Digital Guru's -- Please suggest a DAC

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#21
IDK what those people hear when they write things like how 1543 is sooo jitter dependent. Whereas for that maximum 14bit, you'd want about 800 ps , and its over anyway

I for one went for the same studio monitor the band I like used , maybe its time to look into that Neve console, it might be either 5532 or some slew rate limited discrete?

I know , some people adressed that this is not the way it should be done but I can't help, JBL 's look cool.
 
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#23
lazycatken said:
Well, I never had a chance to listen Musiland 01 US, but,
be more precisely, please...
I agree that EMU-0404 USB analog output is not good, if without any modification.
What I suggested is, a modified EMU-0404 USB...
Click to expand...

Sorry for the harsh tone of my previous post. All I'm trying to say is:

1) The 0404 is pricey (due to its abundant features), and you're paying the full price to use just a small fraction of the device.

2) While I never auditioned a modded 0404. I do, however, have extensive (poor) experience with creative software/drivers. They are clunky, unstable, and difficult to use compared to Musiland devices.

One can only mod a device so far (within reason), so it's alot better to start with something with robust drivers and (IMO) better circuitry.
 
#24
tritosine said:
IDK what those people hear when they write things like how 1543 is sooo jitter dependent. Whereas for that maximum 14bit, you'd want about 800 ps , and its over anyway

I for one went for the same studio monitor the band I like used , maybe its time to look into that Neve console, it might be either 5532 or some slew rate limited discrete?

I know , some people adressed that this is not the way it should be done but I can't help, JBL 's look cool.
Click to expand...

maybe they mean it in the sense that its dependent on jitter to sound good??😀

to the OP, if you can stretch to the buffalo II with a decent IV stage, look no further IMO. well the ackodac should actually be superior, but I havent heard it just yet, as mine only just shipped yesterday 😉 much bigger budget and time commitment there though. the sabre does appreciate good signal, but as dacs go its really pretty tolerant, so you could spend the money there and when more money is available and you find it pleases you, you could upgrade the power supply or output stage
 
#25
roundel325 said:
I've been doing a lot more reading over the past few days. No shortage of opinions on this stuff. I'm drawn to the simplicity of the transformer-coupled CS4398 as outlined in the massive Gigawork mod thread, and built so elegantly by Sheldon here:

Sheldon’s World Blog Archive Another Audio Digital-to-Analog (DAC) is Born

This would fit into the mantra of my current diy system -- minimize the number of components in the signal path, and make them high quality. I'm not equipped for a scratch build, so right now I'm thinking of buying and modding the Gigawork.
Click to expand...


I do find that the DAC I built above does sound very good. Very natural and largely without the harshness and graininess associated with digital source material. It's not a build for the faint of heart. The PCB etching stressed my ability to fabricate it, and even when built, the surface mount parts are not trivial to solder into place.

The gigaworks DAC is a good starting point, although the power supplies and layout are not quite as good as mine. The daughter-boards make for less than idea signal routing. But digital audio is pretty forgiving and my gigaworks DAC also sounds good (I don't have output transformers on it).

You can get a gigaworks dac in a nice case if you email the seller.


Sheldon
 
#27
Hi Jared,

I'm going to second the suggestion for the buffalo II, even though I know it's at the top of your price range. I've had one since they were first released, and it's a really superb DAC, and an excellent platform whether you're the type who likes to tinker, or just build it and leave it.

Since the Buffalo II is at the top of your range, you could always pair it with the I/V stage I've been working on here:

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/digi...new-take-classic-pass-labs-d1-ess-dac-14.html

It would cost next to nothing to build yourself, and it's simple enough to wire point to point just by mounting the resistors and mosfets on a heatsink, or the bottom of a chassis. It's got no op-amps, and no NFB as you requested. Only one mosfet and one cap in the signal chain. That would keep you at least close to meeting your $250 budget.

I've also got a full set of measurements posted, which is something sorely missing from several other options. Building by ear is great, and a necessary part of the process, but never double checking results with at least a few measurements can get you into trouble pretty quickly.

Best of luck with your search!

Owen
 
#28
Owen, if cost weren't the issue, are there advantages or disadvantages to using Twisted pear's IVY vs your design with a Buffalo II? I like the idea of no op amps and simple pathways, making it myself and it doesn't hurt to save a little too.
 
#29
Hi jrenkin,

I guess that depends on what camp you’re in, but for myself, I always believe that if something can be done in a simple manner with a minimum of parts and still perform incredibly well, then it’s probably going to sound better than a complex circuit that uses a fistful of op-amps, heavy NFB, and all the supporting circuitry that goes with that to get to the same spot.

Having said that, I’ve never personally heard the IVY, so I really can’t comment on one versus the other. I really like the way the buffalo sounds with my I/V, and I’ve listened to an awful lot of DACs, so I don't say that lightly.

The low cost is just a pleasant side effect of the simple circuit. If you want to go all out and buy absurdly expensive resistors and capacitors, then it’s easier to do with this circuit since there are only a few parts to concern yourself with.

Give it a build and see for yourself… it only takes a few hours to get a channel up and running!

Cheers,
Owen
 
#30
Owen,

Thanks for sharing your work. I see it's balanced output design, but my amp is single ended. Would you still recommend this design if I must use a transformer to provide single ended output? If so, what transformer do you suggest?

Thanks,
Jared
 
#31
Hi Jared,

If you want to go the SE route, then any common 1:1 line-level transformer should do the trick, and then you can run it straight across the output and omit the caps. I have yet to try it, but I would imagine it'll work quite well. It will certainly be much better than the resistor/transformer setups I've seen used elsewhere.

Anyone more familiar with transformer coupled DACs have any suggestions? What do people usually use here?

Unfortunately, the cost of a pair of transformers will probably blow you're budget, but what are budgets for if not to be blown?

Cheers,
Owen
 
#32
it does work quite well like that, I have been using a pair of O-netics (about 150-200 for the pair) connected directly to the dac and directly to the outputs. havent tried SE just balanced, but doesnt matter with transformers, nothing else is needed
 
#33
Yea, the Buffalo ($250) + PS ($40) + TOSlink module ($15) + decent transformers ($150) + I/V stage ($50?) is just more than I want to spend.

Do you think your I/V stage would work with the Twisted Pear COD? That would bring the price down to more reasonable levels for me. How about the Twisted Pear Opus (a voltage output chip) direct to transformers?
 
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