There shouldn't be a diiference, because both are using the same chip.

@zenemano: You can get ready-to-use usb isolators as well. Like this one: http://www.poscope.com/product.php?pid=23 There are cheaper alternatives, too.

Just plug and play. No problem.

The opa627 should work fine on the audinst.

The caps are Elna Silmic II 330uF 25V. The op amps are TI's OPA827 on Browndogs. Further experimentation showed that the OPA1612 is very good as well.

Yes and it works fine as long as you don't use the line out. Something in my design isn't correct. The euphoria was a little premature.   Edit: Got it now. Well, half at least. The TPA worked but crosstalked with the line-out opamp on the power rail and I couldn't find a solution. So I...

Sorry to interrupt the harshness dicussion (I think there is a bad batch of audinsts out there). I was bored and wanted to play, but my friends didn't want to go to the playground. So I replaced the AD8397 HP driver with TI's new TPA6120a2 and it's insane. The soldering part was very tricky...

Thats right. You'll have endless power and no noise at all.

Yes, that probably will work. If anything doesn't go as planned, the audinst shouldn't be damaged because its internal regulator protects the cicuit. Edit: Please report on possible sound improvements, if you succeed.

He might have Sennheiser headphones. These are very colored towards the deep end.

Opamps aren't too expensive but may be hard to come by. A new psu should have an good old fashioned transformer that puts out anything between 12 and 15 volts dc. There is a 12V regulator inside the audinst, so the psu doesn't necessarily have to be regulated. A regulator in the psu is only of...

You can alter the sound changing the opamp. But the warm bassy sound on the headphone out comes from the second opamp in the headphone amplifier (which is very difficult to exchange). You would have to find a very treble sided opamp to cancel that out. Something like the OPA2134 or the OPA2227...

The HF harshness was one of the main reasons I did all the tinkering on my audinst. It's not easy to get it out completely. Exchanging the DAC out opamp would be the first thing to do. The new opamp should be of high quality because in my experience most of the low cost ones have problems with...

I'm listening to my Audinst at the moment, this time with a good regulated power supply. Contrary to my previous opinion, it makes a major difference. More dynamics, "punchier" bass, crisper highs and overall cleaner. The headphone out benefits the most. The psu doesn't even have to be very...

darknessprotz, my brother just bought himself an iphone. I'll compare it to the audinst soon, but I don't think it'll match the sound quality of the audinst. The iphone is more practical though. dw1narso, I didn't think of a battery before. It's a good idea. I'll try that out. Thanks