I openned the picture and I am sure I am not far from what I have said at Mouser.
Your's DAC, I dunno. Seeems well made layout and surely output, but it is not public. All the 4499 dac from china are way or less the same : opa1612, etc : made for measurement not hearing, the one of the link above has 1612 + lm6172 socketed for buffer or filter ! Well... I dunno mine with only a TDA1541A or ad1862 sounds better, but I surmise they did cause those opas gave reaally low average results in I/V, they would have better to accept a little more noise and put the lm6172 soldered direct for the I/V ! I don't know the ak4499 which is perhaps smoother than most ? But the 1612 as I/V is not a so good idea, and anyway it certainly needs a good clock . Acussilon are not bad but it seems straigth forward basic design, so maybe noisy for those speeds ?
I liked however the fact the chips seems isolated on dart little pcb on themother board, seems to me something to figth stray inducatance and capacitance with guarding ????
For the price however, nothing to complain, almost good enough to try to mod, but no room (some resistor are less than 0405 size) and well the output shematic is in the rock, only swap opa amps you can, and for ones w/o external compensation ! We do better here in our 4 layers pcb...
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What do you come from and which ones did you get? Whats the rest of the system? Just curious to know...
//
The ASR rating is just ridiculous, they take one criterium and think it is objective ? Only the concistency of their rating is, not the result itself ! Definitly a pushing boutique web, imho, monney against review, sorta of 6moonsAudio relooked with science blah by measurement !
I'm still listening on this "Chinese DAC".
Excellent? I don't know the measurements but I like the sound.
But too bad the SPDIF only can do 88.2KHz max and the USB only can do 48KHz max; how I wish it can do at least 96KHz.
Dual TDA1305T with CS8412 SPDIF and CM108B USB
The DAC board
I am using it with SMSL PO100 DDC
And powered by 5V 20F super capacitor power filter
Excellent? I don't know the measurements but I like the sound.
But too bad the SPDIF only can do 88.2KHz max and the USB only can do 48KHz max; how I wish it can do at least 96KHz.
Dual TDA1305T with CS8412 SPDIF and CM108B USB
The DAC board
I am using it with SMSL PO100 DDC
And powered by 5V 20F super capacitor power filter
I've had a Topping NX4 portable with built in battery for quite a long time. The only limitation is the micro-USB ports, but so far it works fine.
The Topping D90 looks well built, but it is more expensive (of course I got it used from a guy who had all the parts, including the box, so it looks new).
My systems are very quiet. I can put my ears to the speakers when I have the P3 selected and turn the volume and barely hear, if at all, any noise.
I might op amp roll the Topping just like I do it with the Burson Play. They both also offer different filters so that can be fun, or more confusing, take your pick. The D90 also has optional additional "sound modes": transistor, tubes... I don't think I'll bother with them. We'll see how it works.
Of course, I got the RME as well, but that one is complicated... In reality that one is a full line stage, designed to work into active monitors. Hmm....
I'm still listening on this "Chinese DAC".
Excellent? I don't know the measurements but I like the sound.
But too bad the SPDIF only can do 88.2KHz max and the USB only can do 48KHz max; how I wish it can do at least 96KHz.
Dual TDA1305T with CS8412 SPDIF and CM108B USB
The DAC board
I am using it with SMSL PO100 DDC
And powered by 5V 20F super capacitor power filter
HJow do you like that?
Well... it all depends. The cost that is.... did you price the time it took to put it together - or even to rebuild it? It can take years chasing one particular part... even if the more modern equivalent is available ( search the used market for those people who have more money than time and are on the upgrade path ) or perhaps you are into rebuilding things like a Technics DD or one of them idler jobbies.
...
I do have some badly recorded LPs, but oddly enough most of them sound very good to superb. Just keep them very clean. Of course, my vacuum machine was bought on sale... 30 years ago. It still works. I think my next will be a wet ultrasonic DIY set up...
