If it's good enough for Stan............Quote:
Originally Posted by sponge
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If it's good enough for Stan............Quote:
Originally Posted by sponge
Did he actually say he preferred the Wolfson chip, I can't remember ?Quote:
Originally Posted by trailer
OPA2107 are supposed to sound a lot like the OPA627 (singles)Quote:
Originally Posted by trailer
I've a range of op-amps here which I'll try and compare when I get one of these dacs, see which ones ring, which ones behave etc.
Somebody has to start a sticky, nobody has bitten yet :doh: so I'll do one when the times right
Quoted wrong post so edited
Thanks Leo.Quote:
Originally Posted by leo
I believe it's his current "weapon of choice"Quote:
Originally Posted by sponge
I look forward to your impressions when you get the box back. Is it just a chip swap-out, or are other components involed?Quote:
Originally Posted by trailer
Chip swap.
Regarding the Maplin PSU 12v/13.5V issue....
On the 7510 I found 13.5V to be a bit too forward and artificially heightened.
So I ran it at 12V.
The 7520 with Tirna 4032 OP Amps..??
:eek:
Somethings just clicked into place.
The "in your face-ness" of 13.5V on the 7510 has been replaced with far more focussed soundstage - and it was scary good before.
Can sum it up best by saying the music sounds more "real" - more dynamic, more PraT, better seperation.
I listened for a couple of days then went back to 12V.
No contest, its back to 13.5.
Cant recommend it enough.
Trailer?
The Wolfson Dac change, is it for that one thats in the Linn DS?
Cheers for that Gaz, now how about the link to Maplin's web-site and accompanying rise in site traffic and sales it'll produce:eyebrows:
Well...
'tis true. :)
Gazjam.. are your running two (2) 4032s without any issues on the headphone output?
I'll be certainly giving the 13.5v a go then. The one I'm getting put in is the WM8716. I had a quick google and couldn't find out if that's the one in the Linn or not. Anyone else know?Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazjam
Gaz, Is it possible for you to measure the PSU output voltage under load? - My linear supply is adjustable within a couple of volts or so but it has to come out of the case to do it.
Cheers - Ken
Blimey, that Wolfson chip is cheaper than the PCM1716 - It's even cheaper than an 8 pin op-amp! I think I'll order a couple just in case... ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by trailer
There you go http://docs.linn.co.uk/wiki/index.ph...f_the_DAC_chipQuote:
Originally Posted by trailer
jon
Interesting. I tried the 7520/4032 combination at 13.5v with the Maplin power supply yesterday and had to switch back to 12V fairly rapidly. I did notice it had a more forward, dynamic sound, which is a good thing, but I found the vocals/midrange to be sort of "tainted", a bit metallically nasally twangy artificial kind of sound (sorry, not too good at this describing sounds lark!) which I hated.
On the positive side, I find the Maplin at 12V is a step up from the supplied power supply so it wasn't a waste of money.
Im running one 4032 for line output and a 4562 for headphones.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dougr33
Don't own headphones so dunno!
Hey ken,Quote:
Originally Posted by sponge
I don't own a scope or anything sorry, wouldn't know how to use it anyway!
Cool. Just goes to show, maybe it's system / opinion dependant?Quote:
Originally Posted by Spod
The sound you described there was how I found my 7510 to be at 13.5V.
Something just "clicked" in my system, the vocals now just seem more projected and more "real" to me.
Could be a system dependant thing as I said.
It is better than the supplied psi at 12 or 13.5v so that's good.
OK Gaz, no problem - I may crank it up to 13V but I dont want to make the internal voltage regulators work too hard. Sound is pretty good as it is though.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazjam
Stan himself recommended running the maplin psu at 13.5v for the 7510 prior to mk6/3 (before the virtualDC circuit came in to play) so I think the Dacs can take 13.5v without a problem.
Can any techies out there confim this just to be sure?
Try it ken. Been running 13.5 for a couple of days now and the Dacs not got any hotter, so assuming it's ok?
Will do - Thanks Gaz - Probably get tomorrow before I can report back.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazjam
I asked about the actual voltage as those SMPS's are rarely accurate but if anything they are likely to be on the high side, so I guess I'll be safe enough.
Ken
Right, strange goings on at trailer towers.
Came home just now to find that the Maplin PSU isn't psu'ing anymore. Fuse is OK. No volts output/led.
Any suggestions? (I've got the box but not the receipt, its about 4 or 5 months old)
:(
There maybe some internal fuse or circuit protection in the the actual unit if your getting no led or output
Things like the fets can go in SMPS's , in most things I'd say take a few internal pics but tbh SMPS's can be lethal so don't be tempted to go poking around in one of these! theres a lot more in these things than a linear.
