Quote:
Originally Posted by Wood /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Yes indeed this is a great dac with no inherent problems, and nobody means to imply that there are any. But this is a modding thread, and my DC30 has been modded. Indeed near the begining of the tread Teradak advised against the yellow wire mod. That is why we are drilling holes, putting it upside down and even, CrazyTown style, adding fans, as in my case, and in your case Tony, putting the whole dac and psu into its own shiny new box. I don't want to see anybody here discouraged from experimenting because it may damage the products reputation, it won't. We Mod, not because there is something 'wrong' with the original, we just want to fine tune. In fact Bills discovery has improved the dac and it seems Teradak has taken that mod on board now, which is good news for anybody who buys one now, as they won't need to do this specific mod.
As far as I know, nobodys 'moded' DC30 has broken down yet, and thats how I would it to stay.
Mod on!
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It seems as though the whole reason for my post has been completely lost here. In my past career as an engineer (6 as Chief Engineer) there are always instances of "teachable moments". Whether they are from instances of good work or from mistakes they are all usable to teach something to the group at large. This profits everyone as the errors are reduced and the fixes are passed on as well.
I simply asked people to correctly assess their definition of "hot". The products reputation is just an adjunct to the main thrust of the post. I certainly did not want to imply that I am against modding. It is perfectly obvious that I am not. The intent is to apply knowledge and REASON to the mods. This allows knowledge to spread, not voodoo explanations when none are required. The theory works fine in at least 90% of instances when it comes to (even) audiophile electronics. That is why I asked people to reference the PDF. It also prevents folks from making erroneous conclusions and perhaps messing things up. That is why I explained the Reservoir Mod, so that people would know what the hell it was doing and why it works (or doesn't when not done correctly). That way they can have the knowledge to apply in another instance down the line. Instead of thinking " I remember a power supply mod with caps" they might remember the reason it worked and they will have a better idea as to it's possible applications in the future. It is not just about modding, it is about learning. To me, if one passes on that opportunity, they are passing on one of the really satisfying things in life. Slinging solder without knowing why may get you better sound if you are lucky but relying on knowledge plus experience (yours and others) will net a much better success ratio and more satisfaction. Not only that but you will be much more able to pass on the mods in a rational form if you understand the reason they work.
BTW, putting my unit in a box would if anything REDUCE air flow versus any free standing unit. Also, it is neither shiny or new. It is an old box (3+ years old) and made from wenge wood. Not shiny! As stated in the post where I mentioned it, I put the unit there to accommodate the output caps I use.
Wood, putting a fan on the unit has the following potential downside(s). They put out audible noise. Maybe not a problem if using headphones but even 20db (about average ratings for those muffin fans) can be heard in a quiet room. Also, as I have seen with my own mods, someone may not take the care to use a separate power supply thinking that "hey, I have 5 volts right here!". Now they have electrical noise as well.
I could not see any other holes in your unit other than the one for the fan. Without them there can be only very minimal air flow. If the fan is blowing down then the case becomes pressurized and there is almost no flow. If it is blowing outward, the case pulls a vacuum and the only flow is from leakage around the case edges. The "flow" you may feel is just the air churning. Think of the fan as an air pump (cuz that's is what it is). If you close off the suction of a water pump you won't pump water for long. If you close the discharge, same thing. That's why you need holes somewhere else in the case. Top, bottom, front, or back will do fine. So long as the intake air can freely replace the air inside the case that has picked up heat. Of course, putting the same fan completely outside the unit blowing across the case (heatsink) would accomplish the task even better. The total area of the holes should at least equal the area of the fan to avoid adding more noise.
As far as folks not having things "break down" I disagree.
From the Valab thread:
I got my replacement TDA1543 and put that back in. Still had HUGE amounts of distortion as before though....
After some VERY close looking about I found that the center leg of my LM334 current source was broken. Was very hard to see.
Ordered another one up so hopefully that will sort me out!
It is amazing. I am generally a very careful (OK anal) guy. I have so far managed to rip the legs off one of my TDA1543 DAC's, broke a leg of off my LM334 AND blew the fuse (piece of wire laying on the table).
AND I was REALLY TRYING to be careful!
Appreciate the help from everyone.
Modding is inherently risky even when someone knows what they are doing! My point is; if you are going to take these risks, make sure that you know what the risks are and why you are taking them. Just "doing" something is not a plan! Also, just as important, can you fix any mistakes you make?
