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#1 new dac

Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2017 1:07 pm
by ed
got to fess up, I'm a bit out of date with this stuff so I'm looking for some suggestions.

I've been running the dac shown for nearly 10 years in the studio set up. I originally bought it because it solved the issue of ground loops in the studio. It sits between the echo layla digital interface and the 2a3 monitor amp. It's been brill.

Until, a couple of months ago I tried it in the main system where it improved sq by a large factor, great!!! Until, now 50% of the time the system is dead and the DAC doesn't come to life. When I turn it off and back on again it's fine....

But... I have to remember to turn the dac on before the amp and the amp off before the dac otherwise there are the usual thumps...It's a pain remember ing to do this but its a must with electrostats other wise there is big risk to the transformers.....and it's a pain swapping it between the two systems..


enough waffle

Has anybody got any suggestions for a replacement....I've looked at the beresford seg and also the shiite offerings but not actually tried anything in the system yet...
dac-ah.jpg

#2 Re: new dac

Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2017 8:37 pm
by Ray P
Ed, if you want to try something a little different how about the Soekris R2R DAC that's been getting a lot of positive attention over on DIY Audio;

http://www.soekris.dk/dam1021.html

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/vendors- ... 4-khz.html

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/digital- ... m1121.html

One of the attractions of the Soekris DAC is the option to play around with lots of digital filters;

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/digital- ... s-r2r.html

Ray

#3 Re: new dac

Posted: Sat Apr 29, 2017 10:16 am
by ed
Hi Ray many thanks for the links. The Soekris units do look good and I wasn't even aware of this r2r business.

I've just had a look in my unfinished projects box and discovered I have pcm5102 and ak4396 chips and boards, so I'm now torn between resurrecting an old project or buying something more modern and off-the-shelf.

O waily waily what's a boy to do

#4 Re: new dac

Posted: Sat Apr 29, 2017 3:37 pm
by Ali Tait
Can recommend the Mytek Brooklyn Ed. Superb bit of kit IMO. Give David a shout, he might be able to send you one to try.

#5 Re: new dac

Posted: Sat Apr 29, 2017 3:56 pm
by ed
Thanks Ali

it looks like a good bit of kit.
Unfortunately it's full of stuff I don't want and about 5 times as much as I want to pay, penniless and tight. I'm gonna write a new song, watch this space.

#6 Re: new dac

Posted: Sun Apr 30, 2017 9:48 am
by Dave the bass
ed wrote: Sat Apr 29, 2017 3:56 pm ...........", penniless and tight. I'm gonna write a new song, watch this space.
Penniless and tight...
But I feel alrrrright...

Its a hit already, we're gonna be bigger than the Beetalls.

#7 Re: new dac

Posted: Sun Apr 30, 2017 10:57 am
by ed
Dave the bass wrote: Sun Apr 30, 2017 9:48 am
Penniless and tight...
But I feel alrrrright...

Its a hit already, we're gonna be bigger than the Beetalls.
Penniless and tight...
But I feel alrrrright...
attitudes ragious
but my mojo aint quite
right, I got them ol' standalone dac blues

#8 Re: new dac

Posted: Sun Apr 30, 2017 5:41 pm
by Ray P
Ed, if keeping cost low is a consideration you might want to check out the DIYINHK website for kits such as their AK4490;

http://www.diyinhk.com/shop/audio-kits/ ... h_dac_chip

Alternatively, there are the JLSounds offerings (again AK4490);

http://jlsounds.com/combos.html

I've first hand experience of the JLSounds USB/DAC combo, albeit with a different output stage to their LME49710 offering, and it sounded very good. For a little extra you can have the option of an LCD display too.

http://jlsounds.com/lcd.html

Obviously the above kits require a chassis and power supplies.

Ray

#9 Re: new dac

Posted: Sun Apr 30, 2017 6:05 pm
by ed
thanks Ray

the 5102 board I have looks like it came from diyinhk but I guess that might be 3 or 4 years behind current thinking. It's only I2S and I think I bought it to connect to the Beaglebone black that I was using at the time. I ended up using the Beaglebone with a USB behringer that I had and consequently didn't get any further before I was side tracked on other things...

I've got so many things on the go at the moment that I'll go with a quick fix and it looks like it's easiest to package up a soekris . It will be initially for spdif from the squeezebox classic but the soekris looks like it has built in input for other methods in the future....so that's where I'm headed at the moment

Many thanks for the heads up.

I'll stick with the AH Lite for the studio set-up. It isn't too much hassle to switch it on and off if it doesn't come on first time. I really don't have too much argument with the SQ so I'm sure it'll do for a couple more years. See, the standards are slipping already.....

#10 Re: new dac

Posted: Sun Apr 30, 2017 7:30 pm
by Ray P
Will be interested to see how you go with the Soekris Ed. Very simple to implement for power - just connect to a transformer.

I imagine an I2S input will give better results than SPDIF when you get the time. There was a group buy for input boards over on DIY Audio but it looks as though it's not currently active;

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/group-bu ... 1-dac.html

I plan to get a Soekris at some point and will make up a small PCB to connect it to a BeagleBone Black running the Botic software (i.e. as a network renderer)

Ray

#11 Re: new dac

Posted: Fri May 05, 2017 7:07 am
by Ray P
Ed, for an extra bit of outlay this might make implementation of a Soekris DAC a walk in the park...

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/vendors- ... ost5072259

Ray

#12 Re: new dac

Posted: Fri May 05, 2017 9:30 am
by ed
That looks like good value Ray...

I haven't looked too deeply yet and haven't pressed the 'buy it' button but will do very shortly. I had naively thought that I would just hardwire it for optic spdif to start with, but maybe for the future.....

If all the smd is already on that board then it really does look like good value.

thanks for the steer

#13 Re: new dac

Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2017 1:47 pm
by iansr
Ed
Don't know if you went for the Soekris in the end but if not have a look at the DDDAC boards i'm selling in the classifieds section. Might be of interest.
Ian

#14 Re: new dac

Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2017 2:58 pm
by ed
Hi Ian

I had seen your ad but although I haven't committed yet I was sold on pursuing the r2r approach...curiosity and all that. I'm totally snowed under at the mo otherwise I would have sorted this already...such is life..

good luck with the sale, it looks like a bargain and there is a wealth of good feedback for it

Ed

#15 Re: new dac

Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2017 9:32 am
by Ray P
Ed, not sure if you've picked up on it but Soekris is introducing a line of commercial R2R DACs, completely finished so just plug and play. Here's a link to the middle of the range model;

http://www.soekris.dk/dac1421.html

Ray