Just wondering what success any of you have had building DAC kits.
there are some cheap non oversampling boards on ebay these days like
the DAC-AH

http://eshop.diyclub.biz/articles.php?tPath=2,

and this has a growing user base - it's about $140 which comes out
under £100 with shipping I should think. Possible, also, to add a tube
stage for tube lovers. Any other experiences?

Here's a list of all the kits I could find - mainly cheaper 1543 type
NOS, but some more adventurous -----


http://diyparadise.com/dacs.html Yeo's DAC kit 1543/1545
http://diyparadise.com/mar06/gg.html Yeo's tube stage

http://www.octave-electronics.com/Kits/dac.shtml Etude 1716 DAC -
CS8414+PCM1716 £87
http://www.octave-electronics.com/Star/07dac.shtml Etude review

http://members.chello.nl/~m.heijlige...tml/dactop.htm Tent Labs
DAC CS8412+PCM63

http://www.kandkaudio.com/digitalaudio.html K and K RAKK DAC
CS8416+PCM1794 $249

www.hagtech.com/chime.html Hagtech Chime DAC $599 halfkit

http://www.dddac.de/ Doede Douma. DDDAC2000 NOS CS8412+1543 89€

http://www.steinmusic.de/audiofino/komp-weitere.html NONOS DAC 698€

http://www.audionotekits.com/ Audio Note DAC 1.1 and 2.1, Zero DAC

http://www.scott-nixon.com/dac.htm Scott Nixon Tubedac $100 to $200

http://www.audiosector.com/ TDA1543 DAC Peter Daniel
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/attac...amp=1112327211
Schematic

http://www.audiocraftersguild.com/Xdac/dacprice.htm Audiocrafters
Guild X-DAC 3.0 CS8412, CS4328, AD1891 $547

www.vdac.co.uk Chris Found DAC kits UK, latest is VDAC-4 £800

http://diyaudiocraft.com/ Ultimate Twin DAC 8414+1541A (DIY Audio
tube-lover)
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showt...threadid=55808
Ultimate Twin thread by Tube_Lover

http://eshop.diyclub.biz/product_inf...413e5fa3c7e0fd
DAC AH CS8414 as digital input reciver, 8 pcs of TDA1543 in parallel
$135

http://us.hifidiy.net/index.asp TDA 1543 kit ebay $88 4 Philips
TDA1543 IC chips.
Digital receiver using CS8148 and Output OP Amp using OPA604AP.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Philips-TDA154...QQcmdZViewItem


http://stores.ebay.co.uk/AudioDIYLab 24bit, 192kHz Digital receiver :
CS8414, DAC chip : PCM1739 $139.99

http://www.curcioaudio.com/cddes_3.htm Curcio CD12V (1541)

http://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/tnt1541_e.html TNT tda1541 DAC
Giorgio Pozzoli 2003 uses 8412

http://www.milossaluciano.com/Reinas...alessandro.htm Digital
Renaissance Tube, Taiwan 1543

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Philips-TDA154...QQcmdZViewItem
$88 1543 DAC

Andy Evans wrote:

Just wondering what success any of you have had building DAC kits.
there are some cheap non oversampling boards on ebay these days like
the DAC-AH

You mean the loony fringe now want to reintroduce antique converters so as to accurately recreate the 'grit' they used to listen to ?

Graham

Eeyore wrote:

Andy Evans wrote:

Just wondering what success any of you have had building DAC kits.
there are some cheap non oversampling boards on ebay these days like
the DAC-AH

You mean the loony fringe now want to reintroduce antique converters so as to accurately recreate the 'grit' they used to listen to ?

Graham

What I did when I needed an ADC, is to get a Crystal Semiconductors
evaluation board. They do them also for their DAC chips. This is a
complete ADC or DAC on a board, with DIP switches for setting it up.
All you need is a power supply and a box to put it into. They cost about
the same as the DAC-AH, but you get the latest chipset.

S.

What I did when I needed an ADC, is to get a Crystal Semiconductors
evaluation board. They do them also for their DAC chips. This is a
complete ADC or DAC on a board, with DIP switches for setting it up.
All you need is a power supply and a box to put it into. They cost
about
the same as the DAC-AH, but you get the latest chipset.

How do you get such a thing? Knock twice and ask for Crystal?

In your case, what was your receiver chip and what was the DAC chip?
How long ago? Did it sound good? Do tell us more. Andy

"Eeyore"
wrote
in message
Andy Evans wrote:

Just wondering what success any of you have had building
DAC kits. there are some cheap non oversampling boards
on ebay these days like the DAC-AH

You mean the loony fringe now want to reintroduce antique
converters so as to accurately recreate the 'grit' they
used to listen to ?

Hmm, the TDA1541 datasheet at hand is dated 11/1985. Antique converers,
indeed.

The TDA1541 appears to be a DAC chip in the narrowest sense, lacking most if
not all of the refinements we find in modern parts. The most notable
refinement that seems to be lacking is the reconstruction filter. The
consequences omitting a reconstruction filter from the design include
massive amounts of ultrasonic hash.

http://pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/2.../nishikawa.htm seems to
describe a TDA 1541A-based DAC with a very poorly-designed-to-non-existent
reconstruction filter.

Arny - what's the best currently available chipset?

What would you suggest building? Andy

Andy Evans wrote:
What I did when I needed an ADC, is to get a Crystal Semiconductors
evaluation board. They do them also for their DAC chips. This is a
complete ADC or DAC on a board, with DIP switches for setting it up.
All you need is a power supply and a box to put it into. They cost
about
the same as the DAC-AH, but you get the latest chipset.

How do you get such a thing? Knock twice and ask for Crystal?

