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In Reply to: RE: Analogue sound on the cheap posted by Mick Wolfe on February 16, 2025 at 10:54:13
There are some good pcbs available from AliExpress, including ready built boards. The problem is the availability of these legacy DAC chips. AD1865 is still available for not silly money. Cheaper and more common is the PCM56. I have the AD1865 board mentioned but haven't got it running yet. In the meantime I'm working with and listening to 2 kinds of PCM56 boards - details below. Both are SPDIF so you need a USB/SPDIF converter.
The cheap mini board uses the voltage output from the PCM56 chip, but if you use the current output off pin 13 you can use better output stages including tubes. To do this you need to snip pin 9 on the PCM56 chip and take the output from pin 13 and ground.
The larger board has an op-amp I/V stage, which is 2 stages of NE5534. I have improved the sound by using an AD845 in the first stage (remove the small cap between pins 5 and 8) and bypassing the second buffer stage by taking the output directly from pin 3 of the socket. I found this more detailed than the mini board with ECC40 I/V stage, not quite with the same kind of tonality but close. Anyway, I'm finding this more interesting to listen to ATM and experimenting with other op-amps.
These ready built boards just need a case and a power supply - not a highly technical task for somebody with DIY skills. I'd be interested to hear from other DIY builders of these legacy multi-bit DACs.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003707874596.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.3.420976bbxY0MBt&algo_pvid=825ad7d0-9810-4ccc-8de3-a05021622c7b&algo_exp_id=825ad7d0-9810-4ccc-8de3-a05021622c7b-1&pdp_ext_f=%7B"order"%3A"43"%2C"eval"%3A"1"%7D&pdp_npi=4%40dis%21GBP%2134.92%2126.89%21%21%2142.75%2132.92%21%40211b80c217398786620947254eb2d9%2112000040927529413%21sea%21UK%211842934360%21X&curPageLogUid=kePKysRfLJmH&utparam-url=scene%3Asearch%7Cquery_from%3A
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006997918055.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.1.420976bbxY0MBt&algo_pvid=825ad7d0-9810-4ccc-8de3-a05021622c7b&algo_exp_id=825ad7d0-9810-4ccc-8de3-a05021622c7b-0&pdp_ext_f=%7B"order"%3A"7"%2C"eval"%3A"1"%7D&pdp_npi=4%40dis%21GBP%2115.87%2113.49%21%21%2119.43%2116.52%21%40211b80c217398786620947254eb2d9%2112000038992859640%21sea%21UK%211842934360%21X&curPageLogUid=Rz5fPCBxk13t&utparam-url=scene%3Asearch%7Cquery_from%3A
Follow Ups:
Over the years I've experimented with both the Phillips Little Giant DAC and two variations of the PCM56. These were fun to fiddle with as I already had a very decent Swagman 12V power supply. The exception was the PCM56 R2R which needed a 18-24V power supply. These were all assembled versions from AliEx. Prices were too ridiculous not to try.($20-$40) A friend even told me his PCM56 R2R was very close sonically to his previously owned Border Patrol DAC....his statement not mine though. I'm sure with a bit of tweaking and circuit knowledge one could DIY them to another level.
My take was while they certainly weren't the last word in resolution, they didn't offend either. Very simple in an aluminum (I think) case slightly larger than a pack of cigarettes with a coax in and L&R RCA outs. I still have five different variations stored away somewhere. However, when the dust finally settled, both the Denafrips Ares and current Flyinsky were clearly superior and more resolving. This in comparison to the assembled versions of course.
I might add that these little assembled DAC's could be the perfect solution for those finding their current CDP's a little bright and fatiguing. This provided of course that their CDP has a digital out.(coax) Don't forget that you'll need a 12V DC power supply, but they can be had fairly cheap.
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