I just picked up this DAC. TJHUB, I'm seriously considering a French Mazda 7308. Do you mind my asking where you got yours and how much you paid? Also, I was wondering if anyone has rolled any opamps (besides Bursons) in the RCA circuit output (the two OPA2134PA and OPA2604AP). I was...

Quote: Originally Posted by hebegbnz Hey team, My VALAB NOS DAC is a week old and getting plenty of burn in! My main use is via my Popcorn Hour NMT using the coax digital output and I am very happy with the improvement so far. However the thing I was wanting to achieve was to...

I've got a MSB P1000 external power supply for use with my MSB Nelson DAC. On a whim, I'm wondering how difficult it would be to use this power supply with the VALAB. It's a very stout power supply, but I don't think its voltage is right for the VALAB's chips. Interestingly, the manual (link)...

Alpine, is the reclock module part of the base VALAB now, or is it a special option?

Yeah, I can still read the "Teredak" and "V2.1" under their attempt to mark it out. I find Pacific Valve's ad pretty amusing, as it suggests that they designed the DAC. I also like the part about the "clipping reduction circuit"...probably a 330R I/V resistor instead of the 390R that was...

Pacific Valve has their own branded version of this DAC now. Internals look a lot like the VALAB. Pacific Valve & Electric Company Pacific Valve Fathom DAC Might be a good option for folks in the US wary of eBay or dealing with a product shipped from Taiwan. Not sure why it's $30 more...

Quote: Originally Posted by shogo33 Btw, just out of curiousity, does your Valab power supply hum or emit a low buzzing noise that can be heard about a foot away? Mine seems to be doing this. I've narrowed it down (by just powering the dac directly to a power socket at the wall) and...

Completed the following mods tonight. Caddock MK-132 IV resistors Black Gate N 33 uF output caps Mundorf ZN 0.1 uF bypass output caps Got the parts from partsconnexion.com and had each set matched to 1%. Wow, that was probably one of the most tedious things I've ever done! Drinkin' a...

Pat and Bill - thanks for the input. Yes, the board does look very delicate compared to the board I was using for practice. So, I think I will take Bill's advice of soldering new parts to the legs of the existing parts. Even doing this, it will be pretty tight soldering, especially for the IV...

So, I'm taking the case apart in preparation for replacing IV resistors and output caps. Does the bottom of the case need to be slid off the PCB to do this work? I assumed yes, so removed the 3 screws near the DAC chips. It seems like the PCB is pretty tight in the groove on the bottom...

OK, amateur question here... On the PCB I used for soldering practice, all the parts are on the side of the board without the pads and traces. So, when I was soldering and desoldering, the parts were on the opposite side. On the VALAB, the IV resistors and output caps are on the side with...

Practiced soldering and desoldering earlier this week with an old PCB - that went very well. Ordered Caddock MK-132's for I/V and 33 uF Black Gate N's for output caps plus 0.1 uF Mundorf ZN's for bypass. I was wondering if there's a good way to stand the Black Gates off the board a bit to...

Is 6.3v rating enough for the output caps? I'm looking at Black Gate NX Hi-Q 22uf 6.3v. I calculate 7.2v peak-to-peak with the 390R IV resistor, and 6.1v peak-to-peak if I were to change to a 330R. Maybe it's just safer to go with an N 33uf 16v. Also, is 0.5w enough for the IV...

In Bill's link to the Obbligato's - what about this small 22uF film cap as an output cap replacement, without using a bypass cap? Seems like it would fit in the case. Obbligato Film Cap 22uF 35v | Diy HiFi Supply A general question about film caps: What's the construction/performance...

Quote: Originally Posted by krisno The thing is that I have this x-can V2 headphone amp, and with this 2009 dac, it really is sharp and harsh in treble! I am not sure if is the amp or the DAC. Hmmm, my experience with the Valab and other NOS DACs is the opposite of harsh treble...

Kris, I've also spent some time looking into output cap options. Black Gate N caps have also been suggested, but they are hard to find. I've been trying to find suitable caps that will fit in the existing spot and allow the case lid to be closed. Most of the high-end film caps are huge...

If one were to replace the 390 Ohm resistor with the 330 Ohm, will this eliminate the clipping without trimming the VR (for those who don't have the equipment to view the sine wave)? In other words, is there a possibility that you would still have clipping after changing to the 330 Ohm...

Quote: Originally Posted by tubes Adam, the Kemet coupling caps are in the Teradak, the Valab still uses the Russian Tantalums as far as I know. It doesn't look like the Kemets in my dac are polar. Hmmm, all the pics I've seen of the Teradak (including the eBay ad I just found...

Based on some poking around in catalogs, those Kemet output caps in the 2009 are polar based on their series # T110. When changing output caps, is there a need to stay polar? Also, how about swapping in Mills for the IV resistors? I know Mills are supposed to be good for speaker crossovers.

zzodhi, thanks for the pic of the tape.

Quote: Originally Posted by zzodhi There are now some type of silcone/heatsink pads between the dac chips and case. Could you please post a picture of that if you get the chance? Thanks

Quote: Originally Posted by adriaan243 - I tried the BG N but I did not like them, I prefer the standard BG's, the sound is clean and quite warm, not overbright (I measured the frequency response: -0.5db 10khz and -1.2db 20khz) That is very interesting that you only measured...

Bill and all, I've read that the BG N 10uf can be hard to find. Any other suggestions? I guess a nice film cap would be too big to close the case, huh? Does anyone know what the stock I/V resistors are? Just run-of-the-mill carbon? I would say that my overall sound improvement...

Phil and Pat, thanks for the input. What do the output caps actually do? Block DC and filter the analog output? Also, what's the benefit of using a bypass cap for the output? Would you somehow get some of the benefits of replacing the output cap with a higher grade part, assuming you...

OK, if someone with zero soldering experience wanted to try some mods, where is the best place to start on this DAC? Perhaps upgrading the parts in the analog signal path - like the I/V resistors and output caps, which I assume are the blue resistors and Kemet caps in the Phil's attached pic...