I got my power supplies today and was so happy and ready to power it up but then I realized I ordered wrong ufl cables --- have to wait another week for them to come. Before that, I guess I can just have a test run with the power without the sound then.
I think the quality of the board is really good tho and it fits well with Ian's streamer + I2S to PCM board. With the through holes parts, more rooms to play around with parts I guess. And sorry for my limited imaginations, but if we are not talking about things like Amtrans/AN caps and z-foil resistors, parts selected on the original BOM are pretty good. It can also easily bypass its IV stage. It appears to be a good board to be honest, I don't know why most people seem to dislike it here... Maybe I am still too new to understand the design.
Wish everything is going well and wish it is gonna sound good tho --- ignore everything I have said above if I come back and say it sounds bad.
I think the quality of the board is really good tho and it fits well with Ian's streamer + I2S to PCM board. With the through holes parts, more rooms to play around with parts I guess. And sorry for my limited imaginations, but if we are not talking about things like Amtrans/AN caps and z-foil resistors, parts selected on the original BOM are pretty good. It can also easily bypass its IV stage. It appears to be a good board to be honest, I don't know why most people seem to dislike it here... Maybe I am still too new to understand the design.
Wish everything is going well and wish it is gonna sound good tho --- ignore everything I have said above if I come back and say it sounds bad.
Thought you didn't like Taiwan Tda Iggy btw how does it sounds like compared to the S1 on your dac ? Double crown was too hi-fi sounding to me single crown more well balanced.
Taiwann 1998 : more precise and clear, more neutral. better micro details.
S1 (Europe
) : more euphonic, more confortable (a little like silk vs paper) ; as I listen to more jazz & modern than classic, the T.'s is doing well but asked more tweaks on PS and I/V stage decoupling efforts. Relative to my setup I mean. the S1 has the edge in I2S mode, the T's has the edgein sim mode where all became more of all ( a veil less)
Edit, I think you like best the S1 because you are still in I2S and also the nature of your speaker (ESL sound, I think the S1 is adding meat, thickness to it)
S1 (Europe
) : more euphonic, more confortable (a little like silk vs paper) ; as I listen to more jazz & modern than classic, the T.'s is doing well but asked more tweaks on PS and I/V stage decoupling efforts. Relative to my setup I mean. the S1 has the edge in I2S mode, the T's has the edgein sim mode where all became more of all ( a veil less)Edit, I think you like best the S1 because you are still in I2S and also the nature of your speaker (ESL sound, I think the S1 is adding meat, thickness to it)
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We must always applaud guys who puts in the effort to help serve the diy community, whether its really good, only a comparison with other TDA dacs will tell. At least it intergrates well with Ian Canada's stuff, it looks good & well thought out.
Asking price, this is for the individual to decide its worth.
Cheers
Im an old man so prefer euphonic Iggy. LolTaiwann 1998 : more precise and clear, more neutral. better micro details.
S1 (Europe
Edit, I think you like best the S1 because you are still in I2S and also the nature of your speaker (ESL sound, I think the S1 is adding meat, thickness to it)
I get what others are saying 100% However I am just curious. I really want to build this and then one of @ryanj 's boards then do an A/B comparison just to see what I like better. I guess for me it's a journey and no risk no reward etc etc.
Hopefully I can start my build in the next couple of weeks
It was a very simple question.
As for how good it is, there are numerous posts and data about it, showing sota practices about that chip. None that were implemented in the dac in question. Integration with iancanada has nothing to do with it, how good the dac board/project is (putting whipped cream on a $hitpie doesn't make it good - do take this as a figure of speach, not implying the dac is $hit, it will play decent). It is very simple as that. The worst part about it is that of shameless shilling with the words of best dac ever, as well as stating that he achieved good separation of channels by his design (faradays second law of induction anyone?), and for the masses refusing to elaborate on question where to obtain the chips themselves. As for the price, i agree it is for the individual to decide the worth, doesn't mean you shouldn't as an more involved individual, say that that is way too much for such thing. But yes, he can price it as much as he wants, no question about it.
