+3-pin harness are too much work to go find, we DIY... [I use Kynar wire-wrap wire a lot] and degrade... If you have peeked inside some models of Audio GD DACs you see he uses modules he can change [very short leads as a result too]. Does DIYINHK sell a class-A module that runs headphones? If your module plugs in as a piggyback or daughter... [optionally] I think people would buy the easiest thing that is known to work [if they need it]. Then you can come along later and offer a display with remote control...that plugs right in, FEW of us would DIY that [we'd pay you]. I thought of the Raspberry Pi board -- HDMI out? Dac now plugs into TV ? Computer noise though, back to that again. Or can the USB stream and driver contain info to soft-config the DAC registers somehow? [say XMOS USB???]
Now Mr Klipsh mentioned the parallel caps trains... I have been looking at any schematics I can see and often I DO see say 4 caps in parallel .001 .1 1 2uF? If you are playing with ES9018 board artwork... us DIY junkies would love the extra pads! One ES9023 design has those caps also on the DAC internally-generated 1.8V and on the NEG charge-pump.
Another handy item to offer is a chassis mounted USB jack [like XLR] or feed-through, and a short USB B-B or A-B style pigtail to the receiver. I think I saw the bulkhead jacks at Parts-express in USB, they probably get made in CN.
Neutrik NAUSB-W Feed-thru Reversible USB A/B Adapter D Panel 092-278
10cm USB A-b or B-B cable... [to piggy-back USB daughter card]
Thanks for listening, this is looking like it will be much fun!!
Bravo! SO maybe a V3 or V4 of the board, a full piggyback or daughter card, the USB receiver and clocks? Isolated I2s I think you MAY be doing soon... Sometimes items like that 5-pin+3-pin harness are too much work to go find, we DIY... [I use Kynar wire-wrap wire a lot] and degrade... If you have peeked inside some models of Audio GD DACs you see he uses modules he can change [very short leads as a result too]. Does DIYINHK sell a class-A module that runs headphones? If your module plugs in as a piggyback or daughter... [optionally] I think people would buy the easiest thing that is known to work [if they need it]. Then you can come along later and offer a display with remote control...that plugs right in, FEW of us would DIY that [we'd pay you]. I thought of the Raspberry Pi board -- HDMI out? Dac now plugs into TV ? Computer noise though, back to that again. Or can the USB stream and driver contain info to soft-config the DAC registers somehow? [say XMOS USB???]
Now Mr Klipsh mentioned the parallel caps trains... I have been looking at any schematics I can see and often I DO see say 4 caps in parallel .001 .1 1 2uF? If you are playing with ES9018 board artwork... us DIY junkies would love the extra pads! One ES9023 design has those caps also on the DAC internally-generated 1.8V and on the NEG charge-pump.
Another handy item to offer is a chassis mounted USB jack [like XLR] or feed-through, and a short USB B-B or A-B style pigtail to the receiver. I think I saw the bulkhead jacks at Parts-express in USB, they probably get made in CN.
Neutrik NAUSB-W Feed-thru Reversible USB A/B Adapter D Panel 092-278
10cm USB A-b or B-B cable... [to piggy-back USB daughter card]
Thanks for listening, this is looking like it will be much fun!!
BTW, I am just a customer like you and have no control on the development of the board other than provide suggestions. I am the "hifiduino guy" in case you didn't know
A stacked card with superregs, digital input termination etc could perhaps be something to add later on. I will wait until I get the boards since I allways seem to get the ideas when I have cards and start stuffing.
Some things have been mentioned that I would like to see in future revitions though:
1. No edges on the digital lines (still there on the input lines as far as I can see by glt`s images showing rev2). **
2. Digital Termination pads along the inputs (could be left open when using external termination).
3. Seporated inputs but with jumper pads next to them for those that only will use i2s input and no external control unit (not using the mux).
4. Balanced output
I very much like the fact that it is naked. No components that I will not use since I will use an arduino controller.
**Edit: to get curved traces instead of direct angles
Some things have been mentioned that I would like to see in future revitions though:
1. No edges on the digital lines (still there on the input lines as far as I can see by glt`s images showing rev2). **
2. Digital Termination pads along the inputs (could be left open when using external termination).
3. Seporated inputs but with jumper pads next to them for those that only will use i2s input and no external control unit (not using the mux).
4. Balanced output
I very much like the fact that it is naked. No components that I will not use since I will use an arduino controller.
**Edit: to get curved traces instead of direct angles
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Anyone have it RUNNING?
does anyone here have V1 or V2 of this board actually running? Was the silk-screening enough to get it going, or did you have any odd parts procurement issues? Puzzles to solve? I have more parts on hand than most, hah, but where?
I will be trying the $29 CM6631//ES9023 this weekend.
does anyone here have V1 or V2 of this board actually running? Was the silk-screening enough to get it going, or did you have any odd parts procurement issues? Puzzles to solve? I have more parts on hand than most, hah, but where?
I will be trying the $29 CM6631//ES9023 this weekend.
