What's that DOGPILE under the $35 tda1305 board?
Brown ..... browntime again ................ OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH GAWWWWWWWWWWWDD .... UHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHNNNNN. Denafrips Ares II. Someone ... puhleeeeeze hand me the TP....
Ares= boring. The ARES lasted maybe a week in my system. I'm too lazy to sell it.
Is that a more UNDERSTANDable way to put it? See my posted image ... I've got it under the $35 tda1305 kit (sitting in a friggin', used--but washed!!!--- microwave food tray, powered by a diy PSU). It's a deliberately-composed image .... Note the SYMBOLISM!
About Denafrips popularity .... lotta samples were sent to reviewers ... reputation builds and be get the Jungian thaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang ....
I got my TDA1543 "47 Labs" clone. Wow - tons of palpability, yet not lacking in bass or detail. At first blush, it seems better at imaging than soundstaging, but I barely have an hour on it.
It should be amazing. Even more so considering the price and the age of the design. Only thing holding it back are the output caps (filter) and the input is limited to 48k. This makes a big difference in air and soundscape. That little budget chip made by our Dutch engineers was way ahead of its time. And unfortunately, like always, the marketing managers managed to cripple and mame anything good from Philips electronics audio. Imagine my first Philips CD would have sounded like this in 1987... I would probably not have held on to vinyl. Glad I did though.
It should be amazing. Even more so considering the price and the age of the design. Only thing holding it back are the output caps (filter) and the input is limited to 48k. This makes a big difference in air and soundscape. That little budget chip made by our Dutch engineers was way ahead of its time. And unfortunately, like always, the marketing managers managed to cripple and mame anything good from Philips electronics audio. Imagine my first Philips CD would have sounded like this in 1987... I would probably not have held on to vinyl. Glad I did though.
I am in utter disbelief over how good it sounds. Regardless of the fact that it was only $30 (not counting DDC, cabling, and linear psu).
To your point, there is someone selling a version with upgraded caps for about $60 - I should have gone for that one. I know you say that soldering caps should be easy, but I don't have the guts to try...
It should be amazing. Even more so considering the price and the age of the design. Only thing holding it back are the output caps (filter) and the input is limited to 48k. This makes a big difference in air and soundscape. That little budget chip made by our Dutch engineers was way ahead of its time. And unfortunately, like always, the marketing managers managed to cripple and mame anything good from Philips electronics audio. Imagine my first Philips CD would have sounded like this in 1987... I would probably not have held on to vinyl. Glad I did though.
@sajunky and @]eep, would you recommend me flipping the circuit board over and soldering a piece of wire to bypass the capacitor? I could probably do that.
If you recommend keeping a capacitor in the circuit, which one do recommend? I could then find a cell phone repair store to do the work.
Do you know how to use a multi-meter, toots?
STOCK UNIT:
In "Volts", measure the voltage across each jack (L, R). Plus (+) and ground (-) . It should be very low (mV).
SHORT CAPACITOR:
Measure again ... voltage across each jack (L, R). Plus (+) and ground (-) . If it is still low, then you can safely use with shorted cap. IF NOT (> 1vdc), upgrade to higher quality cap of same value (or similar value). I use Sprague 10uF film in these circumstances.
It should be amazing. Even more so considering the price and the age of the design. Only thing holding it back are the output caps (filter) and the input is limited to 48k. This makes a big difference in air and soundscape. That little budget chip made by our Dutch engineers was way ahead of its time. And unfortunately, like always, the marketing managers managed to cripple and mame anything good from Philips electronics audio. Imagine my first Philips CD would have sounded like this in 1987... I would probably not have held on to vinyl. Glad I did though.
Your remarks are EXTREMELY CONFUSING!!!
Philips did what they had to do to remain cost-effective ... and keep their shareholders satisfied.
One can't, e.g., compare the old dac topology (DEM) to Bitstream to Delta-Sigma without everything else in the circuit being held equal.
As I noted earlier, Naim kinda/sorta did that in the CD players (late 90s) as they switched from TDA1541A to TDA1305. And they sound very similar -- characteristic Naim rhythm-n-pace sonics.
As I noted earlier, Naim kinda/sorta did that in the CD players (late 90s) as they switched from TDA1541A to TDA1305. And they sound very similar -- characteristic Naim rhythm-n-pace sonics.
Well, normally every amp has input caps right after the input jacks (and often these are the same crappy quality like one with the new Infinion Merus I just modified). The only problem could be that you get a few V over an analog potmeter (causes crackling when turning) but nothing too bad (I haven't noticed any concerning wear).
So yes, bypass them. Just a wire.
While Sprague sounds good (I love the Sprague paper in oil) they will be huge in 10uF. And the gains compared to the next caps the signal will pass (probably something like Vishay 10uF MKT or MKP, small green or blue blocks) will be lost. So wasted effort. Where as when you take them out... sonically there is no better cap than no cap. And no cap=no $. Recapping (pun intended), expensive caps are a waste of money to buy a sense of security.
For anyone who is confused by the history of Philips... I grew up with 'our national pride', but I also witnessed the decline of the consumer electronics branch. It is not easy to tell the whole story in one sentence, nor is it fair by any stretch.
If you want to understand the re-apreciation of the Philips TDA R2R dac chips you should be aware of the Japanese company 47-labs and their Shigiraki range of dac and CD player. That was a revelation... Over 20 years ago. I remember walking into the store in the city I was studying in. There was soft music playing, but so clear, so life-like, so real. They had some BIG transparent hornspeakers (German mfg Avantgarde, 6' across) with a tiny, tiny brushed stainless steel amp on a stone base. With it a little dac with only a handful of parts in it. Plus the 'pitracer' transport that didn't even had a lid. Super minimalistic. But what a sound!
Now the dac that TheRealDZ bought is a clone of thàt dac.
If you want to understand the re-apreciation of the Philips TDA R2R dac chips you should be aware of the Japanese company 47-labs and their Shigiraki range of dac and CD player. That was a revelation...
TDA1305 was one of the first Delta-Sigma multibit design, offering continuous error calibration {brought from their earlier ladder designs). Top engineering in that time. Naim CD players (with this chip) were selling like hot cakes. If I remember correctly, it was a first design allowing to bypass portion of the inferior oversampling engine, it is why it gained popularity amoung DIY community as well, worth to remember. Today it doesn't offer much when comparing with the latest Delta-Sigma designs. You can order a complete ESS based module for a low price from Aliexpress, some of these chips undocumented feature also allow to bypass oversampling engine, which is the biggest sonic poison in chip-DACs.
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