It's off topic, sorry, but perhaps it will be easier than all the makers and diyers make their device pcbs with the USB plug not tied to the ground of the pcb : i.e. having just its own splitted ground island : all the USB cable will work, just the - V bus to the main ground of the device with ferrite bead in serie - so -V bus & external shield not linked : we can as it's for our audio purposes not only EMi/RFI : better trade off ??)
Oh please a Wave I/O or a JL Sound lab usb to I2S board like that for Christmass 🙂
sorry, way off topic, it's TDA1541, TDA1543 and Mosaic thread 🙂
thanks again Ecdesigns for all the good inputs here, much appreciated as usual.
Oh please a Wave I/O or a JL Sound lab usb to I2S board like that for Christmass 🙂
sorry, way off topic, it's TDA1541, TDA1543 and Mosaic thread 🙂
thanks again Ecdesigns for all the good inputs here, much appreciated as usual.
Thank you EC Designs for the wonderful Mosaic DAC. It's natural, freeflowing, unforced and exquisitely balanced sound is almost unheard of in digital. And it is a USB DAC! Indeed a triumph and a work of true genius.
+1. The build in preamp is also wonderful, and the headphone output as well.
Hello, Hopkins & Vbenonisen
May you please tell us what was your last dac before the Mosaic for us to appreciate your testimonial, please ? 🙂
many thanks for this 🙂
May you please tell us what was your last dac before the Mosaic for us to appreciate your testimonial, please ? 🙂
many thanks for this 🙂
Yes indeed. We are spoiled with only music; not a single noise attributable to an electronic device. First welcome effect is total relaxation in musical bliss.
I did a short comparison with Naim's DAC-V1, a well regarded DAC in the same price level, with Naim big server/player as transport and a big Naim amp (sorry, can't remember the names) and PMC little studio monitors. In short, without USB isolation, there is no comparison possible. With USB isolation the Naim improved but Mosaic simply was better in every aspect: softer warmer sounding, effortless, more naturally detailed, better instrument placement/separation, better delineation of the musical lines, etc.
Now that I am playing with R2R tapes, the only aspect that I found lacking, which is most probably not the fault of the DAC but of the digital encoding/ processing/mastering, is the life-like dynamics of tape. I will transfer my newly arrived Ultimate HQ-CD and see if that aspect improves.
(Dual-mono and "scrambler-interpolator" DACs have very good dynamics though, at the cost of increased noise)
Mosaic is the new reference. I have to make my other sources improve to get close to it.
Cheers everybody,
M.
I have a wadia x32 which was modified to improve the coaxial inputs and the clocks. See here: (sorry it is in French) : Wadia X32 - TVC AUDIO
I still listen to it in my second setup. It has a fine sound, but sometimes one cannot help trying something new! Before that I have had many other DACs.
Hi Max, would you mind sharing a few details on this? Did you use the rather "common" USB isolators to plug in between somewhere (e.g. like this: Seite nicht gefunden - CESYS Gesellschaft fur angewandte Mikroelektronik I think I read a note of caution here earlier as that was likely to cause jitter...?
Thanks,
Robert
Last edited:
DIY ADUM4160 based isolator with exclusive PS and TeddyReg as +5V regulator.
Sounds good.
Cheers,
M.
Oh, sounds interesting! Thanks, something to further look into I'd say. Is that a project that has been shared here on diyAudio, would you have a link or could point me to further information?
Thanks again,
Robert
This site has all you need to know:
https://www.circuitsathome.com/adum4160-usb-isolator-assembly-guide/
Good luck.
M.
https://www.circuitsathome.com/adum4160-usb-isolator-assembly-guide/
Good luck.
M.
I've used a DIY 1541a DAC directly before the Mosaic, but have also owned a Audio Note DAC 2.1x balanced and a Lector CDP-7 CD-player. Mosaic is better.
Well, I am an absolute beginner in this matter, so consider that to valuate the following...
I bought an Otari MX5050b2 machine for USD $212 at eBay 😎 As you may know this one is recommended by the guys at The Tape Project. I repaired some minor issues to make it functional and now I am upgrading the amplifier circuits as parts arrive. I will also upgrade the transport, DIY style. The tricky part is equalization 🙁
I own only a few tapes, the best are 2 track, only 7.5ips, from the fifties 😱 and I am waiting for my first 15ips copy. As you know they are completely expensive by any standard.
The thing is that these old tapes have superior range dynamics and apparently recording engineers were not afraid to get musical peaks beyond standard level (+6?; +9?) by which orchestral tuttis , ffff, and mass attacks are scarry. These guys were crazy.
Take for example the tape Gypsy! by Carmen Dragon at the Hollywood Bowl. Very fine orchestra with first violins doing a great job. I don't know if it was transfered to CD but I bet the engineers would chop "excess" transients and peaks... 😕 I will make my own transfers when I get the recording aspect OK. I may post some in youtube in the far future.
Another thing: I first drove my Tannoy Autograph replicas actively bi-amped with success but swapped for passive XO as I never got rid of low level hum. Well my DIY passive XO is being revisited as tape makes the speakers shout on some notes at peaks...we learn everyday... 😱
That being said, with the Mosaic you get a very elegant, refined, rich, reference level, faithful analog reproduction of what is in the file...it won't make miracles with inferior quality recordings with compressed dynamics...for example, as I said previously, AAD and ADD transfers sound in general much better and musically engaging that suspect origin DDD productions. Which reminds me: take a look at Ultimate HQ-CD at CD-japan. 😎
I hope this helps.
M.
Here you are... 😀
Being this DIYaudio, I can't wait till the warranty expires to open it and begin to mods!
Checking ant the mosaic specs I't seems that the output impedance is 750 ohm. Is this correct?
From the website:
"DAC module:24 bit multibit Mosaic passive resistor matrix, 2V RMS, 750 Ohm, DC coupled"
From the website:
"DAC module:24 bit multibit Mosaic passive resistor matrix, 2V RMS, 750 Ohm, DC coupled"
I am not questioning if what is written there might be incorrect.
The information is given for the "DAC module", I don't know if there is an output stage (buffer) after the module (I believe there is none, but I am not completely sure, and that is why I am asking). This information is written in a section of the website where the parts are described, therefore I understand "DAC module" as a part, not the whole DAC.
The information is given for the "DAC module", I don't know if there is an output stage (buffer) after the module (I believe there is none, but I am not completely sure, and that is why I am asking). This information is written in a section of the website where the parts are described, therefore I understand "DAC module" as a part, not the whole DAC.