Jean Paul,
I jus read this whole out-of date thread, and I want your last chip badly, but the contest has finished with no entries I can see. I have a single N2 - I bought the last one off a guy on eBay who had a batch of 400. I am making a 2x chip DAC, and want a matching chip, but can't find one like mine anywhere.
Anyway, here is my entry into your already closed competition. I thought about passing along a poem on the meaning of life by my 92 year old maternal grandpa, written and published at 92 years old, but that would be cheating. He is England's oldest still published poet, called Cliff Ashby.
I, however, am not really a poet at all, as you will see. Anyway, here it is, for what it's worth:
The meaning of Life.
Which word in the title shall I deal with first?
That of "meaning"? The poser itself, the question so broad.
Or "life"? A bubble of wonder onto earth it burst.
Seeking answers to these is such a double edged sword.
But as I consider the meanings, the words,
This word "the" seems to cause consternation,
Assuming that there is a single truth in this world,
A meaning to life, objective, universal.
So human, this question, so hard to decipher,
And yet cursed, only we toil to question it all,
The birds in the trees sing to the great maker,
And we, so complex, question this mortal coil.
Wise men have pondered the meaning for all,
But those with meaning in their lives care less,
For they are singing already, like birds to God,
And the wise men, so wise, are depressed and vexed.
So if you wonder the point of it all,
Find some quick, before you think all is lost,
The reason for life, the meaning is all,
In the mind of the thinker, who thinks least has most.
Love, for some, holds reason enough,
The embrace of life and it's wondrous verse,
A selfless act, in joy,can make life seem worth,
The pain and sorrow of humanity's curse.
I jus read this whole out-of date thread, and I want your last chip badly, but the contest has finished with no entries I can see. I have a single N2 - I bought the last one off a guy on eBay who had a batch of 400. I am making a 2x chip DAC, and want a matching chip, but can't find one like mine anywhere.
Anyway, here is my entry into your already closed competition. I thought about passing along a poem on the meaning of life by my 92 year old maternal grandpa, written and published at 92 years old, but that would be cheating. He is England's oldest still published poet, called Cliff Ashby.
I, however, am not really a poet at all, as you will see. Anyway, here it is, for what it's worth:
The meaning of Life.
Which word in the title shall I deal with first?
That of "meaning"? The poser itself, the question so broad.
Or "life"? A bubble of wonder onto earth it burst.
Seeking answers to these is such a double edged sword.
But as I consider the meanings, the words,
This word "the" seems to cause consternation,
Assuming that there is a single truth in this world,
A meaning to life, objective, universal.
So human, this question, so hard to decipher,
And yet cursed, only we toil to question it all,
The birds in the trees sing to the great maker,
And we, so complex, question this mortal coil.
Wise men have pondered the meaning for all,
But those with meaning in their lives care less,
For they are singing already, like birds to God,
And the wise men, so wise, are depressed and vexed.
So if you wonder the point of it all,
Find some quick, before you think all is lost,
The reason for life, the meaning is all,
In the mind of the thinker, who thinks least has most.
Love, for some, holds reason enough,
The embrace of life and it's wondrous verse,
A selfless act, in joy,can make life seem worth,
The pain and sorrow of humanity's curse.
Hi Lucas, indeed I haven't received any poem. It was a try-out but I could have known better that most technicians are not into this kind of stuff. I am not either to be honest, although I can enjoy it when I am in the right mood.
Since your grandfather has made such a nice poem ( say thanks to him ) and it is the only entry I can not call it cheating and so the rules are adapted: you will receive my very last TDA. Send me a PM with your address please. I hope your DAC will sound good, if you build it carefully it will.
Since your grandfather has made such a nice poem ( say thanks to him ) and it is the only entry I can not call it cheating and so the rules are adapted: you will receive my very last TDA. Send me a PM with your address please. I hope your DAC will sound good, if you build it carefully it will.
Last edited:
Hi Lucas,
Your grandpa's poem is so wise yet profound.
Couldnt resist to post and say its worth more than 92yrs of advise, beyond what language can describe. Thank you for sharing.
Your grandpa's poem is so wise yet profound.
Couldnt resist to post and say its worth more than 92yrs of advise, beyond what language can describe. Thank you for sharing.
Hi guys,
FYI, I have left from previous projects:
8 pcs. TDA1541A (10858 HSH8810 2 Y);
1 pc. TDA1541A S1 (HSH8823 2 Y);
2 pcs. Burr-Brown PCM1702P-K;
4 pcs. Burr-Brown PCM63P-K.
Please let me know if you wish to buy some of these (poems not absolutely necessary).
Pieter
FYI, I have left from previous projects:
8 pcs. TDA1541A (10858 HSH8810 2 Y);
1 pc. TDA1541A S1 (HSH8823 2 Y);
2 pcs. Burr-Brown PCM1702P-K;
4 pcs. Burr-Brown PCM63P-K.
Please let me know if you wish to buy some of these (poems not absolutely necessary).
Pieter
Forgot to mention:
2 pcs. Burr-Brown PCM58P-K;
5 pcs. Crystal CS8412 input receivers;
LOADS of NPC SM5813 digital filters.
