GUSTARD DAC-R26 Balanced Decoder R2R+1Bit Dual Native Decoding Music Bridge

Dec 21, 2022 at 5:39 PM Post #2,776 of 9,972
I'm no expert, but from what I've read AKM's DAC chips are particularly good with DSD, handling it natively in a bit perfect manner vs ESS DAC chips doing some internal conversions (though not to PCM IIRC)...

Of course dedicated 1 bit DSD chips like the R26 and DAC200's are a good way of going about it too.
Any chip is going to convert the 1bit DSD stream to an intermediate format, like 6bit PCM at a high sample rate and noise shaped. That’s not DSD and it’s not PCM.
Any dac with a sigma delta modulator does this.
 
Dec 21, 2022 at 6:05 PM Post #2,777 of 9,972
Have you tried FMCs yet? If not I'd give that a go. And maybe a linear PS with the Netgear. Or you can just do as I did and say screw it and jump straight to a dedicated switch like the LHY.

I'm also looking at the power side of things in the new year, likely something from Puritan from the UK who seem highly regarded, including by a few folk around here
Martijn from AA wasn’t too mad on fmc I think? That made me hesitate a bit. I also think most of you are using fmc straight from your main router? In my case I am using a second wifi router (google nest) and then using 2 emi / rfi / common mode isolators (dxe engineering). It’s not a complete isolation method but I hadn’t heard anyone sing about fmc who had a similar set up to mine?

The puritans are meant to be v good. I went for a Aussie brand - Thor.
 
Dec 21, 2022 at 6:17 PM Post #2,778 of 9,972
Any chip is going to convert the 1bit DSD stream to an intermediate format, like 6bit PCM at a high sample rate and noise shaped. That’s not DSD and it’s not PCM.
Any dac with a sigma delta modulator does this.
Here's some of the DS chip/DSD processing discussion I recalled over on AS where there's a bit of a Q&A with Jussi, creator of HQP, around AKM's DSD direct mode - that it bypasses much of the modulation that ESS DS DACs do.

https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/19715-hq-player/page/678/#comments
 
Dec 21, 2022 at 6:19 PM Post #2,779 of 9,972
Martijn from AA wasn’t too mad on fmc I think? That made me hesitate a bit. I also think most of you are using fmc straight from your main router? In my case I am using a second wifi router (google nest) and then using 2 emi / rfi / common mode isolators (dxe engineering). It’s not a complete isolation method but I hadn’t heard anyone sing about fmc who had a similar set up to mine?

The puritans are meant to be v good. I went for a Aussie brand - Thor.
I’m using a wifi extender, due to not having direct access to the router in my apt building. I turned the transmit of the extender off so it just recieves the wifi signal and outputs with its Lan port. Then to a dedicated switch and the FBMs. This is all dedicated to the sound system only.
Another extender handles the other devices in my place.

It made a world of difference compared to when everything was all shared together on my last system.
 
Dec 21, 2022 at 6:25 PM Post #2,780 of 9,972
I’m using a wifi extender, due to not having direct access to the router in my apt building. I turned the transmit of the extender off so it just recieves the wifi signal and outputs with its Lan port. Then to a dedicated switch and the FBMs. This is all dedicated to the sound system only.
Another extender handles the other devices in my place.

It made a world of difference compared to when everything was all shared together on my last system.
Thanks - that’s helpful. Did you notice what Martijn heard from AA in that livestream? Think he talked about some reverb in high end? I’d need to go back and check.
 
Dec 21, 2022 at 7:20 PM Post #2,781 of 9,972
Thanks - that’s helpful. Did you notice what Martijn heard from AA in that livestream? Think he talked about some reverb in high end? I’d need to go back and check.
Reverb in high end? I'm sure my system is nowhere near as resolving as Martjin's, or my ears as good, but all I hear with the FMC is improved resolution, timing, expanded soundstage, increased separation, more musicalness, and increased realism. The music is just "there" in the room, as opposed to coming toward me, kinda like walking into a mist :) Other than that, not so much of a difference than with my already excellent LAN cable I used previously!
 
Dec 21, 2022 at 8:47 PM Post #2,782 of 9,972
Here's some of the DS chip/DSD processing discussion I recalled over on AS where there's a bit of a Q&A with Jussi, creator of HQP, around AKM's DSD direct mode - that it bypasses much of the modulation that ESS DS DACs do.

https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/19715-hq-player/page/678/#comments
They are still multi bit chips.
Here is the newest AKM 4499 chip.
It’s a 7bit multi bit.
It is still converted into some other format so that filtering and noise shaping can occur.
You can see in the block diagram of the chip that there isn’t a separate DSD path.
https://www.akm.com/content/dam/doc...dac/ak4499exeq/ak4499exeq-en-productbrief.pdf
 
Dec 21, 2022 at 10:20 PM Post #2,783 of 9,972
Another review.. good walkthrough of Gustard’s menu system

 
Dec 21, 2022 at 11:13 PM Post #2,784 of 9,972
Here is the newest AKM 4499 chip.
It’s a 7bit multi bit.
It is still converted into some other format so that filtering and noise shaping can occur.
You can see in the block diagram of the chip that there isn’t a separate DSD path.
https://www.akm.com/content/dam/doc...dac/ak4499exeq/ak4499exeq-en-productbrief.pdf
I’ll see your AKM 4499 spec sheet and raise you a more detailed (118 pages!!} if older AK4499 spec sheet . :smile:

https://media.digikey.com/pdf/Data Sheets/AKM Semiconductor Inc. PDFs/AK4499_Feb2019.pdf

In that version at least it looks like we’re both right… there’s a multibit modulator but it looks like it’s bypassed in DSD direct mode. Who knows, maybe that’s gone in the latest chip, or maybe the diagram is a simplification…
 
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Dec 22, 2022 at 6:41 AM Post #2,785 of 9,972
I’ll see your AKM 4499 spec sheet and raise you a more detailed (118 pages!!} if older AK4499 spec sheet . :smile:

https://media.digikey.com/pdf/Data Sheets/AKM Semiconductor Inc. PDFs/AK4499_Feb2019.pdf

In that version at least it looks like we’re both right… there’s a multibit modulator but it looks like it’s bypassed in DSD direct mode. Who knows, maybe that’s gone in the latest chip, or maybe the diagram is a simplification…
I bought my Singxer sda-6 Pro some time ago for this reason, as stated by the manufacturer:
“The DAC chip adopts the latest AK4499 released by AKM in 2019; DSD adopts the native direct solution mode, and the DSD digital stream does not pass through the internal digital filter and works in the NOS mode, which fully conforms to the design concept of HQPlayer.”
 
Dec 22, 2022 at 6:48 AM Post #2,786 of 9,972
OCK-1 arrived today :scream:

IMG_0487.jpeg
 
Dec 22, 2022 at 6:49 AM Post #2,787 of 9,972
I need to create bookmarks on the first page!
- impressions
- difference in connectivity
- fmc
- clocks
- DSD / DAC Chips...
:beerchug:

Merry Christmas Everyone!
 
Dec 22, 2022 at 4:52 PM Post #2,790 of 9,972
Topping P50 does the job. Add some USB to Barrel cables to connect to your FMC.
I used double sided tape to piggyback them together.
 
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