Thank you so much for your input--could you provide more clarity on 'there are numerous posts and data about it, showing sota practices about that chip. None that were implemented in the dac in question'? I believe the answer to it can really bring everything to the table: what practices that are well known/proven to be useful to enhance the sound of TDA1541A that is definitely lacking in the TD1 design, specially when TD1 is used with I2S-to-PCM board?
The answer would be greatly appreciated by someone like me who just got interested in 1541A but also got a bit lost in all kinds of information and methodologies.
Hi Jay, myself have build & played with the 1541 for sometime, way back I've built Lesha's & Galovatti's designs.
But when it comes to a kit, the best implementation that I've found is Aya Dac by Pedja Rogic, it is he, John Brown
& Thorsten who have put in much research & tIme into understanding most about this dac. Just check out Thorsten's
latest findings in the ultimate thread. Still discovering new things about this dac in 2024. Anyway like you Im just a diyer
with no EE background hence Im very thankful to all the individuals whom have unshelfishly shared their knowledge &
findings in Diyaudio.
Cheers
But when it comes to a kit, the best implementation that I've found is Aya Dac by Pedja Rogic, it is he, John Brown
& Thorsten who have put in much research & tIme into understanding most about this dac. Just check out Thorsten's
latest findings in the ultimate thread. Still discovering new things about this dac in 2024. Anyway like you Im just a diyer
with no EE background hence Im very thankful to all the individuals whom have unshelfishly shared their knowledge &
findings in Diyaudio.
Cheers
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It is really kind of you for saying all of this. And yes, I have been reading the ultimate thread for a while, but frankly, hard to follow most of the info... and still trying!
I am open and hoping to try other kit/board that is available. It would be terrific if it is designed to be used directly with a I2S-to-PCM board and relatively easy to solder. I was aware of the board D3 too, but it would be a nightmare to solder (for me) and less freedom to try other type of resistors/capacitors, etc.
In addition, I don't see yet (not saying it doesn't exist, but because the lack of my knowledge) how D3 is superior in terms of design, specially if one wants to use sim mode and use good power supplies like Ian's UcPure... It would be great if you could give a hand here: what are the key words I should look for in the thread?
Thank you so much.
Hi Jay,
Im the wrong person to ask as I don't stream. The ultimate for me is direct connection via I2S from transport to Tda. This means I only listen to Red Book playback. Why so, true Hi Res recordings are rare not sure if there's more titles now, up sampling recordings does not count, besides to me streaming is inferior
in terms of SQ but it wins hands down on conveniance, yes I would get flamed for saying this but who cares lol. D3 is the culmination of ideas that was brought forth by John Brown in the ultimate thread. Diy is nice & if your like me with unstoppable itchy fingers you'll discover & learn lots even if you build only 1 dac.
Cheers
Im the wrong person to ask as I don't stream. The ultimate for me is direct connection via I2S from transport to Tda. This means I only listen to Red Book playback. Why so, true Hi Res recordings are rare not sure if there's more titles now, up sampling recordings does not count, besides to me streaming is inferior
in terms of SQ but it wins hands down on conveniance, yes I would get flamed for saying this but who cares lol. D3 is the culmination of ideas that was brought forth by John Brown in the ultimate thread. Diy is nice & if your like me with unstoppable itchy fingers you'll discover & learn lots even if you build only 1 dac.
Cheers
No worries, and thank you so much for your kind words and the information—it's very encouraging! I’ll definitely try more boards in the future. So far I like the sound of the 1541A. I plan to spend some time working with this chip for a while --- trying different versions/design/IV stage, etc.
I was able to power up the TD1 board on my second attempt. I initially failed because I mixed up the +/-5V power connections late at night. Luckily, my 15V power supply (Salas Ubib 1.3, limited to <150mA) shut down right after I turned on the misconnected power, which saved my chip. Taking my wife's advice, I disconnected everything and went straight to bed (I also emailed Gaby with the bad news). Fortunately, I figured out the issue as soon as I got home the next evening. Lesson learned (again): never power a new board late at night! Most importantly, both the OPAs and 1541A are safe, and the board works perfectly after reconnecting the power properly. Big thanks to Gaby for his help and brainstorming ideas with me to troubleshoot the problem during the day --- even though the problem was quite simple and I was even kind of arrogant in the email saying that: it can't have issues with these +/-5V connections, there is no room to make mistake! And truth is, people can always make mistake, specially at a late night!
