Quote: I believe JKenny's mods to the M2Tech Hiface offer an I2S output.  There appears to be a new model from M2Tech that offers it out of the box, but I cannot find much info on it.  Properly implemented I2S to a DAC would improve your chances of a quality transmission, no?  It would...

The Sovtek tube is a no go on the stock Darkvoice from the look of it.  I get a bad hum with it in-place, no matter which tube I have in the 6AS7 slot.  The issue seems the worst with the 7236, is slightly less bad with the stock chinese tube, and is the least bad with the GE tube.  I suppose I...

Quote: I second the Jolida suggestion.  I picked up my JD-1501 for $400+ship on the 'gon a few months ago.  If I had the choice between keeping it or my CA 650A, I'd take the Jolida every time.  I've run mine with Tung Sol reissue and Sovtek tubes and found both to be quite nice, with the...

Quote: It's easy to find the DV for less than 250 on ebay auctions.  I picked mine up a few weeks ago for 170+ship (250 shipped).  I was also able to acquire a pair of NOS tubes that blow away the stockers for under $30.  It may still be worth considering.   --Matt

I'll throw in another vote for the DV 336.  Just make sure you find a suitable set of tubes.  The stockers are terrible.   --Matt

I received my Sylvania 7236, which was manufactured in '62, this afternoon along with the other Sovtek tube.  It's definitely much brighter than the GE 6AS7GA that I've been using since this weekend.  It seems a bit faster as well.  I'm really liking it so far.  I'm not sure what it means, but...

I received my DV today.  The box says 110v, but it included a chinese power cable.  Is this common?  Is there any way to tell if I truly have a 110v unit?   --Matt   EDIT: I found a post indicating that they are all 220v at birth and that they are converted at the factory.  Figuring they...

Haven't received the amp yet, but the tubes have arrived.  The 6AS7GA is a week 52 tube from 1961 and the 6SN7GTB doesn't seem to have any date codes printed on it.  I'm keeping my eyes open for a Tung-Sol 5998, but they seem rare and expensive at this point.   --Matt

I requested information from M2Tech regarding the Linux driver a couple of weeks ago.  They indicated that they were working on it, but do not currently have anything ready to distribute.   Hopefully it won't be too long now :-/   --Matt

I won an ebay auction for a 336se last night ($250 shipped, 2010 model) and, after reading that the stock tubes are worthless and searching tirelessly for a good set of recommended tubes for a decent price, settled on a Sylvania 6sn7gtb (60s-70s) and a GE 6as7ga (both NOS).  Both tubes were...

Quote: Side-by-side comparison between what some day?  NOS and OS?  There are tons of comparisons out there.  I'll leave describing the sound qualities to others, but the most common quality that is described on NOS DACs is their "more analog" sound.  On paper, this equates to rolled...

Is the TDA1543 truly a NOS DAC? The datasheet for it from Phillips indicates: "Fast settling time permits 2×, 4× and 8× oversampling (serial input) or double speed operation at 4× oversampling" Many prefer the more musical (distorted) sound of NOS DAC units. I have one, but I bought it...

Is the 32-bit version not working properly on 7? I've yet to encounter any compatibility issues with older programs in 7. If it doesn't run natively, I'd give XP mode a try. --Matt

Quote: Originally Posted by music_man it must be the soundcard drivers then. even though it does suppoort 32/192. i tried using cplay but i couldnt get it working. music_man Can you post screenshots of your ASIO4ALL config page and the output tab(s) of whichever player...

Quote: Originally Posted by leeperry I can use A4A's latest beta in 96kHz, and that's its coder reply: QFT! I'm using the latest release version and am able to play 96Khz without an issue as well. I don't have a DAC that supports 192Khz, so I can't comment on anything beyond...

Quote: Originally Posted by Hybrys Why use a silly third party product with technical issues instead of a built in Windows protocol that does the same thing? Is there a player that can automatically vary the bit depth with WASAPI? As far as any documentation that I can find...

I don't have any issues with the Hiface with ASIO4ALL on w7 x64. There are no pops or crackles during playback and the output quality sounds perfect. I've tried running prime95 with all 8 threads going during playback without any issues. I've also tried copying large (6GB) files to/from my array...

Good luck to you too! It looks like you can pick up SPDIF on the outer leg of L618 or on pin 16 of the CN1601 connector. Pins 5, 7, 9, 11, and 15 on the same connector should be ground. I'm planning to tap into pins 12 and 14 on the same connector for Analog L and R channels, and 13 for ground...

The HIFace ended up coming later than expected due to delays in the shipment from Italy, but I've got it and a new cable in and working. I decided to grab a BJC Belden 1694A to use instead of the 1505F that I bought initially. I cannot get over how immediately noticeable the substantially lower...

Quote: Originally Posted by larry Does the hiface benefit against my USB for laptop and optical for dekstop? Assuming you're currently using on-board audio on both, yes, you are likely to benefit on both. The HiFace is a very high quality SPDIF output. Read up on it if you're...

I acquired a service manual for the DVD-758/1940ci and have had a chance to review the schematics. It appears as though the op-amp on the stereo output is only running on 10v total, and there are lots of pieces in the signal path, so I think I'm going to bypass that section entirely and use an...

Any more for 24/96 from DVD audio. --Matt

Here are some baseline RMAA Frequency Response, Noise Level, and THD results at 16/44.1. --Matt

I picked up one of these super cheap ($39) Denon DVD-758 universal players this week, and am looking forward to having some fun modding it. Denon seems to have, with the exception of the PCB that houses all of the digital components, made the design of this player pretty simple and mod-friendly...

UPS dropped mine off today. Seems to be a proper refurb, brand new on the outside. I've been A/Bing between its analog output and SPDIF to my Passive DAC-AH, painstakingly since their output levels are drastically different, and have found the analog outs to be fairly decent but not as pleasant...