GrubDAC?

Quote:

Originally Posted by darknessproz 

I am looking into getting a standalone DAC, and the GrubDAC seems to fit into my price range, but the problem is that i have absolutely no experience in soldering. Is it hard for me to learn? Or should i just find a builder/commercial alternative? Is there anyone who can help build the GrubDAC? And at what cost if someone does it?

Most of the time, you can probably double the price of parts as the price for a fully built one.  If you're lucky, you may find some people selling them after awhile.  It's probably too soon to find them on the Head-Fi sales threads right now.

Unfortunately, I'd have to say it's too much to bite off to build one yourself if you've never soldered.  That said, it's pretty easy to learn and there are many good starting points - maybe a CMoy?  Tangent's tutorials are as good a place as any to start:

http://www.tangentsoft.net/elec/movies/
 

Can someone who has never soldered before sucessfully solder a grubDAC?  Yes.  But it would take time and a lot of patience.

I'd say soldering SMD is not that hard, but it does take a touch.  And the biggest part of that touch is learning to control the amount of solder that you use.  The PCM2706 and WM8524 have pins right next too each other and too much solder causes bridges, which makes things not work.

If you are a detailed meticulous person, you could do a grubDAC as your first solder project.  If you're not, you may want to practice on something like a CMoy to start with.   It will just improve your chance of sucess down the road, and success is the goal.

I'd say an important part of soldering SMD is knowing how solder acts while on a hot iron, as well as knowing how the common tools work - desoldering braid and flux. I would pick a simple PCB-type design (PCB CMoys should be simple enough) first to get used to a hot iron.