An ES9018 balanced DAC project for 2016

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Dadbeh

Dadbeh

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Joined 2010
#1
my research so far has landed me here on this board for my first DAC project:
Assembled ES9018 DAC I2S 384K DSD XLR Balanced Can Upgrade to Remote Control | eBay

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I dont have enough knowledge or eaperience to judge the board or components quality. I have been lead to believe that for a high quality DAC project the PCB has to be a quality 4 layer board and the components need to of a certain quality too. so the first thing that i need help with is: where this board stands in that department and are there any better options in this price range?

after I am set on a board I will have to decided on the power supply solution.
 
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#2
Personally I was looking for a solution that doesnt have PCB mounted connectors .... but cant seem to find any that ticks the features and price boxes and also offers a board with connectors not mounted on it.
 
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#6
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#7
I would buy a usb module that allows you to use an external power supply rather than the usb 5v. I have found it can be quite noisy sometimes and adding an external supply made a noticeable improvement, at least with my pc.
 
#10
Hi Dadbeh,

I know this guy who design this 9018 board in China. When I was a newbie, I bought a lots of kits from him. Some conclusions:
Casual, ignorant, careless even stupid. Their PCB quality is very low, though very low-priced, I won't buy anything from them ever. Also, they USUALLY miss something in the package, or with wrong item. It's inexpensive and has no competitor in this range, but trust me, don't buy it.
Some of their component are highly suspicious to be FAKED. I mean, for sure many are true, but they aren't 100% honest. Take MUSES01/02 for example, their price is about 25 USD, higher price than fakes in China, but, do you believe NJM MUSES01 with 50% discount is real? That's the way they earn money.
 
#11
erikovsky said:
Hi Dadbeh,

I know this guy who design this 9018 board in China. When I was a newbie, I bought a lots of kits from him. Some conclusions:
Casual, ignorant, careless even stupid. Their PCB quality is very low, though very low-priced, I won't buy anything from them ever. Also, they USUALLY miss something in the package, or with wrong item. It's inexpensive and has no competitor in this range, but trust me, don't buy it.
Some of their component are highly suspicious to be FAKED. I mean, for sure many are true, but they aren't 100% honest. Take MUSES01/02 for example, their price is about 25 USD, higher price than fakes in China, but, do you believe NJM MUSES01 with 50% discount is real? That's the way they earn money.
Click to expand...

thank you and i cant argue with direct experience. seems best to stick with products like twisted pear with real support and documentation. I will start a DAC DIY project in three weeks after im done with my finals but in the mean time i decided to buy a commercial DAC. funny thing is that i ended up with a chinese DAC but from a reputable seller with free returns and everything. this will be the first time im using a chinese hifi product. This one is supposed to be pretty cutting eadge with femto clock, balanced dual mono construction (one 9018 chip per channel) and a serious power supply. kinda nervous but we will see.

this is what it is supposed to be:
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.


An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.


The USB board is the new Amanero and unfortunately the connectors are still pcb mounted. i really like it when connectors are chassis bound but you cant always get what you want i guess 😀
 
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