[Adriel]

  Here is a question in 501's inputs quality and in quality of feeding source. USB input, in comparison with coax input, has two advantages: DSD and possibility to use Teac HR Audio Player. But, if DSD and player are not important, I believe, that coax input with quality feeding source, ceteris paribus, will be better. Especially with Melodious MX-U8. USB input quality is limited of USB-plate. Anyway, direct listening is the best decision.

With PCM to DSD playback software available today, DSD is always important, and it is how the 501 sounds best. For music listening, always use the USB and upsample all PCM to 5.6MHz. Without playing in DSD mode, the 501 would be useless to me. Yeah, I could use my Audiophilleo to feed the 501, but it wouldn't sound as good in PCM so I don't do that.

 

[37mil]

No wonder I had such problems inserting DIP sockets. The pins on the sockets were getting splayed out to the point of getting loose and popping out; I had to re-insert a few of them. All op-amps rolled have gotten stretched out as well.

The two NE5532 were replaced with the Sparkos equivalent. I tried DEXA but it was not a good match sonically, so the DEXA went back into another DAC. The Sparkos was much more in keeping with the 501's original sound characteristics, maintaining its smoothness and character.

I had no idea what one could swap for the JRC Muses, so I left those.

I used DIP sockets with thick milled pins that wouldn't bend into place. I ended up cutting the socket down the middle to separate the two sides of pins and inserted another uncut socket into them. With both sockets taking some of the bending (mostly the cut bottom one at an angle), the op amp doesn't get bent pins.

 

[yellowbirdfly]

 
Awesome, now all i gotta do is find the 230V version of this thing

I have a 230V version for sale, PM me if you are interested!

 

[cocogex]

  I used DEXA regulators with Elna on the output but it sounded terrible.  In fact, almost any cap on those outputs will colour the sound.  I asked Lars (of DEXA) and he recommended small film caps and it worked perfectly.  Sounds great.

Hi 37mil,
 
I'm following this thread with a lot of interest, especially your posts concerning the possible mods on the UD501 that I own and already tweaked by changing the regulator and output caps with Silmic II.
 
Following your experience I just ordered the DEXA regulators and I was wondering what you meant by "small film caps". Is it about their size or their value? Shall I just bypass the original caps with 1uF film caps or can I replace the original caps with film caps of lower value?
 
Thanks in advance for your answer.
 
PS: that's my first post on this forum 

 

 

[37mil]

Cocogex, I replaced the output caps with small value films. Small value, less than 1uF I had lying around for bypass duty (0.4uF I think). Larger values probably won't fit in easily because the physical size increases wildly as the values get bigger.

The Silmics don't sound good on the output of the regulators. Just replace them with the film caps.

The dexa regs are supposed to be stable even with no output cap.

 

[cocogex]

Thanks a lot 37mil for your quick reply and advice! I should receive the DEXA within 2/3 weeks, I'll keep you'in touch. I can't wait trying this!

 

[Adriel]

A small magnet or something came out, about the size of the opamps.
Does anyone know where it came from?
 
 

The sockets I used. Slightly smaller than the pcb pads.
 
 

With some bending, they went in. The Sparkos came with their own riser.
 
 

Adhesive ERS Sheets for the top lid.

 

[cocogex]

Yes I do: they come from each aluminium side of the DAC, there's a little hole inside them.

Good job! How does it sounds now?

 

[Adriel]

Yes I do: they come from each aluminium side of the DAC, there's a little hole inside them.

Good job! How does it sounds now?

Thank you. The DAC is complete again.
 
According to other threads, the Sparkos opamps are supposed to be used without the additional riser. They are mostly for shipping protection, I believe. While rolling and testing though, it might be smart to keep them in place until they find a final home, to help prevent careless pin damage.
 
A full response to your question would be too long, it would take up a full review. Let's just say, my ultimate DAC would accept DSD over usb, have a real tube output stage, have an auxiliary digital input on coax (I always replace with Neutrik BNC) just in case I want to use the Audiophilleo, and would actually play nice with a fanless Asus T100TA.
 
On the other hand, my gaming pc will DSD upsample all day and play games simultaneously without breaking a sweat. This is where the UD501 currently resides. Primarily, because the internal ESS Sabre DAC inside the Peachtree Nova 220SE is really thin and bright. In fact I never should have bought the 220SE for my gaming PC, as the tube buffer does just about nothing, and the ICEpower inside is unspectacular next to Hypex. But the remote is convenient, to switch between UD501 and optical input from gaming soundcard.
 
