ES9038Q2M Board

I'm not sure you should be playing with the transformers just yet :p
Well I'm 38. Not much time left to play with the fun stuff :cool:
And I'm here to learn a bit about this stuff.

I usually prefer R-core transformers for use with dacs. But then you need a "rectifier and power supply board," which turns AC from a transformer into DC needed by a DAC board. It would go between the transformer and the DAC board.
So I need a power supply board like
power supply 15V+/-
and a transformer like
toroidal transformer 2x12V + 1x 9V

or of course a R-Core transformer with the same specs. Right?
 
Personally, I would avoid LDO regulators like those used on that Audiophonics power supply board.

Suggest an R-core like this one: https://www.ebay.com/itm/3239013502...mL/COj1Mxpz0MBLd3BSVRZ7+mg==|tkp:BFBMtNXo3plg ...Its good enough to use for future projects after you outgrow the dac board.

Also, I like these power supply boards for DAC +-15v. IME the regulators sound good for analog audio and they can tolerate higher input voltages than the regulators used in the other board you linked to: https://www.ebay.com/itm/2541926826...uaOHH4ufA8uBpFwS+w8vt+8JUbZZ|tkp:BFBMyPLw3plg
 
So I need a power supply board like
power supply 15V+/-
and a transformer like
toroidal transformer 2x12V + 1x 9V
Since you live in EU it is better to buy from a European supplier as you avoid customs fees and the products have a CE marking. Both your suggestions are better than Markw4's. But even these would work:
https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/line...rd-lm317-337-tl431-5v-to-37v-15a-p-12221.html
https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/toroidal-transformers/toroidal-transformer-15va-2x12v-p-7040.html
 
bohrok is a numbers guy (maybe wanting to replace the guy in the upper right hand corner of the graphic below). I am a SQ guy. Take your pick.
 

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Thank you both.
I just wanted some advice which tuning options I have.
It's all about the fun.

I would say I don't need scientific proof of which product is better or worse. But I read many times that toroidal transformers should be better than R-Core ones for audio gear. Probably not that important with this board anyway.

About these power supply boards I don't have a clou which parts makes them better or worse.
 
Most toroidal transformers are very good a coupling AC line RFI/EMI into the secondary windings. It is possible to design better toroid transformers, but that starts to make them expensive. Toroidy Audio Grade and Supreme Audio Grade transformers are good. You might find something similar in very high end audio gear. They have electrostatic and magnetic shielding, along with other construction features. For a DAC they aren't needed. R-core is very good at isolating AC line noise from getting into DAC circuitry.

In addition, those old LT1083 regulators sounded better than LM317 and or 78xx regulators, yet they don't kill the sound like some of the later LDO regulators do.

I don't make this stuff up. Up to you want you want to do though. Good luck with your project.
 
Instead of relying on audiophile mumbo jumbo there are many articles of transformers available online which highlight the pros and cons of various transformer types. E.g.
https://www.mpaudio.net/post/advantages-toroidal-transformers
https://audioxpress.com/article/Power-Transformers-for-Audio-Equipment

Regulators don't kill "the sound" unless "the sound" is the result of distortions or noise, in other words an effects box.

And please remember that anybody can claim to be a SQ guy. Mostly these are people who lack engineering skills.
 
Guess what kind of transformers mpaudio is in the business of selling? The kind they make look better in their thinly veiled advertising copy you linked to.

Regulators can kill the sound for reasons other than spectral analysis visualized noise and or distortion. There are linear distortions, settling time, etc. In addition there can be signal correlated noise which may not show up well on an FFT, if anyone bothers to check for it in the first place. Steady state sine wave tests assume linearity and time-invariance, conditions never fully realized in the physical world. As engineers have pointed out here in the forum before, everything in the audio reproduction chain starting with the mic is to some degree an effects box. For audio it helps to have some listening skills in addition to engineering skills. Some of the more extreme measurement guys don't believe in listening at all.
 
The point is that instead of repeating some audiophile mantra it is always better to have an open mind and study. Toroidal transformers have parasitic capacitance between primary and secondary (without electroshield), they saturate with DC and may have high inrush current. R-core transformers emit more noise. All of these can be mitigated with proper design. However missing CE marking cannot be mitigated. Those transformers should not be for sale in EU.

Please describe (without resorting to audiophile mumbo jumbo) why LT1083 would be less lethal to sound than e.g. LM317 or LT1764.
 
Doesn't matter why LT1083 sounds better than some other regulators. Only matters that multiple subjective listening tests have shown that it does.

The other thing good about the dual LT1083 supply that was recommended is that there are two isolated identical positive regulators. One could do the same with other regulators of course but that board is already known to be designed that way. As a result the regulators can be used as matched characteristic +-15v regulators, and grounds can be defined at the load if desired.
 
So what. Multiple subjective listening tests have shown that other regulators sound better than LT1083.

By taking the un-audiophile approach and studying the datasheets reveals that LT317 is similar or slightly better than LT1083 in every performance characteristic.
And regarding listening tests in LinearAudio Volume 4 LT1963 (dreaded LDO) did very well (just behind superregs). LM317 was mediocre.
 
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everything in the audio reproduction chain starting with the mic
Not for the consumers who buy albums / files.
For audio it helps to have some listening skills in addition to engineering skills.
What do you mean "some"? Without any parameters outlined, such statement is meaningless.
sounds better than some other regulators. Only matters that multiple subjective listening tests have shown that it does.
Is that the listening test you do?