CHANGSTAR: Audiophile Headphone Reviews and Early 90s Style BBS

Lobby => DIY => Topic started by: shipsupt on November 09, 2012, 05:39:42 PM

Title: DIY DAC
Post by: shipsupt on November 09, 2012, 05:39:42 PM

Ahoy DIY pirates,

I've been shopping the DAC market and while there are few things out there that I like, nothing is making me pull the trigger.... which got me thinking about keeping what I have and doing a DIY for now and seeing what the market looks like when I move back to the US.

Are there any other kit options out there other than the Buffalo?  Any comments on the Buffalo in general?  I guess the III is the current offering...

Outside of kits, I'm probably not ready to try a design of my own... yet...

I like the DIY stuff, but I want the final product to sound good and shiver me timbres... I don't want to like it only because I built it.  So is DAC building going to give me something as good or better than a production DAC at the price point, or I am better off buying someones DAC and focusing my DIY energy elsewhere?

Title: Re: DIY DAC
Post by: jilldwr on November 09, 2012, 09:53:20 PM

I've been eyeing-up the ObjectiveDAC populated board. It gets good reviews and you can put it into a suitable case yourself. Not exactly DIY but for $99, it may be worth looking at.

Title: Re: DIY DAC
Post by: Hroðulf on November 20, 2012, 08:17:39 PM

What about this- http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/audiobyte-diy/219782-rd30-quad-multibit-d-converter.html

Title: Re: DIY DAC
Post by: shipsupt on November 20, 2012, 11:46:30 PM

Thanks, that one looks interesting.  I'll have to poke around and see if anyone has put one together.

Title: Re: DIY DAC
Post by: jilldwr on December 21, 2012, 11:21:45 AM

There appears to be plenty of options available:
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/digital-source/186245-dac-2496-ak4393-dac-kit-cs8416-ak4393-5532-a.html

Perhaps too many...

I'm really tempted to try this route myself:
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/digital-source/186245-dac-2496-ak4393-dac-kit-cs8416-ak4393-5532-a.html

Lots of modding has already been done to improve on the design and boards are cheep...

Title: Re: DIY DAC
Post by: shipsupt on December 21, 2012, 04:45:38 PM

I'm finishing up a phono-pre right now and after that is done I need to decide if I'm going to build a DAC or get started on the KGSSHV. 

I was hoping that Anax would post some of his impressions of his recent experience with a Buffalo DAC...  popcorn

Title: Re: DIY DAC
Post by: Anaxilus. on December 21, 2012, 06:09:48 PM

I will.  It's actually complicated as we are reviewing 3 different sets of regulators for it and I don't want to poison the pool for future blind testing.  Plus there is a basic version and a pimped out version.

Title: Re: DIY DAC
Post by: shipsupt on December 21, 2012, 07:25:15 PM

Was it a III?

Title: Re: DIY DAC
Post by: Anaxilus. on December 28, 2012, 06:37:54 AM

This is a 3.