Hi ETURNA!
Please for more information about PCB FIX contact me to tonimxp@libero.it if you are intersted
They sure will!
ref: https://www.partsconnexion.com/PCXDACP-89508.html / https://www.partsconnexion.com/PCXDACS-89507.html
I'm sending my SFD-2 MKII in this week to PCX for premium module installation. 🙂
Anyone know of a source for the D20400 replacments where the I/V conversion is done separately (as in the Sonic Frontiers Processor 3)?
Hi edwyun,
There is superb UA20400 replacement socket, not expansive, that you can get from Antonio, email: tonimxp@libero.it As far as I know this socket was available from PartsConnexion, but I don't know if it is still available at PartsCx.
You can contact Antonio on my recommandation if you don't get it from PartsCx.
The socket comes with all the parts soldered except the DAC chips. You will probably have to get 2xAD1862N-K separately: those are very expensive at least in Europe, not sure if PartsConnexion has managed to find a reliable source of genuine.
We have already fixed a DAC with this module (its UA20400 was dead), and the result is outstanding.
If you don't managed to find the AD1862N-K, drop me a MP.
I currently design a replacement module for the AES-21 (the receiver vastly used with the UA20400) and it should be in the testing phase in the coming weeks: I will probably work with PartsCx for testing the prototype.
Good luck,
There is superb UA20400 replacement socket, not expansive, that you can get from Antonio, email: tonimxp@libero.it As far as I know this socket was available from PartsConnexion, but I don't know if it is still available at PartsCx.
You can contact Antonio on my recommandation if you don't get it from PartsCx.
The socket comes with all the parts soldered except the DAC chips. You will probably have to get 2xAD1862N-K separately: those are very expensive at least in Europe, not sure if PartsConnexion has managed to find a reliable source of genuine.
We have already fixed a DAC with this module (its UA20400 was dead), and the result is outstanding.
If you don't managed to find the AD1862N-K, drop me a MP.
I currently design a replacement module for the AES-21 (the receiver vastly used with the UA20400) and it should be in the testing phase in the coming weeks: I will probably work with PartsCx for testing the prototype.
Good luck,
Hello,
I own a Mark Levinson DAC No.35 and would like to replace the Ultra Analog chip. Has anyone already made experience with the replacement module mentioned here. As far as I know, the original DAC Chip is mounted on the bottom of the boards. Is there enough space for the new module?
What tonal changes are there?
I look forward to an answer.
Achim
I own a Mark Levinson DAC No.35 and would like to replace the Ultra Analog chip. Has anyone already made experience with the replacement module mentioned here. As far as I know, the original DAC Chip is mounted on the bottom of the boards. Is there enough space for the new module?
What tonal changes are there?
I look forward to an answer.
Achim
Hello,
I know Tonimxp very well and I have already replace 2 x UA20400 with the socket made by Tonimxp, and sold by PartsConnexion.
The result is even better than the original UA20400, with a slightly higher definition.
The final sonic signature depends on the OpAmp you chose: we have tested 5 different on a Parasound DAC-2000 : and I can give our preference if needed (I have to ask to my co-administrator because I have forgotten !)..
My website (threshold dash lovers dot com) has been totally hacked 2 days ago, so I can't give you the URL of the complete UA20400 replacement review, and it will take a few weeks before the site comes back online.
Be aware that I have developped a similar replacement socket for the Ultra Analog AES-21 Receiver, frequently used as a front-end of the UA20400: the prototype will be sent shortly for testing (to check if it is OK or if there is something wrong).
Actually there is no direct plug-in solution if a DAC has its AES-21 dead: there should be one soon 🙂🙂🙂
The AES-21 replacement socket will be a solution similar to the UA20400 replacement socket: a direct plug-in.
I am not yet 100% that my socket works because it is more complex and costly than the UA20400 replacement socket, but we should have the test result in a few weeks.
This will be a step forward to keep the wonderful vintage DACs alive !
Be happy !
I know Tonimxp very well and I have already replace 2 x UA20400 with the socket made by Tonimxp, and sold by PartsConnexion.
The result is even better than the original UA20400, with a slightly higher definition.
The final sonic signature depends on the OpAmp you chose: we have tested 5 different on a Parasound DAC-2000 : and I can give our preference if needed (I have to ask to my co-administrator because I have forgotten !)..
My website (threshold dash lovers dot com) has been totally hacked 2 days ago, so I can't give you the URL of the complete UA20400 replacement review, and it will take a few weeks before the site comes back online.
