Hello everyone,
It's been a couple of years of silence but I'd like to revive this thread.
This morning I was looking again for a DIY amp to buy which would have plenty of features, high sound quality, at an affordable price. But it seems that we are in an "iron triangle" situation where you can only pick two.
You can go for features at an affordable price (Wondom and the like), or features and high sound quality (Hypex, Icepower, etc.). But I can't find anything that does it all and doesn't cost €300+ per amp. Maybe it's not economically feasible, but I'm at least willing to try.
I've therefore decided to pick this project up again. Below is an image of the first functional prototype. It has the following features: an ADC and DAC from ESS, an Analog Devices DSP, an ESP32 for Wifi and Bluetooth streaming, and to use as MCU. It also has a GPIO header for a Raspberry Pi, a couple of potentiometers and buttons.
The idea is to make this modular. There is currently an I/O board to connect to the main board. An amplifier and a power supply board should also exist.
I'll try to share more updates soon.
It's been a couple of years of silence but I'd like to revive this thread.
This morning I was looking again for a DIY amp to buy which would have plenty of features, high sound quality, at an affordable price. But it seems that we are in an "iron triangle" situation where you can only pick two.
You can go for features at an affordable price (Wondom and the like), or features and high sound quality (Hypex, Icepower, etc.). But I can't find anything that does it all and doesn't cost €300+ per amp. Maybe it's not economically feasible, but I'm at least willing to try.
I've therefore decided to pick this project up again. Below is an image of the first functional prototype. It has the following features: an ADC and DAC from ESS, an Analog Devices DSP, an ESP32 for Wifi and Bluetooth streaming, and to use as MCU. It also has a GPIO header for a Raspberry Pi, a couple of potentiometers and buttons.
The idea is to make this modular. There is currently an I/O board to connect to the main board. An amplifier and a power supply board should also exist.
I'll try to share more updates soon.
I think one of the reasons for a lack of commercial offerings is that it's hard to architect something that will please everyone.
One limiting factor is in Audio, you gotta accommodate the guy with a record player, or some other "ordinary" / "vintage" source component with RCA jacks. That rails you into the 'ol double conversion problem, where what you're listening to has not only been DAC'd once (with all its attendant anomalies driving umpteen different DAC products) but now it's ADC'd again, to get to use the DSP part. So how's that ADC sound? As good as the DAC? Hopefully.
I'm one who cant carry the weight of vinyl anymore and the ease with which digitally recorded material is stored, retrieved and played makes it a no brainer - for me. But I'd want to have it stay in the digital realm all the way into and through the DSP, where I could bust up the frequency range across as many amplifier outputs as I want. That kinda leaves the analog source crowd - which there are many in Audio - out in the cold.
My modular fantasy would be an amp with an I2S input, DSP and power output available at various levels. The DSP part programmable from a set it and forget it UI, much like anyone's router provides. If each module requested an IP address via DHCP just for the DSP UI, I wouldnt care, as long as I could track what amp channel I'm working with by looking at the screen label. Notice I didnt go as far as sending the Audio over wired/wireless ethernet - just the amplifier control panels.
I2S could at least come from a converted USB connection to a PC, a rPi, or a CD transport where some DIYer went in and dug out the signal. Never heard of a Mag Phono to I2S converter, which I assume would be like a Mag Phono to Bluetooth in terms of taste.
One limiting factor is in Audio, you gotta accommodate the guy with a record player, or some other "ordinary" / "vintage" source component with RCA jacks. That rails you into the 'ol double conversion problem, where what you're listening to has not only been DAC'd once (with all its attendant anomalies driving umpteen different DAC products) but now it's ADC'd again, to get to use the DSP part. So how's that ADC sound? As good as the DAC? Hopefully.
I'm one who cant carry the weight of vinyl anymore and the ease with which digitally recorded material is stored, retrieved and played makes it a no brainer - for me. But I'd want to have it stay in the digital realm all the way into and through the DSP, where I could bust up the frequency range across as many amplifier outputs as I want. That kinda leaves the analog source crowd - which there are many in Audio - out in the cold.
My modular fantasy would be an amp with an I2S input, DSP and power output available at various levels. The DSP part programmable from a set it and forget it UI, much like anyone's router provides. If each module requested an IP address via DHCP just for the DSP UI, I wouldnt care, as long as I could track what amp channel I'm working with by looking at the screen label. Notice I didnt go as far as sending the Audio over wired/wireless ethernet - just the amplifier control panels.
I2S could at least come from a converted USB connection to a PC, a rPi, or a CD transport where some DIYer went in and dug out the signal. Never heard of a Mag Phono to I2S converter, which I assume would be like a Mag Phono to Bluetooth in terms of taste.
I think that you're right, and that's why the modular approach makes sense. You can pick the parts that make sense to you, and therefore keep the price as low as possible.
In your case, you would not need to use the ADC at all, you could stay in the digital world all the way until the end of the chain.
You mention a set-it-and-forget UI, I suppose that working with SigmaStudio doesn't fit that bill? You would need something simpler to work with?
In your case, you would not need to use the ADC at all, you could stay in the digital world all the way until the end of the chain.
You mention a set-it-and-forget UI, I suppose that working with SigmaStudio doesn't fit that bill? You would need something simpler to work with?
Sigma Studio is a bit on the cumbersome side, I suspect you may end up with a lot of questions from customers unless you release the beast under some open license thingy.
Is there any way you could turn this into a DSP crossover with 6 or 8 output channels for active crossover use ?
