S1 chips in Pedja's DAC, paired with Audiomeca Mephisto II CD transport, the best analog-like sound I remember. So musical.
S1 chips can come with no crown,1 crown or 2 crowns, it was only later chips where there was a S2 designation, I think out of Taiwan..
Mind you, having two crowns does not guarantee it will sound better than a given single crown chip. I have know hobbyists that had some of both and sometimes it was the single crown chip that sounded better to them (both sounding very good and better than non S1 chips)
I had three S1 single crown chips at one point and all three sounded very noticeably different to each other when used in the same modded CD60.
Mind you, having two crowns does not guarantee it will sound better than a given single crown chip. I have know hobbyists that had some of both and sometimes it was the single crown chip that sounded better to them (both sounding very good and better than non S1 chips)
I had three S1 single crown chips at one point and all three sounded very noticeably different to each other when used in the same modded CD60.
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Greetings!
I have such a chip (photo 1), its authenticity haunts me. My preliminary conclusions are as follows: it works pretty well, it does not heat up, the contacts are not magnetic, there is no resistance, the font is similar. But the HBH labeling is confusing, because no one has confirmed such labeling before. I also found an article about NAIM CD3, where the photo shows that a chip marked HBH is installed, although it is S1 (photo 2,3). S1 is an additional marking after the factory one, and I hope that NAIM did not install fakes in its equipment.
What do you think about it?
I have such a chip (photo 1), its authenticity haunts me. My preliminary conclusions are as follows: it works pretty well, it does not heat up, the contacts are not magnetic, there is no resistance, the font is similar. But the HBH labeling is confusing, because no one has confirmed such labeling before. I also found an article about NAIM CD3, where the photo shows that a chip marked HBH is installed, although it is S1 (photo 2,3). S1 is an additional marking after the factory one, and I hope that NAIM did not install fakes in its equipment.
What do you think about it?
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The first two are mine and are 100% original.
Look at the letters and numbers.... the third one seems to have letters and numbers that are written in a non-continuous manner. I am not sure, though, if that is a sign the chip is not original... Also, the numbers' font is different....
But also, there's a difference between Philips logos... the third one has four horizontal lines that are longer than the horizontal lines on the first two logos ... now that is certainly suspicious, at least to me....
... also, the third Philips logo is not as tall as the first two...
Look at the letters and numbers.... the third one seems to have letters and numbers that are written in a non-continuous manner. I am not sure, though, if that is a sign the chip is not original... Also, the numbers' font is different....
But also, there's a difference between Philips logos... the third one has four horizontal lines that are longer than the horizontal lines on the first two logos ... now that is certainly suspicious, at least to me....
... also, the third Philips logo is not as tall as the first two...
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@E.Boky Two questions please :
1. Regarding the two top chips, the font is clearly the same but the colour of the writing is quite different with the middle chip being white grey on a much paler chip - that latter situation presumably is quite usual.
2. The S1 and Crown looks hand stamped in a different font. So how can one tell that it isn’t a fake ? Answering my own question, I guess it came from a legitimate CD Player which normally contained a S1 chip ?
Many thanks
1. Regarding the two top chips, the font is clearly the same but the colour of the writing is quite different with the middle chip being white grey on a much paler chip - that latter situation presumably is quite usual.
2. The S1 and Crown looks hand stamped in a different font. So how can one tell that it isn’t a fake ? Answering my own question, I guess it came from a legitimate CD Player which normally contained a S1 chip ?
Many thanks
I've read your examples, but pay attention to the chip that NAIM installed in his CD3. It has many similarities to mine and is also different from yours. However, the angle of the photo is not good. I assume that this is the difference in labeling between the 88 and 96 chip releases. 2 photos from this camozzi post. Also very similar.
Thank you for your participation.
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Well, in that case, it's all good. I always wondered how anyone could create a TDA1541 DAC IC fake.... it wouldn't be easy, I'd assume...
I bought the plain TDA chips many years ago from Wagner Electronics, a reputable seller in Sydney, Australia. I also personally tested them - they are all 100% genuine.
The S1 single-crown chips are also 100% genuine, removed from the Marantz CD94MKII CD player. I can confirm that the S1 and the crown-symbol stamping were not confined to the exact same area.
I modified one CD94MKII for a friend. He had a second CD94MKII he bought overseas... he removed all the PCBs and only brought those back to Australia - less bulky. The two Marantz CD94MKII DAC ICs had S1 and crown stamps placed in different areas on the ICs. Go figure. Someone was checking them all, and selecting the S1s manually, and putting the stamps by hand.
With so many variations, I suppose the only way to be certain about chips of unknown origin is to check their THD.
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I found an educational video where the author demonstrates a simple way to verify the authenticity of the TDA1541A without using measuring instruments, which anyone can do. Make a short circuit between pins 17 and 18 during playback, which in the original chips should lead to distortion only in the left stereo channel.
Non-original chips simply do not work.
But the question here is how can we tell original S1 from fake S1, that is a plain chip overstamped and sold 5x price.
But the question here is how can we tell original S1 from fake S1, that is a plain chip overstamped and sold 5x price.
Thd analyser, plug it, should be on spec with the crown figures.
NOTE: tda1541 is NOT affected by time storage, you expect a tda1541 from 30 years ago perform as if it was new.
The other R2R dac chips which don't have DEM technology (by choice etc) will lose up to 1 bit of data over time, resistor trimming is only done once in factory.
NOTE: tda1541 is NOT affected by time storage, you expect a tda1541 from 30 years ago perform as if it was new.
The other R2R dac chips which don't have DEM technology (by choice etc) will lose up to 1 bit of data over time, resistor trimming is only done once in factory.
I checked various grade chips. There is no THD difference at full scale output, or just very minimal. Significant difference is at low level, like -60 dBFS. The difference between various grades is the Differential Linearity Error (DLE), and it has most effect at low level.