[Poimandres]

It's not as much about the chip as it is implementation.

 

[robm321]

I think he implemented it well. I believe he works there, so who better to know how to make it work.

 

[diamondears]

Yup, his day job is to implement the DAC chip for clients.

 

[dj nellie]

Does anyone have tips for changing out the op-amps? Is it as simple as wiggling the opamps from side to side until they come loose, or is there a safer way?

And do the new op-amps need to be inserted with a certain orientation?

 

[castleofargh]

was. he left for

Yup, his day job is to implement the DAC chip for clients.

was. he announced quitting to dedicate all his time to leckerton some times back.
doesn't change the fact that he might have a pretty good idea how to best implement the chip ^_^.

 

[ClieOS]

Does anyone have tips for changing out the op-amps? Is it as simple as wiggling the opamps from side to side until they come loose, or is there a safer way?

And do the new op-amps need to be inserted with a certain orientation?

 
The safer way is to use an IC extraction tool (plenty on eBay), but you can wiggle it out as long as you do it slowly and don't bend the leg too much.
 
Inserting the opamp in reverse almost always kill the chip instantly, so make sure the pin positions are correct. All the information you need is in the datasheet, so go to the manufacturer website and read it.

 

[hmgp]

How much battery time do people get when the power LED goes orange? The manual says about an hour, but I've been able to use it way longer than that...

 

[robm321]

The battery last so long that I don't even think about it. Just lasts forever. If you are using the optical in, its shorter though but still long.
 
I couldn't even guess. Hours and hours.

 

[hmgp]

 The battery last so long that I don't even think about it. Just lasts forever. If you are using the optical in, its shorter though but still long.  
I couldn't even guess. Hours and hours.

Agreed. I heard that it's good to keep batteries around 70% to extend their lifetime so wondering whether there's a way to do this...

 

[Schopenhauer]

 

microStreamer + UHA-6S MKII.

Edit: + MDR-Z7.

Better than standalone UHA-6S MkII?

I think I prefer the microStreamer to the UHA-6S's onboard DAC. Also the battery life for the UHA-6S when paired with the microStreamer is insane. But it seems like the battery life tends to be excellent anyway. 

 

[diamondears]

I think I prefer the microStreamer to the UHA-6S's onboard DAC. Also the battery life for the UHA-6S when paired with the microStreamer is insane. But it seems like the battery life tends to be excellent anyway. 

Could you kindly provide details why you prefer the microstreamer? I have iFi stuff which have the same TI/BB 1793 DAC chip as the microstreamer, but I want to really hear Cirrus Logic's TOTL DAC chip on the Leck.

 

[AustinValentine]

Could you kindly provide details why you prefer the microstreamer? I have iFi stuff which have the same TI/BB 1793 DAC chip as the microstreamer, but I want to really hear Cirrus Logic's TOTL DAC chip on the Leck.

 
Not speaking directly to the Microstreamer, but I think - among people that have had the unit a while and have tried out a number of external USB DACs with it - that the general impression of the DAC chip is that it's the weak link. Part of it is because the amp section of the 6S MKII is so well designed, but another part of it is that the DAC chip when used over USB sounds hazy, slightly lifeless, slightly blurry as far as microdetail is concerned and indistinct in its imaging.
 
Even a humble ODAC sounds far better than the Leckerton's built in Cirrus when used over USB. Depending on your sonic preferences both the Microstreamer and the Geek Out 450 are huge improvements over the the Leckerton's DAC when used over USB.
 
I'm of the impression now, however, that it's not the chip itself or Nick's implementation of it. I think that the barrier point is the USB interface itself. USB signals in the Leckerton are handled/converted to SPDIF by a TI PCM2706. I heavily suspect that this is the weak link. 
 
For fun, if you have a USB/SPDIF converter or other SPDIF transport available, try listening to the Leckerton over it's Coax connection. In my own listening (YMMV, anecdotally, etc etc.) the sound is markedly improved. I don't think that the (rather large) improvement in sound quality over Coax comes from it's ability to handle higher bit rate/sample rate material as the difference is there with redbook quality files as well. (The UHA.6S MKII is capped at 16/48 over USB; 24/96 via SPDIF.) I think the improvement comes from removing the PCM2706 from the equation altogether. 
 
ALL THAT SAID: some of whether or not you think the DAC itself, via USB or SPDIF, sounds good is really going to come down to whether or not you like the Cirrus sound or not. Compared the well-implemented Sabre, Burr Brown, AnalogDesigns, and Wolfson chips, the Cirrus chips I've heard seem to have far softer attacks on both drum and string instruments. They lack bass impact and a minor amount of sub-bass definition/tightness as well. The cumulative effect of of all of these together is to make Cirrus DACs seem laid back, even to the point of feeling somewhat sleepy. I say this to be descriptive, rather than derisive - there are a lot of listening benefits that can come from that smooth, relaxed sound. Poorly recorded and/or mastered albums don't sound nearly as bad on Cirrus chips. Vocal sibilance is minimized and any form of treble harshness inherent in the recording itself becomes far less problematic. 
 
My advice: if you listen to transducers with laidback upper mids (HD650 for example) or shelved treble, you will probably want an external DAC. Otherwise, depending on your listening preferences, the Cirrus chip could be just fine.

 

[tjw321]

   
Not speaking directly to the Microstreamer, but I think - among people that have had the unit a while and have tried out a number of external USB DACs with it - that the general impression of the DAC chip is that it's the weak link. Part of it is because the amp section of the 6S MKII is so well designed, but another part of it is that the DAC chip when used over USB sounds hazy, slightly lifeless, slightly blurry as far as microdetail is concerned and indistinct in its imaging.
 
Even a humble ODAC sounds far better than the Leckerton's built in Cirrus when used over USB. Depending on your sonic preferences both the Microstreamer and the Geek Out 450 are huge improvements over the the Leckerton's DAC when used over USB.
 
I'm of the impression now, however, that it's not the chip itself or Nick's implementation of it. I think that the barrier point is the USB interface itself. USB signals in the Leckerton are handled/converted to SPDIF by a TI PCM2706. I heavily suspect that this is the weak link. 
 
For fun, if you have a USB/SPDIF converter or other SPDIF transport available, try listening to the Leckerton over it's Coax connection. In my own listening (YMMV, anecdotally, etc etc.) the sound is markedly improved. I don't think that the (rather large) improvement in sound quality over Coax comes from it's ability to handle higher bit rate/sample rate material as the difference is there with redbook quality files as well. (The UHA.6S MKII is capped at 16/48 over USB; 24/96 via SPDIF.) I think the improvement comes from removing the PCM2706 from the equation altogether. 

Totally agree 100% with every point you make.

 

[robm321]

^ That's exactly right. Good post.

 

[Bazirker]

Great post!  Anyone have an idea if this notion of the internal DAC being the "weak link" extends to the UHA760?