Hi dandreye
The ES9018K2M that I tried sounded very nice,
yet had an annoying phenomenon inwhich whenever you stop the music, you hear a momentary "ts" sound.
The ES9023 that I tried was not something I would like to continue listening to.
I tried several more, and eventually settled for something that sounds fantastic.
Judging by its looks, you wouldn't think this would be the winner.
It's this:
L1387 HIFI USB DAC 4X Quad TDA1387 USB decoder beyond the TDA1543 | eBay
🙂
The ES9018K2M that I tried sounded very nice,
yet had an annoying phenomenon inwhich whenever you stop the music, you hear a momentary "ts" sound.
The ES9023 that I tried was not something I would like to continue listening to.
I tried several more, and eventually settled for something that sounds fantastic.
Judging by its looks, you wouldn't think this would be the winner.
It's this:
L1387 HIFI USB DAC 4X Quad TDA1387 USB decoder beyond the TDA1543 | eBay
🙂
spaceman5:
Thanks so much: that really helps and I might also try that winner based on your results. Another evidence that a well sounding DAC doesn't have to be expensive.
Meanwhile I couldn't resist the temptation to buy this one:
X-DA3 SA9227+PCM5102A USB DAC
DA3 SA9227 + PCM5102A 32BIT/384KHZ USB DAC HIFI Asynchronous Decoder + Case | eBay
but when listening to it via wired headphones w/o any amp couldn't notice any difference either way vs the built-in HD sound card in my work Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Gen1 laptop, so it'll likely become one of my party DACs where high quality sound isn't that critical )
Next I decided to buy a fairly well praised Topping D10 for its DSD support but will only get a chance to listen to it on decent amp+speakers in a few months from now.
Thanks so much: that really helps and I might also try that winner based on your results. Another evidence that a well sounding DAC doesn't have to be expensive.
Meanwhile I couldn't resist the temptation to buy this one:
X-DA3 SA9227+PCM5102A USB DAC
DA3 SA9227 + PCM5102A 32BIT/384KHZ USB DAC HIFI Asynchronous Decoder + Case | eBay
but when listening to it via wired headphones w/o any amp couldn't notice any difference either way vs the built-in HD sound card in my work Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Gen1 laptop, so it'll likely become one of my party DACs where high quality sound isn't that critical )
Next I decided to buy a fairly well praised Topping D10 for its DSD support but will only get a chance to listen to it on decent amp+speakers in a few months from now.
Well I just meant something that's the right fit for partying outdoors on warm summer nights, which I fancy most lately. The sound quality needn't be the best out of the best for that: I'd say being better than average is enough.
The amp+speakers are in my home country where I only get a chance to properly enjoy a few weeks of holidays since moving to the UK a long time ago, so I even ordered the D10 to be shipped straight there. Still cannot associate my UK place with any such enjoyments: it's just endless work here (network engineering).
Yeah I understood you.
I just wasn't aware of the idea for DACs for different occasions 😉
Oh..
Where are you from, originally?
Why not at this sort of pricing once you've chosen the best one and end up with several other ones that you no longer need but cannot be bothered selling )
I'm from Samara on the bank of the Volga river in Russia. Still missing those beautiful sunsets every evening.. Hope I'll be allowed to work from there one day as we all do our work remotely anyway.
So I've also bought that TDA1387-based winner myself. How helpful these forums really are: it's hardly possible to realize it's that good just by browsing through dozens of similarly looking ones in its price group. Not a single word in the advert hints at it either, as if it's just another mediocre DAC.
Yes..
Looking at its picture, it looks so simple..
Yet it exceeds all the ones that I tried, including 100$ ones, US made, with all the bells and whistles.
Because it's so good I bought another one.
It's on its way.
I cannot risk the case of losing the current one one day, and then being left without it forever.
I took a look at that 4-parallel USB TDA1387 DAC on Ebay and the datasheet for it. The DAC seems to be a current-output type. The data sheet shows op-amp current-to-voltage converters on the output but I do not see any op-amp on the Ebay board. You might be getting the "current" output of the DAC directly. Not sure if this is OK or not. One could add a I-V stage to the outputs I suppose.
Hi CharlieLaub
Since abraxalito modded this DAC product so much,
I guess he would be a better person to answer that.
I must admit that I did not take the time to understand this DAC's circuit yet.
I simply tested all DAC products by listening to them.
Hopefully abraxalito will see your post, and reply..
Since abraxalito modded this DAC product so much,
I guess he would be a better person to answer that.