Or to use two of those boards, one for left, and other for right channel with 3 to 4 outputs per side...(something like hypex DSP boards)
(as I understand you are using ''better'' parts then they do?)
Or to use two of those boards, one for left, and other for right channel with 3 to 4 outputs per side...(something like hypex DSP boards)
(as I understand you are using ''better'' parts then they do?)
Are there any other options out there that you think might be easier to use? The other option is to build a UI that comes on top of Sigma Studio so that the customers never have to touch it.
It will be possible to use multiple boards, so you'll be able to use one for the left channel and one for the right channel. And there will be a outputs right after the DSP.
I'll be using better parts than Wondom, Arylic, etc. but not better than Hypex I don't think. Hypex is the benchmark in quality that I'm aiming for. Hypex uses the ADAU1452, my project currently uses the ADAU1466, they're very similar.
Hi,
I was digging in this direction for quite some time and would like to share my progress/ideas.
Generally, the idea is similiar to what @florentg proposed: D-class amp with some modularity, i.e. different numbers of outputs, different set of inputs etc.
Here is the "base board" I've designed:
It has ADAU1452 DSP, TAS5548 as I2S->PWM modulator and 4 output channels, with 4 more available on the "PWM" header.
on the left there is Amanero header, which can be used for amanero module to have just USB 2 ch input, or my York interface.
There is also header on the left side with S/PDIF and I2S which are connected to ADAU1452. Can be used for ADC and S/PDIF boards.
Now, the main issue I had is UI for this thing: I wanted to avoid using USBi for ADAU programming, and also do not use SigmaStudio for ADAU configuration. So, there was need to have communication channel from PC/Web interface. ESP32 kind of worked in this project:
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/audio-transport-module-york.406025/
(First post)
But I wanted to simplify the design, so the next iteration of York USB interface was born:
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/...tichannel-input-output-interface-york.413504/
This one is capable of 8ch TDM output and in a way was specifically targeting multichannel DSP projects, such as FreeDSP Octavia.
Unique feature is that York is a USB interface module which allows to stream audio and program DSP directly from Sigmastudio at the same time:
I've also played around with the "general purpose" PC GUI tool for DSP applications:
A lot of work has been done and I'm afraid there is lot more to do 🙂 Too much for one person. @florentg, perhaps we can team up, looks like we are just 2 train stations away 😀
I was digging in this direction for quite some time and would like to share my progress/ideas.
Generally, the idea is similiar to what @florentg proposed: D-class amp with some modularity, i.e. different numbers of outputs, different set of inputs etc.
Here is the "base board" I've designed:
It has ADAU1452 DSP, TAS5548 as I2S->PWM modulator and 4 output channels, with 4 more available on the "PWM" header.
on the left there is Amanero header, which can be used for amanero module to have just USB 2 ch input, or my York interface.
There is also header on the left side with S/PDIF and I2S which are connected to ADAU1452. Can be used for ADC and S/PDIF boards.
Now, the main issue I had is UI for this thing: I wanted to avoid using USBi for ADAU programming, and also do not use SigmaStudio for ADAU configuration. So, there was need to have communication channel from PC/Web interface. ESP32 kind of worked in this project:
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/audio-transport-module-york.406025/
(First post)
But I wanted to simplify the design, so the next iteration of York USB interface was born:
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/...tichannel-input-output-interface-york.413504/
This one is capable of 8ch TDM output and in a way was specifically targeting multichannel DSP projects, such as FreeDSP Octavia.
Unique feature is that York is a USB interface module which allows to stream audio and program DSP directly from Sigmastudio at the same time:
I've also played around with the "general purpose" PC GUI tool for DSP applications:
A lot of work has been done and I'm afraid there is lot more to do 🙂 Too much for one person. @florentg, perhaps we can team up, looks like we are just 2 train stations away 😀
Excellent!
Hope you guys will also manage to have some fun in the process.
For some time now I have been dreaming about a freely configurable amplifier based on one or two TAS6584 or TAS6582, I guess it is too much work to incorporate that in your project.
Maybe that could be a project for me sometime next year...
Hope you guys will also manage to have some fun in the process.
For some time now I have been dreaming about a freely configurable amplifier based on one or two TAS6584 or TAS6582, I guess it is too much work to incorporate that in your project.
Maybe that could be a project for me sometime next year...
Took out the old board yesterday, wiped out the dust and gave it a try with my new USB interface. It works 🙂 2/8 channel input and DSP configuration.
There is also an OLED display, encoder, and since there is another I2S bus available on the connectors, I hooked up an ADC module. A basic one but @florentg's module should work as well. S/PDIF in/out are also available on the header on the right side
The display only shows the volume and some info for debug:
There is also an OLED display, encoder, and since there is another I2S bus available on the connectors, I hooked up an ADC module. A basic one but @florentg's module should work as well. S/PDIF in/out are also available on the header on the right side
The display only shows the volume and some info for debug:
Hi everyone,
@eclipsevl and I met up in Rotterdam and seeing the similarities to our projects we decided to join forces.
You can now follow the following thread to stay updated about the developments of this board: https://www.diyaudio.com/community/...nel-dsp-amplifier-with-class-h-option.421487/
@eclipsevl and I met up in Rotterdam and seeing the similarities to our projects we decided to join forces.
You can now follow the following thread to stay updated about the developments of this board: https://www.diyaudio.com/community/...nel-dsp-amplifier-with-class-h-option.421487/