In case you are not aware, the latest versions of foo_input_sacd allow the UD501 to perform DSD upsampling without running the ASIO proxy server process in the background. The device name is "DSD : ASIO : TEAC ASIO USB DRIVER" and that is all you need. The "PCM to DSD Method" sounds best to me with "SDM Type B (FP64") and "Fs DSD128".
 
Why is DSD upsampling so good? For me, it goes a long way toward making the clipped waveforms on indie music labels listenable. A lot of the harshness is removed, while not loosing out on detail by using a vintage NOS DAC chip.

 

[drum2live]

I just joined this forum to address a great deal of misinformation regarding the Teac UD-503.  There has been all kinds of things flying around different forums and as a former Electronics Tech and currently an Electronic Engineer plus a fanatic High End Audiophile of 30+ years (and a musician and attendee of local classical concerts in a college auditorium) I would like to cover these issues as I have a UD-503 and I have given it a thorough physical examination.  I do not recommend tearing one apart just for the pure hell of it.  Listen to it.  If it's not your cup of tea then acquire something else.  I tore mine down because I simply could not believe some of what I was reading.  As it turns out, there is reason not to believe some of it.
 
>THE TEAC UD-503 LACKS REGULATED POWER SUPPLIES IN SOME AREAS:  False.  Everything in the UD-503 is regulated.  Some regulation circuits cannot be seen from the top side of the board, some cannot be seen from the bottom side of the board and it really takes a view of BOTH sides and some tracing to figure out what is going on.  The statements regarding this are ludicrous.  $30 DVD players can't even go without regulation of SOME sort.  The highly delicate IC's would fry; they could never take the ripple.  Yes, the UD-503 is regulated.
 
>THE PARTS QUALITY IN THE UD-503 IS MARGINAL OR POOR:  Again, FALSE!  No, the parts quality is not "Top Shelf", but nothing at this price point is going to be.  The innards of the UD-503 contain excellent DAC's, XMOS, receiver chips, Chemi-Con and Nichicon Muse electrolytics, conductive polymer solid caps and yes, SMD resistors and SMD capacitors. As much as I hate working with SMD parts, they do cost less for the manufacturer AND when properly used are superior to "through hole" parts.  The SMD resistors and capacitors are virtually as non-inductive as you can get which is precisely what you want in a digital device.  As a hardcore audiophile and Engineer I was actually impressed by the guts.  The parts quality is actually pretty damn good.
 
>THE WIRING IS A MESS:  Well, when modular boards are used, there will be wire used as well.  Functional construction will require the use of wire.  The boards have to make contact with one another somehow.  Should TEAC have used in-chassis Blue Tooth? (I doubt any such thing exists but what else should they have done?)  I have seen equipment that looked like a rat's nest and sounded like heaven.  The internals were not executed so one could sit in one spot all day and admire the precision routing and placement of parts.  It is designed to listen to and if needed, to work on.  TEAC did an adequate job with the wire routing.
 
>MODDERS IN CHINA AND HONG KONG ARE ADDING REGULATORS AND IMPROVING PARTS:  Well good for them.  If they wanted a more expensive DAC they should have bought one.  They were doing the SAME THING with the 501.  When looking at the circuit boards, the 503 executes it's voltage regulation in such a manner that it does not jump out at you and scream REGULATION HERE!!!!, where the 501 did.  The regulation our Asian friends are adding now is about part improvement and the regulating of branch circuits which are already regulated, but they are adding another; either because they don't know or because they think it will be better, which one I don't know.  You can add more regulators and better parts to damn near anything if you really want to.  When translated I have read that stuff along with "I hear a difference".  Of course you do; but is it a difference or an improvement?
 
>SOUND QUALITY:  I have heard some rumblings about sound.  I will explain my experience like this:  Firstly, I have a $4K analog rig.  Secondly, I had, before the TEAC UD-503 a 2015 Matrix Mini-i Pro that had been extensively modded.  Mundorf caps, Elna Silmic II caps, M caps, discreet regulators, better transformer.  This DAC is supposedly all that and a bag of chips at $520 distributor direct.  After I modded it I could not believe the sound.  It was so good I seriously questioned if the TEAC would be better (the modded-Matrix did beat a $1200 DAC I had here).  I have a pretty solid grip on Hi Res.  I have been messing with it intensely for 5 years.  After receiving the TEAC and listening, I kicked the turbo-charged Matrix out the door.  Believe me; if the TEAC didn't blow my socks off I would have sent it back.  It's still here.
 
