Philips tda1305 (hybrid multi-bit/bitstream DAC with interpolation)

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Seems as if the mid-1990s-designed Philips tda-1305 has gained a cult following in the Chinese diy community, and maybe certain UK high-end manufs, too.

Current AMR cd player that uses tda 1305:
CD-777 SE Compact Disk Processor by AMR Audio

Legacy AMR cd player (used tda 1541a; AMR later switched to tda1305):
CD-77 Compact Disk Processor by AMR Audio

Legacy Naim CD 3.5 CD player from 1998:
Naim CD 3.5 CD player | Stereophile.com

Various low-cost TDA1305 Chinese kits on Ali and eBay including this USD $31 2x TDA1305 device:
Dual TDA1305 DAC chip + CS8412 Digital reception + CM108 USB Fever Class HIFI DAC Decoder board With usb fiber coaxial input|dac decoder board|dac decoderhifi dac - AliExpress

....and this USD $30 TDA1315H+TDA1305T device on eBay:
TDA1315H+TDA1305T Decoders Fiber Coaxial To AnalogAudio Signal DAC ZJ-64 | eBay

And indiv. 1305 chips are readily avail and dirt cheap on eBay and Ali.

tda1305 datasheet:
http://www.acoustica.org.uk/t/naim/data/TDA1305.PDF
 
The mysterious "UDA1305"

UDA1305 is what's used in the AMR CD players, not TDA1305. They're rather different - we can be sure of this because the upsampling digital filters on TDA1305 cannot be bypassed but those players offer NOS mode.
If you are "sure of this", please find the datasheet for the "UDA1305" device, and provide a link.
 
The mysterious "UDA1305"

Google notwithstanding, the device in the AMR is the UDA1305AT.
Was this some sort of limited, experimental DAC that Philips never officially released?
The "1305"-based CD player from AMR has been around since at least 2011. On diyhifi.org, there's a thread about AMR's mysterious 1305 Philips dac chip.

Close-up photos of the AMR's stuffed PCB would be helpful. As, of course, the elusive datasheet or other references.
It could also be a deliberate obfuscation by AMR to protect their IP. Nothing wrong with that! Many manuf's grind out their IC's printed surfaces for a similar end goal.
 
There is no obligation on the part of the manufacturer or end user to provide datasheets to all and sundry. The designer has stated that the terms under which the datasheet was acquired precludes sharing and that is fine by me. There are many devices out there that do not have a freely available datasheet and the UDA1305AT is just one more.
 
The original TDA1305 is a moderately- to really-enjoyably-good dac - of 20+yrs ago. Philips took what they'd learned in dumbing-down their 'continuous calibration' ideas (started with the TDA1541) translated into trying to deal with the Vref -sensitivity of much cheaper-to-make cmos, bitstream, single-5v supply dacs for mass market. It was one of several such approaches they made; also, capable of very good performance when well-implemented. But creamed by the Phillips high-end - bitstream 7 ' series devices.

Anything like a 'tda1305' of rather fewer pins is going to be even less flexible, markedly crappier as a result, and really ought to be cheap, cents each now; - probably the source of any such current 'popularity'.

Seriously - for comparable budget and effort you've better choices to make at this distance.

What are you trying to achieve?

(eta: disclosure - the old acoustica pages are mine)
 
AMR's claim

Nope you've got it the wrong way around. The evidence is that UDA1305 is the chip being used by AMR. You're claiming its really a TDA1305 so then you need to stump up the datasheet to support your claim.

Call me confused.
What evidence? .... that what AMR is claiming to use -- a putative Philips UDA1305 dac -- has no Internet-based references? (As the diyhifi thread also acknowledges.)

OTOH, the well-accounted-for Philips dac with a similar model number (tda1305) has plenty of references and multiple sources of datasheets. See my OP. Many links there including the TDA1305 datasheet.
And, ttbomk, AMR is the only audio company that mentions a "Philips uda1305at dac" in their literature.
It's a highly intriguing story, tho'!! Although not always the case (with marketing and selling). I think it is usually best to be honest in the opening act. Otherwise, half-truths and concealments begin to accumulate as probing queries begin. One political lie on top of another are the usual and necessary corporate defence. And, then, the house of cards collapses ... .and there is egg on faces.
 
6moons has the scoop

Google searching the topic reveals quite a bit.
6moons reviewed AMR CD-777 a while back. Their comments and photos can CLARIFY the issue.

Let's have squiz, shall we class ...

6moons audio reviews: Abbingdon Music Research CD-777
The review notes:
On the main circuit board, AMR stickers conceal the identity of various digital chips to protect specific circuit details.

And here's some damning evidence (photo from 6moons review). The "1305" chip is in the top-middle of the magnified area.
lookingglass_big.jpg

================

Anyway, the CD-777 gets decent reviews and that's enough to spark interest in the Philips TDA-1305 continuous calibration dac.
As noted in the OP, both Chinese kits and indiv. TDA1305 chips are dirt cheap and worth DIY experimentation. I think I'll order a few units for further investigation.
The Philips TDA-1305 was possibly intended to be a replacement for 1541A. And most likely a step up from the economy TDA1543 and especially the other budget (8-pin) Continuous Calibration dacs Philips was concurrently offering (tda1545 and tda1387)
 
Well, the above board still has not arrived .... but some comments are still in order.
First, it seems that SUPERB tda1305 dac was used in multiple NAIM cd players in the late 90s and early 00's. I'm sure these suberbly-crafted units sounded absolutely superb ... or as they say in the UK .... Seeeeeeeeeuuuu PUHHHHHB.
Naim's superb trick may their superbly-superb use of 7-pole analog output filtering. That in addition to a gazillion regulator stages for each section ICs, etc.

So the above Chinese board may become quite the viral thread here on DIYA, given the potential of this superb DAC.
 
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lol... few chance imho. The problem is most of the literature is around always the same chips : TDA1541, 1543, few 1545. So few experiences shared with the others Philips chips = you're in the dark or drive alone.


Naims had qualities but mostly a little hard/cold sided... not so good ! Pricey though.
 
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