ESS ES9008/9018 Sabre dac

[leo]

BTW, anybody know anywhere we can download the ES9018 datasheet? theres a lot of things I'd like to look at , I know the ES9008 is readily available

[leo]

Guys,
Just nearly finished the TAS1020B USB streaming controller on protoboard & thought I'd post some pics. I'm using it as a test bed for ideas/techniques before I tackle the Sabre DAC protoboard.

I have two ground planes on this - the bottom of the protoboard is a solid analogue ground plane & the bottom of the matrix board is a copper foil filled digital ground plane. There is also a small copper clock ground plane under the crystal & PLL components. All gnd planes are directly connected under the chip although the TAS1020B datasheet recommends to use a ferrite bead to join the clock gnd plane to the analogue ground plane.

Small X5R 0.1uF caps are placed close to the chip but could go closer. SEPC cap with bypass on analog crystal supply.

Any comments/improvements/mistakes?

Your doing a good job with what you have to work with.
Look forward to seeing updates on this one

[leo]

I've been a little busy lately so the diy and fiddling has been slow, I'll update as soon as I get chance

The first Sabre dac really improved with the Paul Hynes regs replacing the standard onboard 3pin types so it seemed obvious to try some with the newer 32bit Sabre based dac

I've only just fitted these so they'll need time to run in, tidy up etc
The dac board is sat on the usual chopping board for evaluation purpose

First with PR3G2 supplying VD
This is a handy little adjustable supply, the one I have was set to have a range of up to 12v, I'll be trying this as a supply for the modded 7520 too



Discrete regs before fitting



Next the onboard LT1763 output pin lifted, 1 x Z1703v3 shunt supplying the dac chip VD, 1 x Z1703v3 shunt supplying the XO and the S17LN-1v2 series supplying the 1v2 dacs core voltage



15v +/- shunts for the output stage (can also use a pair for both channels

[leo]

After some run in this thing sounds so damn good!
This really proves how important good regulation is even for these newer dacs

A single pair of Z1A/Z1N +/-15v shunts can be used to supply left and right or can be run using two pairs in mono
I'll compare at some stage to see how much difference there is

Only downside is I need a new case now, it needs to be a little higher

[Tony Moore]

Awwww, c'mon, stop teasing us! What does it _really_ sound like? How's it compare with the AYA?

Good job with the psu!

Cheers,
Tony

[leo]

Thanks Tony

I like and appreciate the things this dac now does, it sounds a lot more real than anything else I've heard so far.
The variation in recordings can be pretty major now, I need to sort a better source capable of hi-res I think (any idea's from anybody would be appreciated)

I'll need to leave it running in longer before commenting too much yet, theres a few other things I want to try too

If you want the best from this dac though it'll never be a cheap project, theres a few things in the design of this actual chip makes it much more sensitive to supply quality than a lot of other dacs

[Tony Moore]

Hi Leo,

How about the Squeezebox Touch when it comes out? It seems to suggest support for 24/96khz encoding...

It's a pity they don't have a high res capable receiver though. Something with the bare bones for a digital source, I2S output with multiple modes, upgradable power supplies, etc. I guess it's not high volume market enough for them now that they're Logitech?

Cheers,
Tony

[leo]

Hmm, I'll have a look at the Touch, ta Tone! 24/176 capable would be nice to have though

I tyhink your spot on with what you say about Logitech , its about time some place did something suitable for us fiddlers

[leo]

The TDA1541 dac will now need some more work not sure how much more can be squeezed out of it

[Audiocom AV]

The TDA1541 dac will now need some more work not sure how much more can be squeezed out of it

Leo

Does this mean the mighty TDA1541 is going to be retired?