>WHAT'S THE CONDITION OF YOUR COMPUTER?  While using the Matrix, I discovered my ATX PC computer build had some room to go, even though I thought I had covered everything.  I added some filters, added better quality RAM (like for gaming-it sounds better-it is better shielded and has better heat dissipation), I installed a PCIe USB card which used a silicon oscillator for my digital out (silicon oscillators have approximately 1/1000th the jitter of quartz oscillators), I replaced my good quality aftermarket power supply with an even better one (read reviews and observe ripple specs).  All of this created an improvement that was not subtle.  Big improvement.  For Hi Res Audio, a computer is not a computer.  Certain things do matter and to a massive extent.  I don't care about asynchronous and reclocking or whatever.  If your computer is not up to snuff your DAC will reveal it and the TEAC is good enough it will reveal quite a bit.
 
The bottom line is some people are going to make claims about stuff they don't understand.  Some people may even make claims about one product to make them feel better about their own. Some people are just going to complain.  If it makes your ears happy, then the company did it right.
 
Regarding my most recent DAC purchase, I auditioned (in my home) a number of DAC's, (I guess if you can call 2 others plus the UD-503 "a number").  I am not and will not go into what the  others were as I am not a "product basher".  What I will say is through headphones and through my hi-fi rig the TEAC UD-503 has the best tonal balance, the most detail, the most dimension.  The Teac also never fails to satisfy on the level of pure musicality.  Due to a large community of local musical talent, I frequently hear unamplified live music frequently.  I have even recorded some through the years with my analog open-reel recording rig which has provided some pretty tasty masters over the years.  I have transferred these to 32/192.  When I play these masters back right off of the reel, it takes me back to the event.  When I play the digital masters on the TEAC UD-503 I am taken back to the event as well.  Of the DACs I have owned AND the ones I auditioned, the TEAC UD-503 is the only one capable of achieving this.  Just a note; of the DACs I recently auditioned, the UD-503 was the least expensive.  Taken on it's sonic abilities plus keeping in mind it's versatility it is a bargain with a capital "B".  I have heard the price will be going up, so move while you can.  
 
Just an FYI:  200 hours break in.

 

[37mil]

  >THE PARTS QUALITY IN THE UD-503 IS MARGINAL OR POOR:  Again, FALSE!  No, the parts quality is not "Top Shelf", but nothing at this price point is going to be.  The innards of the UD-503 contain excellent DAC's, XMOS, receiver chips, Chemi-Con and Nichicon Muse electrolytics, conductive polymer solid caps and yes, SMD resistors and SMD capacitors. As much as I hate working with SMD parts, they do cost less for the manufacturer AND when properly used are superior to "through hole" parts.  The SMD resistors and capacitors are virtually as non-inductive as you can get which is precisely what you want in a digital device.  As a hardcore audiophile and Engineer I was actually impressed by the guts.  The parts quality is actually pretty damn good.
 
 

That's great to hear.
 
By the way, what is the XMOS chip being used? Is it for the USB input?

 

[Adriel]

.

 

[Adriel]

Quote:

  I just joined this forum to address a great deal of misinformation regarding the Teac UD-503.  There has been all kinds of things flying around different forums and as a former Electronics Tech and currently an Electronic Engineer plus a fanatic High End Audiophile of 30+ years (and a musician and attendee of local classical concerts in a college auditorium) I would like to cover these issues as I have a UD-503 and I have given it a thorough physical examination.  I do not recommend tearing one apart just for the pure hell of it.  Listen to it.  If it's not your cup of tea then acquire something else.  I tore mine down because I simply could not believe some of what I was reading.  As it turns out, there is reason not to believe some of it.
 
>THE TEAC UD-503 LACKS REGULATED POWER SUPPLIES IN SOME AREAS:  False.  Everything in the UD-503 is regulated.  Some regulation circuits cannot be seen from the top side of the board, some cannot be seen from the bottom side of the board and it really takes a view of BOTH sides and some tracing to figure out what is going on.  The statements regarding this are ludicrous.  $30 DVD players can't even go without regulation of SOME sort.  The highly delicate IC's would fry; they could never take the ripple.  Yes, the UD-503 is regulated.
 
>THE PARTS QUALITY IN THE UD-503 IS MARGINAL OR POOR:  Again, FALSE!  No, the parts quality is not "Top Shelf", but nothing at this price point is going to be.  The innards of the UD-503 contain excellent DAC's, XMOS, receiver chips, Chemi-Con and Nichicon Muse electrolytics, conductive polymer solid caps and yes, SMD resistors and SMD capacitors. As much as I hate working with SMD parts, they do cost less for the manufacturer AND when properly used are superior to "through hole" parts.  The SMD resistors and capacitors are virtually as non-inductive as you can get which is precisely what you want in a digital device.  As a hardcore audiophile and Engineer I was actually impressed by the guts.  The parts quality is actually pretty damn good.
 
