Building the ultimate NOS DAC using TDA1541A

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#5,841
triode_al said:
....
TDA1541 with SAA7220 and resistor I/V I have found very subtle, and with Pass I/V it gives great depth. (I have a depth-enhancing 300B SET).
Note that with a passive preamp it is much better; while any active preamplifier might sound tense.

But that is in my home with my ears (certainly not going above 13k anymore, right even less, and I'm very sensitive to fast transients that quickly are heard as harsh highs).
Click to expand...

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This is also what I noticed.
TDA1541 or TDA1543 perform much better (sonically) with passive I/V solutions.
Any type of active circuitry (transistors, OPs) directly connected to the chip seem to
improve distortion (THD) but seriously degrade the sound.

Many people are skeptic about SAA7220, but the B version is really very good and
it has many features suitable for operation with TDA1541A or TDA1543.

I know John would not agree with me ;-) but to my ears, the SAA7220B + TDA1541A and
passive I/V with a good tube analogue stage (with all the extra perioherial circuitry
included) is still - after so many years of playing around - one of my two DAC references.

I have not listened to Johns latest DAC, but TDA1541A has something that no
other solution have seem to be able to produce.
 
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#5,842
Hi,

I remember also a very good result on a high end stock CD player from TEAC Z serie something with a filtering chip (a Sony if I remember ?!) and 2 x TDA1541A...
Despite the simple usual oaps I/V + buffer it used to sound good.

To your ears, what are the qualities added by the tubes over solid-state with the TDA1541A please ? What topology did you like here for the tubes ?
 
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#5,844
Eldam said:
Hi,

I remember also a very good result on a high end stock CD player from TEAC Z serie something with a filtering chip (a Sony if I remember ?!) and 2 x TDA1541A...
Despite the simple usual oaps I/V + buffer it used to sound good.

To your ears, what are the qualities added by the tubes over solid-state with the TDA1541A please ? What topology did you like here for the tubes ?
Click to expand...

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I do not believe tubes "add" and OP amps or transistors "subtract" something from the music.
I have heard tube circuits that sound really bad. I believe the simplicity might be the trick here (simple circuits).
I just used the tube-circuit posted by John here many years ago (look back in this thread).
 
#5,849
#5,850
Alexiss said:
---------------------------------------------
This is also what I noticed.
TDA1541 or TDA1543 perform much better (sonically) with passive I/V solutions.
Any type of active circuitry (transistors, OPs) directly connected to the chip seem to
improve distortion (THD) but seriously degrade the sound.

Many people are skeptic about SAA7220, but the B version is really very good and
it has many features suitable for operation with TDA1541A or TDA1543.

I know John would not agree with me ;-) but to my ears, the SAA7220B + TDA1541A and
passive I/V with a good tube analogue stage (with all the extra perioherial circuitry
included) is still - after so many years of playing around - one of my two DAC references.

I have not listened to Johns latest DAC, but TDA1541A has something that no
other solution have seem to be able to produce.
Click to expand...

Hi,

Do you know if someone already tried the SAA7030 which was for two TDA1540 but in simultaneous mode for the TDA1541A instead ?
 
#5,854
Eldam said:
Hi,

Do you know if someone already tried the SAA7030 which was for two TDA1540 but in simultaneous mode for the TDA1541A instead ?
Click to expand...

The SAA7030 only has 14 bits word length (for the TDA1540) but oversampled it behaves quite well like 16 bits NOS.
The TDA1541 should accept the fewer bits. But you must do it at 176 kHz.

I saw a SAA7030 kit from 2013 that outputs the simultaneous mode with a new upsampling chip. CDREAMS is the site.
 
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#5,855
#5,856
Thanks Albert,

I should try on a verroboard, I have a TDA1540 board from a Marantz cd player. IIRC the SAA7030 filter has less jitter than the filters made for the TDA1541A ?!

Well I assume 14 bits gives less listening details and a harscher top end...:scratch:... I found the TDA1540 to sound good with few tweakings though !
 
#5,857
Hi.
I bought for my CD-371 one low jitter clock module from ebay (this) but it seems it doesn't work. I took out all clock related components around saa7220 and just connected main clock output to pin 11. The cd is spinning chaotically in both directions and never stop. If I try to connect also the ground of the module to cd player ground (pin 12 for eg) the spinning stops but then the rectifier diodes from the module go crazy hot (actually first time it burnt the CD player fuse). The module produce a nice 5.00 V for powering the TXCO but ... that's were my measuring capabilities are ending: I don't have a scope to see the output 🙁
If I put back the old clock the CD is working fine (except for the ERR message while trying to read TOC of some CDs but that's a different issue I guess)
Any ideea please? TX
 
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