Hi xedox,
You might want to double check you have the right part, 0603 is usually manageable to solder with the right technique. A while back I ordered these very parts but I received 0402 size instead, which is challenging to manually solder.
I'd suggest using some decent tweezers and good lighting.
A method I've found to work quite well: Solder one pad only first without the part in place, put the part on and while holding with tweezers tack in place, then solder the other side as normal, using extra flux helps to get a good connection. Resolder the side you tacked. No need for a pointy tip really. I use .7mm 60/40 solder, may be better off with .5mm. Solder paste is another option, use a soldering iron or hot air gun set at about 290 degrees Celsius, don't use too much paste.
Youtube has some good tutorials on this subject.
Heres one I found after typing in "0603 soldering"
Hand soldering 0603 components.
Good luck.
I completely agree. I've owned three genuine Dutch made S1 chips and they did not sound as good as non-crown A chips manufactured in Taiwan in 1997 or 1998.
Here's an extract from the Dutch Audio Classics website which is a goldmine of TDA1541 information:
The "select" version TDA1541A S1 progressed to become the TDA1541A S2, with an even stricter selective standard and a so-called double crown mark. In fact, previous "select" product levels were easily exceeded through improvements in the manufacturing process and manufacturing precision of the device.
Hi Mike P,
Thanks for posting that info. I can relate to that. Its interesting because not long ago I could not detect the difference between TDA1541A chips so easy, but since I have paid closer attention the the sensitivity of the TDAs psu requirements (in my opinion - output z and decently low noise) that only now can get the transparency from the chip to tell the difference. This compels me to make a completed PCB for my output stage... SEN with PSU and ,CCS... Maybe soon down the track. A good listening session at the moment is determined to a large degree by the quality of the recording. I think Transparency is emerging in my system slowly. A low phase noise clock still seems quite imperative...
It was great these chip were created for so long to get to the stage of perfecting the fabrication process.
Cheers,
Have a good weekend.
Ryan
Hi Mike P,
I disagree with your findings. which dac or cdp have you tested the chip on ?
Yes Im sure the Taiwan chip would sound nice as for my own findings I prefer
the sound of the S1 over the double crown that I have as I find the the double
crown is too refine or more hi fi like if you will. Chips are tested on a highly tweaked
AYA ll
Ryan in reading yes the TDA is very sensitive to power supply . -15 & -5 +5v have
different requirements so much so that caps used be it coupling or decoupling greatly
affects the sound, even the regs that's used also affect the sound. Treat the TDA as an analog device & tweak it from there
Cheers
I disagree with your findings. which dac or cdp have you tested the chip on ?
Yes Im sure the Taiwan chip would sound nice as for my own findings I prefer
the sound of the S1 over the double crown that I have as I find the the double
crown is too refine or more hi fi like if you will. Chips are tested on a highly tweaked
AYA ll
Ryan in reading yes the TDA is very sensitive to power supply . -15 & -5 +5v have
different requirements so much so that caps used be it coupling or decoupling greatly
affects the sound, even the regs that's used also affect the sound. Treat the TDA as an analog device & tweak it from there
Cheers
Hi Sumotan, I am pretty sure Pedja backed this with distortion measurements, so that would make the Taiwan chips technically superior. Other than that it gets subjective and there is no right and wrong in this territory.
I see you are relatively new here, so just to let you know there are a few threads with very experienced designers here that go into the detail of how to make a good TDA1541A dac.
Last edited:
Luke, Pedja really has the best 1541A PCB available... you should buy one if not already.
Sumotan, I have something based on the same PCB - can I ask the nature of your S1 to S2 comparison, ie. date and country of manufacture. I'm with S2 Taiwan '97, and have been through similar trials, yet this one remains best and by some margin.
LH/S
Last edited:
Hi Sumotan,
I agree with most of what you say, except my own personal preference is for the 1997> Taiwanese manufactured chips.
