Anyone tried on of these from ebay?

[Martinh]

I was searching ebay for low cost dacs and found this listed as Non-Oversampling DAC TDA1543 DIR9001 96kHz SPDIF Coax Optical & 9V NiMH charger

Here's the link:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Non-Oversampling-DAC-TDA1543-DIR9001-96kHz-SPDIF-Coax-Optical-9V-NiMH-charger-/200713680161?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiF i_CDPlayerSeparates&hash=item2ebb77b521

Anyone tried one?

To quote:

The Battery DAC

A low-cost portable DAC for that pure vintage "analog" listening experience...

It fits in the palm of your hand, and can be battery operated, so you can take it with you and have your friends enjoy it too !


TDA1543 + DIR9001 + Battery power = GREAT SOUND !

http://www.starting-point-systems.com/images/ConnectingBatteryDAC.gif

[seoirse2002]

If you buy one let me now how it sounds,as I have nothing to compare it with.
GT

[John]

It looks a good approach I like that it runs on batteries so far the best DAC I heard (JK32) yses batteries and uses a simple stage approach like this but is based on the Hiface with some mods

[pete_mac]

I've not heard one of these personally, but I've read some positive thoughts on them. A bloke here in Australia bought one and substituted the electrolytic output capacitors for some nice polypropylene film capacitors and said that it made a nice improvement.

I previously owned one of the little Muse 4 x TDA1543 DACs which I tweaked a bit (different capacitors, battery power supply etc) and it sounded quite OK. Several people have reported that the above DAC surpasses its performance though, even with the stock electrolytic output caps.

All in all, pretty darn good value for the asking price. :)

[Martinh]

Thanks for the replies,

Bearing in mind that it's an unknown quantity, I think I'll hold on for a Bushmaster or second hand Caiman.

I think it looks expensive compared to this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Finished-2496-AK4396-CS8416-DAC-R-core-Transformer-case-115V-230V-/110747160549?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiF i_Amplifiers&hash=item19c90b8fe5

Martin

[Ali Tait]

Yes, those AK dacs are very good indeed even in stock form IMHO.

[Canetoad]

Thanks for the replies,

Bearing in mind that it's an unknown quantity, I think I'll hold on for a Bushmaster or second hand Caiman.

I think it looks expensive compared to this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Finished-2496-AK4396-CS8416-DAC-R-core-Transformer-case-115V-230V-/110747160549?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiF i_Amplifiers&hash=item19c90b8fe5

Martin

I've ordered one to try. :)

[Martinh]

I've ordered one to try. :)

Excellent - let us know how it sounds and I might join you.

Martin

[Mothman]

I've ordered one to try. :)

Me to:)

[Martinh]

Me to:)

Hi Mothman and Canetoad,

Did you receive your dacs from eBay and if so, how are they?

Martin

[Canetoad]

Yes, received it a while ago. It does sound very good in my opinion. After running it in for some hours my bedroom system hasn't sounded better. It doesn't sound as good as my modified Caiman though.

I also have a standard Caiman with a modified Gator board and I find that, while it is slightly more revealing, it is a bit harsh in the treble region compared to the AK4396. The AK4396 DAC in comparison sounds more analogue while still having plenty of detail. I think it's excellent value for the money.

I have no regrets buying it and it's staying in my bedroom system. :)

[StanleyB]

I also have a standard Caiman with a modified Gator board and I find that, while it is slightly more revealing, it is a bit harsh in the treble region compared to the AK4396.
Have you considered doing the Silmic mod on your Gator Bernie? I can't do the Silmic caps upgrade on the headphone section anymore if the Gator is fitted to a Caiman or TC-7520, but the other parts of the Silmic mod should get rid of the harshness.
PM or email me and we can discuss how to go about getting your Gator tweaked to the next level if you got a spare £20 lying idle :).

[Canetoad]

Hi Stan,

I've already added that mod to both Caimans thanks. :)

The slight harshness isn't so obvious till I switch to the fully modified Caiman. The Dexa regs and Silmic II caps really do remove some of the "digital" sound still present in the standard version. The better power supply helps too I guess.

I do like the sound of the AK4396 in my bedroom system. It seems to take a little of the brightness out of the Monitor Audio BR2 speakers I use there. It does sound more analogue than the standard Caiman in that environment but still seems to do detail quite well.

[Mothman]

Hi Mothman and Canetoad,

Did you receive your dacs from eBay and if so, how are they?

Martin

Martin, I think buying one of these DAC's is a bit of a lottery depending on what the seller sends you. It would appear that some of the boards now have different components (capacitors, op amp sockets, ect) from those shown in the photo on ebay, I guess only the seller knows the real reason why these changes have been made.

Out of the box mine sounded inferior to the DAC's in both my Rotel CD player and SB Touch, so I have removed it from my system and I am now leaving it burn in independantly, time will tell whether things improve. Of course YMMV but I shan't be rushing out to buy another just yet.