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Post by chris1967 on Mar 18, 2015 18:02:37 GMT
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Post by chris1967 on Mar 19, 2015 21:21:58 GMT
Just closed the box, removed the ugly black handles and added allen screws to have a nice industrial look and added the receiver's locking frequency leds on the faceplate. Salas bib's in progress...
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Javier
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Post by Javier on Mar 19, 2015 21:56:58 GMT
It looks as good as I heard it sounds Chris, nice job!
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Post by chris1967 on Mar 20, 2015 11:57:29 GMT
Thank you!! It surely sounds superb, but it has a long way to go still, and like i said, i hope it is woth the expense.
I guess we will have to see.
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solderdude
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Post by solderdude on Mar 20, 2015 12:32:28 GMT
Do you know whether Soekris uses 0.01% for the MSB and 2SB and only uses 0.05% for the smaller bits ?
To create a ladder that has 16 bit accuracy the MSB resistor has to have 0.0015% accuracy To create a ladder that has 24 bits accuracy the MSB must be 0.00006% accurate. This is a factor 1000 more accurate than the 0.05% values used.
Of course the 0.05% is the maximum, probably the real tolerance will be somewhat better than 0.02%
BUT I suspect these linearity problems aren't that audible and comparable to amplifiers that are partly class A and partly class AB.
Do you happen to know if there are any INL / DNL plots around of these DAC's or only THD (which also tells something)
No idea how to improve it other than proper analog postfiltering and proper digital filtering that doesn't 'cut' into the audible range. Buffering the output stage seems a sensible idea.
If I were ever to design a DAC I would probably go for analog post reconstruction filters that alter their properties depending on sample rate. Don't know if any DAC's already exist doing this.
When you like the sound it is worth the expense.
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Post by chris1967 on Mar 21, 2015 9:13:22 GMT
The Soekris oficial oneclock from diyaudio and my friend lemon from avclub.gr I have the 0,05% version i have no idea to answer your question Frans, it must be int the thread in diyaudio, and i haven't had a chance to compare with my friends here in Greece, but all of them are different, two of them have directly powered from trafo, the one has Lundahl trafo on the output, mine has LM317/337, and my best friend Dimitri has Salas Reflector-D on the receiver and two Salas Bib's on the dac. Useful link is also my friend Dimitri's blog www.dimdim.gr/2015/01/the-soekris-r-2r-dac/ he is a great guy and has helped very much the diy community with his blog and input in the diyaudio forum.
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Javier
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Post by Javier on Mar 21, 2015 9:39:48 GMT
I think there might be something wrong with BIII jitter measures. They shouln't be higher than the others or in fact it should most probably as low or lower than the others as the XO used by the Soekris has much lower spec than the Crystek in the Buffalo and the same goes for the Weilang. The Buffalo driven by the Amanero "as is" doesn't have isolation from the PC both other DACs have and maybe that is affecting those measures.
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solderdude
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Post by solderdude on Mar 21, 2015 10:13:55 GMT
Soekris should investigate 'forward correction' but this will take him a lot of time and an expensive ADC as well as a lot of coding on each individual DAC channel. That should get the harmonics down a lot and reach levels even $1.- DAC chips reach even when using 0.05% resistors. I suspect this has already been discussed as it is rather basic DAC 'talk'.
The picture above suggests that the S/N ratio and distortion levels have an ENOB of around 15 bits. Still not that bad but far away from the 24 bit it can 'handle'. This is consistent with the accuracy of the used resistors so seems to be as expected. After all 16 bits depth should be sufficient for good sound.
It should be noted though that when signals are below -6dB the noise floor/distortion is lowered. When the output level drops another 6dB the noise lowers again so for quiet passages the DAC performs much better. The reason for this is that the DAC is signed magnitude and the MSB and 2SB are the biggest trouble makers. These only 'switch' at higher amplitudes.
It's a fun DAC though with support for a lot of different audio formats.
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Post by chinook9 on Mar 21, 2015 16:47:11 GMT
chris1967
Looks very nice.
Can you give me a link to the enclosure. I made one for mine but I like the looks of yours and it would probably work for me.
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Post by chris1967 on Mar 22, 2015 16:33:53 GMT
chris1967 Looks very nice. Can you give me a link to the enclosure. I made one for mine but I like the looks of yours and it would probably work for me. Thanks chinook9! I didn't buy it online i bought from my local electronic and hobby store for 17 euros. The faceplate/back is aluminium (thin and easy to drill holes) and it has a double floor that you can mount everything on outside the enclosure and them place it inside. Today we had the chance to compare with some well known modern DAC's. Audiobyte Dragon audiobyte.net/products/black-dragonMarantz HD DAC 1 us.marantz.com/us/Products/Pages/ProductDetails.aspx?CatId=hificomponents&ProductId=HDDAC1Pioneer U 05 S www.pioneer.eu/eur/products/42/2255/46312/U-05-S/page.htmlIt was by far the most musical of the lot, provided the best midrange, and had the widest sounstage of all. The downside being that this extremely wide soundstage could be a little vague, and not precise to instrument placement (which the Audiobyte and Pioneer excel in) All in all the low cost Soekris stood up to these very nice new DAC's. I think that a proper line stage is mandatory, also a Salas Reflector-D on the receiver side. I am quite happy with these results.
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Post by chinook9 on Mar 23, 2015 0:17:12 GMT
Thanks chris! I'll look around locally also. If I can't find one, I expect I'll order from Modushop.
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Post by chris1967 on May 18, 2015 18:37:04 GMT
Salas Reflector-D on board. This is to power the usb receiver @ 3,3V Makes a big difference, more precise sound stage and more detail, also smoother. Salas Bibs coming up.
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Post by chris1967 on May 24, 2015 18:58:53 GMT
Salas Bibs on board also.
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Post by chinook9 on Jan 14, 2016 23:33:30 GMT
Anyone have any reports on the performance of this DAC. I have read a few positive comments but there is not much out there.
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Javier
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Post by Javier on Jan 15, 2016 8:02:35 GMT
It has been a while since I stopped reading about the Soekris DAC but a friend built one and wasnt happy with. He complained about design flaws, lack of support from Soekris and then wasnt convinced with SQ. If you are still not fully set on getting one you may consider one of DIYINHK R2R kits. He has some very interesting (and affordable) kits based on Analog Devices and BB chips which may not be as 'romantic' as a fully discreet resistor ladder but in the real world they perform much better. I'd suggest any of the 20bit ones like PCM1702 or AD1862. He also offers PS boards, isolated USB capable of outputting the data formats these chips require and lots of good quality stuff.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using proboards
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