I'm not alone is my findings, several noted TDA1541 world experts including Pedja Logic, John Brown and (from memory) Thorsten Loesch have noted the same thing about the Taiwan produced chips.
However, I can see why you might prefer the sound of the earlier chips, I would describe it as "softer" whereas the later chips can be more "clean". At the end of the day it's all down to personal preference - whatever makes you happy.
I certainly agree with you about the importance of the power supplies and that the choice of supply decoupling capacitors is very influential on the sound. It's amazing how different a TDA1541 can sound just with different power supply decoupling caps fitted.
I must have owned and auditioned at least 20+ TDA1541(A) DAC chips, including 3 genuine Dutch S1 chips and for me the chips produced in Taiwan in the late '90's have a different sonic flavour. Whether you prefer it or not is a matter of personal preference.
Below are some listening impressions I made on a selection of chips years ago which I posted on another forum. The tests were done with the chips fitted in a very highly modified Arcam Alpha 5 CD player (I now use a modified Sony 337ESD and 555ESD).
Here are my listening impressions:
TDA1541A: HSH9349, HSH9423 and HSH8844
I found these chips to all have a very similar sound. From this group I think the HSH94 was my favourite by a very small margin and sounded a little clearer. The HSH88 was perhaps a shade 'warmer' with marginally softer bass and the HSH93 was somewhere in the middle. Essentially these three chips all sound the same, I doubt I could tell between them in a blind test.
TDA1541A R1 HSH8740:
I was fully expecting this chip to sound awful but very quickly my negative preconceptions were proven largely unjustified. The R1 chip sounded almost identical to the three Dutch made TDA1541A chips. If I'm being ultra critical I think I did find the soundstage a bit flatter, less '3D' if you know what I mean but basically it sounds like any TDA1541A does.
TDA1541A S1 HSH8736:
I was very excited to here the S1 and was expecting great things from it. I found the S1 to be a nice sounding chip with a pleasing 'crispness' and good detail. My impression is that channel balance and stereo imaging was perhaps a shade better than the three TDA1541A chips. Overall the S1 shared the same sonic character as the three TDA1541A chips but with a tiny pinch of added 'je ne sais quoi'.
TDA1541A Taiwan 1997:
For me this was the big surprise of the listening tests. I found this chip to have quite a noticeably different character to the other chips tested. The sound of this chip is more dynamic and vigorous than the Dutch chips. Detail is on a similar level to the S1 but the bass of the Taiwan chip is especially impressive and superior to any of the other chips tested.
Conclusions?:
TDA1541A - The three chips I tested sounded very very similar. Measurements may be able to differentiate between them but I doubt I could reliably identify each one in blind auditions.
TDA1541A vs TDA1541A R1 - The R1 chip has almost all of the same sonic virtues as the standard TDA1541A. If you have a choice between a standard 'A' and an R1 chip then go for the standard 'A' but if you already have an R1 fitted or if R1 chips are all you can find then rest assure the difference is small and not worth worrying about unless you are looking for perfection.
TDA1541A S1 vs TDA1541A - You have to remember that the S1 is 'just' a selected TDA1541A with guaranteed 'good' tolerances and that's exactly how it sounds. Listening to an S1 chip is like listening to any good TDA1541A, nothing more. To my mind the advantage of an S1 chip is that it comes with the reassurance that you're getting a 'good' chip. Personally I don't think that they justify the dramatically higher price which they tend to sell for nowadays. I haven't heard an S2 chip so I can't comment on those.
TDA1541A Taiwan - The final few years of TDA1541A production (1997-2000) were done in Taiwan. My Taiwanese made chip has a noticeably different sonic character to the earlier Dutch made chips. To me the Taiwanese chip has better dynamics, sounds more energetic and has more powerful bass. I will concede that some people may prefer the sound of the Dutch chips and they may work better with some systems. However for me the Taiwanese chip is the clear winner so far and this is the chip which has been put back into my best CD player.
