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Twisted Pear Buffalo Sabre DAC - Page 20

post #286 of 1284
9/14/08 at 7:47pm
I finally got mine put together (after a PS mess up) and it is sounding great! Thanks again Brian and Russ for an outstanding product!
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post #287 of 1284
9/14/08 at 10:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by johnsonad View Post
I finally got mine put together (after a PS mess up) and it is sounding great! Thanks again Brian and Russ for an outstanding product!
Pics...... piiiiiiiiccccccsssssssssss!

I finished the first 'phase' of mine over the weekend. Total cost of everything except for some very minor expenses was ~AU$770, or ~US$627 at current exchange rates.



At a glance.....
Double fused, filtered, DPDT switched IEC inlet
OTTO switching coax and optical inputs
LEDs switch with inputs
Buffalo with switch 3 set low
IVY built exactly as supplied
Two transformers, 15VA 2x0-15V and 30VA 2x0-12V
LCDPS at +6.0 and 7.5 for Buffalo VD and VA respectively
LCBPS at +7.5 for OTTO and TOSLINK
LCBPS at ±15 for IVY

Everything might seem a bit haphazard and space poorly utilised, but it is actually carefully thought out for significant expansion and upgrade. Specifically, I eventually plan for......
OTTO to be replaced by the TPA SPDIF MUX
Extra coax input
USB receiver at the front on the right
Discrete I/V modules on either side of the IVY
IVY to become just a balanced to unbalanced converter
Upgrade to the new TPA shunt regulator power supplies when available
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post #288 of 1284
9/15/08 at 3:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Beefy View Post
Pics...... piiiiiiiiccccccsssssssssss!

I finished the first 'phase' of mine over the weekend. Total cost of everything except for some very minor expenses was ~AU$770, or ~US$627 at current exchange rates.
Wow, looking nice Beefy.


Brian; did you receive my PM's and emails?
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post #289 of 1284
9/15/08 at 5:23pm

sweet

Very nice Beefy. Nice and tidy wiring. What is that case?

How does it sound compared to an EMU 0404 usb? I know I'm reaching but thats the only dac I have any experience with.

James
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post #290 of 1284
9/15/08 at 5:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jamess71 View Post
How does it sound compared to an EMU 0404 usb? I know I'm reaching but thats the only dac I have any experience with.
I'm also interested in this
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post #291 of 1284
9/15/08 at 7:24pm
Beefy - how come you have the Vd and VA set a bit higher than brian/russ recommends(6 and 6.6 I think)?

sonics?

Fran

EDIT: read it again - its cos you needed 7.5 for the otto/toslink, right?
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post #292 of 1284
9/15/08 at 9:56pm
Pics as requested:

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

I too wanted to keep an open floor plan for expansion. It is burning in for a few days.
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post #293 of 1284
9/15/08 at 10:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jamess71 View Post
Very nice Beefy. Nice and tidy wiring. What is that case?
Case is this one from Australian company Altronics, who have a knack for getting surprisingly good quality stuff manufactured for them in China.

Quote:
How does it sound compared to an EMU 0404 usb? I know I'm reaching but thats the only dac I have any experience with.
No idea, sorry. Never heard the EMU 0404.

Quote:
Originally Posted by fran View Post
Beefy - how come you have the Vd and VA set a bit higher than brian/russ recommends(6 and 6.6 I think)?
The Buffalo website now states that "VA should be run at 6.6-8.5VDC and VD should be run at 5-7.5VDC". VD was specifically set at 6V in my build based on temperature of the Vregs. I tested voltages from 7.5 and down until the Buffalo VD Vreg was just a touch cooler than the heatsink for VD on the LCDPS.

Quote:
sonics?
It has them

Quote:
EDIT: read it again - its cos you needed 7.5 for the otto/toslink, right?
OTTO/Toslink is run from a separate power supply. I chose 7.5V because it is a good brightness for the LEDs and resistors I had lying around.

Quote:
Originally Posted by johnsonad View Post
Pics as requested....
I too wanted to keep an open floor plan for expansion. It is burning in for a few days.
Really nice job! Stacking the modules really cleans up the wiring and gives you heaps of room. My case isn't high enough internally for that......
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post #294 of 1284
9/15/08 at 11:06pm
Stacking allows more boards in the future. The case is large enough to stack power supplies too. So far so good. Easy build all around compared to my Opus build with a half dozen boards. I'm looking forward to the Counterpoint I/V stage and hope to run it and the IVY together. The IVY takes a little break in or at least my build is. It sounded a little rough out of the box but has cleaned up well with 24 hours of burn-in.
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post #295 of 1284
9/16/08 at 12:34am
hey johnsonad that layout looks great. What case did you use?
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post #296 of 1284
9/16/08 at 8:55am
Quote:
Originally Posted by chobint View Post
hey johnsonad that layout looks great. What case did you use?
ParMetal 12"x12"x3"
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post #297 of 1284
9/18/08 at 2:48am
Quote:
Originally Posted by johnsonad View Post
ParMetal 12"x12"x3"
looks like black painted gold alodine? last week i ordered a clear anodized chassis from Par-Metal for my Bijou build. i was considering black painted, but was unshure about the baked finish as i could find no pictures. how do you like it?

PACE
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post #298 of 1284
9/18/08 at 2:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by fishski13 View Post
looks like black painted gold alodine? last week i ordered a clear anodized chassis from Par-Metal for my Bijou build. i was considering black painted, but was unshure about the baked finish as i could find no pictures. how do you like it?

PACE
It is; anodized front, black painted. Most of my gear is black and this disapears. It sits on top of a Slim Devices Transporter and I don't even notice it is there. The painted surfaces scratch pretty easy but is just as easy to touch up.
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post #299 of 1284
9/19/08 at 5:20am
thanks. nice build btw.

i tried getting in on the last round of boards, but missed out. now i'm left slumming it with my BM DAC1.

PACE
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post #300 of 1284
9/19/08 at 9:53am
The next round is in the works now.
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