In your case, what was your receiver chip and what was the DAC chip?
How long ago? Did it sound good? Do tell us more. Andy

The best thing to do is to look up www.crystal.com Find the chip you
want and see if they do an evaluation board. You can download the manual
for the chip and the board, and make sure it's exactly what you need.

Then, find a Crystal Semiconductors distributor in your territory, get a
price and buy one. I bought the CS5335 ADC board about 7 years ago when
I got my Meridian D1500 'speakers as these only have digital inputs, so
I have to convert my analogue sources. The CS5335 is a 20 bit ADC, and I
leave it on 48k sampling, which is fine for my vinyl and FM radio.

As to sound, I compared it with one commercial unit, the Lindos LSC24
A-D/D-A converter and couldn't hear any difference with the sources
available. I also put it back-to-back ( Digital out from CD to LSC24,
analogue out of the LSC24 to Crystal ADC, digital out to 'speakers) with
the LSC24 and sent a digital signal to my 'speakers and again, it was
transparent using a CD as a source. This, to me, means that I wouldn't
be deriving any benefit from something "better".

S.

Thanks, Serge. Looks like Crystal style the CS4398 as their 'flagship'
DAC (though I know at least one designer who prefers the CS4397). there
does seem to be an evaluation board. These references may help:

http://sharewave.com/en/products/pro/techs/T2.html details of Crystal
DAC chips
http://sharewave.com/en/pubs/rdDatasheet/CDB4398.pdf Evaluation board

There'a also a company that does a digital board with the CS4398 for
$495, but this does need in input chip.
http://www.aplhifi.com/index.html
". If you'd like to use I2S connection, you can send it directly to
the DAC board without digital receiver. The DAC accepts I2S, MSB and
LSB digital formats. It needs 8-9 volts filtered unregulated DC and it
has differential outputs from each DAC so you will need some sort of
filtering and tube or solid state stage with differential inputs. The
output amplitude on each output is around 1V RMS with 0db PCM"

In article , Serge Auckland
writes
Andy Evans wrote:
What I did when I needed an ADC, is to get a Crystal Semiconductors
evaluation board. They do them also for their DAC chips. This is a
complete ADC or DAC on a board, with DIP switches for setting it up.
All you need is a power supply and a box to put it into. They cost
about
the same as the DAC-AH, but you get the latest chipset.

How do you get such a thing? Knock twice and ask for Crystal?

In your case, what was your receiver chip and what was the DAC chip?
How long ago? Did it sound good? Do tell us more. Andy

The best thing to do is to look up www.crystal.com Find the chip you
want and see if they do an evaluation board. You can download the manual
for the chip and the board, and make sure it's exactly what you need.

Then, find a Crystal Semiconductors distributor in your territory, get a
price and buy one. I bought the CS5335 ADC board about 7 years ago when
I got my Meridian D1500 'speakers as these only have digital inputs, so
I have to convert my analogue sources. The CS5335 is a 20 bit ADC, and I
leave it on 48k sampling, which is fine for my vinyl and FM radio.

As to sound, I compared it with one commercial unit, the Lindos LSC24
A-D/D-A converter and couldn't hear any difference with the sources
available. I also put it back-to-back ( Digital out from CD to LSC24,
analogue out of the LSC24 to Crystal ADC, digital out to 'speakers) with
the LSC24 and sent a digital signal to my 'speakers and again, it was
transparent using a CD as a source. This, to me, means that I wouldn't
be deriving any benefit from something "better".

S.


Any idea of suppliers Serge?...
--
Tony Sayer

tony sayer wrote:
In article , Serge Auckland
writes
Andy Evans wrote:
What I did when I needed an ADC, is to get a Crystal Semiconductors
evaluation board. They do them also for their DAC chips. This is a
complete ADC or DAC on a board, with DIP switches for setting it up.
All you need is a power supply and a box to put it into. They cost
about
the same as the DAC-AH, but you get the latest chipset.

How do you get such a thing? Knock twice and ask for Crystal?

In your case, what was your receiver chip and what was the DAC chip?
How long ago? Did it sound good? Do tell us more. Andy

The best thing to do is to look up www.crystal.com Find the chip you
want and see if they do an evaluation board. You can download the manual
for the chip and the board, and make sure it's exactly what you need.

Then, find a Crystal Semiconductors distributor in your territory, get a
price and buy one. I bought the CS5335 ADC board about 7 years ago when
I got my Meridian D1500 'speakers as these only have digital inputs, so
I have to convert my analogue sources. The CS5335 is a 20 bit ADC, and I
leave it on 48k sampling, which is fine for my vinyl and FM radio.

As to sound, I compared it with one commercial unit, the Lindos LSC24
A-D/D-A converter and couldn't hear any difference with the sources
available. I also put it back-to-back ( Digital out from CD to LSC24,
analogue out of the LSC24 to Crystal ADC, digital out to 'speakers) with
the LSC24 and sent a digital signal to my 'speakers and again, it was
transparent using a CD as a source. This, to me, means that I wouldn't
be deriving any benefit from something "better".

S.


Any idea of suppliers Serge?...


Crystal are now called Cirrus Logic, and their UK headquarters is as
below. Call their Sales Department and ask where you can get an
evaluation board for the device you're interested in. I found them very
helpful at the time, but things may have changed in 7 years.

Their current top-of-the-range DAC is the CS4398, the evaluation board
is CDB4398. Info on it is
http://www.cirrus.com/en/pubs/rdDatasheet/CDB4398.pdf


Cirrus Logic (U.K.) Ltd.
1st Floor Offices
Park House, Mere Park
Dedmere Road
Marlow, Buckinghamshire SL7 1FJ
United Kingdom
Phone: +44 (0) 1628-891-300
Fax: +44 (0) 1628-891-988


S.