All chips are unused (ecxept the PCM58's)
Pieter
2 pcs. Burr-Brown PCM58P-K;
5 pcs. Crystal CS8412 input receivers;
LOADS of NPC SM5813 digital filters.
All chips are unused (ecxept the PCM58's)
Pieter
That's very kind of you. 😱 Like I said, I was going to use one of his poems, but I felt it would be cheating.
Actually I wrote this one myself in 20 minutes, desperate to win that chip, which I did! 🙂
And now Jean-Paul is a "Patron of the Arts." 😉
Well, I kind of like the outcome no matter if it was only one entry. Sometimes one can be enough. I was thinking of doing the same with a brand new 4 x TDA1543A non os DAC that I built. I will open a new thread when time permits (next week or so).
The TDA1541A chip and SAA7220P/B receiver chip and caps arrived today Jean Paul. It is a perfect match in year and country to my other one - I can't thank you enough for your generosity Jean Paul.
I will put it to good use in the mother of all NOS 2x TDA1541A set-ups (Oliver DVB-Projekt Style). It will have full Os-cons, PRP resistors, SRPP 6n2-Pi tube output stage and 5x Salas shunt regs with Panasonic FC capacitor arrays & a big R-core transformer.
I will put it to good use in the mother of all NOS 2x TDA1541A set-ups (Oliver DVB-Projekt Style). It will have full Os-cons, PRP resistors, SRPP 6n2-Pi tube output stage and 5x Salas shunt regs with Panasonic FC capacitor arrays & a big R-core transformer.
Hi, I hope you liked the SAA7220 (which is the digital filter) that is not of any use to me anymore. I forgot you went the non os route but maybe you'll use it when you want to test os again 😉 The caps are very good for decoupling all 3 supply lines. I am curious if your DAC will bring you what you expect of it. TDA is old school "analog sound" produced by old fashioned sturdy bipolar technology which is incredible after so much time and many new technologies. A true classic, too bad I did not keep a single DAC with TDA1541A 
But it is time to move on....
My new project is a DAC with the "Fluency DAC" that Luxman uses in its DU-80. You won't find much info here as it is a relatively unknown technology and chip. I think it is a pretty spectacular chip. I stuffed the board and made a chassis and I hope it is the mother of all DACs as you called it. It uses spline interpolation and goes beyond 20 kHz with red book material which is unusual enough to try it out. There is not a single chip out there that resembles this one.
BTW be careful with OSCON, only SP series is OK in audio. Nichicon ZLH, Pana FC/FM/FK are good.
But it is time to move on....My new project is a DAC with the "Fluency DAC" that Luxman uses in its DU-80. You won't find much info here as it is a relatively unknown technology and chip. I think it is a pretty spectacular chip. I stuffed the board and made a chassis and I hope it is the mother of all DACs as you called it. It uses spline interpolation and goes beyond 20 kHz with red book material which is unusual enough to try it out. There is not a single chip out there that resembles this one.
BTW be careful with OSCON, only SP series is OK in audio. Nichicon ZLH, Pana FC/FM/FK are good.
Last edited:
I don't think I will use the SAA7220, to be honest. I don't think many of these will get used again, to be honest, as it's generally thought to be the single most damaging thing in the development of DACs (the whole concept of over-sampling I mean), along with op-amp output stages of course.
I am using SEPC Os-Con. What's the problem with them? I have heard only rave reviews of them so far - everybody talks of them being an improvement over SP??? SEPC are lower ESR, which may be why they are said to be good, not that it makes much difference as they are both incredibly low ESR range. I'm intrigued as to why you don't think they work for audio.
I am using SEPC Os-Con. What's the problem with them? I have heard only rave reviews of them so far - everybody talks of them being an improvement over SP??? SEPC are lower ESR, which may be why they are said to be good, not that it makes much difference as they are both incredibly low ESR range. I'm intrigued as to why you don't think they work for audio.
Mmm, I would not condemn oversampling as such as it was not developed for no purpose. The SAA is notorious though as it its a chip with many drawbacks but TDA is so too. Just try an SAA in your DAC and compare. I guess there are as many supporters of oversampling as there are that don't like the concept. It is a very convenient way to get noise out of the audio-band. IMO the susceptibility for jitter gets higher with os but I gave up condemning techniques just because they seem not OK on paper. I heard oversampling DACs that sound very good. On Ebay there are enough "DIY" DACs for sale that use a SAA7220 and last time I checked it is indeed 2010 now !
What I meant to say is to be careful with OSCON. The SA and SC series measured very good but I never had convincing results with them in audio. I stopped with the SP series (and thought they were still the current series) and I don't know the SEPC series. I should have written " use SP series or better". What I do know is that ridiculous low ESR is not a guarantee for good results. Many regs don't like extreme low ESR caps. Extremely low ESR caps are meant for use on computer mainboards that carry very large currents with high frequency loads and switching PSUs.
