[zmogedra]

I think the time has come... I was wondering are there any good DIY DACs?
Requirements:
Sound quality like iPod or better
Fully DIY, but that I mean it has to have parts list, schematic(don't what to buy kits, maybe just a pcb board would be nice if schematics are very complicated)
USB connection
Price list for parts under 100$
 
So what would you suggest me?

 

[Avro_Arrow]

Alien DAC
Grub DAC
Y1
 
These names seem to come up pretty often.
 
Check the data sheets for PCM2704 and PCM1793 if you want
to design your own. Also check out DAC chips from Wolfson.
ESS keeps their data sheets under control and you have to
write to them and request one if you want one.
 
A simple DAC based on just a PCM2704 is pretty easy to
design and build with just the schematics in the data sheet.

 

[yellowjeep]

I  am about i the same boat as the OP I have been looking for a new project. How do the DACs mentioned compared to an iPod with rockbox and .flac? Will I see any improvement or would I be better off building a nice LOD and maybe DIYmoding the ipod?

 

[tomb]

Quote:

I  am about i the same boat as the OP I have been looking for a new project. How do the DACs mentioned compared to an iPod with rockbox and .flac? Will I see any improvement or would I be better off building a nice LOD and maybe DIYmoding the ipod?

There were no DACs mentioned in the sense you meant it, only a few DAC chips - some of which have no existing DIY designs available.   I'm sorry to say that there's quite a bit more involved than just studying the schematic for one of those chips in order to design one for yourself.  Not difficult, really, if you're already an advanced DIY-er and have toyed around with some PCB work, but otherwise, the difficulty is a different story.
 
AlienDAC, BantamDAC, GrubDAC, Gamma 1, Gamma 2, a number of more expensive options from Twisted Pear, then there are some rather complicated DAC kits that can be bought from Asia on e-bay - these are all some of the DIY DACs available.  There are others, I'm sure, but perhaps not as prevalent in this community.  As for sound, I think you'll find that they'll all be competitive with an iPod and are better than many sound cards, especially laptop or motherboard sound cards.
 
Keep in mind that with few exceptions, almost all DIY DAC kits require some sort of SMD soldering.  There are some excellent tutorials out there and some people claim that SMD soldering is easier than through-hole.  I think that's probably a minority opinion, though.

 

 

[yellowjeep]

Thanks tomb, I have read your grub dac tutorial and watch a number of tutorials on SMD and I am confident I can do it.  I have zero knowledge of how this stuff actually work, I just know how to put it together. So design from scratch is way over my ability level right now. I am really looking for a step up from the iPod in terms of SQ and I thought about a decent CDP or SACD player but then I realized I really don't have any cds worth listening to.

 

[Satellite_6]

*hijacks thread*
 
If I was to try make a DIY DAC for a max of $200, could I get significantly better sound than my EF2A's Burr-Brown PCM2702? 
 
Wow it's 3 AM. . . . 
 
 
 

 

[zmogedra]

Hmmm I was just wondering all projects use PCM2707 or similar chip to connect to USB? And it is only 16bit/48kHz. Are there any USB to spdif or I²S converters with 24bit/98kHz or 192kHz?

 

[Avro_Arrow]

There are but I think they all require some "write you own code" knowledge.
People use the PCM270x because they provide a simple solution.

 

[zmogedra]

Yes its a simple solution, but my main source would be USB and I don't see the point, why to use very good 24bit dac's like gamma 1 or  something from Twisted Pear's site. Reading your replays I made impression that you think I want to make my own project by datasheets that's not true, my knowledge in electronics are very low end I just know go resistor, capacitor, coil, transistor works from physics point of view, but if the circuit is more complicated then a single transistor amp I can't understand it, I can only copy and solder. So I'm looking for a finished project which I could make in home conditions(PCB layout would be very very nice)

 

[BobSaysHi]

I'd say that certain configurations of the gamma 1 could be built for under $100. I'm going to build mine, and the total cost is $58, but I already have some of the parts. Plus the y1 can be upgraded to the y2 whenever you feel upgraditis hit.