Hi All,
I have been burning in my newly constructed DAC for a few days now and decided to have a bit of a comparision to my Arcam Alpha 6 CDP.
I said in the other thread that the DacKit sounded fast, with good bass weight, and detail, but that the top end was mellowed. Sat with the Missus, I plugged each unit in, in turn. We noted that the DacKit sounded a little "closed in" compared to the Arcam.
Later this afternoon, I stumbled upon my old HiFi News and Record Review Test CD. The first track is a stereo and ambisonic walkthrough. Listening to this test was a bit of a revelation!! Believe it or not, the DacKit was putting out MONO! 😱
After a nanosecond, it dawned on me
...........
I had decided, when I was soldering the RCAs to invert the wires to save me changing the phase on the speakers when doing comparisons.
See where this is going? 🙄 Yup, the common ground! Doh!! 
The soldering iron will come out again this evening for the 5 minute lead-swap and then we'll see what is what!!! 😀
Well, you live and learn...... 😉
More later - with some actual reports on what the DacKit really sounds like.
Jon
This is why I do not feel ready to do any projects that involve the mains!!!
I have been burning in my newly constructed DAC for a few days now and decided to have a bit of a comparision to my Arcam Alpha 6 CDP.
I said in the other thread that the DacKit sounded fast, with good bass weight, and detail, but that the top end was mellowed. Sat with the Missus, I plugged each unit in, in turn. We noted that the DacKit sounded a little "closed in" compared to the Arcam.
Later this afternoon, I stumbled upon my old HiFi News and Record Review Test CD. The first track is a stereo and ambisonic walkthrough. Listening to this test was a bit of a revelation!! Believe it or not, the DacKit was putting out MONO! 😱
After a nanosecond, it dawned on me
...........I had decided, when I was soldering the RCAs to invert the wires to save me changing the phase on the speakers when doing comparisons.
See where this is going? 🙄 Yup, the common ground! Doh!! The soldering iron will come out again this evening for the 5 minute lead-swap and then we'll see what is what!!! 😀
Well, you live and learn...... 😉
More later - with some actual reports on what the DacKit really sounds like.
Jon
This is why I do not feel ready to do any projects that involve the mains!!!
As it should be.......
I am absolutely delighted! 😀
I have wired the RCAs correctly, reversed the speaker phase and disconnected the battery charger.
The detail is immense!!😱 The Arcam, by comparison, has a velvet delivery - but many of the peripheral sounds / effects / instruments etc are merged together. I have listened to Eric Clapton Unplugged, Joni Mitchell, Simply Red (Life), George Michael (Older), Eva Cassidy and a whole lot more.
There is bass, but not overkill. The cymbals has attack. Daniel Bedingfield (acoustic) was incredible - you could hear every rasp in his voice, and all the tiny imperfections that make us human.
Synth and overproduced stuff was laid bare, but well-mixed productions stood out with all that extra detail. I could amost follow the background cafe conversations in the George Micheal track.
This DacKit has had about 90 hours of running-in at this stage. If there is more improvement to come, then I will be very happy. I mean, it is much, much more detailed than my 600 GBP CD player.
Go to Scott Nixon's site and get yourself a PCB!!!
Jon
😎
I am absolutely delighted! 😀
I have wired the RCAs correctly, reversed the speaker phase and disconnected the battery charger.
The detail is immense!!😱 The Arcam, by comparison, has a velvet delivery - but many of the peripheral sounds / effects / instruments etc are merged together. I have listened to Eric Clapton Unplugged, Joni Mitchell, Simply Red (Life), George Michael (Older), Eva Cassidy and a whole lot more.
There is bass, but not overkill. The cymbals has attack. Daniel Bedingfield (acoustic) was incredible - you could hear every rasp in his voice, and all the tiny imperfections that make us human.
Synth and overproduced stuff was laid bare, but well-mixed productions stood out with all that extra detail. I could amost follow the background cafe conversations in the George Micheal track.
This DacKit has had about 90 hours of running-in at this stage. If there is more improvement to come, then I will be very happy. I mean, it is much, much more detailed than my 600 GBP CD player.
Go to Scott Nixon's site and get yourself a PCB!!!
Jon
😎
And he is also a good guy to deal with. The icing on the cake!
I built the DACkit and a pair of 3875 amps. I have yet to give them a good listen all together but the DAC on its own was great.
I built the DACkit and a pair of 3875 amps. I have yet to give them a good listen all together but the DAC on its own was great.
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