[r one]

Every years, we are ask a the cooperate agents help us find the PCM1704 chip from worldwide, and they succeed.
But this year, they are fail. Not a single one chip can find.

So i am happy to have mine M7 dac before extinction !

 

[Benny-x]

New master 7 singilarity model http://www.audio-gd.com/Master/Singularity%207/Singularity%207EN.htm with a whole new digital board. would be interesting how much the new board will cost

Every years, we are ask a the cooperate agents help us find the PCM1704 chip from worldwide, and they succeed.
But this year, they are fail. Not a single one chip can find.

So, there are no more PCM1704UK based DACs coming from Audio-gd, it's official?

And the Master 7 Singularity is a new revision using new technology, not updated modules/software as has happened since the Ref-1?

 

[LarsHP]

So, there are no more PCM1704UK based DACs coming from Audio-gd, it's official?

And the Master 7 Singularity is a new revision using new technology, not updated modules/software as has happened since the Ref-1?

It seems you didn't read properly. Master 7 Singularity is based on PCM1704UK chips. What Kingwa says - as I understand him - is that he has enough 1704 chips to make one hundred more Master 7 DACs. After these chips are used, there apparently not going to be made any more Master 7 og Master 11 or whatever using this chip.
 
However, what Kingwa is NOT saying so far is how his new discrete DAC module compares to PCM1704UK.
 
(Edited topo's)

 

[DACLadder]

Here's another take on AGD's M7 Singularity page translated from Chinese to English courtesy of Google. 
 
https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=zh-CN&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.audio-gd.com%2FMaster%2FSingularity%207%2FSingularity%207CH.htm
 
The main change of the M7 Singularity is the center input/ DSP board.  In the product description Kingwa mentions prior designs were more modular so that components could be replaced as newer designs came along.  But modularity sacrificed sound quality so Kingwa scrapped the old concept and redesigned using much faster chips with better clocks directly on the main board. The result is lower jitter and less variation in sound quality comparing inputs.  Also the DSP jumpers are more effective in that if you want NOS just strap it - no separate NOS version of the DAC is needed.
 
The analog boards have minor changes in the output drivers (maybe).  Slightly different meanings between the translations.  "The output buffers are newest improve version Non-feedback pure class A FET Cascode design.  Its distortion is much lower than the last version." - English web page.  "The output buffer uses a single-ended pure-class A circuit design that was designed and implemented in 2009 with no feedback. The distortion is an order of magnitude lower than the previous non-feedback Wolfman FET push-pull design."  Chinese translated.   (The question is which version gets the change - 2009 or the recent 2016 boards).
 
And the PCM1704UK DAC chips have not been manufactured for a couple of years.  Distributors usually order extra for customers but eventually run dry after a couple of years. They do this as they can charge more money for the chips and make big profit on your dire need in the short term.  And you have to be careful of "grey market" fakes where a vendor will remark lesser PCM1704 parts or factory 2nds as "UK" quality.
 
Will be interesting what Kingwa comes up with for discreet ladder DAC replacements in his product line.   They are challenging to build as low output linearity is difficult to control with discrete resistors.

 

[borrego]

  The analog boards have minor changes in the output drivers (maybe).  Slightly different meanings between the translations.  "The output buffers are newest improve version Non-feedback pure class A FET Cascode design.  Its distortion is much lower than the last version." - English web page.  "The output buffer uses a single-ended pure-class A circuit design that was designed and implemented in 2009 with no feedback. The distortion is an order of magnitude lower than the previous non-feedback Wolfman FET push-pull design."  Chinese translated.   (The question is which version gets the change - 2009 or the recent 2016 boards).

 
The Chinese webpages states the output buffer changes from PP Cascode to SE Cascode, with lower distortion.
 
Changing from PP to SE configuration will reduce the output power, may be an issue for passive preamp.

 

[DACLadder]

   
The Chinese webpages states the output buffer changes from PP Cascode to SE Cascode, with lower distortion.
 
Changing from PP to SE configuration will reduce the output power, may be an issue for passive preamp.

 
Thanks for clarifying.  This is a new change starting with the M7 Singularity?  Challenging determining what are new features versus general description of other functions like ACSS or the power circuits which may not change.    
 
I would need about 1.1V into 50K load into my passive RCA setup.  Spec sheet on the RCA output is still listed at 2.5V.
 
 

 

[borrego]

   
Thanks for clarifying.  This is a new change starting with the M7 Singularity?  Challenging determining what are new features versus general description of other functions like ACSS or the power circuits which may not change.    
 
I would need about 1.1V into 50K load into my passive RCA setup.  Spec sheet on the RCA output is still listed at 2.5V.
 
 

The Chinese webpage states the SE Cascode output buffer was first developed and used in 2009. Though it does not state which model first had it.

 

[seaice]

   
The Chinese webpages states the output buffer changes from PP Cascode to SE Cascode, with lower distortion.
 
Changing from PP to SE configuration will reduce the output power, may be an issue for passive preamp.

 
This is good for me as I have no passive preamp and the output power is (too) high for all of my setups - M7 connected to active preamps or headphones amps directly.
 
And by the way, I have the V7 upgrade now and it is really great - especially bass has improved.

 

[DACLadder]

Meet the Singularity 19.  New DSP circuits plus discreet DAC boards instead of PCM1704UKs.   Two or four DAC module options.  
 
http://audio-gd.com/Master/Singularity19/Singularity%2019EN.htm 
 
The discreet DAC modules...
 
http://audio-gd.com/Pro/diy/DA01/DA01EN.htm

 

[Clemmaster]

Hopefully those cheap DAC modules perform well enough. The graph isn't very clean.

 

[FredA]

Hopefully those cheap DAC modules perform well enough. The graph isn't very clean.

Well, it is using two DAC boards per channel and there is no peak above -110dB, so you won't hear any distorsion. Looks fine to me. I guess it will improve using 4 boards per channel. The main benefit is cost reduction compared to the pcm1704k, which is great assuming it sounds as well. We'll see. I would be surprised otherwise.

 

[Alireza326]

hi every body
I take a look inside my Master 1 and Master 7 and see that 4 pcs of opa2134 opamps exist in analog section of both M1 and M7.
as kingwa said :
Fully balanced class A design built by discrete analog stages without any OPA or coupling caps in the signal channels.
it must be no opa in signal path 
I want to attach photoes I take from inside of M1 and M7, but I don't have enough permission for that.
thus I want to know what do these opamps do there?
any one could help me?
thanks in advance

 

[Bombik]

Good question. Curious as well..

 

[FredA]

hi every body
I take a look inside my Master 1 and Master 7 and see that 4 pcs of opa2134 opamps exist in analog section of both M1 and M7.
as kingwa said :
[COLOR=FF6600]Fully balanced class A design built by discrete analog stages without any OPA or coupling caps in the signal channels.[/COLOR]

it must be no opa in signal path 
I want to attach photoes I take from inside of M1 and M7, but I don't have enough permission for that.
thus I want to know what do these opamps do there?
any one could help me?
thanks in advance

The presence of the opa2134 chips does not imply they are part of the signal path. Ask Kingwa about them. This should be quickly sorted out. The master-7 takes a no compromise approach. Kingwa would not mess the sound up with opamps.

 

[Clemmaster]

It's the DC servo control. It nulls out the DC out the output.
It's not in the signal path.