Be aware that I have developped a similar replacement socket for the Ultra Analog AES-21 Receiver, frequently used as a front-end of the UA20400: the prototype will be sent shortly for testing (to check if it is OK or if there is something wrong).
Actually there is no direct plug-in solution if a DAC has its AES-21 dead: there should be one soon 🙂🙂🙂
The AES-21 replacement socket will be a solution similar to the UA20400 replacement socket: a direct plug-in.
I am not yet 100% that my socket works because it is more complex and costly than the UA20400 replacement socket, but we should have the test result in a few weeks.
This will be a step forward to keep the wonderful vintage DACs alive !
Be happy !
Hello,
many thanks for the quick and promising answer.
I'm sorry to hear that your website has been hacked and is temporarily unavailable. All the best for the recovery.
I would like to exchange the original OpAmps for Sparkos-type models with which I have already had very good experiences.
I will also swap out the CS8412 receiver chip for the CS8414.
Unfortunately, the moduls are no longer available from PartsCx and I haven't found a short-term alternative yet.
Can you already say something about the sales price/release date of your modules?
many thanks for the quick and promising answer.
I'm sorry to hear that your website has been hacked and is temporarily unavailable. All the best for the recovery.
I would like to exchange the original OpAmps for Sparkos-type models with which I have already had very good experiences.
I will also swap out the CS8412 receiver chip for the CS8414.
Unfortunately, the moduls are no longer available from PartsCx and I haven't found a short-term alternative yet.
Can you already say something about the sales price/release date of your modules?
Yes. About 2 months ago, I replaced the 2 D20400 modules with the sparkos OpAmp based replacement modules from PCX. They are in my SFI Processor 3 SE+. Comparing now with a SFI SFD1 MkII SE+ with the single D20400A module. Not comparing apples to apples but still.
When I ordered the sparkos-based modules from PCX, it took about 3 months to get my Processor 3 back with modules and SE+ mods. I would contact PCX and speak to Chris or Glenn (who does the work) about availability of the modules.
We have restored it with additional securites: we will see if it is enough to keep it safe....🙂
We have tested 4 or 5 different OpAmps with the UA20400 replacement socket: I will post you the sonic results in a few days, because my co-admin is currently not available, and the comparison listening sessions have been done in his home. Stay connected !
I have a deep expertise with this swap, and you must care to the following points to avoid a strong disapointment ! here there are:
- Do not buy a CS8414 from eBay or from China: buy it from a reputable source in order to get a genuine circuit ! there are more counterfeight circuits than original ones (!), and the sonic results are not the same at all ! This is even more important if someday you look for the older CS8412...(a genuine CS8412 costs about 90€ where you can buy a counterfeight one on eBay for 10$...)
- Although the CS8412 and CS8414 are said to be pin to pin compatible (which is 100% true), the musical quality that you will get from your DAC is not necessarily better with the CS8414 !
My conclusion is herebelow (but like always, testing is the best way to get your truth !):
- Do not replace a CS8412 by a CS8414 if your DAC is a "computer based model", such as the Wadia 9 or some Mark Levinsons: the digital filtering algorithm (F.I.R. filter) that is located after the Receiver (and before the dac chip) is optimized for a given reference, and you can get horrible results if you change the Receiver reference...
- Most of the time, changing the CS8412 by a CS8414 improves the performance on the non-computer based DACs, but not always, particularly on the models that had been designed with a specific "jitter reduction circuit", such as the Spectral for example.
If you decide to buy the CS8414, take care that it is not available in a DIP version like the CS8412, but most of the time in a SOIC-28-W version (the datasheet seems unclear on that point): you need to solder it on a SOIC-28-W to DIP adapter, using a microscope is quite mandatory to achieve a clean work. Buy the CS8414 first, then you will be sure of the proper adapter to be used.
The UA20400 sockets should be available shortly at PartsCx, at least as far as I know, there are still manufactured ---> MP.
But do you talk about the UA20400 replacement module, or about the Sparkos ??
The socket will be in its testing phase in the coming days: if it works, then it could be ready for sale in a few weeks.
If it doesn't work, it means that the error has to be identified (this could be simple or not) and the PCB has to be corrected accordingly (this is very simple because I have designed the PCB on my software, and quick ... as soon as the error is identified...).
Regarding the price I have no idea for the moment because there is a critical part (and expensive one) on the socket for which we have not yet the cost (nor the availabily date: see note 1). It should be more expensive than the UA20400 replacement socket, but there is no need to buy the additional AD1862N-J dac chips...