As Ryan pointed out, with a really good magnifying glass and good soldering equipment it is possible to solder these capacitors. But it's not easy. I've been slowly populating my board, so I'm very sympathetic to those who find soldering the small parts a challenge. So I figured out a work around that makes this much easier for C21 C27 C30 and C35. The work around takes advantage of the fact that each of these capacitors is in parallel with a physically larger 100 ohm resistor (R22, R25, R29, R33). So one can stack the resistor and capacitor on the same pads, which allows one to use much larger capacitors. I suggest ordering the 1206 size for C21 C27 C30 C35. One part I found on Digikey is C1206C470K5GACTU. Solder these parts on the pads for R22 R25 R29 R33 first and then solder the resistors on top of the caps. To make things even simpler, you can order thin film parts for R22 R25 R29 R33, which are flat and thus easier to stack on top of the capacitors. One example would be part # ERA-8AEB101V but there are many that would work.
---Gary
Hi Guys,
Yes in a way it's personal preference at the end of the day but all I can say
is that once properly tweaked this dac is beyond what many thinks is the end
of 16 bits. As for you Luke, if measurements is the key here then Nos shouldn't
have work in the first place. Ever heard a properly set up DHT SET , yes once
heard it will be the bench mark that we all diyers will try to emulate.
Regardless of which sounds best, it is tweaking the dac as a whole to compliment the rest of the system. For me S1 is still my preferred choice cause
it sounds more wholesome overall where else the Double Crown is too refine &
sounds more hi-fi. To each his own I guess. Btw linear regs be it super low noise etc don't do well with this Chip.
Thank & Cheers
Yes in a way it's personal preference at the end of the day but all I can say
is that once properly tweaked this dac is beyond what many thinks is the end
of 16 bits. As for you Luke, if measurements is the key here then Nos shouldn't
have work in the first place. Ever heard a properly set up DHT SET , yes once
heard it will be the bench mark that we all diyers will try to emulate.
Regardless of which sounds best, it is tweaking the dac as a whole to compliment the rest of the system. For me S1 is still my preferred choice cause
it sounds more wholesome overall where else the Double Crown is too refine &
sounds more hi-fi. To each his own I guess. Btw linear regs be it super low noise etc don't do well with this Chip.
Thank & Cheers
Hi Ludwig,
So sorry my chips strangely have no markings on country of origin
but the minute you play them you'll immediately hear the difference.
S1 , S2 sounds much closer but much more refine or should I say
polite in certain ways
So sorry my chips strangely have no markings on country of origin
but the minute you play them you'll immediately hear the difference.
S1 , S2 sounds much closer but much more refine or should I say
polite in certain ways
You can decipher the date and place of manufacture and using the serial number. Follow this link and scroll down to the stamp coding section:
Philips TDA1541A d/a converter - DutchAudioClassics.nl
Fair comments regarding NOS🙂 I have never heard a DHT SET so cant comment. What do you recommend as a good reg for this chip?
Well Luke the best thing to do is to get Pedja's board or dac
if still available while Ryan's effort is to be applauded it is much
better to have everything on a single board with I/V included.
For those with I2S direct connection from CDP, Ryan's board
would be a good choice. Think Ryan's discovered too that I/V
together will fair far better in terms of SQ
Cheers
if still available while Ryan's effort is to be applauded it is much
better to have everything on a single board with I/V included.
For those with I2S direct connection from CDP, Ryan's board
would be a good choice. Think Ryan's discovered too that I/V
together will fair far better in terms of SQ
Cheers
Could it be possible than a non "S" labelled TDA1541A has a "S/crown sound like" because it escapes from sorting opérations in factory ? (or the sorting operations were not existing yet ?)
A little like a beautifull girl who missed the Beauty Queen competition because she arrived too late to the show ? (or non advirtised about the compet and still working in the fields to cultivate rice or potatoes according where she was manufactured, Europe or South Asia !)
