SBAF DAC Talk II

Ah, I was eyeing that one on USAM! Congrats and a sincere thank you from my wallet for sparing it some pain.

I'll second what @rlow said. I had an Amethyst for a while and that USB input, yeesh ...

 

ref: https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/sbaf-dac-talk-ii.6964/page-57#post-388244
ref: https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/sbaf-dac-talk-ii.6964/page-59#post-406452




Steps to Adcom GDA-600 24bit 96khz =>

I socketed the digital receiver (CS8412: max 16bit/48khz) and filter (DF1700: max 16bit/48khz) => still working with OG chips, ie undamaged.

Upgraded the receiver to CS8414: max 24/96 => still working as before at 16/44 16/48.

Verified now gets digital signal lock at 24/88.2 and 24/96 => so I'll go ahead and order the $90 DF1704 filter chip (max 24/96) =>


Silence at those higher rates until I swap in the new filter, thinking of this one:

DF1704 => https://www.ebay.com/itm/373417724233

Edit: Ordered… might be an i2s in to play with. (Thinking upsampled 352/384 direct)

 

How would you compare the S5's resolution to the A2?

 

PCM63 R2R Adcom GDA-600 24/96 Side Quest #1

MCLK

Spoiler: Master Clock

Since the master clock can now max at 22/24MHz (double at 256fs 88.2/96Khz) => two old TTL 74xx logic OR gates and D flip-flop latches are too slow... was suspecting those 70's logic chips might be maxed out and flat-lining.

Hope I don't have to change the logic... new filter chip has pads to set left-justified / standard / i2s to match the original, so at least there are options.

Couple bucks from Digikey.

Spoiler: Details

New fast 74xx logic installed:

Orig:



Result: producing a signal now, instead of flat-line... but janky



Poked around with a second 220pf capacitor, adding in parallel (double 440pf) to try for an effect on the signal...

..this forced it to be clean, but always 11/12 MHz (never 22/24)

Bingo: adding in series (halved 110pf) produced a perfect (22/24MHz) just like an XO crystal =>





Janky/Perfect freq. wise, overshoot at the test point, not as bad at the filter pin. => stock was like this also.
https://x.com/scottkramer/status/1776308130210562518

Think it has a running shot to work, don't even have the DF1704 filter chip yet!

Still works perfectly as stock with these new chips and changed capacitor value.

Thanks! Appreciate thoughts, critiques and anything that could help it work or improve.

Electronics 101 is fun

 

@Scott Kramer

Congrats, that’s some dedication to old iron. Let us know how it sounds with the new filter.

 

Can you believe It works?!

The 220pf => 110pf capacitor was required for the logic gate flip-flops, tried it back stock and static at 88.2+.

 

Wrapped up the DLIII by adding the native 44.1/88.2/176.4 integer Crystek XO at least... but manual switch setting enable/disable to ground... the existing circuit floats, works for the original XO's but not these. If ever in the mood maybe I'll try to figure out a component to fix that and add pi GPIO auto select. Happy with this anyway, sounds excellent.

Great feature the DLIII has is it auto-selects the digital input with signal, no need to think about flipping it... ie just turn off the AppleTV (LCD with optical turns off with it) and free's up optical... or on the pi2aes piCorePlayer closes the coax when stopped. Wish Schiit had this on Yggdrasil+ !

 

Hi guys, I have an Esoteric N-05XD and I'd like to post some impressions about this DAC/AIO here:

Bass - Very fast, tight, and detailed; there's good impact and texture. No bloat

Mids - I don't really sense any coloration, they're smooth and the timbre is decent, things don't sound particularly artificial though I do sense a slight emphasis on the upper midrange at times.

Treble - Nicely extended with good sparkle but it never gets bright, it's always in control no matter how loud you play it.

Dynamics - Both micro and macro are very good in my opinion, I've never heard such precise gradations in volume.
Things don't sound compressed nor overly emphasized, though there's an emphasis on detail it feels natural and there's definitely good slam.

Detail and Texture - Top tier in both, it's at the level of Chord Dave without being bright or sharp, you miss nothing and hear every little thing.

Overall Stage - Excellent layering, seperation, width, depth, openness, and instrument placement; again it reminds me of the Dave. Things are very pin point and it's easy to follow individual instruments.

Speed and Transients - Extremely fast sounding, coupled with the dynamics this is really enjoyable, there's definitely a good sense of attack.

Decay - I'd say decay is the weakest part of this DAC, it's like an electrostat in the sense that things don't linger for long due to the speed.

Control - I have to write about this as it's really impressive, this DAC always remains composed no matter how loud you play things even in the upper registers. Be it bass or mids or treble, it always remains smooth and in control.

Headphone Amp section:
It drives my 1266 and Lcd-5 very well and I find no lacking in any areas. I use it at the 0 db gain setting and it can get very loud; with the +18db setting it should be able to drive the Susvara as well.

Overall I think this is a wonderful DAC/Streamer/AIO and it would work well if you're looking for a very fast and detailed sound without fatigue/brightness!