[DivineCurrent]

Hey, so I know what you're thinking....is this guy out of his mind using a DAT player for a source?
 
I came across this DAT player and recorder, the Panasonic SV-3800. I started playing around with it, recording some stuff and playing music directly from a mixing board through the DAT recorder and to my headphones.
 
Now, back in the day (this player came out in 1998), this thing was worth around $1,200, and I know for a fact not all that cost was dedicated to the recording and features of it. My question is, do DAT players like this come close to modern DACs like from Schiit and Yulong? I haven't tried any of those dac's yet, however, to my ears the SV-3800 has a clear, detailed and neutral sound. I absolutely LOVE the mids that come out of this thing, it's just so flawless and natural sounding. I just plugged a few headphones in such as my newest edition, the HD 580s, and it's as good as it can be. Too bad the DAT player is too big and bulky for portable use...
 
So, am I crazy saying this DAT player is a better source than say your average $250 cd player?

 

[SkipPP]

I cannot directly speak to this component, but you have the right idea. I am always shocked when people buy expensive direct components when a higher quality alternative is available at a lower price. For example, many old DVD-audio players are rather inexpensive now and they are of outstanding quality. One can buy one of these with an optical input, and use the DAC. this is far better than many stand alone DACs, but few do this. For the life of me I do not understand why. 
 
Overall, many DATs from this time were really great. People used them for home recording studios.My guess is that is is far better than many modern DACs. Can you find its specs somewhere online?

 

[DivineCurrent]

  I cannot directly speak to this component, but you have the right idea. I am always shocked when people buy expensive direct components when a higher quality alternative is available at a lower price. For example, many old DVD-audio players are rather inexpensive now and they are of outstanding quality. One can buy one of these with an optical input, and use the DAC. this is far better than many stand alone DACs, but few do this. For the life of me I do not understand why. 
 
Overall, many DATs from this time were really great. People used them for home recording studios.My guess is that is is far better than many modern DACs. Can you find its specs somewhere online?

Yes, I agree that many old components are of even better quality than newer ones. Especially true with those old cd players and power amps. This same DAT player is available on Ebay for $100; i guess people don't understand it's value!
I found the specs on this website: http://www.datrecorders.co.uk/sv3800.php
Although, it seems that in order to have optimal listening, I may need to connect it to an external amp if it only outputs 30 mW per channel to the headphones. And yet, it is plenty loud enough for even 600 ohms. Maybe there's a mistake in the specs? Might not even need an amp...

 

[DivineCurrent]

Any more thoughts on this? There is a balanced output that is meant to go to a mixing board or something, but would probably suffice going into a separate balanced amp. But would that even be necessary if its loud enough to drive 600 ohm headphones? I'm obviously not going to be using this DAT player as a main source, but I'm just curious to see what it can do. 

 

[heart banger-97]

Hey guys,
Does anybody know what is the specific dac in sv3800? They say that panasonic sv3800 has two 20-bits dacs but they didn't mention the exact model.

 

[DivineCurrent]

Hey guys,
Does anybody know what is the specific dac in sv3800? They say that panasonic sv3800 has two 20-bits dacs but they didn't mention the exact model.

I'm almost positive it's the PCM1702, which is a Burr Brown 20 bit delta sigma DAC.

 

[heart banger-97]

I'm almost positive it's the PCM1702, which is a Burr Brown 20 bit delta sigma DAC.

Do you have any experiences with some newer dacs in 300-500$ range? ifi micro idsd, idac or schiit bifrost or ...?
 
or even r2r dacs from same era such as Parasound D/AC-1000

 

[goodvibes]

I'm almost positive it's the PCM1702, which is a Burr Brown 20 bit delta sigma DAC.

actually a ladder type.
 
I personally never much cared for the DAT format. Don't know if it's high jitter or stability of a rotating head transport etc. but it's never been compelling to listen to in my experience.

 

[DivineCurrent]

Do you have any experiences with some newer dacs in 300-500$ range? ifi micro idsd, idac or schiit bifrost or ...?

or even r2r dacs from same era such as Parasound D/AC-1000

Well, I haven't listened to any of those yet. However, I have plenty of experience with the relatively new Objective DAC. It uses an ESS Sabre ES9023, used in many other high end dacs. Honestly, the ODAC sounds better than anything else I've heard, very accurate and musical sound, for only ~$100, depending on the version you get.

 

[heart banger-97]

Well, I haven't listened to any of those yet. However, I have plenty of experience with the relatively new Objective DAC. It uses an ESS Sabre ES9023, used in many other high end dacs. Honestly, the ODAC sounds better than anything else I've heard, very accurate and musical sound, for only ~$100, depending on the version you get.

15yrs make that much difference? 

thanks