NOS DAC better than Nobsound TDA1387??

[viggen]

for me, i already own a few pretty good to great lpsus so getting a built dac with dc input is an instant upgrade. so that's why i am aiming for these NOS dacs with dc input. whereas, the boards and modules... i don't have electronic background to build them safely or effectively. the 1543 has out performed expectations, so that's why i am taking a chance on the 1794 thinking the lpsu gives the dac enough of a bump up to warrant the investment.

 

[viggen]

stream of consciousness update.

received 1794 dac earlier this week. first few days of listening, comparing to 1563 dac, highs more energetic, definitely more mid highs centric. more frequency flat than 1563 but definitely not flatter sounding than 1563. i still prefer 1563 due to it having more mid warmth and palpability.

come this morning, i swapped out the se ended tube amp for a push pull el84 amp. the 1563 dac is super smooth maybe too smooth. voices are almost dream like. swap in 1794 dac. sound is more balanced. compared to se/1563, pp/1794 pulls in a lot more detail and mid range beats hit harder.

i think i still prefer se/1563 but appreciate ability to swap between the two occassionally.

my other 1794 dac is pop pulse 1794 mk2. i don't hear too much of a diff between pop pulse and the new dc powered 1794 dac. i think i am done buying more bb dacs and hoping to get another 1541 perhaps with SAA7220 deleted. have yet to try an r2r "nos" dac without the os filter.

 

[alphaman]

“1563”???
Must be related to your "stream of consciousness".

 

[povidlo]

There's a new l1387 model with battery and 4.4mm output. Added to my 11.11 wishlist.

 

[ExTubeGamer]

Hey there. I am getting curious seeing all these nice DACs. Should I wait till 11/11 sale before I place an order for my 1794 dac?

 

[povidlo]

Supposedly new hifiman ef499 is using Phillips tda chip.

https://m.hifiman.cn/products/detail/316

 

[sajunky]

Supposedly new hifiman ef499 is using Phillips tda chip.

Strange, as there is no R2R chip-DAC in such enclosure, not to mention Philips.

 

[povidlo]

Strange, as there is no R2R chip-DAC in such enclosure, not to mention Philips.

According to these pages, it's a Phillips chip and apparently it's the tda1541.

http://erji.net/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=2316906
https://post.smzdm.com/p/a30qog0n/

The low snr specs published by Hifiman are reflective of an older Phillips chip used as well. They don't claim the same high ratings of their own Himalaya chip modern r2r variation which they claim has better performance than pcm1704.

 

[ExTubeGamer]

I found my favorite of all R2R DACs so far:

US $84.05 50%OFF | TZT L1852DAC Audio DAC Hifi USB DAC Audiophile Decoder 24Bit 192K AD1852 Chip With Silver or Black Front Panel
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mshjhz8

It is an AD1852-based DAC, which I believe is a hybrid delta sigma/multibit (from what I can tell).

It also has a single opamp socket - into which I put a Muses 1 opamp.

Rich harmonics, layered midrange, and fantastic separation and soundstaging.

Amazing performance for about $85 plus $55 for the Muses.

Isn't the AD1852 chip a multibit delta-sigma DAC?

 

[TheRealDz]

Isn't the AD1852 chip a multibit delta-sigma DAC?

It is a hybrid chip.

 

[matts19]

I found my favorite of all R2R DACs so far:

US $84.05 50%OFF | TZT L1852DAC Audio DAC Hifi USB DAC Audiophile Decoder 24Bit 192K AD1852 Chip With Silver or Black Front Panel
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mshjhz8

It is an AD1852-based DAC, which I believe is a hybrid delta sigma/multibit (from what I can tell).

It also has a single opamp socket - into which I put a Muses 1 opamp.

Rich harmonics, layered midrange, and fantastic separation and soundstaging.

Amazing performance for about $85 plus $55 for the Muses.

Does it make mechanical vibration sound ? I have a TeraDAK DAC which has that blue transformer from the same company, and the top of the chassis comes off like yours. The transformer shakes the whole chassis and the resulting noise is so annoying that I have to take the top off when using it.

 

[ExTubeGamer]

Did anyone in this thread try out an ifi ipower PSU?

Did it improve the sound?

 

[TheRealDz]

Does it make mechanical vibration sound ? I have a TeraDAK DAC which has that blue transformer from the same company, and the top of the chassis comes off like yours. The transformer shakes the whole chassis and the resulting noise is so annoying that I have to take the top off when using it.

Whoa - no, I don't have that problem at all.

Blue transformers are typically by Talema, which are considered a step up from the green Bingzi transformers.

I think yours is faulty.

 

[matts19]

Whoa - no, I don't have that problem at all.

Blue transformers are typically by Talema, which are considered a step up from the green Bingzi transformers.

I think yours is faulty.

I think it's the design and build/material of the chassis that is at fault because when the top is off, i hear only the very slight humming expected from any transformer, so this is how I will use it going forward. Buying from lesser known Chinese brands is crapshoot I'd say, but I accept that as a risk for playing the Aliexpress Chifi game. I've had a few other Aliexpress-bought products that are more seriously faulty than this. In such cases they would ask me to return them but the reality is that shipping costs are almost as much as the products, so once you buy something that's pretty much the final sale

 

[ExTubeGamer]

Did anyone discover a tube dac on AliExpress?