ES9038 DAC Overhaul: Sockets, Capacitors, Resistors (Video Included)

HL tears the ES9038 DAC down to the bones for a full hardware upgrade! In stage 1 of upgrades, I worked on the analog side of the board, replacing nearly all the stock parts, including: resistors, DIP-8 sockets, and capacitors. The results have been impressive, giving a much more reference leaning tone. (ELNA SILMIC Super Gold included)

**Streaming Again Today 3/28, Later On** Far Cry 5 + the Burson Play DAC Review/Comparison to my ES9038Pro (PC HiFi Gaming Section)

Update: stream is up! http://hallmanlabs.com/hallman-labs-live-game-stream/     Thanks to those who came to watch the stream today, Far Cry 5 truly is breaking new ground for the demands on PC hardware that isn’t even VR yet! I know that VR was a huge thought in this game based on how well they integrated the Tobii […]

Making Custom I2S Cables

Note: I abandoned further work on this, because I no longer use an Amanero or XMOS module which require this sort of connector. Instead, now I use Belden CAT6 CatSnake between my Singxer SU-1 (clone) and my ES9038Pro DAC. You can find the article on that, right here. I am working on uploading a video […]

Video of DIY Plasma Speaker

I have a complete build video for this, but I wanted to go ahead and share what the working product looks like. It doesn’t make a ton of sound using the setup I have here with a Schiit Audio Magni2 driving the plasma speaker.