>THE WIRING IS A MESS:  Well, when modular boards are used, there will be wire used as well.  Functional construction will require the use of wire.  The boards have to make contact with one another somehow.  Should TEAC have used in-chassis Blue Tooth? (I doubt any such thing exists but what else should they have done?)  I have seen equipment that looked like a rat's nest and sounded like heaven.  The internals were not executed so one could sit in one spot all day and admire the precision routing and placement of parts.  It is designed to listen to and if needed, to work on.  TEAC did an adequate job with the wire routing.
 
>MODDERS IN CHINA AND HONG KONG ARE ADDING REGULATORS AND IMPROVING PARTS:  Well good for them.  If they wanted a more expensive DAC they should have bought one.  They were doing the SAME THING with the 501.  When looking at the circuit boards, the 503 executes it's voltage regulation in such a manner that it does not jump out at you and scream REGULATION HERE!!!!, where the 501 did.  The regulation our Asian friends are adding now is about part improvement and the regulating of branch circuits which are already regulated, but they are adding another; either because they don't know or because they think it will be better, which one I don't know.  You can add more regulators and better parts to damn near anything if you really want to.  When translated I have read that stuff along with "I hear a difference".  Of course you do; but is it a difference or an improvement?
 
>SOUND QUALITY:  I have heard some rumblings about sound.  I will explain my experience like this:  Firstly, I have a $4K analog rig.  Secondly, I had, before the TEAC UD-503 a 2015 Matrix Mini-i Pro that had been extensively modded.  Mundorf caps, Elna Silmic II caps, M caps, discreet regulators, better transformer.  This DAC is supposedly all that and a bag of chips at $520 distributor direct.  After I modded it I could not believe the sound.  It was so good I seriously questioned if the TEAC would be better (the modded-Matrix did beat a $1200 DAC I had here).  I have a pretty solid grip on Hi Res.  I have been messing with it intensely for 5 years.  After receiving the TEAC and listening, I kicked the turbo-charged Matrix out the door.  Believe me; if the TEAC didn't blow my socks off I would have sent it back.  It's still here.
 
>WHAT'S THE CONDITION OF YOUR COMPUTER?  While using the Matrix, I discovered my ATX PC computer build had some room to go, even though I thought I had covered everything.  I added some filters, added better quality RAM (like for gaming-it sounds better-it is better shielded and has better heat dissipation), I installed a PCIe USB card which used a silicon oscillator for my digital out (silicon oscillators have approximately 1/1000th the jitter of quartz oscillators), I replaced my good quality aftermarket power supply with an even better one (read reviews and observe ripple specs).  All of this created an improvement that was not subtle.  Big improvement.  For Hi Res Audio, a computer is not a computer.  Certain things do matter and to a massive extent.  I don't care about asynchronous and reclocking or whatever.  If your computer is not up to snuff your DAC will reveal it and the TEAC is good enough it will reveal quite a bit.
 
The bottom line is some people are going to make claims about stuff they don't understand.  Some people may even make claims about one product to make them feel better about their own. Some people are just going to complain.  If it makes your ears happy, then the company did it right.
 
Regarding my most recent DAC purchase, I auditioned (in my home) a number of DAC's, (I guess if you can call 2 others plus the UD-503 "a number").  I am not and will not go into what the  others were as I am not a "product basher".  What I will say is through headphones and through my hi-fi rig the TEAC UD-503 has the best tonal balance, the most detail, the most dimension.  The Teac also never fails to satisfy on the level of pure musicality.  Due to a large community of local musical talent, I frequently hear unamplified live music frequently.  I have even recorded some through the years with my analog open-reel recording rig which has provided some pretty tasty masters over the years.  I have transferred these to 32/192.  When I play these masters back right off of the reel, it takes me back to the event.  When I play the digital masters on the TEAC UD-503 I am taken back to the event as well.  Of the DACs I have owned AND the ones I auditioned, the TEAC UD-503 is the only one capable of achieving this.  Just a note; of the DACs I recently auditioned, the UD-503 was the least expensive.  Taken on it's sonic abilities plus keeping in mind it's versatility it is a bargain with a capital "B".  I have heard the price will be going up, so move while you can.  
 
Just an FYI:  200 hours break in.

 
 
I appreciate your feedback. We all benefit from 503 myths dispelled.
 