Quite far. My AK4191+AK4499EX DAC board has more expensive components than in that picture and still the total cost is half of what you estimated. Naturally I have an Excel BOM with Mouser/Digikey prices so I don't need to guess how much my DAC costs.
I like that dac because I can crank the volume up for the dynamic without fatigue (both line-out and phone-out),
I have heard several dac they sounds nice when low volume but not scaling well with high volume.
It doesn't have any volume knob for the phone-out and also unable to adjust volume in windows, so with the SMSL PO100 DDC (with 5.83 firmware) I can control the volume when using Win10 with its ASIO driver.
The phone-out not having great power, but just only enough power to squeeze out every drop of juice from my Sony MH1C earphones. (again, I like the synergy of this combo)
I also tested several power adapters for this dac but only with the super capacitor power filter added improves its soundstage and treble.
BTW, I spent 72USD for this "inexpensive Chinese DAC" combo. (DAC: 27USD / DDC: 30USD / Power Filter: 15USD)
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Ah I remember your picture it seemed to have less but as it is divided in several little board I believe you. I remember the little nice box with its screen !
How much is VAT when you bbuy at Mouser in your country ? 21% as well ?
Wow ! I want you DAC ! 😀
Btw, never listen to anAK4499!
How is it gents vs what you knew from others DeltaSigma ICs whatever the brand ? Real step crossed ?
I had sadness with SD dacs I prefered at the end a little more edgy and harshness and gone back to old pcm chips NOS cause it seemed to me more vivid and good enough when setuped with care (but I am listening 99% 16/42 materials.). Can habdle some edgy harschness time to time according the reccording. So 100 db noise floor is good enough to me.
So i dunno if all of those modern designs are worthing it but upsampling in a pc before maybe....
Btw, never listen to anAK4499!
How is it gents vs what you knew from others DeltaSigma ICs whatever the brand ? Real step crossed ?
I had sadness with SD dacs I prefered at the end a little more edgy and harshness and gone back to old pcm chips NOS cause it seemed to me more vivid and good enough when setuped with care (but I am listening 99% 16/42 materials.). Can habdle some edgy harschness time to time according the reccording. So 100 db noise floor is good enough to me.
So i dunno if all of those modern designs are worthing it but upsampling in a pc before maybe....
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At leas what I see is often an outputsage what is showing to the datasheet from the chip maker and that is theroical more than made to sound good.
That's what I don't like in cheap Chi-Fi below 2 k USD and ASR ranking who has very no idea about what science is but always go back to it as explanation with a band of following sheeps less educated than my dog is (it's an hyperbol of course but you get the idea I make short)
That's what I don't like in cheap Chi-Fi below 2 k USD and ASR ranking who has very no idea about what science is but always go back to it as explanation with a band of following sheeps less educated than my dog is (it's an hyperbol of course but you get the idea I make short)
How is this possible? 8412 is a very old receiver (very bad, btw) and it can only work with a maximum sampling rate of 50-55 kHz.
Tricks? Overclock?
Alex.
There are many that dare to state old DACs sound better because of this jittery receiver. I even heard a few times the explanation that instruments also have jitter 😉
I often mix up it with the CS8416... that is not so slouch when embeded by a knowledgeable designer
To be honest, after six pairs of Dynaudios in the 90s and early 2000s, all from the old Contour line + the Special One, I discovered high sensitivity and everything that goes with it, which was largely muffled by the lossy and power hungry Dynaudio drivers + filters, never to look back
In our country, many people swear by the inconspicuous Dynaudio sound signature. But I can no longer tolerate the artificial upper bass hump of the monitors (which is easily recognizable even from outside a room).
Nothing surprising here.
You only have to read the thread in which Thorsten Loesch posted a few comments and notice the disrespectful backlash he got from the ASR cultists to get a glimpse of totalitarianism at work.
But as with most things in life, it's the experience that counts and I can't help but chuckle at people who voluntarily dedicate themselves to the cult, compile a headache-inducing audio set based on the almighty SINAD list and then convince themselves and others that it's 'completely transparent'.
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