Thank you! I was honestly a bit scared, but everything turned out fine! Had a fun weekend listening to it@ Jay , the TDA1541A is hard to kill , one time I invert it inadvertently on the dip socket and it took me a minute to notice it , it get hot but did not die
I put it back the right position it sounded great and measured perfect
.
I plan to get a second TD1 board but this time try some specific capacitors and resistors that I wanted to try and then I can have a 'reference' to compare and see if any of these 'good' capacitors/resistors are useful for 1541A, lol.
I really like the sound of the 1541A (or TD1); it often sounds dynamic and smooth, with a forgiving nature towards bad recordings. The thickness in the sound is something I especially appreciate, and it provides excellent macro detail overall. However, it does seem to lack micro details. While the soundstage is wide and deep, the vocals and instruments don't have as much 3D shape as I would like. It might be that I received a bad chip, so I'm planning to get a few more (including the S1). It could also be that the new setup needs more time to break in (everything is new including the UcPure for +/-5V), or perhaps the IV stage could be improved --- my 9038Q2M board uses Ivan's D60+his Jfet buffer board. Unfortunately, without the ability to measure the chips, it's hard to rule out the possibility of having bad/defective ones... Any cheap way to get a measure?
Hey, I built the TD1 DAC and provided a review to Gabster which he posted on his YouTube channel. Go have a look for more details. Let’s keep in mind that all components are system dependent. My TDA1 may sound different from your system. It’s all about building synergy between all components.
Briefly, I compared the TD1 DAC with my last set up of Ian Canada ES9038 dual mono dac/OPA861 output board. I also compared it with an Arres Danafrips DAC. There is certainly a clear improvement on all aspects. The sound is very natural and feels effortless. It is well balanced across the hole spectrum with a wide soundstage and great instrument separation. The detail retrieval is vivid where in certain recordings I can now hear the singer smallest voice tremors and breathing. Same for wind instruments where I can hear the air flowing through the instrument. The decay is quite good. Electric guitar harmonics and distortion are present and real. Drums are what live drums should sound like. The hit of the drum skin is heard followed by the case reverberation and decay. Very nice.
This said the lasting impression that remains with me cannot be described in audiophile lingo. For me, the sound is impressive but it is really about how it makes me feel. Although the TD1 detail retrieval and clarity is impressive it manages to maintain a relax presentation. To me it feels like when you walk into a room and the space makes you feel welcomed, relaxed and at ease. It feels like coming back from a long away trip and finally sit in your favorite room, put your legs up and enjoy finally be back home. That feeling is what this DAC gives me. That sense of natural, everything in its place, ease and comfort. I heard DAC that provided more analytical details but nothing so far compare to the TDA1 overall presentation. No fatigue whatsoever. I can listen for hours and get lost in the music. My top DAC so far.
Briefly, I compared the TD1 DAC with my last set up of Ian Canada ES9038 dual mono dac/OPA861 output board. I also compared it with an Arres Danafrips DAC. There is certainly a clear improvement on all aspects. The sound is very natural and feels effortless. It is well balanced across the hole spectrum with a wide soundstage and great instrument separation. The detail retrieval is vivid where in certain recordings I can now hear the singer smallest voice tremors and breathing. Same for wind instruments where I can hear the air flowing through the instrument. The decay is quite good. Electric guitar harmonics and distortion are present and real. Drums are what live drums should sound like. The hit of the drum skin is heard followed by the case reverberation and decay. Very nice.
This said the lasting impression that remains with me cannot be described in audiophile lingo. For me, the sound is impressive but it is really about how it makes me feel. Although the TD1 detail retrieval and clarity is impressive it manages to maintain a relax presentation. To me it feels like when you walk into a room and the space makes you feel welcomed, relaxed and at ease. It feels like coming back from a long away trip and finally sit in your favorite room, put your legs up and enjoy finally be back home. That feeling is what this DAC gives me. That sense of natural, everything in its place, ease and comfort. I heard DAC that provided more analytical details but nothing so far compare to the TDA1 overall presentation. No fatigue whatsoever. I can listen for hours and get lost in the music. My top DAC so far.
