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bantamdac sound as good as udac?

post #1 of 12
3/24/10 at 11:22pm
Thread Starter 
is there any way to make a bantamdac sound as good as a udac? (or does it already do so?) what could be done to improve the sound of the bantamdac?
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post #2 of 12
3/25/10 at 7:30am
the bantam is a single chip implementation, so it will sound like the single chip. IT does however go through a cap (its output sits at +2.5v) so you can get a better cap in position, but ultimately you are still going to hear the chips interpretation.

not saying its bad, but it isnt something that you could mod to death.
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post #3 of 12
3/25/10 at 7:44am
I suggest you search this thread for PCM2702 and read impressions.

From what I can tell, some people prefer one, some people prefer the other.

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f7/fir...if-out-456945/
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post #4 of 12
3/25/10 at 8:41am
This post I made awhile ago may be of interest to you:
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/6506242-post1568.html
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post #5 of 12
3/25/10 at 10:19am
I doubt it, you will still be stuck with what is an inferior dac chip IMO
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post #6 of 12
3/25/10 at 12:07pm
Thread Starter 
so, then what can be done to make it sound better? are the two mods on BantamDAC Tweaks the only ones that can be done (for sound that is)?


the ones i plan to make are

Nichicon UHZ 1500uf 6.3V

and

Wima MKS2

unless i get the dt150 headphones, then i may go with a black gate or other cap.


and can any dac chip be stuck in its place? or only certain ones?
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post #7 of 12
3/25/10 at 12:31pm
Thread Starter 
okay, so that brings me to this point.

the grubdac. i'm guessing i can't color its sound to my preference like one can with the bantamdac.

but! it should sound clearer? more detailed in highs, MIDS AND LOWS?


have any of you built one yet? comparison?
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post #8 of 12
3/25/10 at 12:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by metreonfuture View Post
okay, so that brings me to this point.

the grubdac. i'm guessing i can't color its sound to my preference like one can with the bantamdac.

but! it should sound clearer? more detailed in highs, MIDS AND LOWS?


have any of you built one yet? comparison?
Unfortunately, I think you need to back up and read some more. Use the search tool and you'll find many comparisons and many people who've built either one or both. Although, keep in mind that the grubDAC is relatively new, so there'll be fewer references for it (so far).

If you're looking for coloring, the BantamDAC can use any capacitor on its output, so long as you size them appropriately to prevent from filtering out the bass. This subject is discussed in detail on another page on the BantamDAC website:
BantamDAC Frequency Cutoff
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post #9 of 12
3/25/10 at 1:13pm
BTW - DAC chips are specific to themselves. There is no standard for pinouts as for opamps, for instance. So - No, only the PCM2702 can be used in the Bantam. There are instances where TI or someone else may use several series of chips within the same overall DAC design, but then they won't sound any different, either - only having a different feature set or PCB configuration, perhaps.
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post #10 of 12
3/25/10 at 2:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by metreonfuture View Post
okay, so that brings me to this point.

the grubdac. i'm guessing i can't color its sound to my preference like one can with the bantamdac.

but! it should sound clearer? more detailed in highs, MIDS AND LOWS?


have any of you built one yet? comparison?
The best place for possible comparisons is the Carrie thread. Several prototypers have built a Carrie with a Bantam and then built one with a grub.
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post #11 of 12
3/25/10 at 5:23pm
Thread Starter 
i think i will go with the grub DAC just so that i can change that cap out (they don't make sockets for caps do they?) and change the sound as i please.


so, are there any mods to the bantam that can be done besides the two listed above?


EDITED
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post #12 of 12
3/25/10 at 5:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by metreonfuture View Post
i think i will go with the grub DAC just so that i can change that cap out (they don't make sockets for caps do they?) and change the sound as i please.


so, are there any mods to the grub that can be done besides the two listed above?
I'm not really familiar with the grub dac, but you probably mean bantam DAC.
The grub is dc coupled and I don't think theres any caps worth swapping out.
The bantam on the other hand is capacitor coupled.

There are not much modifications you can do on these dac's, given their relatively minimalistic design.

as far as the sockets go, probably these single-pin IC sockets might work.
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