OSCON is simply not as good as BG was (in analog/audio). I just obtained BG which costed some effort as they have even more cult status now than they had when they were still produced. If only Jelmax would start to produce those again 😉 Till now all experiments I did with OSCON in analog circuits turned out in favor of other good quality caps. But I encourage you to try them, I did and I will sell my remaining stock of OSCON soon. They are very good for decoupling high speed digital circuits.
edit: I just looked here:
http://edc.sanyo.com/pdf/e016.pdf
and I saw time was again too fast for me. There are only new series around now and I know none of them !
You are definitely right about the opamps in output stages in DACs. They are an easy way out and cost less time and money than a proper output stage. Some DACs accept transformers and I dig those.
What I meant to say is to be careful with OSCON. The SA and SC series measured very good but I never had convincing results with them in audio. I stopped with the SP series (and thought they were still the current series) and I don't know the SEPC series. I should have written " use SP series or better". What I do know is that ridiculous low ESR is not a guarantee for good results. Many regs don't like extreme low ESR caps. Extremely low ESR caps are meant for use on computer mainboards that carry very large currents with high frequency loads and switching PSUs.
OSCON is simply not as good as BG was (in analog/audio). I just obtained BG which costed some effort as they have even more cult status now than they had when they were still produced. If only Jelmax would start to produce those again 😉 Till now all experiments I did with OSCON in analog circuits turned out in favor of other good quality caps. But I encourage you to try them, I did and I will sell my remaining stock of OSCON soon. They are very good for decoupling high speed digital circuits.
edit: I just looked here:
http://edc.sanyo.com/pdf/e016.pdf
and I saw time was again too fast for me. There are only new series around now and I know none of them !
You are definitely right about the opamps in output stages in DACs. They are an easy way out and cost less time and money than a proper output stage. Some DACs accept transformers and I dig those.
Last edited:
I can't understand how a technology as good as BG can come to be shelved, when they were clearly so very popular. I only have people's word for how good they are, and if that's anything to go by, they are dry electrolytics sounding better than excellent, expensive film caps. If it wasn't cost effective, they could charge 4 or more times what they used to - the DIY audio market is much bigger that it ever was.
I think implementing OS would be far too complex for me to ever try adding, and I would more likely get an Arcam Delta 5+ CD player if I wanted to explore that, as it is highly regarded and quite cheap.
I think people generally regard some of the more modern OS dacs very well, as do I, but all of the people I have read commenting on the TDA1541A have said that when they've done OS conversion, they are astounded at the improvement. Can you remember reading of anybody not pleased with the results of NOS conversion in TDA1541A on the internet? I can't. Do you prefer OS on the TDA1541A? I thought it was the prime candidate for NOS dac.
I think implementing OS would be far too complex for me to ever try adding, and I would more likely get an Arcam Delta 5+ CD player if I wanted to explore that, as it is highly regarded and quite cheap.
I think people generally regard some of the more modern OS dacs very well, as do I, but all of the people I have read commenting on the TDA1541A have said that when they've done OS conversion, they are astounded at the improvement. Can you remember reading of anybody not pleased with the results of NOS conversion in TDA1541A on the internet? I can't. Do you prefer OS on the TDA1541A? I thought it was the prime candidate for NOS dac.
It is the prime candidate for NOS but you should try both non os and os with an SAA and another digital filter to be able to evaluate the merits of digital filters/os.
Also some of the newer DIR chips are better now. I would not use the old chips, except if you will only play red book material.
Also some of the newer DIR chips are better now. I would not use the old chips, except if you will only play red book material.
Last edited:
When checking the jitter specs of newer chips (got interested in TI parts) I ended up at diyhifi.org where somebody took the effort to measure some of the older and some of the newer chips. Not all new chips are better, in fact it seems good old CS8412 will be a classic too. I can not understand that newer technology only provides more features and less quality.
DIYHiFi.org • View topic - SPDIF musings
So ignore my remark on CS8412. They're the "TDA of DIRs" according some of the knowledgable people at that website. I just moved over to CS8416 without comparing them directly to CS8412, an error it seems. CS8412 does not play the material I have so that is another case of acceptance 😉
DIYHiFi.org • View topic - SPDIF musings
So ignore my remark on CS8412. They're the "TDA of DIRs" according some of the knowledgable people at that website. I just moved over to CS8416 without comparing them directly to CS8412, an error it seems. CS8412 does not play the material I have so that is another case of acceptance 😉
Last edited:
I think that the SAA7220 is known to be rather noisy. The fact that most Philips-based player architectures use it for clock distribution is one factor that may be responsible for people preferring going NOS. In my Rotel 855, I cut the clock traces from the 7220 to the TDA, and used a modified Flea board w/Tent XO which did /2 to directly clock the TDA. I didn't bother disabling the clock trace from the 7220 to the 7210. It made a substantial improvement. I also have a Pedja Rodic NOS DAC that while it sounds good, I prefer the 4xOS Rotel.
I should have bought another N2 chip from you Jean-Paul to put in the pedja DAC 🙂
I should have bought another N2 chip from you Jean-Paul to put in the pedja DAC 🙂
Do you still have stock of these chips?
I need S1, not sure whether N2 can replace S1 with no other changes in the circuit design or values.
Thanks.
- Status
- Not open for further replies.