TDA1543 DAC Review In 2021

It is a fine day and as usual I am reading and searching online contents related to almost anything I like. During my search, I stop to the few online forum discuss about a simple DAC using TDA1543 DAC IC. The discussion about this DAC was about 3 years ago, and the latest was about a year ago. Quite new and overall discussion about this DAC sound quality mostly are positive. It is interesting topic anyway especially I was built this TDA1543 DAC long time ago in 2016. At that time, I combine this DAC with Tripath amplifier here and here before it sold in 2019. That is also my first DIY DAC and I am quite enjoyed this DAC so much, at that time.

The background story about this, previously I was using Sony Playstation SCPH-1002 as my reference CD Player. The reason I moved to this TDA1543 DAC is because the CD optic inside the Playstation is wear out and I cannot find the replacement for it. I pretty remember the sound quality of this TDA1543 DAC is quite comparable to Sony Playstation especially in the smooth mid range presentation.

So here it is in 2021, the new test of TDA1543 DAC.

That online forum discussion makes me really curious about how this TDA1543 DAC sounds like. This TDA1543 is the economic version DAC from it's brother, the TDA1541.

Another special thing about this TDA1543 DAC is found on the reputable hi end CD player DAC, is the Audio Note UK. They using this TDA1543 in their entry level DAC 0.1x. You can see it here. The special things about Audio Note is they always using vacuum tube on the analog stages, including this CD player DAC.

Another hi-end audio manufacture such as Borderpatrol also using this TDA1543 on their DAC product and using vacuum tube on the rectifier only.

So I think it must be something special about this TDA1543 DAC.

TDA1543 is cheap. I still have one from my previous built. I bought it around US$2 a piece. This DAC IC is the most simple schematic because it can use passive IV by a resistor per channel. This is also without LPF section. The input is I2S which if I am using the CS8412 as the SPDIF receiver, then it should be set to mode 2. The schematic for this TDA1543 and CS8412 is also widely available online.

As you can see from the photo above, my TDA1543 is bare bone PCB and previously using for testing the digital receiver IC. It never intended for serious DAC built.

On the TDA1543 datasheet, it specify 5 volt require to operate this DAC, but in fact you will only hear distorted sound coming from the line output. This occurs when using resistor as IV converter. Typically the TDA1543 need at least 6 volt in this operation.

In this build, I using 8 volt supply directly from 2 piece of 18650 lithium batteries. It is about 8.2 volt in total when fully charged. This is still within maximum range of acceptable voltage of this IC. I don't use any regulator DC voltage since the batteries power is fully linear. Except I need an IC 7805 for positive 5 volt regulator to supply the CS8412 SPDIF receiver.

The original CS8412 or CS8414 is hard to find because it is already discontinued from the manufacture long time ago. Previously I had bought SPDIF/optical to I2S module on Ali-express like the photo above but it came with the fake CS8412.

I find this CS8412 is fake because all the pins are not correspondence to the original datasheet. It is all mixed with different components as specify per original datasheet. This Ali-express CS8412 board is works but only intended as SPDIF/optical to I2S only while the original CS8412 have 8 mode digital output.

Well, at least this Ali-express board is do what it advertised:)

So how is the sound?

As you probably know from my previous posting, since last year I start my DAC journey by bought a simple DAC from Dragonfly USB stick DAC. I also bought a portable DAC that I really recommend is the Chord Mojo and Hugo. For sure they are all great DAC but by it's own target marketed. When I want more superior sound, then those delta sigma DAC cannot fulfill my requirement anymore. I should go to R2R DAC or multibit DAC to answer this.

Blessing to me since I can make it by my own, so in the early this year I playing with lots with R2R multibit DAC. You also already know that this old R2R multibit DAC IC's sounds far better that's any modern delta sigma DAC that's makes me blown away by the rich sound and smooth presentation in all frequency range.

My initial test using this TDA1543 DAC is pair with hybrid vacuum tube headphone amplifier here and Fiio M3 as digital source here, then I also using Sennheiser HD600 headphone in this test.

Early impression, this DAC is sounds flat and smooth on mid-range. The presentation is more forward and warm. This TDA1543 DAC is sound so relaxing and tends to like a clean sounding DAC. I am quite remember this vocal sound is really similar to Sony Playstation SCPH-1002. It is also more likely TDA1540 in Bang & Olufsen CD player here. But this is only for the mid range section which in my opinion is good enough for this cheap TDA1543 DAC.

Move to the bass presentation, this TDA1543 DAC bass is rolled off. It cannot go much deeper or having a good attack and timing. This is same as the high frequency presentation which also rolled off in some frequency but bounce back on another higher frequency. This makes me experience un natural treble presentation.

Since this TDA1543 DAC is only focus to mid range presentation, the sound stage is some how feel narrow. I wish I can do sound tuning on the mid range to attenuate a little bit then the overall music presentation could be more reveal and fuller. But maybe this effort might be not a suitable for this kind budget DAC.

After I played few tracks with this TDA1543 DAC, then I switch to my DIY PCM56P-J DAC and it really makes difference by large margin. The R2R DAC from PCM56P-J sounds fuller in every music notes, rich in presentation and so much detail without any fatigue and striking sound. True R2R DAC like this PCM56P-J sound just like a real music. It is so much fun and enjoyable to listen.

Not to be cruel, but I think this TDA1543 is sound like most delta sigma DAC. It sound good enough but hardly great.

I do second trial by using USB to I2S module using PCM2706 replacing the fake CS8412 eBay module board. This PCM2706 USB to I2S module in my opinion should be sound better because it using genuine IC.

With the 16 bit WAV files stored in my phones, it is then connected to this PCM2706 USB to I2S module and TDA1543, the sound quality result with this USB to I2S module is the same as the first test. It is all exactly the same sound presentation like the first trial TDA1543 DAC using CS8412 SPDIF to I2S module.

End of my words, I believe when someone put more advance design in the analog stage for this TDA1543 DAC, like the Audio Note DAC0.1x did, it sure could sound much better than what I found in this test. But still, in my opinion, the DAC IC itself is not superior. Put something extraordinary outside this IC could be less beneficial compares to using more advanced DAC like say PCM56P-J DAC with the same approach.

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