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Which DACs are interesting for modest DIYs running 16bit/48khz?

H

Hayk

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I am designing a quasi universal board that can aquire many types of DACs.
It has 2 selectable inputs, a ASRC 4190 board, interface to drive right and left justified DACs in differential mode and OPA1632 as differential output.
The DACs are on seperate modules to be plugged in which requires dedicated PCB for each type. The DACs I chose are of low cost ones only but do I know all of them?
TDA 1545A $0.25 x2
PCM56j & compatibles $1 (used)-$3. x 4
AD1865 in smd. $6 (used) -$12. x 2
PCM1702U smd. $5 x 4
PCM1794. $2.5 x 2
WM8740. $2.5. x2
Any suggestions ?
 
Any affectionados for CS4398? A fellow who has it in Marantz CD player says it is the best DAC he ever heard. It has -34db THD at -60db with very little noise. Worst 16bit, do perform better.
I wonder if Philips 1bit PDM does interest any DIY. The chips SAA7350 and TDA1547 cost less than $10 for full set.
 
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The SAA7350 can function alone. I add it in the list to drive 2 of it in differential, one for each channel.
From Taobao I ordered it for $6 a pair ship Inc.
 
Hayk said:
Any affectionados for CS4398? A fellow who has it in Marantz CD player says it is the best DAC he ever heard. It has -35db THD at -60db with very little noise. Worst 16bit, do perform better.
I wonder if Philips 1bit PDM does interest any DIY. The chips SAA7350 and TDA1547 cost less than $10 for full set.
Click to expand...
CS43198 has an issue caused by the rail switching between low and high rail voltages in its class-H design.

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...1xx-based-devices-a-comparative-review.63038/
 
What makes me discard this DAC, the DF can't be switched off.
So, no Cirrus.
 
A 16bit DAC totally overlooked is the AD1866. It is 2x16bit still manufactured but I don't see any user. Despite low demand, it is costly.
The spec says 95db SNR and 2% THD+N at -60db.
95db SNR is 1.7%, this leaves a THD of 0.3%.
I will add this to the list to pair on the same module with AD1865.
Any review about this DAC?
 
PCM69au. Easily available at very low price, $0.7-1.5. I see it was used in several CD players as Akai.
The DS says, pcm67 is best for CD, PCM69 for musical instruments, DSP.
It has 10bit R2R and 1bit complement.
Any good with this DAC?
 
I found several DACs equipped with pcm67/69 as X DAC from Musical Fidelity, Counterpoint D10 BB69 $580 only board and Krell Stealth launched $9000 with a single PCM67.
I ordered 16 DIP PCM68-K for $5.5 a pair ship Inc but the output is only +/-0.6ma so I need 2 per channel in differential and parallel.
With 16bit data, the upper 10 are R2R so the last 6bits are one bit, is it PDM, PWM, delta sigma?
 
In mid 80's, was Dual cd player for entry level when CD players became affordable for the modest public, with inscription saying, Z filter. I was greatly impressed by its enhanced low midrange. I couldn't find this CD player on the net. A list of CD players website

CD-Player-DAC-Transport List

vasiltech.narod.ru vasiltech.narod.ru
Shows Dual used Toshiba TD6705 in its early models.
This chip is not available but TD6709N is. The problem, I must buy per 10 costing $12.
Many brands used it Kenwood, Sansui,Luxman with analog filters. I will try if it can accept 96khz.
 

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The main trouble with TD6709 is the required quartz of 73.728 Mhz. I wonder why it needs so high frequency. I searched everywhere, couldn't find but oscillator for $3.4 + Ship. I am afraid it can only work with internal oscillator withl sync as it is multiple of WDCK.
The DAC can't function above 48khz, as a single DAC serves both channels alternatively.
 
I add the TD6709n on the list. I will use ICS501 clock multiplier x6 to to get 73,728Mhz. I listened on youtube CD players equipped with this DAC, very high quality. I think it was abandoned as it cannot be used OS.
It is a mystery why it needs so high speed ECL logic, I wonder if it is any type of single bit modulation.
 
Sanyo made DACs that were employed in many brands, the famous 16bit is LC7881. NAD,Kenwood,Luxman,Dual,Grundig etc. It cost from Ali less than $4 for 5pcs Inc ship. I listened on YouTube several of them, I found in all sneezing high frequencies. I don't like it at all but I see a fellow with serious equipment, good quality recording , using this DAC with JVC cd player.
Do you think is it worth I make a module for this DAC?
 

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The CS4398 can yield quite good performance if you pay attention to the power supplies and in particular the voltage reference.
 
I didn't find any Crystal DAC that can function with internal fiter bypassed. I don't see for this DAC how to do as I could for PCM1794 AND WM8740.
 
I will include to the list a precision 16bit DAC, DAC8830. It is low cost about $1 a piece. I will see if I can run in pair 15bit, one for each polarity to avoid zero crossing error.
 
I want to add on the list a one bit delta sigma DAC, not mulitibit type. The DAC list says CS4303 is one of the best. I listened on YouTube Audio Alchemy, indeed it is very high quality.

It is available at digikey GB asking £12 ,LCSC is $8 , on Ali is $14 Inc ship. But 5pcs for $23 Inc ship.
Some are saying that NPC sm5872 that equipped Marantz cd67 is similar and costs $1 a piece, unfortunately I find only B type where I need A type for MSCK compatible.
Another candidate is SM5865 praised to be the best from NPC and $1+ship from taobao, it needs external filter, this can be very good but I don't find any brand on the list that used this DAC.
 
Here is the standing choice of DACs.
Each module will have 2-3 DAC running to choose while listening.
Driven by SRC4190 16bit 96khz (48khz)
The outputs are differential current, +/-1ma, feeding OPA1632.
16BIT:
TDA1543A TDA1545A
PCM56. AD1851. AD1866
DAC8830. AD5541(max541)
18BIT
AD1860. AD1865
20BIT
PCM1702 AD1862
1BIT
SAA7350. PCM69
WM8740. SM5865
TD6709 CS4303. (48KHZ)
 
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I got confused with SM5865 and CS4365. The SM5865 is equipped with a real interpolator, not a FIR low pass filter. The group delay is only 2fs instead of a 100. It is a mono differential 1 bit DAC. I ordered from taobao a pair for $5.5.
The TD6709, I ordered it a pair for $7.5 from Ebay. Although digipart showing me several vendors have thousands of them, I can't find a retailer.
 
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I am understanding little by little what delta sigma DACs are defined.
The PCM1794 for example, the oversampling filter can be bypassed, however the delta sigma interpolating oversampling 64fs continues to function.
PCM1794_15kHz_current_50Ohm.gif
This is the unfiltered output of pcm1794. All the spikes are delta sigma operating to generate the lower 10bits where the steps are +/-5bits.
I was wrong about SM5865 interpolating filter, I didn't see the / in 2/fs. It is also 64fs interpolating filter necessary for the delta-sigma operation. In other word, SM5865 is the same as 1794 without filter but 1bit instead of multibit similar to cs4303 that I will pair them on a single board, 2xSM+1xCS.
The PCM67-69 with laser trimmed 10bit is to my opinion the best mulitibit delta sigma, all others are cheaper versions.
For now I will set aside the pcm1794 and cs4398 as these popular DAC boards are available at low cost all finished from Ali.
 
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