Soekris dac1101 R2R DAC/Amp

Discussion in 'Headphone Amplifiers and Combo (DAC/Amp) Units' started by Cspirou, Oct 7, 2015.

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  1. 9suns

    9suns [insert unearned title here]

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    Those were not my words, I've just quoted it from a Diyaudio post.

    I don't see anything wrong with the message, if the thing it's better than the Yggdrasil at half of the price and feautres a digital preamp and a balanced headphone amp...what's not to like?
     
  2. Torq

    Torq MOT: Headphone.com

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    Nothing ... but that's a pretty big "if".

    Particularly when the quote in question doesn't seem to be about the 1541 at all and is, instead, a DIY build using what appear to be modified versions of Soekris' previous generation DAC modules. If it sounds good, it sounds good ... but we won't know until we get our hands on one. And excited hyperbole about a different, if similar, unit, coming from it's builder doesn't carry much weight around here.
     
  3. 9suns

    9suns [insert unearned title here]

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    "I'm pretty confident the dac1541 is past any schiit product, or any of the recent Asian R-2R products, now the competitor is MSB Tech...."

    The quote is about the DAC1541, not a diy build, and is posted by Soekris himself.
    But yes I totally understand what you say.
     
  4. Priidik

    Priidik MOT: Estelon

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    That is speculation even from Soren himself. He has gotten his hopes up too much before (like thinking active output buffer will not degrade sound significantly).
    If it's done right (like better diy builds) it will beat Yggdrasil in some areas, but not at everything. It will end up being more of a taste thing, if so.
    Let's just wait until someone reliable gets their hands on one and compares directly to some Schiits.
     
  5. Torq

    Torq MOT: Headphone.com

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    So it is ... I must have forgotten to pop my brain in this morning.

    However, that just makes the hyperbole more annoying and makes me wonder if the manufacturer has actually DONE a comparison side-by-side with the Schiit DAC lineup, or if that's just pure conjecture. And even then, it's not really relevant because outside comparing specific measurements, with their somewhat unreliable correlation to what people consider to be a good result, outside of gross-errors you're as likely to be talking about signature preferences or differences as you are definitive improvements.

    The proof will be in the listening ... which we're still waiting on.

    And I wouldn't go counting any chickens vs. MSB ... the listening I've done against that doesn't put their entry-level DAC above Yggdrasil at all. Different? Sure. Preferable to some? Almost certainly. Definitively better? Nope ... per the above caveats.
     
  6. GoodEnoughGear

    GoodEnoughGear Evil Dr. Shultz‎

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    Storm in a teacup. If it's at Gungnir Multibit level with decent preamp transparency and decent headamp it's already almost a unicorn.
    <edit>spelling</edit>
     
  7. 9suns

    9suns [insert unearned title here]

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    No one heard the DAC1541 yet? :(
     
  8. Dackzy

    Dackzy New

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    This might just be the cheapo in me, but I am actually more interested in the DAC1421, the value that combo could bring to the more budget seeking people could be incredible. Ofc the 1541 brings some very neat features, such as balanced pre-out and the balanced headphone out.
    If the DAC 1421 can match a Gungnir Multibit or be very close to the Gungnir Multibit, then I am buying one.
     
  9. mscott58

    mscott58 Friend

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    Hey team - Find myself with the DAC1101 back in from a HF tour that took way too long (as you can tell by the fact that I rarely visit HF anymore) and wondered if anyone here would like to take a listen? Happy to ship it out to any SBAF Friends who might be curious to try Soren's first take on the R2R semi-portable DAC/Amp. My Holo Spring L3 with Singxer SU-1 feeding it via I2S spanks it pretty soundly (and it better given the cost difference!) in terms of emotion, plankton, engagement, sound-stage, etc. but it's a pretty interesting listen if you haven't tried an R2R yet. Just let me know and if there's interest I'll set up something more formal. Cheers
     
  10. soekris

    soekris MOT - Soekris Engineering

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    I now finally have a full production soekris dac1541 ready for SBAF to have fun with, took a little more time than expected, so many details needed to be perfected....

