This single loose solder ball (could have fallen inside the enclosure at any point) might explain all the problems I had with getting the DAC to lock on to any audio signal. It would be a great job if it wraps up the issues. Stay tuned to find out if I was right! […]
Burson Play DAC Arrives
After much delay, I was able to go and pick up the Burson Play DAC today. Included was an entire set of both the V6-OPA-D Vivid + V6-OPA-S Vivid and V6-OPA-D Classic + V6-OPA-S Classic (pictured below). This DAC can slide right into the front drive bay of most desktop computers (was that dirty sounding? […]
Amanero: Upgrading Sanyo Oscon to Vishay BC capacitors | 1x SS3602 Sparkos Goes To Sparks, Literally
First off, I wanted to let everyone know that I plan to publish part 1 tomorrow night/Sunday morning instead of tonight. This was mainly because of the amount of time that I put into making the site more visually appealing. I knew it wasn’t exactly “polished”, some people like that, but it just wasn’t my […]
We Have Finally Cracked the Nut! Native DSD Decoding over I2S Up and Running! (A Preview In Photos included)
I have to say that solving the mystery of this hardware arrangement was both hilarious and extremely frustrating. Trying to catch one of 6 pins being rearranged is easy to overlook. Always check this and you’ll save yourself a lot of headache! Whoever designed this Amanero at Leaf Audio decided to switch up the DSD […]
The ES9038Pro DAC Returns! Expect Part 1 of Discrete Op-Amp Review by 3/10/18 (Saturday night)
Here is a sneak peak at my reference DAC for all of the upcoming op-amp reviews. The Asian holiday really put a delay in this, but as always the hardware companies are patient and even tried to help me troubleshoot a product that isn’t even their design! I hope to post part 1 of the […]
Replacement ES9038Pro DAC Now In Route!
I had to wait for the Asian holiday to end (Feb 22nd) for the seller to ship out a replacement ES9038Pro completed DAC, in the enclosure with dual toroidal transformers. I decided to go with a completed DAC for a few reasons, but mainly to save time while still getting reliability and ensure I am […]
Precision Resistors Lot : Over 12,000 Dale & Vishay RN55C Military Spec Resistors! An EBay Treasure Chest
As I mentioned in the previous article, I will use EBay as a vintage or high end/HiFi electronic components supplier when I see a deal. I have bought many lots that contained a lot of parts for a discount, but never at this scale. Below I have copied the information given on the Ebay […]
Making Custom I2S Cables
I am working on uploading a video for this common question I see in chat rooms on IRC and on forums in DIY. The big things to remember when making I2S cables is that these are data cables and because of that they are transmitting in a high frequency. This means the “skin” effect […]
Revived The Amanero! + Close Up of Uncapped Crystek CCHD-575 Oscillator!
I didn’t record this soldering job because I was not expecting this to go well. I had one of my oscillator sockets (only socket without an oscillator) get destroyed between 3 different configurations I tried to do to fix a missing pad. I eventually gave up on any SMD working because one of the 4 […]
Kimber “Kables” Testing At Hallman Labs: The Skin Effect (Signal Freq vs. Conductor Gauge) & Cryo “HiFi Fuses”! (Update 1/25/18)
Update 1/25: I realized after reading my own article and the quotes from Kimber cables that I had wired up my setup incorrectly. Kimber has one conductor carrying the thicker gauge and the other conductor of the same color carrying the thinner gauge. So if you want the full Kimber effect you need to […]