Is it usually sat on carpet or in a closed space? I presume you tried it without plugged into the dac too to see if it lights up?
Leo,
It doesn't work plugged in or not. The DAC works OK with the standard wall wart.
There's a couple of strange screws on the top of the unit which seem to be the only means of access. If it was just a case of changing an internal fuse then I'd give it a go!
The PSU was sat on the carpet on it's edge. I've never found it to be running that warm as it had plenty of space around it.
Well circuit protectors or fuses normally go for a reason, if one of the internal fets is blown the protection will kick in to prevent it going bang
If it was running ok earlier and you've not touched/moved it and it suddenly goes off its likely one or more internal components could have failed
Do you know any local friends with the same supply who may have kept their receipt;)
Sorry to not be much help but I tend to be very cautious with SMPS's, nasty bloody things tbh when they go wrong
Leo,
No worries, like you said with something like that then it's better safe than sorry.
I got the PSU when it was on offer before the StanDAC rush. I did ring Maplins and explained the situation. They said if I paid by card (which I did) and they could trace the date (which I probably can) they could find it on their system so I might be OK. Would a fail like this be covered under the guarantee? I've only ever ran it on the DAC.
It's a bit spooky - Just as we are talking about PSU's ...Quote:
Originally Posted by trailer
Are you in the habit of tuning the unit off when not in use - In my experience switchers don't like being power cycled too often - Best to just leave them powered up and just turn off the equipment they are powering.
Good luck with Maplins...
Ken
Cheers.
I leave my kit on all the time as it happens. It makes everything sound better doesn't it? :lol:
Quote:
Originally Posted by trailer
Yes, a dac is never going to damage a 5A rated SMPS so they have to swap or at least repair it FOC no probs if under warranty :)
Captain obvious strikes again, but here goes.....Quote:
Originally Posted by trailer
Is the problem with the kettle lead rather than the psu?
Humour me, pull it out put it back in. Try another lead?
I was using a non stock lead on it. Went back to the maplin and checked that. Same same. Like I said, all suggestions are gratefully received.
That and a tin foil hat... Drawing a green line around the edge of cd's works pretty well too :lol:Quote:
Originally Posted by trailer
Fess up - who's ever stuck a CD in the freezer?
Hi All,
Can I apologise in advance if this question has already been answered - if so, can someone point me in the right direction, there have already been 585 previous posts on this thread.
I am committed to buying one of Stan the Man's 7520s shortly and, although my current kit may not be capable of giving me the benefits, I would be interested in upgrading it so as to introduce an element of future-proofing - who knows what kit I may ultimately get. It seems to me that the costs of the various upgrades are a relatively small price to pay for the improved performance obtained.
My main source is a MM PC (Vaio VGX-XL201) which is loaded with FLACs and some .mp3s, but I also have a Marantz CD-63 mk II KI, Sky HD box and Sony TT, all of which feed into a Marantz PM 6010OSE KI amp and then on to MS Mezzo 2 speakers. My plan is to insert the 7520 just upstream of the amp.
My questions are: -
1) which op-amp upgrade offers me the best sound quality, given what I intend to try and do with it? If this is not such a simple question to answer, what are the advanatges and disadvantages of each of the main two op-amp upgrade options?
2) I have limited understanding on this subject (as on most things, some might say :)), but what benefits would the Maplin type PSU upgrade offer?
I am interested in as many opinions as I can get on both questions, (even critical ones as long as they are polite and intended to enlighten), so please feel free to add your two penn'orth.
Thanks in anticipation and cheers :cool:,
Dave.
Hello all.
I've done some more troubleshooting of my crackly sound issue on the variable output.
I found that if I have 2x 4032's installed that I get crackles and fizzing through my speakers when I turn the volume knob. This mainly happens at high volume.
I first wanted to see if one of my 4032's was faulty, so I took the headphone one out and tested. No crackles. I then swapped the 4032's round (still only one installed
). No crackles. I then tried having two 4032's installed but the opposite way round to in the beginning. I got crackles.
So I proved that both of my 4032's work on their own but not both at the same time. I'm not sure why this is, so I'd be interested to hear some theories on this.
I then wanted to see if having any two opamps installed caused the crackles. So I first put a 4032 in the line out socket and a 49720 in the headphone socket. No crackles. So I decided to stick with that for now and do some testing with a scope to see how the output looks.
I'll report back later.
Hi Dave,
even at 12V the Maplin PSU is, to me, a step up from the supplied PSU, it just adds that little bit more "solidity" to the sound to my ears (and I generally have an unbeliever's ears when it comes to the effects of swapping cables etc.). It also adds the possibility to boost the voltage to 13.5v, though whether the changes that produces is a good or bad thing is a matter of opinion - but it most definitely does have an effect.