This will be adressed when we are sure that the prototype works.
Cheers,
note 1: I have an alternative if needed.
Hello,
nice to hear that your website is up again. I have absolutely no understanding of why websites like yours are hacked in the first place - what's the point in that?
Thank you for the detailed information and explanations.
The fact that there are (unfortunately) many fake components is sad (but true) and can sometimes be very expensive and frustrating.
You really have to be careful where you buy which components...
The reason why I want to exchange the two Ultra Analog chips for new ones is not because a DAC chip is defective, but because I want to (significantly) improve the sound of the device - but is that the case at all with the new DAC chips modules? Because without a tonal added value, this conversion would be completely superfluous. To get a really unambiguous statement on the question seems to me to be very difficult. Because so far I haven't found any.
Maybe someone has other suggestions or even experiences for a worthwhile modification of an ML No.35 that don't concern the D/A chips?
Maybe someone can help me there? If so, I would be happy.
Greetings from Bielefeld - Germany
Achim
nice to hear that your website is up again. I have absolutely no understanding of why websites like yours are hacked in the first place - what's the point in that?
Thank you for the detailed information and explanations.
The fact that there are (unfortunately) many fake components is sad (but true) and can sometimes be very expensive and frustrating.
You really have to be careful where you buy which components...
The reason why I want to exchange the two Ultra Analog chips for new ones is not because a DAC chip is defective, but because I want to (significantly) improve the sound of the device - but is that the case at all with the new DAC chips modules? Because without a tonal added value, this conversion would be completely superfluous. To get a really unambiguous statement on the question seems to me to be very difficult. Because so far I haven't found any.
Maybe someone has other suggestions or even experiences for a worthwhile modification of an ML No.35 that don't concern the D/A chips?
Maybe someone can help me there? If so, I would be happy.
Greetings from Bielefeld - Germany
Achim
Thank you.
My site runs on Wordpress, which the number 1 CMS in the world, hosting millions of websites.
Consequently Wordpress is also the prefered target of the hackers: they always attack the sites that run with Wordpress to generate the highest number of failures....
Are you talking about the UA20400 "big" modules that are in your DAC ?
If the modules are the original provided with your DAC when you bought it, you can be sure that they are not fake: because at this time, the UA20400 was used only by reputable DACs manufacturers.
In addition, the UA20400 is not "just a chip" that you can easily counterfeight, it is a module hosting various electronic parts: 2 DAC chips of course (Burr Brown PCM-61) but also a transformer, a few resistors, etc... So it is not so easy to counterfeight, and there was a very small volume of sales, so it was no interest to make fakes.
Wel, this is another point.
If you want to improve the sound of the DAC, there are also many other options to consider that depends on what DAC (Brand/Model) you talk about (for example a better power supply, or a few caps replacement by Polypropylene (PP) caps may improve the sound a lot, possibly more than the UA20400 replacement).
But back to the UA20400.
The replacement socket has been designed to use the AD1862N dac chips, and 2 single way operational amp of your choice (DIP-8 or SMD via an adapter).
The final sound that you will get from the replacement socket depends on these 2 choices, because the other parts of the socket are already the best on the market: Silver-Mica caps, PP caps, etc... (Antonio, the designer, knows his job...).
The 1st rule is that you must buy genuine AD1862N, and select the " AD1862N-J " version, that is supposed to be a "selected version": so you have to look for a vendor that guarantees to provide you with genuine Analog device chips (-->MP if you need). Genuine AD1862N are not cheap !
The 2nd rule is that the Operational Amps choice does impact the final sound: as I told you before, I will tell you the comparative sound, as soon as my co-admin has get his internet connection back !
Some opamps provide a far better sound than others, and do not forget that a burn-in period is mandatory to evaluate the sound of each opamps: fortunately, the socket has DIP supports for opamps, so you can easily switch them (remember that only the single way opamps are accepted !, not the dual...).
I have posted a YouTube video of the UA20400 replacement socket here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CODekGlCN-U
I have already replaced 2 UA20400 on two DACs, and here are my conclusions regarding the sound:
-the original UA20400 was one of the very best DAC module at the moment (amongst the 3 best), so it is not easy to achieve a better sound than it...
-the Antonio replacement socket nevertheless performs eceptionally well: it is a very serious replacement solution.
The original UA20400 provides a sweet sound, it has enough details but provides a sweeter sound than the other DACs manufactured at this period. It delivers an "analog sound", and this made it very successful at this period.