First question: Sending your own 192khz recordings to the UD503 in unaltered PCM, versus allowing the UD503 to upsample to DSD, versus upsampling to DSD via your PC using DSD256 and outputting to the UD503 via native DSD ASIO, what are your thoughts regarding sound difference?
 
 
Four concepts for counterbalance.
 
1) References to analog rigs and live music is unimportant for most audiophiles today. $4K alone in an analog rig, such as vinyl, is highly limiting. $1000 phono stage. $1000 tonearm. Now, with the remaining $2000, I am restricted to several budget turntables and cartridges. Been there, done that, and vinyl was not the way to go for myself.
 
When it comes to DACs, I've heard all the various analog comparisons. NOS 1543 is the "most analog sounding", EE Minimax "sounds like a master tape", Audio Note sounds most like "a turntable". I have all those DACs and more. None of them will ever sound as bad as vinyl (ie do you want the beginning of the record to sound the best, the end of the record to sound the best, or all of it to sound equally distorted?). Digital is its own beast.
 
Live acoustic music? That's not the challenge anymore. I want to listen to modern compressed studio music, without having my ears bleed, is the end goal. All recorded music is flawed, whether from the nature of the microphone distortion, the medium, the equipment patch chain, or the processing. How to make it actually listenable is the end goal, making this a highly individual hobby where no single person can tell you, what is best for yourself. Not even me. Cyndi Lauper is listenable under 80s production, but today's Taylor Swift or Adele? Fingernails on a chalkboard, everything is over-hyped. What system changes do I need, to make them listenable, for instance? Or do I restrict myself to Tennis, Chvrches, Camera Obscura, or God Help the Girl only?
 
2) Time with a DAC is important. Never put a DAC on a pedestal based on some early impression review. If someone claims the UD503 is the best for the money, I don't believe it. I have enough experience now, that I use the right DAC at the right time. There's no one-size-fits-all solution. Some I'll use for headphones, some for movies, some for gaming, some for background music, some for late night listening. This goes with everything. The right tool at the right time. Grados, Sennheisers, Magnepans, single drivers, omnis, Class D, tubes, mosfet, I use all of them in the proper application.
 
The hot DAC items now are DSD-esque. PS Audio DirectStream DAC. Lampizator DSD Euforia. Etc. Could I be happy with a UD503, more than my modded UD501, without going Lampizator? I have no idea!
 
3) Power is under-rated. I want all the clean power, all the time, not just at 2 AM. AC power regeneration. It's a waste of funds to buy quality equipment, only to be subject to whatever noise is on your power circuit. I suspect that power issues and EMI issues are the cause of most "PC Audiophile" hacks, tweaks, software, superstitions. Why not attack the root causes first?
 
4) I am a military diver by profession. Annual hearing checks place me in normal hearing, although my right ear is more sensitive at some frequencies than my left ear. While I cannot judge channel balance well, I make up in other physical areas of extreme fitness, capability, and health. I have been in the audio hobby for 16 years, always been sensitive to ultrasonic noise, EMI, digital processing whether upsampling, DSD, the noise wars, what have you.
 
Best of luck in your journey. Full disclosure, my primary hobby is being a human being. Audio is a distant 4th or 5th hobby of mine, so shameful. Well behind motorcycling, coffee roasting, whisky, and Paleo cooking.
 

 

[mainaman]

I had a 501 and i am waiting for a 503 this week.I needed the analogue volume control,so modding the 501 was not an option.I will report after few weeks.

 

[37mil]

  That's great to hear.
 
By the way, what is the XMOS chip being used? Is it for the USB input?

 
Hi, mainaman, if you don't mind could you open up the 503 when you get it and take detailed photos of the pcb's front and back. It doesn't look like drum2live will ever reply. He/she only signed up for that one post to say how good the 503 is!
 


according to this pic i found on the web, the usb implementation is similar to the 501 - a TI DSP but the pcb does look slightly different. However, i doubt it has XMOS anything in there contrary to what drum2 is claiming.

The caps also look very standard Teac implementation Chemi-con and unbranded stuff. I'd be very surprised if it had nichicon muse in there.
 
Also, no one is saying the 503 has no voltage regulation - of course it does since the different chips in there use different voltages. What people have been saying on the Chinese sites is that there is no regulation immediately after the transformers - that's what they've modded, so basically a noise free and stable voltage can be further regulated downstream. There is such regulation in the 501.
 
So, if you could kindly do some snooping around the pcb and tell us how it sounds, that would be great!
 
Thanks in advance.