Now no DHT ampli at home, I have built an 845 DHT for a friend but it's gone a couple of years ago.
It's a heavily tweaked chinese ampli (the Music Angel 845), practically I saved the power supply, the output transformers and the chassis.
The driver circuit was fully redesigned and the output tubes were replaced with a pair of PSVANE WE845.
It sounds very very good.
When I find the time I will build a pair of GM70 DHT monoblock ampli, I already own all the parts.
It uses a choke as the load for the driver but a 1:1 interstage transformer could be used in its place.
The only issue is the current that would flow in the primary, around 35 mA.
I will share the design as soon as it's ready.
TY Andrea, I am curious about the @Supersurfer experience as well
The Well Tempered Master Clock - Building a low phase noise/jitter crystal oscillator
I have a Chinese frame, similar to the Music Angel but with 2A3 power tubes and 6sn7 in the driver section. Since I have a very nice pair of Hashimoto trans 1:1, I had in mind trying to find around a nice design with inter stages. Driver stage still to be determined.
My 50 cents regarding AD1862 (and AD1865). They are the VERY GOOD sounding DACs, but compared to TDA1541A - much far from the analog sound. AD1862/65 much more "digital" (paper-like) than TDA1541A even within the same peripheral conditions (same PSUs, digital domain and i/v stages). I have made earlier the direct comparison with TDA1541A. No doubts, I have a superpower now to identify the fast and (saddenely) cartoons-like sound of AD1862/5 🙄
Against the PCM63, the AD1862/5 looks much more transparent, I agree. But compared to TDA1541A... Too far, sorry...
It is my humble opinion based on tries over years... I am very dissapointed now to be honest that my first time was TDA1541 (without A), that's why I have started that long trip over many different DAC-chips to surprisely turn back and to stop on TDA1541A. The difference between A and non-A is huge...
Sorry for off-topic here, Andrea. I am stopping now as you gave me an answer already on the first question.

I look forward to your master-clock for my DAC!
🙂
p.s. I am temporary on 845 and 805 tubes too.
Against the PCM63, the AD1862/5 looks much more transparent, I agree. But compared to TDA1541A... Too far, sorry...

It is my humble opinion based on tries over years... I am very dissapointed now to be honest that my first time was TDA1541 (without A), that's why I have started that long trip over many different DAC-chips to surprisely turn back and to stop on TDA1541A. The difference between A and non-A is huge...
Sorry for off-topic here, Andrea. I am stopping now as you gave me an answer already on the first question.

I look forward to your master-clock for my DAC!
🙂
p.s. I am temporary on 845 and 805 tubes too.
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let's start a thread elswhere as i is not too much the topic... we could talk about that dac chip with tubes in a brandnew thread not to pollute
TY Andrea, I am curious about the @Supersurfer experience as well
The Well Tempered Master Clock - Building a low phase noise/jitter crystal oscillator
I have a Chinese frame, similar to the Music Angel but with 2A3 power tubes and 6sn7 in the driver section. Since I have a very nice pair of Hashimoto trans 1:1, I had in mind trying to find around a nice design with inter stages. Driver stage still to be determined.
I also have used the 6SN7 to drive the 845, I got a pair of very good sounding 6H8C Melz plant 1578 (perforated anode).
The dream driver would be the EC8020 but it costs like a car.
My 50 cents regarding AD1862 (and AD1865). They are the VERY GOOD sounding DACs, but compared to TDA1541A - much far from the analog sound. AD1862/65 much more "digital" (paper-like) than TDA1541A even within the same peripheral conditions (same PSUs, digital domain and i/v stages). I have made earlier the direct comparison with TDA1541A. No doubts, I have a superpower now to identify the fast and (saddenely) cartoons-like sound of AD1862/5 🙄
Against the PCM63, the AD1862/5 looks much more transparent, I agree. But compared to TDA1541A... Too far, sorry...
It is my humble opinion based on tries over years... I am very dissapointed now to be honest that my first time was TDA1541 (without A), that's why I have started that long trip over many different DAC-chips to surprisely turn back and to stop on TDA1541A. The difference between A and non-A is huge...
Sorry for off-topic here, Andrea. I am stopping now as you gave me an answer already on the first question.
I look forward to your master-clock for my DAC!
🙂
p.s. I am temporary on 845 and 805 tubes too.
I know how the TDA1541A is wonderful.
It's in my Naim CD3 and also in the DAC I have built for my friend (fed by the old and still very good old Driscoll oscillator TWTMC-D with 11.2896 MHz Sc-Cut crystal).
Anyway I'm very curious about the implementation of the AD1862 from my co-developer using the top end FIFO buffer.
I have only to be patient since the development will take very long time.
About the 845 I can assure that the PSVANE WE845 is a wonderful sounding tube (someone claims better than the NOS GE).
TY Andrea, I am curious about the @Supersurfer experience as well
The Well Tempered Master Clock - Building a low phase noise/jitter crystal oscillator
I have a Chinese frame, similar to the Music Angel but with 2A3 power tubes and 6sn7 in the driver section. Since I have a very nice pair of Hashimoto trans 1:1, I had in mind trying to find around a nice design with inter stages. Driver stage still to be determined.
You can have a look at Lynn Olson's Amity design
The Amity, Raven, and Aurora
(the link does not work for me right now)
I use a design similar to Amity with 6N6p as driver tubes, transformer-coupled to 2A3 (or more exacly 6c4c). Then I also use an input stage with 6SN7 (6H8C) direct-coupled to the driver stage)
I also have used the 6SN7 to drive the 845, I got a pair of very good sounding 6H8C Melz plant 1578 (perforated anode).
The dream driver would be the EC8020 but it costs like a car.
I would use another power DHT as driver for the 845, 6C4C would be perfect IMHO, and not even expensive..
The 845 ampli has been delivered at least a couple of years ago so I cannot update it.
Now I have to build the GM70 SE monoblocks since I already own all the parts.
It's a two stage amp so the driver tube has to swing a bit of voltage to drive the GM70 at its maximum power (A1).
I have chosen the little brother of the EC8020, I have 2 matched pairs of Telefunken EC8010, I will use them in parallel in the choke loaded driver stage.
The only problem is finding the time to build the amp.
Now I have to build the GM70 SE monoblocks since I already own all the parts.
It's a two stage amp so the driver tube has to swing a bit of voltage to drive the GM70 at its maximum power (A1).
I have chosen the little brother of the EC8020, I have 2 matched pairs of Telefunken EC8010, I will use them in parallel in the choke loaded driver stage.
The only problem is finding the time to build the amp.
Ok. The GM70 is such a beast.. I wanted to use it long time ago but decided to stay away for safety and convenience, and instead I went for a low voltage amplifier (300B) 😀 I'm sure it will sound great.
Exciting news Andrea !!
With regards to the I2S receiver, it seems to be HDMI right ?
I am definitely in for the DAC and the FIFO
With regards to the I2S receiver, it seems to be HDMI right ?
I am definitely in for the DAC and the FIFO
Andrea. Do you think that HDMI interface for I2S is optimal? 😉
I think the source is not much important, the FIFO should isolate the DAC from the source since they work in different time domains.
HDMI is before the fifo+isolator, it shouldn't make any difference.
Yes, the jitter coming from the source cannot affect the DAC because the FIFO isolates them.
Data incoming from the source are stored in a memory and then they coming out with a different master clock, the FIFO is asynchronous.
The quality of the output depends on the quality of the FIFO master clock.
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