Denon Replaces AKM AK4458 DAC IC in X4700H and X6700H

[peng]

I bought the 3600 before there were any 3rd party measurements. It's strictly for two channel as a preamp to my Salks and I couldn't be happier. There wasn't a preamp with bass management in that price range and none with HDMI inputs untill I got up into 3k range..

Yep, just pretend it is a 2 channel integrated with dac, and it is the best measured integrated in the <$2,000 range. The other features such as HDMIs, XT32, bass management etc are just bonus.

 

[Fofocho]

Perfect!

I basically want to do an external DAC from my Pc in Pure Direct. I’ll use my Pc for all kinds of room correction.

I LOVE Audyssey MQX but I figured this will be a good tinkering opportunity with other plugins specifically for music.

At the end of the day, HEOS and MQX could be the end game but I’ve found love in playing.

It is a pitty that new Denons and Marantz do not have anymore the "7.1 CH IN" inputs. That was the only way to guarantee 100% analog mode on the receiver

 

[strumf666]

How feasible would a dac swap be on a modern AVR? The soldering part shouldn't be that difficult, but I don't really understand the implication of such a procedure; would everything simply work and be/sound better or is it more complicated than that?

 

[multisport4me]

How feasible would a dac swap be on a modern AVR? The soldering part shouldn't be that difficult, but I don't really understand the implication of such a procedure; would everything simply work and be/sound better or is it more complicated than that?

Oh god no. Way more than a pin compatible chip swap.

 

[Bleib]

I'd rather wait for newer models with better DACs..

 

[Sal1950]

Oh god no. Way more than a pin compatible chip swap.

Ya mean they don't just plug in like a 12AX7 ?

 

[dlaloum]

How feasible would a dac swap be on a modern AVR? The soldering part shouldn't be that difficult, but I don't really understand the implication of such a procedure; would everything simply work and be/sound better or is it more complicated than that?

They designed a compete new DAC board.... it isn't just chip replacement

 

[multisport4me]

Ya mean they don't just plug in like a 12AX7 ?

Hell I can't even get those to plug in and sound the same in my guitar amps. lol

 

[Zooqu1ko]

How feasible would a dac swap be on a modern AVR? The soldering part shouldn't be that difficult, but I don't really understand the implication of such a procedure; would everything simply work and be/sound better or is it more complicated than that?

The DACs need to be configured for the type of signal they are to output, and that's done e.g. over an I2C link with some manufacturer and/or DAC specific commands. On top of that, the requirements for power supply and analog signal handling are sometimes radically different. A more realistic option for better DACs would be to add S/PDIF outputs and a better external DAC, as done (or attempted) over in https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...-dsp-spdif-outputs-to-avrs.19468/post-1792492. You'd probably lose the volume control or your AVR - that would make it difficult if you wanted to just upgrade left and right.

 

[Ghost723]

I grabbed this quote somewhere, maybe here (?) ....sorry can't remember :

"The S/N has the format LLLL (4 letters) MM (month) YY (year) DDDDD (5 digits).
The AKM 'originals' were built before May 2021 (MMYY below 0521) and have a DDDDD below 70000 (seems to start with a "0" in most cases)."

If built before May 2021 and serial number ends with number below 70000, then has the AKM dacs.

Have I gotten myself an unicorn?

I just acquired a used X6700 with a very low 706XX serial#, indicating it has the HDMI fix. The leading digits are 0421 (for April 2021), which would place it before the May 2021 DAC swap?

 

[Ghost723]

Have I gotten myself an unicorn?

I just acquired a used X6700 with a very low 706XX serial#, indicating it has the HDMI fix. The leading digits are 0421 (for April 2021), which would place it before the May 2021 DAC swap?

Got adventurous and cracked her open to have a peek. Located the DAC board and there they were - a row of TI PCM5012As. Drat! An unicorn she was not.

 

[peng]

Got adventurous and cracked her open to have a peek. Located the DAC board and there they were - a row of TI PCM5012As. Drat! An unicorn she was not.

Don't let that bothers you though, keep in mind a) the much more expensive SR8015 will have the same unless you could find that unicorn borned before the spring of 2021, and b) most people believe below 0.1% THD, that is, 60 dB SINAD is already at the level below the threshold of audibility, so the 90 dB you can expect from the X6700H, that is 0.003%, is not going to result in audible difference. Even under the worse test conditions, such as for the higher frequency signals in music, the X6700H should be able to clear 70 dB SINAD mark.

 

[Sal1950]

Got adventurous and cracked her open to have a peek. Located the DAC board and there they were - a row of TI PCM5012As. Drat! An unicorn she was not.

Not to worry, I got the last generation of the X4700H with the post-fire DAC's.
It sounds OK to me.

 

[Everett T]

Not to worry, I got the last generation of the X4700H with the post-fire DAC's.
It sounds OK to me.

Same here and considering I've used the previous version of the DAC and didn't have an issue back then, it wasn't a difficult choice for the money.

 

[Ghost723]

Don't let that bothers you though, keep in mind a) the much more expensive SR8015 will have the same unless you could find that unicorn borned before the spring of 2021, and b) most people believe below 0.1% THD, that is, 60 dB SINAD is already at the level below the threshold of audibility, so the 90 dB you can expect from the X6700H, that is 0.003%, is not going to result in audible difference. Even under the worse test conditions, such as for the higher frequency signals in music, the X6700H should be able to clear 70 dB SINAD mark.

Not to worry, I got the last generation of the X4700H with the post-fire DAC's.
It sounds OK to me.

Same here and considering I've used the previous version of the DAC and didn't have an issue back then, it wasn't a difficult choice for the money.

Yup, we’re all on the same page. I just thought I may have stumbled across a unicorn, and knowing that I've got extra under the hood for no better reason than "It feels good".

 

[Sal1950]

Yup, we’re all on the same page. I just thought I may have stumbled across a unicorn, and knowing that I've got extra under the hood for no better reason than "It feels good".

Oh for sure, I just know my sighted bias would sent the rating up 2 slots if I had the "Golden Fleece" DAC's . LOL

 

[Ghost723]

A little show to go with the tell.

Boo! Shivers down me spine.

 

[Brambo67]

A little show to go with the tell.

View attachment 362571
View attachment 362575

Boo! Shivers down me spine.

Have mine now for three years and stil am very happy. There is no reason to assume it sounds worse than the X4800h which tested reasonably well also according to Amir.

 

[Paul De Wit]

I was wondering. What DAC board do I have in my 6700? I can't tell from the serial number becasue my entire AVR was replaced in spring 2021 due to a broken pre-out. They could not get the board so they just replaced the whole unit exept for the backplate (with the old serial number). They did that because of warranty reasons. And they could not tell me what the replacement AVR serial number was.

So i opened it up yesterday. It was not easy to see because I did not want to take it apart too much but I made some pictures. I could clearly see the AKM logo on one of the parts. But I don't know if this is the actual DAC chip.
My DAC board looks exactly like the picture on the Denon JP website. (also attached).
https://assets.denon.com/assets/images/proddesc/apacproddesc/avc-x6700h_jp/avc-x6700h_03.jpg
Along with the picture there is the writing "The D/A converter IC will be replaced from approximately spring 2021." So If they never changed the picture this might be the old DAC board.

Comparing to the pirctures from Ghost723 that were posted on April 10 I think I have the old DAC board with the AKM converters.
But it would be nice if someone could confirm I indeed have the old AKM DAC version.

 

[voodooless]

That indeed looks like the AKV version. Lucky you!