Hello All,
Awhile back, I was looking for a solution to my Active crossover speaker project (LXmini+) so I ended up building a custom MiniSharc stack with the RPI3 as the centerpiece to utilize its i2s output.
My current stack is this:
RPI3 -> Kali Reclocker -> MiniSharc -> MiniDac8 -> 8x Power Amp. This whole stack minus the poweramp is powered by a generic 5V wall-wart (yuck - i know!)
Now this setup works wonderfully well and I have enjoyed it for about 2 years now.
But now I have that itch again and wanted to revisit for an upgrade...
Here's a visual demonstration of my blocks:
So there are 2 basic steps:
1) Get the sBooster 5V
2) Get some decent I2S stereo boards, ones that can be powered by 5V so I don't have to worry about sourcing another expensive "audiophile-grade" PSU (ugh... lol )
My initial thought are either of these 2:
1) Audiophonics es9038q2m - 130 euro (ouch!):
AUDIOPHONICS DAC I-Sabre ES9038Q2M Raspberry Pi / I2S & SPDIF / PCM DSD - Audiophonics
2) Allo BOSS DAC ($65)
BOSS I2S DAC v 1.2
3) Cheaper ES9023 by Audiophonic - 45 Euro
AUDIOPHONICS I-Sabre DAC ES9023 TCXO Raspberry Pi A+ B+ / Pi 3 / Pi 2 / I2S - Audiophonics
4x audiophonic es9038 is gonna be pretty pricey! since I already have to spend $335 on the sBooster. $65x4 or 45euro x4 might be a bit easier to stomach.
I might end up keeping the miniDAC8 for a bit and see how much the sBooster will enhance the sound signature. Isolating the rest of the noise-inducing RPI3 should give it a nice upgrade.
Do let me know if anyone that owns both the BOSS and Audiophonic ES9038. Would love to see a comparison to justify that big difference in $$.
Would love to know what ya'all think!
Awhile back, I was looking for a solution to my Active crossover speaker project (LXmini+) so I ended up building a custom MiniSharc stack with the RPI3 as the centerpiece to utilize its i2s output.
My current stack is this:
RPI3 -> Kali Reclocker -> MiniSharc -> MiniDac8 -> 8x Power Amp. This whole stack minus the poweramp is powered by a generic 5V wall-wart (yuck - i know!)
Now this setup works wonderfully well and I have enjoyed it for about 2 years now.
But now I have that itch again and wanted to revisit for an upgrade...
Here's a visual demonstration of my blocks:
So there are 2 basic steps:
1) Get the sBooster 5V
2) Get some decent I2S stereo boards, ones that can be powered by 5V so I don't have to worry about sourcing another expensive "audiophile-grade" PSU (ugh... lol )
My initial thought are either of these 2:
1) Audiophonics es9038q2m - 130 euro (ouch!):
AUDIOPHONICS DAC I-Sabre ES9038Q2M Raspberry Pi / I2S & SPDIF / PCM DSD - Audiophonics
2) Allo BOSS DAC ($65)
BOSS I2S DAC v 1.2
3) Cheaper ES9023 by Audiophonic - 45 Euro
AUDIOPHONICS I-Sabre DAC ES9023 TCXO Raspberry Pi A+ B+ / Pi 3 / Pi 2 / I2S - Audiophonics
4x audiophonic es9038 is gonna be pretty pricey! since I already have to spend $335 on the sBooster. $65x4 or 45euro x4 might be a bit easier to stomach.
I might end up keeping the miniDAC8 for a bit and see how much the sBooster will enhance the sound signature. Isolating the rest of the noise-inducing RPI3 should give it a nice upgrade.
Do let me know if anyone that owns both the BOSS and Audiophonic ES9038. Would love to see a comparison to justify that big difference in $$.
Would love to know what ya'all think!
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You could try DIYInHK at DIYINHK.
I have no affiliation with them at all. I am building a nanoSHARC 3-way crossover at the moment and I chose 3 of their AK4490 DACs for the output for starters with a view to upgrading to the AK4499 or maybe ES9038PRO in future...
Anyway, the AK4490 wouldn't suit you because it is 3.3V, 5V and +-12V, however, they do have a few options:
Their ES9038Q2M DAC is $169 (US$) for a dual mono setup. This is comparable to the Audiophonics price, although it is 2 ES9038Q2M chips per board, 1 per channel.
They have a single ES9038Q2M option which is cheaper but needs the same voltages as the AK449X options - 3.3V, 5V and +-12V...
They do also have an ES9018K2M Dual Mono option as well. This is $69.50 which may be more palatable from a cost point of view. It is a single 5V power supply again.
Finally, they have an ES9023 option as well for just $10.
Note: all the kits 'DAC PCB with DAC Chip' come with the surface mount components soldered to the PCB. The through hole (usually just capacitors and maybe connectors) come with the kit but need to be soldered. They can be changed for other types if needed/wanted - although be aware that Elna Silmic II capacitors don't generally fit the board and you may need to install caps top and bottom if you go that route.
