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

[camrector]

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.

 

[Odezra]

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.

 

[Jake2]

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

 

[camrector]

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.

 

[Odezra]

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.

 

[BShaw]

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!

 

[camrector]

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

 

[Odezra]

Another review.. good walkthrough of Gustard’s menu system

 

[Jake2]

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 .

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…

 

[labeelen]

I’ll see your AKM 4499 spec sheet and raise you a more detailed (118 pages!!} if older AK4499 spec sheet .

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.”

 

[domiji]

OCK-1 arrived today

 

[m-i-c-k-e-y]

I need to create bookmarks on the first page!
- impressions
- difference in connectivity
- fmc
- clocks
- DSD / DAC Chips...


Merry Christmas Everyone!

 

[Nada]

fmc

FMC? WTFIT? IHA!

 

[houdini06]

Hi guys, tried the FMC just have to say it sounds pretty darn great, was skeptical but damnnnnnnn thank you for all this info and knowledge. now to find a good LPS.

 

[m-i-c-k-e-y]

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.