When was the first crowning of a TDA1541A chip ?
My S1 non crowned, and said to be maid at Singapoor, (thanks to the generous gentleman donator again) seems to sound much precise and clearer in détails of than a non a normal TDA1541A from the 80s' but also than a Taiwan 98 non S1 TDA1541A!
1998 Taiwan non crowned seems to have détails in mids and bass but having a sort of carpet, mufled sound... and mostly Something a little fatiguing like a sort of distorsion as makes a third harmonic too present at ears ! Their bass and mid-bass are less present !
One thing is sure : a Taiwan chip from 98 and a non Taiwan chip ask for a total different setup for the output stage about the caps... and I'm sure while I had no time to verify : about the decoupling caps around the chip itself like its decoupling powersupply ! I gave a lot of advice decoupling about the AYA II 2014, but lately discover they were not accurate at a certain degree for the chips made from Taiwan in 98 (Pedja Rogic from Audial use this one in its excellent Model S and AYA II fully assembled) as I setuped mine during two years around a normal TDA1541A from the 80s made in Europe and from a very good S1 from Singapoor ! Making sound good a TDA1541A is a serious work guys !
And of course I agree about the AYA II layout superiority ... and not only because all is in the same pcb ! IMHO and ears as well (I was here on the Distinction 1, lol )
According to my ears, the S1 is more precise, more conform to the reality ! I never heard a S2 !
Of course YMMV as the quality of the rest of your hifi ! Blurp !
A little like a beautifull girl who missed the Beauty Queen competition because she arrived too late to the show ? (or non advirtised about the compet and still working in the fields to cultivate rice or potatoes according where she was manufactured, Europe or South Asia !)
When was the first crowning of a TDA1541A chip ?
My S1 non crowned, and said to be maid at Singapoor, (thanks to the generous gentleman donator again) seems to sound much precise and clearer in détails of than a non a normal TDA1541A from the 80s' but also than a Taiwan 98 non S1 TDA1541A!
1998 Taiwan non crowned seems to have détails in mids and bass but having a sort of carpet, mufled sound... and mostly Something a little fatiguing like a sort of distorsion as makes a third harmonic too present at ears ! Their bass and mid-bass are less present !
One thing is sure : a Taiwan chip from 98 and a non Taiwan chip ask for a total different setup for the output stage about the caps... and I'm sure while I had no time to verify : about the decoupling caps around the chip itself like its decoupling powersupply ! I gave a lot of advice decoupling about the AYA II 2014, but lately discover they were not accurate at a certain degree for the chips made from Taiwan in 98 (Pedja Rogic from Audial use this one in its excellent Model S and AYA II fully assembled) as I setuped mine during two years around a normal TDA1541A from the 80s made in Europe and from a very good S1 from Singapoor ! Making sound good a TDA1541A is a serious work guys !
And of course I agree about the AYA II layout superiority ... and not only because all is in the same pcb ! IMHO and ears as well (I was here on the Distinction 1, lol )
According to my ears, the S1 is more precise, more conform to the reality ! I never heard a S2 !
Of course YMMV as the quality of the rest of your hifi ! Blurp !
Last edited:
the mid-bass of a S1 makes an ESS dac chip sounding ridiculous accordig to me ! And Taiwan 98 non S has a "romantic detailed" sound in mid-treble while being fatiguing in this last register (sort of third harmonic effect to my ears which demand to be worked with output stage and decoupling") ! AT the end the Taiwan chips could be maybe the best while for the non crowned missing of tighness ... which is not acceptable for me in the mid-bass department !
Last edited:
Glad to see that you finally drop by Eldam. Thought that Im mad
to fiddle this much but you Eldam takes the cake for the ultimate
Tda 1541 tweaker or should I say Guru . Lol
Cheers
to fiddle this much but you Eldam takes the cake for the ultimate
Tda 1541 tweaker or should I say Guru . Lol
Cheers