Hi
I got my v2 and cm6631 today. Thanks !
I plan to use an adp151 3.3V reg for the digital supply, and this can fit across FB2 pads, so it would seem to be an easy change to simply add the gnd and enable pads around FB2 for v3 of the board so there is the option for the builder to use FB2 or an adp151 there.
How do I switch between asynch and synch ? In synch, is there an automatic way to switch between the output clocks on the usb board for the DAC board ? Do the NDK oscillators have an enable pin ? It will seem quite inconvenient to manually switch clock jumpers to go from playing 44.1 to 96 Khz tracks.
For the USB board - there's no termination resistors (on either board; they should be at the transmitter) - the power jumper is good but there needs to be two jumpers so the dirty gnd from the PC can also be isolated.
The BOM seems to be :
Resistors
20R x8 (4 on the board plus 4 extra for I2S input as there is no termination)
100R x8
140R x4
470R x6 (4 on the board plus 2 more for the LEDs - board indicates smd 270R but the datasheet shows a higher value and I think Multicomp MF12 resistors will fit here too)
680R x4
3.3KR x1
10KR x2 (might need to be matched for low output DC offset)
Film caps
100pF x4
10nF x4
0.1uF x4
1uF x5
Ceramic X7R
0.1uF x26
Electro
10uF 16V x15
470uF 16V x4
6x op amps lme49990 or ada4627 etc
6x op amp sockets
Did I miss anything ?
A comparison with AMB S11 regulator
and with the usb board (US$49 with 2 regulators, clock outputs, and power jumper)
My flickr photos are here - just quick snaps - GLT's are much better :
Flickr: coughinhk's Photostream
I'll order the parts later today and start a build thread if no-one else has by the time the parts arrive.
Cheers,
Tom
I got my v2 and cm6631 today. Thanks !
I plan to use an adp151 3.3V reg for the digital supply, and this can fit across FB2 pads, so it would seem to be an easy change to simply add the gnd and enable pads around FB2 for v3 of the board so there is the option for the builder to use FB2 or an adp151 there.
How do I switch between asynch and synch ? In synch, is there an automatic way to switch between the output clocks on the usb board for the DAC board ? Do the NDK oscillators have an enable pin ? It will seem quite inconvenient to manually switch clock jumpers to go from playing 44.1 to 96 Khz tracks.
For the USB board - there's no termination resistors (on either board; they should be at the transmitter) - the power jumper is good but there needs to be two jumpers so the dirty gnd from the PC can also be isolated.
The BOM seems to be :
Resistors
20R x8 (4 on the board plus 4 extra for I2S input as there is no termination)
100R x8
140R x4
470R x6 (4 on the board plus 2 more for the LEDs - board indicates smd 270R but the datasheet shows a higher value and I think Multicomp MF12 resistors will fit here too)
680R x4
3.3KR x1
10KR x2 (might need to be matched for low output DC offset)
Film caps
100pF x4
10nF x4
0.1uF x4
1uF x5
Ceramic X7R
0.1uF x26
Electro
10uF 16V x15
470uF 16V x4
6x op amps lme49990 or ada4627 etc
6x op amp sockets
Did I miss anything ?
A comparison with AMB S11 regulator
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
and with the usb board (US$49 with 2 regulators, clock outputs, and power jumper)
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
My flickr photos are here - just quick snaps - GLT's are much better :
Flickr: coughinhk's Photostream
I'll order the parts later today and start a build thread if no-one else has by the time the parts arrive.
Cheers,
Tom
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Hi, why have you bought another CM6631 board if you already had one? just for the extra connection of the clocks to the ES9018 board for the synchronous mode?
check out in this posting how did GLT manage to tie up together the 2 clocks from the amanero board with some resistors and fed the DAC with the reclocked clocks directly without having the MCK being generated through CM6631's output (more jittery than direct connection straight from the clock)
Amanero USB Synchronous Reclocking H i F i D U I N O
maybe the CM6631 clock design also uses the enable pins controlled automatically so you don't have to switch manually the clocks for both 44.1 and 96 khz family...also maybe a similar reclocking would have benefits .
after this modding would be interesting to compare the results with the asynchronous mode
check out in this posting how did GLT manage to tie up together the 2 clocks from the amanero board with some resistors and fed the DAC with the reclocked clocks directly without having the MCK being generated through CM6631's output (more jittery than direct connection straight from the clock)
Amanero USB Synchronous Reclocking H i F i D U I N O
maybe the CM6631 clock design also uses the enable pins controlled automatically so you don't have to switch manually the clocks for both 44.1 and 96 khz family...also maybe a similar reclocking would have benefits .
after this modding would be interesting to compare the results with the asynchronous mode
Hi KlipschKid,
Did you start a build thread?
I'm very interested in this DAC, I linked to it at anther forum as well - ? yourdiary.net! ? • View topic - Audio DIY kit links
Did you start a build thread?
I'm very interested in this DAC, I linked to it at anther forum as well - ? yourdiary.net! ? • View topic - Audio DIY kit links