I have wasted quite a bit of money trying to play 192kHz files through a CS8416 based DAC kit, but so far the highest I can manage is 24/88.2kHz. This has got me worried about whether these kits are not all that they are advertised to be. So I am after some recommendations from existing CS8416 DAC owners who have confirmed without a shadow of a doubt that their kit can play 192kHz. Anyone?
I have just acquired a CS8416-based DAC which claims it can play 192kHz but so far have only tested it on 44k1. I'll do a test in the next couple of days to verify it can do 192kHz. Incidentally its only got a 16bit DAC chip (8 of them in parallel) so 24bits is out of the question.
I shall look out for your findings.
I emailed or PMed some of the sellers on eBay (mostly in the Far East) about their kits, and even inquired about the diagrams so that I can double check. I was amazed that some of these drawings didn't have some critical CS8416 pins correctly connected via a 47K resistor to GND or VCC. So the chances of them working correctly would be well suspect.
Anyone with some CS8416 based DAC drawings: please PM me with a copy so that I can check it out as well.
I emailed or PMed some of the sellers on eBay (mostly in the Far East) about their kits, and even inquired about the diagrams so that I can double check. I was amazed that some of these drawings didn't have some critical CS8416 pins correctly connected via a 47K resistor to GND or VCC. So the chances of them working correctly would be well suspect.
Anyone with some CS8416 based DAC drawings: please PM me with a copy so that I can check it out as well.
I'm feeding the DAC now from an SD card player with switchable output sample rate - 48/96/192k and confirm the DAC locks and plays fine at all three output rates.
That's a breakthrough! Where did you pick it up from? Mind you, I do need 24 bit performance. I got about 40% of all my music in 192 format.
I bought it on Taobao, though there's a link on my blog to somewhere that ships outside of China.
No DAC in existence gives 24bit performance (that requires <-140dB noise). I think the lowest noise nowadays is between 21 and 22bits but in general those suck for SQ.
No DAC in existence gives 24bit performance (that requires <-140dB noise). I think the lowest noise nowadays is between 21 and 22bits but in general those suck for SQ.
I shall have a look at that and PM you if I need some help on that.
There is a technical distinction between being able to process 24bit files and being able to reproduce a 24 bit wide dynamic range, which as you correctly pointed out is going to need a -140dB noise floor. Even expensive high end DACs tend to only be good for 106 to 110dB. One of the best opamps in terms of noise rejection is the LM4562, and that is only good for up to -110dB. But regulator noise would have hampered you by then in almost every situation. And let us not not even start talking about the kind of power amplifier and speakers you would need to cover such a wide dynamic range if you really wanted to hear the quietest and loudest sound uncompressed in a recording with a genuine 24bit wide content. But I digress.
A 16bit DAC can process 24bit files - it would just need a source of dither to deal with the truncation from 24 -> 16. On the LM4562 aren't you confusing power supply rejection with noise? That opamp can do better than -110dB noise.
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