Both the 4562 and 4032 are a major improvement over the stock opamps. For most - though not all- in this thread I get the impression the 7032 is the winner, but there are issues with fitting it. I didn't have any problems with the Tirna supplied one but sounds like others have. The 4562 however is easy-peasy to fit.
I found the latter to possibly be slightly more exciting and have fractionally more natural vocals but its bass was a bit blocky or monotone, the 4032 at 12V I find a little clearer and just a touch more "luxurious".
Bear in mind that the opamps are cheap so I'd say its worth getting both and trying them out. Just make to sure to allow burn-in time.
Can someone give a link of product code for the Maplin PSU - I can see a few on their site but none have 13.5V that I can find.
Cheers
Dan
Search for product code L11BQ :)
There's a used one on flea bay (item #180352661587 ) at the moment if you want to take a punt.
Thanks Chris, has anyone heard anything about the PSU Stan was working on?
There's a new (improved) stock PSU now coming with the 7520.Quote:
Originally Posted by mwahahaha
Separate PSU (upgrade) option, nothing about that in his reply.
Maybe tell him directly, if you are interested.
Spod, are you referring to the old 7510 PSU used for 7520 as well ("1stgen")?Quote:
Originally Posted by Spod
Thread pace is speeding up, but less test reports. :/
Here is a snippet from the pinkfishmedia forum:
Beresford TC-7520 impressions
In its standard configuration I was rather disappointed with the TC-7520's sound. Although it exhibited impressive bass grunt,
detailed and a wide soundstage I could not feel any emotional connection with the music. Whether it was through headphones
(Audio Technica ATH-911), into the Linn preamp or using the Beresford preamp into my Linn poweramp I felt I could not engage
with the music at all, timing was all-over-the-place and the musicians sounded invariably reluctant. Often the tune would hold
back when it shouldn't and its reticent presentation was pulling against the rest of the Linn equipment.
LM4562NA:
Much more engaging with some very good mid-band presence. The musicians sounded more human and enjoying their performance.
However this op amp can sound ragged and the lower end of the spectrum lacked heft, to the extent that kick drums were almost non-existent.
Another order sent to Farnell and I received the following op amps: LM6172, LT1364, AD826 and OPA2132PA.
LM6172 and yuk! Avoid, it's nasty. No midrange presence and no freedom
LT1364 is far better - smooth and good presence, but not as much body as the OPA2132PA
AD826 worked very well, great bass, no nasties and smooth while quite airy - a close second to the OPA2132PA.
OPA2132PA stays until I have a go at the THS4032 op amp, where some say this chip is the best.
So for a shade under £200, the result is very impressive - particularly with the OPA2132PA installed.
-end andrew's post
Another user posted:
If you are interested in more chip options try the following:
opa2604 for a more natural response (more fleshy, think hourglass figured woman)
or
tle2072 for a more lively engaging sound (more definition, think petite woman)
i like both but prefer the tle for the more rhythmic sound.
-end partial quote
To those who know the technical side of this more than i do:
Looking up something like
"opa2604" OR "tle2072" "OPA2132PA"
or
"opa2604" OR "tle2072" "ths4032" OR "ths 4302"
gives quite a lot of results. These should be more or less related to circuitry/conditions of the 7520 slot. But it's more than I can read, and i am no buff at all. That is, it seems this is difficult because of the technical specs and unknown circuitry involved. As well, Stan already is experimenting further with changes around the opamps.
Your view? How far down the opamp hole?
I'd be more inclined to check the User opinions of the Guys in this forum! :)
For most of us.....
4032 is better than 4562 is better than stock.
Get a 4032 from Tirna, stick it in the left hand OpAmp socket (Line out) and enjoy the music! ;)
I have a Tirna 4032 waiting me to to fit it. Having read Stan's warning though I will desolder the I/C socket and solder the 4032 board in place. Maybe I'm being over-cautious.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazjam
The later PSU, I got my 7250 at the end of March. Didn't expect any difference but there does seem to be one.Quote:
Originally Posted by Quietschbox
Quote:
Originally Posted by Clive
Warning?
Uhm.........?
Mines is fine, not overheating or anything.
Lid closing fine, not touching the case (Tirna Modded chip)
Whats the warning?
all fine here with my Tirna board albeit that the lid wont shut (Still need to get round to sending it back)
See post 528Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazjam
http://theartofsound.net/forum/showt...t=2352&page=53
Same for me-ONE Tirna modded chip installed for about 2 weeks now with no problems and lid on.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazjam