Not sure if anyone has mentioned yet but DIYAudio member @abraxalito makes highly regarded and inexpensive dacs and dac DIY kits from China, although being British (he was an engineer at B&W amongst other audio companies),Im using his PCM58 chip dac and think its excellent, I now prefer the current sound to my previous reference dac; Bricasti M21. Highly recommend trying his kits plus he's a true gentleman and pleasure to deal with.
Jules
Jules
Actually UAC2 audio channel cluster can have up to 255 channels. There are 27+1 predefined spatial locations.
Just curiously, what don't you like about the M21?
Also, it wasn't clear from a quick look at the specs what the maximum DSD sample rate is? Appears the M21 owner manual suggests DSD128 is the maximum. If so, that would be disappointing.
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It is , I just dedicated a full month of trying to get rid of it, to no avail.
Disclaimer: I am not a specialist of anything...
but ... the noise from cpu's can potentially enter in the clock, power supply, dac power supply, and PCB traces!!!
So the digital signal has jitter/noise which is merging with the sound in some manner and cannot be corrected during playing...
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The Bricasti had all the bells and whistles which was great but it was on the dry side, smaller soundstage, less dynamic, overall less musical. No idea about DSD was running Audirvana in PCM, not a fan of the DSD sound.
Thank you for the correction. I confused it with the bmChannelConfig indeed. The cause was the UAC2 implementation I use and know (f_uac2 gadget in linux) makes a shortcut in configuration and limits the number of channels to the bits in the channel mask (= bmChannelConfig). There could/should be a separate bNrChannels config up to 255, just nobody needed it so far 🙂 Thanks!
My pcm58 has no voltages readings, I have the feeling there is a cheap tda1543 somewhere and all the rest is just for the eye hahaha.
Seems power transformer is higher voltage than it should, but nothing on the pcb traces dac and opamp, 0 output voltages
i got some readings at one PCB point, the opamps have 2.5 volts difference in -/+ ... one trim pot seems to be doing nothing.
One another trim pot just adjust the opamps voltages but it keeps it unbalanced.
Seems power transformer is higher voltage than it should, but nothing on the pcb traces dac and opamp, 0 output voltages
i got some readings at one PCB point, the opamps have 2.5 volts difference in -/+ ... one trim pot seems to be doing nothing.
One another trim pot just adjust the opamps voltages but it keeps it unbalanced.
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they are hearing low level details because there is nothing else to hear, it is all disconnected...
I just connected and played my new pcm58, just stock fish... plays quite well.
First impression is better than emu0404, I was not going to write a review but I cant help share my P-o-v.
In its favor it has a way better receiver than emu0404 which is lacking on that side... I listened to NOS 44kb old recorded material.
Setup: Usher 1.5 8545A, 5590 tweeter 1.8k xo 3rd order /kt88 tube amp pentode mode/ that is it.
first warning: for those looking for tda layered easy mid-range analytics, forget it, pcm58 is the opposite of that.
The points in disfavor of pcm58 vs. emu0404 with Broskie:
pcm 58 it lacks that sparkle of attention of recreating the event as it would be, the background is not as deep, it is not impressive sounding and as multi-layered, the Emu0404 rivals the tda1541 with a lot more high and bass. PCM58 is a little bit mid-range like, it doesn't sounds as clear in a good way as ak4396 does with silence between each notes and a feeling of digging deep into recording information.
Positive points: the pcm58, doesn't fly above information and low detail, but it is not a quiet dac in NOS. but it sounds way better than tda1541 in nos, it practically zero high frequency fatigue, it is almost fatigue free, and never brings your attention on : oooo look I can play huge bass, o and mix it with tons of high pitch precision and some incredible mid-range voices and ooo I can do more, (it is irritating). Little subtle volume changes in voices and instruments are presented in a precise manner and adds to the listening pleasure, you hear intonations , not just sounds.
To resume in two words: dream like. It sounds like what you would dream your audio system sounded : so smooth but with enough violin playing romantically with just enough sparkle, a slightly blurred voice of a singer in the corner of the venue. and some musicians in the background clearly enjoying themselves, so yes, it is a joyful sound, very romantic and devoid of hifi pleasures. You want to listen to it and you don't want to change anything!!!
That is it ! (sounds completely different than PCM53 which was just floating above material with incredible deep middle bass, pcm58 just don't attract your attention but it is not clinical and analytical like tda1541)
How did you make that determination if you haven't heard it yourself? I mean, it looks a lot like you are just taking a guess and then assuming you guessed right?
Changing the subject a little, I listened to the three recordings you posted that were reportedly compared in DeltaWave. I listened on cheap headphones on my laptop built-in sound card. To my ears, DeltaWave is exactly right. The Broskie version was the least like the original recording. But the PC version was lacking too.
That said, its perfectly okay if you like the Broskie sound best. Its just not particularly accurate.
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I think I guessed right... when the main dish is not interesting you focus on side dish?
If you 'notice' details it is because something which wasn't there before now appears... or grabs your attention.
Tda1541 has a nice main attraction, a full sound main theme then it has a nice second theme a little a few feet back, then a third attraction just there to agreement and complement the two others. With tda1541 you cannot talk about details or quiet background, you cant either with pcm58 or 53, there is no quiet background, music just flows
I heard it and I remember it quite well, I don't need to go grab my top of line FIIO or another dac to know what the reviewers talk about... again it is like with amps they are chasing Watts and low THD which is irrelevant. Same with dac they are chasing low noise which doesn't make any sense. Better specifications etc, same disappointment.
when the device can play a test sound without any thd from 0-100db and intermodulation is almost 0 with 100 signals. the only criteria is how it sounds subjectively, nothing else then matter as long as circuit is sound and well designed.
If you 'notice' details it is because something which wasn't there before now appears... or grabs your attention.
Tda1541 has a nice main attraction, a full sound main theme then it has a nice second theme a little a few feet back, then a third attraction just there to agreement and complement the two others. With tda1541 you cannot talk about details or quiet background, you cant either with pcm58 or 53, there is no quiet background, music just flows
I heard it and I remember it quite well, I don't need to go grab my top of line FIIO or another dac to know what the reviewers talk about... again it is like with amps they are chasing Watts and low THD which is irrelevant. Same with dac they are chasing low noise which doesn't make any sense. Better specifications etc, same disappointment.
when the device can play a test sound without any thd from 0-100db and intermodulation is almost 0 with 100 signals. the only criteria is how it sounds subjectively, nothing else then matter as long as circuit is sound and well designed.
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It may help to understand about noise if you consider that the problems you have with your PC affecting the sound of your dac is caused by noise. There are all kinds of noise, and some of it can be very insidious. Most people don't seem to understand that well. They often tend to think of noise as only the sound of resistor thermal noise, a little hissss. In reality noise can be quite damaging to the sound of a dac, and damaging to its accuracy. It can be audible yet be hidden in plain sight. Noise can mask low level details in a recording without there being an easy way to measure or to hear the noise directly. When the noise is correlated with the audio signal it can mask low level details without the noise ever being plainly audible. That's because the noise has become part of the audio signal. When the audio signal is louder then so is the noise, when audio is lower level then so is the noise. Its always there just lurking under the surface of human auditory awareness. But even without being able to clearly hear it for what it is, its affecting the sound which is perceived. That type of noise includes things like the Hump distortion of ESS Hyperstream II dacs. Its also possible to think of the Hump effect as a very nonlinear, non-time invariant, dynamic distortion that's constantly changing with the audio signal. But that's not the only type of correlated noise. There is also the type that seems to be affecting your PC dac. The original recording has space, with its echos and reverberations. It sounds really nice. That low level spatial information is largely missing from the PC dac recording. Instead its more dry and grainy at low levels. That may be more or less why you don't like it. While the Broskie is more different from the original recording, and while the original recording space is also somewhat missing from the Broskie, its maybe a little less ugly sounding than the PC dac. Less ugly isn't necessarily more accurate though.
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Good nite Mark, indeed!