    So where should I ship the loaner dac1541 to ? I was thinking about Torq first, for his project, then maybe for testing by atomicbob, then on a tour ?
     
    Last edited: Jul 13, 2017
  11. uncola

    uncola Friend

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    attention @sphinxvc soren needs help setting up his loaner!
     
  12. sphinxvc

    sphinxvc Gear Master (retired)

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    Word, sent him a PM to get the info. Thx for the heads up.
     
  13. Torq

    Torq MOT: Headphone.com

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    Depending on the precise timing, we either might be able to sneak this in ahead of me getting the Ares and Pontus, and thereby be able to get it to @atomicbob when we meet to exchange units (once he's done measuring/listening to them*), or I might need to go rather later in the tour.

    Right now I have three DACs in the queue (Ares, Pontus, Hugo 2). I can defer the Hugo 2, assuming the bloody thing ever ships of course, with no problem, since that'll be my own unit, but the Ares and Pontus I am going to need to tackle as soon as @atomicbob is done with them. And it's travel season, which for me means frequent and unpredictable departures.

    So, if the 1541 was in my hands before next weekend, ideally by mid-week, I can, if no one else wants to, go first. Beyond that it'll probably be weeks out before I will be able to give a reliable indication as to when I can turn it around quickly (and actually be around to receive it even).

    The other note ... if this thing is going to require a bunch of burn-in** time then I definitely shouldn't go first as more than a couple of days and it'll guarantee it either collides with the Ares or Pontus, or runs into my next trip. That won't be an issue with the Denafrips units since @atomicbob is doing the initial burn-in on those and all I'll need to do is let them come to thermal equilibrium (a much shorter process).

    --
    *He has a pressing workload at the moment, so it's hard to say when this will be precisely.
    **I still think this is mostly a load of dingo's kidneys but I tolerate it for review units to avoid the common cry of "but if you'd burned it in for XXXXX hours it becomes an entirely different DAC" (this has never happened for me, but it's not worth rocking the boat over).
     
  14. sacredgates

    sacredgates Audio-Technica's high priest

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    It would be great if Torq could review the new Soekris dac soon (I have been missing his great dac review contributions lately)!
    I think there is quite a lot of interest in the new Soekris dac line,... at least I for one am having an eye on them...
    The dac1541 model is in the same price category as the Schiit Gungir Multibit and the Metrum Acoustics Amethyst. These are all 3 quite affordable R-2R dacs and it would be nice to know more about their relative strenghts and weaknesses.
     
  15. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    I would definitely be interested in hearing/reviewing the DAC1541.
     
  16. soekris

    soekris MOT - Soekris Engineering

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    Torq, send me your address info, preferable to [email protected], and I'll have the dac1541 loaner shipped to you on Monday, by UPS Air. You should then have it before end of week.

    Then atomicbob can have it next, then it can go on a general SBAF tour....
     
  17. Nanekiu

    Nanekiu New

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    Kinda confused but the only difference between 1421 and 1541 should be the balanced signal chain right?

    I'm a bit conflicted whether i should get the 1541 or the 1421, as my signal cables are under a meter long and should not pickup noise or is R2R balanced different compared to DS dacs?
     
  18. Dackzy

    Dackzy New

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    When are we going to see pictures of the DAC1421? Since I am a student, it is really the version I am most interested in.
    I am really excited about your new combos, I think they really can stir things up in the audio market (for the better).
     
  19. Darren G

    Darren G Friend

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    Curiosity question -

    Schiit's use of the AD5791BRUZ in Yggdrasil presumably has the advantage of a guarantee of consistency. While the discreet resistors look cool, and maybe have some advantages, any concerns about consistency?
     
  20. Torq

    Torq MOT: Headphone.com

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    Done.

    If the timing works out, I'll be listening to it sometime next week (week of the 23rd). Just depends on burn-in requirements and whether @atomicbob finishes with the Denafrips units before the 1541 arrives and is ready to go. Expect about a week from when I start listening to when I post final impressions to the LaY thread. I may or not have some stream-of-conciousness commentary ahead of that, not decided on that yet.
     

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