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Alien DAC v1.1 Construction Thread - Page 62

post #916 of 1560
10/21/07 at 11:34am
Quote:
Originally Posted by tomb View Post
So, bottom line, the sound is adjustable - ES's for slamming bass, BG's for oustanding dynamics and musical detail - those are the ones I've tried so far. There are dozens of other combinations, though.
Nice! I'll have to get some blackgates.

Does anyone know which coupling caps ship with the glassjaraudio kit?
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post #917 of 1560
10/21/07 at 12:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeHunt79 View Post
Nice! I'll have to get some blackgates.

Does anyone know which coupling caps ship with the glassjaraudio kit?
Jeff uses the Elna Silmic RFS's. Those are pretty good from what I hear and at least one notable builder prefers them (don't quote me on that, though).

Luckily, BG's in this size range are not expensive at all. What you need is the 47uf 6.3V NX HiQ: $2.50 ea at PartsConX and Soniccraft.
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post #918 of 1560
10/21/07 at 5:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tomb View Post
Jeff uses the Elna Silmic RFS's. Those are pretty good from what I hear and at least one notable builder prefers them (don't quote me on that, though).

Luckily, BG's in this size range are not expensive at all. What you need is the 47uf 6.3V NX HiQ: $2.50 ea at PartsConX and Soniccraft.
I had a look, and they're a little more over here in the in the UK (about $8 each)... I've ordered some anyway (plus two for my iRiver), but I'll try the RFS's also as I may prefer them.

Still waiting on the kit tho, the postage is really slow in the UK right now... I wanna get soldering!
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post #919 of 1560
10/22/07 at 2:33pm
Quick check: Alien DAC will work with Windows Vista, correct?
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post #920 of 1560
10/22/07 at 3:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by joneeboi View Post
Quick check: Alien DAC will work with Windows Vista, correct?
It worked for me (Vista Ultimate).
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post #921 of 1560
10/22/07 at 6:26pm
I just finished my alien dac (thanks to Jeff for a kit)
Sounds Great!

Hey guys a question.
I can't make it work through the Kernel Streaming in windows.
Any ideas?
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post #922 of 1560
10/22/07 at 7:54pm
Where is the original thread for this?

Can the boards still be purchased?

I'm dyin to make this my first Audio DIY.
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post #923 of 1560
10/22/07 at 8:04pm
Actually, even a build thread would be nice. Am I missing it?
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post #924 of 1560
10/22/07 at 8:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by luckypictures View Post
Actually, even a build thread would be nice. Am I missing it?
This is the build thread - as in "Alien DAC v1.1 Construction Thread".

Start back at Post #1 and start reading.

The documentation website was done by Alf and is still up and running (thank goodness):
http://www.myexposition.com/diy/usbdac/overview.html

The original design thread is here (referenced on the website above):
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=139368
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post #925 of 1560
10/22/07 at 8:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by luckypictures View Post
Actually, even a build thread would be nice. Am I missing it?
LOL!

Quote:
Originally Posted by luckypictures View Post
Where is the original thread for this?

Can the boards still be purchased?

I'm dyin to make this my first Audio DIY.
Are you in the USA? If so, I would order from Glass Jar Audio for a kit and a case (might have to e-mail him about it). It makes your first venture into DIY painless as you can worry on construction and less about a BOM.
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post #926 of 1560
10/22/07 at 9:28pm
jeff ships world wide too very reasonable! i have used him for 2 aliens now i am buying a max off him. Thats shipped to the uk
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post #927 of 1560
10/22/07 at 9:36pm
Glass Jar Audio also ships internationally if you ask him nicely.
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post #928 of 1560
10/22/07 at 9:56pm
smegger: How long did it take roughly to get your aliens to the UK... a week?
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post #929 of 1560
10/22/07 at 10:27pm
They say nothing comes easy...

I've installed the DAC into my amp's chassis, and it is powered by a +6V rail that is regulated from the amp's +15V rail. The power LED lights up, the computer recognizes the device, and it DOES convert digital into analog! But, like I said...

1. If I'm not applying any power (i.e. the amp is turned off) but I plug in a USB cable, the power LED comes on. This is quite unexpected, since I wanted this to be externally powered and built it with those instructions!

2. The volume is pitifully low...not 'gee whiz I wish this went louder' low, but the kind of low that clearly indicates a voltage problem.

3. If I do a sharp adjustment of the volume pot, the output drops into a hum for about a second. After that, the hum goes away and is replaced by the overly low level signal.

I'm going to set up a mini-bench near a PC and see if the Alien behaves any differently when powered from my bench supply. My first suspect is the power supply circuitry; I'm still really uncomfortable with the power LED coming on when I'm not applying any external power.

Has anyone encountered these symptoms, and if so, what was the problem?
Thanks again!
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post #930 of 1560
10/23/07 at 1:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MoodySteve View Post
They say nothing comes easy...

I've installed the DAC into my amp's chassis, and it is powered by a +6V rail that is regulated from the amp's +15V rail. The power LED lights up, the computer recognizes the device, and it DOES convert digital into analog! But, like I said...

1. If I'm not applying any power (i.e. the amp is turned off) but I plug in a USB cable, the power LED comes on. This is quite unexpected, since I wanted this to be externally powered and built it with those instructions!

2. The volume is pitifully low...not 'gee whiz I wish this went louder' low, but the kind of low that clearly indicates a voltage problem.

3. If I do a sharp adjustment of the volume pot, the output drops into a hum for about a second. After that, the hum goes away and is replaced by the overly low level signal.

I'm going to set up a mini-bench near a PC and see if the Alien behaves any differently when powered from my bench supply. My first suspect is the power supply circuitry; I'm still really uncomfortable with the power LED coming on when I'm not applying any external power.

Has anyone encountered these symptoms, and if so, what was the problem?
Thanks again!
Do you have S1 shorted?
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