I must admit that I did not take the time to understand this DAC's circuit yet.
I simply tested all DAC products by listening to them.
Hopefully abraxalito will see your post, and reply..
In the meantime I found the passive RC-->load circuit that can be used in place of active I-V conversion. Performance is somewhat dependent on the load resistance, but it's probably not of great concern given the (low) cost of the DAC.
See post #5 of this thread, for an example for the TDA1543:
Muse 4 x TDA1543 DAC: NOS sound, or... - www.hardwarezone.com.sg
CharlieLaub,
since it seems you are familiar with old MultiBit NOS DACs,
can you maybe recommend other DAC products to try?
Ones that can be purchased today in 2019, despite the long time that passed since they were manufactured..
since it seems you are familiar with old MultiBit NOS DACs,
can you maybe recommend other DAC products to try?
Ones that can be purchased today in 2019, despite the long time that passed since they were manufactured..
Sorry, I cannot make any recommendation about those products. These days I usually use recording interfaces as ADC+DAC.
I think that when a product contains both ADC+DAC, we can call it a sound card..
(either external or internal..)
So the products you use are all with new chips - Delta-Sigma?
That's quite correct, its got a true current source output. Meaning its high impedance (at least 1Mohm when I did a quick check) and also has wide output compliance (0 -> 3.5V on a 5V supply).
It is indeed designed to be used that way - they've even gone as far as inverting the data internally so after it passes through an (inverting) opamp I/V stage, it comes out true phase.
They're using resistors for I/V in this case - the output impedance is rather high compared to a typical DAC with opamps but still manageable.
@spaceman - very happy to see you spreading the word about TDA1387 DACs. It is indeed very hard to believe the DAC chip is that good when on Taobao the price is still below $0.05. When it truly gets 'discovered' watch for that price to climb....😛
Thanks abraxalito for coming and adding useful information.
And to you for referring me to it.
Who knows where I was today, without your recommendation about it..
and I am considering ordering Lee's x8 model that has Headphones out + Volume control.
(the small model, that is still USB Powered,
and not the bigger model with an AC-AC transformer inside)
Have you ever tried it?
The credit goes to the DAC chip and Lee's implementation.
And to you for referring me to it.
Who knows where I was today, without your recommendation about it..
I ordered a second (backup, for the future) unit of Lee's x4 model,
and I am considering ordering Lee's x8 model that has Headphones out + Volume control.
(the small model, that is still USB Powered,
and not the bigger model with an AC-AC transformer inside)
Have you ever tried it?
Do you mean this one?
L1387Solo 8x???TDA1387???L.Solo????? ??????-???
I do have one or two as I was going to modify one for a guy from Head-Fi a few years back. But then I couldn't figure out how to get the features he wanted so I gave up. Still have one with various parts yanked out in one of my many storage boxes.
I feel I should point out that its not USB powered, needs an external 15V supply.
L1387Solo 8x???TDA1387???L.Solo????? ??????-???
I do have one or two as I was going to modify one for a guy from Head-Fi a few years back. But then I couldn't figure out how to get the features he wanted so I gave up. Still have one with various parts yanked out in one of my many storage boxes.
I feel I should point out that its not USB powered, needs an external 15V supply.
No..
The one you gave requires external power (15v DC), and is bigger.
the one I talk about, is this:
HIFI USB 8 X TDA1387 decode one amp machine burning sound card DTS, AC3 source | eBay
Notice no external power supply, only USB.
The USB is also its only Input.
Its Outputs are 2xRCA, 6.35mm (headphones amplified), Optical, and Coaxial.
Have you ever tried it?
No, since I don't buy stuff from eBay and that one's not shown on Lee's Taobao shop I've not tried it. Not that I'd order it anyway since its only relying on unregenerated USB power, that's gotta be a no-no from the SQ pov. It's using TDA1308 for the amp, not a chip I've listened to either.
I think it is..
See here:
L1387USB 8X ???TDA1387???????????DTS?AC3??-???
Is that different than the simple 23$ USB one be Lee?
(the one I got, and going to get another one on the mail)
That is the same one, I didn't find it from clicking all the categories on Lee's store.
No, the simple ones from Lee do all use the USB bus power, naked. The fact they still sound better than other DACs is to me a major indictment of those 'mainstream' ones.
No, the simple ones from Lee do all use the USB bus power, naked. The fact they still sound better than other DACs is to me a major indictment of those 'mainstream' ones.