Links:
Dual Mono ES9038Q2M XMOS DSD DXD 768khz USB Audio DAC with Bit-perfect volume control - DIYINHK
Dual Mono ES9018K2M XMOS DSD DXD 2x384khz USB Audio DAC with Bit-perfect volume control - DIYINHK
ES9023 192kHz I2S DAC, XMOS USB input, 4uV Low Noise Regulator - DIYINHK
I have no affiliation with them at all. I am building a nanoSHARC 3-way crossover at the moment and I chose 3 of their AK4490 DACs for the output for starters with a view to upgrading to the AK4499 or maybe ES9038PRO in future...
Anyway, the AK4490 wouldn't suit you because it is 3.3V, 5V and +-12V, however, they do have a few options:
Their ES9038Q2M DAC is $169 (US$) for a dual mono setup. This is comparable to the Audiophonics price, although it is 2 ES9038Q2M chips per board, 1 per channel.
They have a single ES9038Q2M option which is cheaper but needs the same voltages as the AK449X options - 3.3V, 5V and +-12V...
They do also have an ES9018K2M Dual Mono option as well. This is $69.50 which may be more palatable from a cost point of view. It is a single 5V power supply again.
Finally, they have an ES9023 option as well for just $10.
Note: all the kits 'DAC PCB with DAC Chip' come with the surface mount components soldered to the PCB. The through hole (usually just capacitors and maybe connectors) come with the kit but need to be soldered. They can be changed for other types if needed/wanted - although be aware that Elna Silmic II capacitors don't generally fit the board and you may need to install caps top and bottom if you go that route.
Links:
Dual Mono ES9038Q2M XMOS DSD DXD 768khz USB Audio DAC with Bit-perfect volume control - DIYINHK
Dual Mono ES9018K2M XMOS DSD DXD 2x384khz USB Audio DAC with Bit-perfect volume control - DIYINHK
ES9023 192kHz I2S DAC, XMOS USB input, 4uV Low Noise Regulator - DIYINHK
I found this:
Linear Audio Silent Switcher MkII – diyAudio Store
It's a linear psu output stage that takes 5V DC to produce +/- 12, 15, 18, or 24v (via resistor configuration). Also comes with +3.3v, +5V, or +6.5v as accessory output.
It's an extra $90, but does it allow me to use the sbooster to feed it and still maintain a linear psu pipe.
Because of this option, I'm also open to DAC that uses dual-rail psu.
Additionally, I also found this:
AUDIOPHONICS I-Sabre DAC ES9023 TCXO Raspberry Pi A+ B+ 2.0 / I2S - Audiophonics
This has a nice on-board async txco clock. Seems to be a simplier version of their high-end ES9023 lineup (V3 & V4 - allows for extra display output). I don't need those extra bells and whistle so this is a viable cheaper option. Just from reading their site descriptions though, I cannot tell if this version has any inherent quality change comparing to the new and more expensive (v3 & v4) of the ES9023 board.
I'll definitely check out the DIYINHK. I remember seeing their site before, but wasnt thrilled with having to solder stuffs myself. I'm terrible at it.
Linear Audio Silent Switcher MkII – diyAudio Store
It's a linear psu output stage that takes 5V DC to produce +/- 12, 15, 18, or 24v (via resistor configuration). Also comes with +3.3v, +5V, or +6.5v as accessory output.
It's an extra $90, but does it allow me to use the sbooster to feed it and still maintain a linear psu pipe.
Because of this option, I'm also open to DAC that uses dual-rail psu.
Additionally, I also found this:
AUDIOPHONICS I-Sabre DAC ES9023 TCXO Raspberry Pi A+ B+ 2.0 / I2S - Audiophonics
This has a nice on-board async txco clock. Seems to be a simplier version of their high-end ES9023 lineup (V3 & V4 - allows for extra display output). I don't need those extra bells and whistle so this is a viable cheaper option. Just from reading their site descriptions though, I cannot tell if this version has any inherent quality change comparing to the new and more expensive (v3 & v4) of the ES9023 board.
I'll definitely check out the DIYINHK. I remember seeing their site before, but wasnt thrilled with having to solder stuffs myself. I'm terrible at it.
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This is the right link for the new Audiophonics es9023 that i found:
AUDIOPHONICS I-Sabre DAC ES9023 TCXO Raspberry Pi A+ B+ / Pi 3 / Pi 2 / I2S - Audiophonics
AUDIOPHONICS I-Sabre DAC ES9023 TCXO Raspberry Pi A+ B+ / Pi 3 / Pi 2 / I2S - Audiophonics
These is a newer version of the same audiophonics one, slightly more expensive:
AUDIOPHONICS I-Sabre V2.1 DAC ES9023 TCXO Raspberry Pi 3 / Pi 2 A+ B+ / I2S - Audiophonics
AUDIOPHONICS I-Sabre V2.1 DAC ES9023 TCXO Raspberry Pi 3 / Pi 2 A+ B+ / I2S - Audiophonics
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