[b0bb]

   
I plugged it in, straight out of the box, just hoping that the thing would work as i had noticed a big dent in the inner box after superficial unpacking. I had no real expectations about the sound, since my 003 had been something of a disappointment when I first acquired it.
 
I got this unit going with 'Smoke on the Water', from Deep Purple's Made in Japan album. The sound was, from cold, probably on a par with my modified 003, which was a pleasant surprise and a good sign given that the 004 runs with the Crystek 575 xo, which was not to my liking in the older unit. The soundstage of the 004 appears slightly bigger and more controlled than that of the 003, but it's always hard to be a 100% sure of these things without an A-B comparison. It's definitely delivers a controlled performance though; I'm trying to pick faults with it at the moment but I am struggling. 'Good grip' seems to be a phrase I find myself repeating. The sound is also very 'airy', which I would guess are signs of low noise and low distortion.
 
I will give the unit a couple of weeks to burn in before I start getting adventurous. Promising signs though, from the outset.
 

 
Out of the box preformance sounds good.
 
Do the vents extend up to the I/V output stage ?
 
I am curious to see if the DC  offset remains stable,  this is the DC voltage between pins 2 and 3 on the XLR connector.
It would be good if you can measure this every couple of weeks as the dac settles in.

 

[penguin69]

Hi b0bb
 
No, the vents do not extend too far - see attached pic.
 

 
 
As soon as my 'scope arrives I will start measuring the DC offset. 

 

[Whitigir]

You should post over here too ! Welcome to the newest 9038Pro

http://www.head-fi.org/t/840938/l-k-s-audio-mh-da004-dual-es9038pro-dac-van-dammes-double-impact/15#post_13385318

 

[penguin69]

After further extended listening today, I'm thinking that there is definitely something inherently 'right' about this DAC. It seems to have good DNA. The 003 in my opinion needed a lot of fixing.
 
The question is whether the 004 is close to its potential, or whether extended modding will take it to the next level. 
 
Interesting too is that it's not even burned in.
 
I bet if b0bb were to sprinkle his magic dust on the 004, the result would be one of the best DAC's there is, irrespective of price tag.

 

[Whitigir]

After further extended listening today, I'm thinking that there is definitely something inherently 'right' about this DAC. It seems to have good DNA. The 003 in my opinion needed a lot of fixing.

The question is whether the 004 is close to its potential, or whether extended modding will take it to the next level. 

Interesting too is that it's not even burned in.

I bet if b0bb were to sprinkle his magic dust on the 004, the result would be one of the best DAC's there is, irrespective of price tag.

It uses many good components fit discrete class A . The modifications possibly can be done by using discrete regulators all around ? Lol but that would be hell lot of work and expensive. I already replaced stock Fuse to black label one anything that helps or possibly be

 

[penguin69]

I changed all the voltage rectifiers out on the analogue side for higher quality  in the 003, that wasn't a difficult mod at all (and I'm not the most skilled). I haven't opened the lid of the 004 yet, but I'm sure there are a few things that can be done. I have some custom regulators which could improve on the stock ones. Maybe it's marginal gains, but it's good to have a hobby, and I've learned alot just from this thread! (38 pages now, nearly all about mods.)
 
I'll take a peek tomorrow morning and post some pictures for the curious.

 

[fjc36]

Dear Englishman,
 
I am interesting to witness the jansen capacitor that replace the X capacitor (YKWIM).  By the way, no offense for the title, I went to Sheffield to gain a PHD deg. from the Engineering Materials dept. (actually metallurgy dept. long ago). The master degs were obtained in USA. They are Physics, Materials Science, no electronics I am afraid.

 

[b0bb]

  Dear Englishman,
 
I am interesting to witness the jansen capacitor that replace the X capacitor (YKWIM).  By the way, no offense for the title, I went to Sheffield to gain a PHD deg. from the Engineering Materials dept. (actually metallurgy dept. long ago). The master degs were obtained in USA. They are Physics, Materials Science, no electronics I am afraid.

 
+1
 
penguin140369,
 
A few photos of the area around the XO and associated regulator would be appreciated.
 
The Jensen caps I can see from the initial photos were used as the main powersupply reservoir caps.

 

[penguin69]

Hello both
 
Definitely not an Englishman, I carry an Irish passport.
 
I took some photos today, but they are not high res due to a file transfer issue. If you need better quality from any of the pics, just shout and I will address.
 
Again, I'm not sure whether I should post here or in the 004 thread. Maybe it's better here as this is predominantly a modding thread and there is some continuity in terms of product heritage.
 
Caps and rectifiers - Analogue section
 

 
Even easier to mod this section than with the 003, due to a bit more spacing. 
 
 
Digital side
 

 
 
Amanero board
 

 
 
Crystek 575 with the 9038's either side
 

 
As with the 003, there are holes for a 14 DIP board. 
 
 
Regulator + Caps for the ES9038Pro
 

 
Another view of the same:
 

 
 
Output stage (balanced output in centre)
 

 
 
9038's and discrete I/V stage
 

 
 
Hope this is useful. Some of the components are obvious from the pictures for those who have worked with the 003. However, if you need me to further identify any of them then just shout.
 
penguin140369 (a.k.a. 'Pat')

 

[Whitigir]

Damn! All of these sexy components make me drool

 

[Roen]

Hello both

Definitely not an Englishman, I carry an Irish passport.

I took some photos today, but they are not high res due to a file transfer issue. If you need better quality from any of the pics, just shout and I will address.

Again, I'm not sure whether I should post here or in the 004 thread. Maybe it's better here as this is predominantly a modding thread and there is some continuity in terms of product heritage.

Caps and rectifiers - Analogue section




Even easier to mod this section than with the 003, due to a bit more spacing. 


Digital side





Amanero board





Crystek 575 with the 9038's either side




As with the 003, there are holes for a 14 DIP board. 


Regulator + Caps for the ES9038Pro




Another view of the same:





Output stage (balanced output in centre)





9038's and discrete I/V stage





Hope this is useful. Some of the components are obvious from the pictures for those who have worked with the 003. However, if you need me to further identify any of them then just shout.

penguin140369 (a.k.a. 'Pat')

Is there anyway to verify that they are 38's under the heatsinks?

 

[Whitigir]

Is there anyway to verify that they are 38's under the heatsinks?

I knew someone would ask for this . Yeah, totally, remove the heatsink and look LoL

 

[penguin69]

Is there anyway to verify that they are 38's under the heatsinks?

 
The manual says they are. Is there a good reason why they might not be?

 

[Whitigir]

The manual says they are. Is there a good reason why they might not be?

Because they are expensive, hard to implement correctly, and majority of other manufacturers had only been implementing 1x Single ES9038pro so far. LOL....anyways, those were just guesses. When it sound good to me, then it is good.

 

[drez]

Those heatsinks are probably held on with thermal epoxy.