The replacement socket provides slightly more detail (transparency), more energy, while remaining never agressive.
The replacement socket requires a burn-in period and allows you to "play with the opamps": changing the opamps does change the sound. So this also allows you to select the best "match" with the rest of your system.
Remember that replacing the UA20400 by this socket in order to improve the sound, will not necessarily be a success: this depends on the rest of your system, on your taste regarding the sound, and how your DAC is optimized regarding its other parts such as Power Supply, caps, etc..
Cheers,
Hello,
first of all I would like to thank you for the detailed answers to my questions. It is not natural that someone takes so much time to help.
I really appreciate that - thank you so much.
I can only agree with your description of the sound. It's still a very good DAC and the sound is colourful, smooth and analogue, really allowing for hours of listening without any fatigue or strain.
The only real downside is - the DAC unfortunately has no volume control...
On the subject of modifications, I'll probably keep the original two 20-bit UA chips and instead focus more on upgrading the capacitors, the power supply (Discret Voltage Regulators) or other surrounding components.
Although the selection of components there is almost confusing.
Unfortunately, I don't have a service manual - a circuit diagram would be very helpful under certain circumstances, because the device is constructed rather complex.
Greetings
Achim
first of all I would like to thank you for the detailed answers to my questions. It is not natural that someone takes so much time to help.
I really appreciate that - thank you so much.
I can only agree with your description of the sound. It's still a very good DAC and the sound is colourful, smooth and analogue, really allowing for hours of listening without any fatigue or strain.
The only real downside is - the DAC unfortunately has no volume control...
On the subject of modifications, I'll probably keep the original two 20-bit UA chips and instead focus more on upgrading the capacitors, the power supply (Discret Voltage Regulators) or other surrounding components.
Although the selection of components there is almost confusing.
Unfortunately, I don't have a service manual - a circuit diagram would be very helpful under certain circumstances, because the device is constructed rather complex.
Greetings
Achim
A extremely good preamp is extremely rare, but is better than a passive volume control... (MP ...)
Cleaver approach !
Look at my YouTube video (link above) and you will see the discrete regulators, implemented as a dropp in replacement in the DAC.
Remind me the exact brand/model of your DAC, I will see if a schematic can be found somewhere...
I currently work on a drop-in replacement socket for the AES-21 receiver, using the best posible parts on the market: the prototype is completed and will be under testing in the coming days 😎 👍
If the test is OK, then I will propose the socket very soon ! ... if there is a bug, then we will work to find a solution !
The conclusion is that the fantastic vintage DACs equipped with the [ AES-21 + UA20400] modules should shortly have a complete solution !
This is the video of a DAC that I have recently upgraded: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CODekGlCN-U
For the ML-35, there is no Service Manual available, and it is a very complex DAC: fortunately, it is one of the very best (even nowdays, 35 years later, see note 1 ...), so there are not a lots of things to do to improve it: it is still one of the very very best...
Note 1: the modern manufacturers should lesson to the ML-35 in high end system to understand how uncompetents they are, and how their DACs perform poorly, particularly on the CD format (99% of the music that most of us lesson to, is in the usual CD format, 16/44.1). These manufacturers have purely marketing argumants (such as the high resolution formats support) but when it comes to the sound quality...
For the ML-35, there is no Service Manual available, and it is a very complex DAC: fortunately, it is one of the very best (even nowdays, 35 years later, see note 1 ...), so there are not a lots of things to do to improve it: it is still one of the very very best...
Note 1: the modern manufacturers should lesson to the ML-35 in high end system to understand how uncompetents they are, and how their DACs perform poorly, particularly on the CD format (99% of the music that most of us lesson to, is in the usual CD format, 16/44.1). These manufacturers have purely marketing argumants (such as the high resolution formats support) but when it comes to the sound quality...
...a few years ago I asked the then German Mark Levinson Service (Sun Audio, Munich) to send me a service manual for the No.35. But unfortunately they did not comply with my request - understandably.
I watched the video - it's interesting. In what way has the sound of the modified Parasound DAC changed. Can you clearly hear the difference?
I'm not an amateur in the field of modifications, but due to the confusing amount of different capacitors, resistors and other components, can you name some recommended manufacturers? What good or bad experiences have you had with different types of components?
I watched the video - it's interesting. In what way has the sound of the modified Parasound DAC changed. Can you clearly hear the difference?
I'm not an amateur in the field of modifications, but due to the confusing amount of different capacitors, resistors and other components, can you name some recommended manufacturers? What good or bad experiences have you had with different types of components?