My problem is only on one amp when volume is turned up all the way, and I found it came from the computer then into the emu0404, I will try to hear if it does it with my new dacs. I just purchased two pcm58, one as reference the other to modify, because beyond measurements all matter is how it sounds. I like the pcm58, I am not in love but it is quite neutral.
There are specialists who would explain the problems with noise, it is that this noise gets into feedback on top of the signal and it can be into ultrasonics and even more... it denotes a pollution of some invader, maybe it has zero effect, like maybe the hum from the tube heaters is a 120hz tone with a few harmonics which the feedback is able to tame down. But can the feedback get rid of GHz intermodulation's of the cpu's cores? it cannot. then it might get amplified even more in music causing listening fatigue from constant loading of white noise and ultrasonic, it can lead to high currents, oscillation in the output stages etc.
Like I am sure that I cannot hear any difference in my tube amp with a power capacitor of 200uf or one of 600uf, but the reduction of power supply noise could have unknown subtle effects on listener fatigue.
My problem is only on one amp when volume is turned up all the way, and I found it came from the computer then into the emu0404, I will try to hear if it does it with my new dacs. I just purchased two pcm58, one as reference the other to modify, because beyond measurements all matter is how it sounds. I like the pcm58, I am not in love but it is quite neutral.
There are specialists who would explain the problems with noise, it is that this noise gets into feedback on top of the signal and it can be into ultrasonics and even more... it denotes a pollution of some invader, maybe it has zero effect, like maybe the hum from the tube heaters is a 120hz tone with a few harmonics which the feedback is able to tame down. But can the feedback get rid of GHz intermodulation's of the cpu's cores? it cannot. then it might get amplified even more in music causing listening fatigue from constant loading of white noise and ultrasonic, it can lead to high currents, oscillation in the output stages etc.
Like I am sure that I cannot hear any difference in my tube amp with a power capacitor of 200uf or one of 600uf, but the reduction of power supply noise could have unknown subtle effects on listener fatigue.
The creation of the hype goes according marketing plans. I heard P. Diddy also refused to return his. He spoke of lifting a veil as he very much likes lifting veils. And black than black backgrounds.
Did you really? What about the measurements then? You have a disturbing story about a suspected criminal liking the measured dynamic range numbers too?
Idk if it’s rant , sarcasm or both , I mean there is nothing to reply
I am very happy with my Chinese dac but I doubt I will share anything here , just good luck with Chinese stuff , it’s very good but it is also for advanced diy, receivers , I v and buffer circuits are not a guess work and filters , unfortunately most people will modify and make it worse but satisfy some fantasy about component quality
I am very happy with my Chinese dac but I doubt I will share anything here , just good luck with Chinese stuff , it’s very good but it is also for advanced diy, receivers , I v and buffer circuits are not a guess work and filters , unfortunately most people will modify and make it worse but satisfy some fantasy about component quality
Why advanced, or what would you consider to be advanced about it? SMD soldering? Interfacing to I2S bus?
Also, I'm not convinced most of the Chinese dac boards are very good. DAC chips that should really be on 4-layers boards are often put on 2-layer boards because its cheaper, not because its good.
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Lack of instructions, many smd parts to solder , need to understand how microchips works , need for scope and precision analyser to optimize the voltages ,
Just opamp swapping is not going to cut it
Anyways I bought a tda board , two and I never knew about sa77 digital filters something that 3 types existed and how to get them to work properly
How to properly build an I/v discrete output and null output offset etc
I never could make it work properly lacking oscilloscope and proper knowledge of each microchips
Just opamp swapping is not going to cut it
Anyways I bought a tda board , two and I never knew about sa77 digital filters something that 3 types existed and how to get them to work properly
How to properly build an I/v discrete output and null output offset etc
I never could make it work properly lacking oscilloscope and proper knowledge of each microchips
Installing regulators, setting bias and installing capacitors is basic knowledge,
Build and calculated digital filters is advanced , debugging oscillations in a os dac is pretty advanced
Build and calculated digital filters is advanced , debugging oscillations in a os dac is pretty advanced