Updates For The "Secret" DAC Built

My "secret" DAC built was returned to me awhile ago. Probably less than a month since it having a tour to several houses to get an audition.

As you might know the reason I built this "secret" DAC is to gets what people thinks about the sound quality without knowing anything for what the DAC use inside. Because the perception can be ruin the objective judgement and I don't want that.

The result from each auditor still vary, one might say this DAC sound very good in the mid-range but lacks of high frequency details and he wondering if the sound-stage can be improve, then this might be another great DAC.

The others said this DAC is having inconsistency sound quality level, depends on the music played or even depends on what the next system are hook into it.

And the others cannot use it at all since he only have an optical output from the source. Sad.

For sure the audition is fun.

The review from those auditors actually the same as the behavior of the vintage multibit DAC I used inside in this "secret" DAC project.

Even they didn't know what it was, until now.

So I made an improvement.

I shouldn't said this is an improvement actually since I am quite happy with the result. But okay, let's see if this new improvement will suit them better.

I start by make over this DAC.

The first photo might be have a little different layout compare to the first one. It has a less components with some additional regulators only. But I might telling you that the effort for this upgrade is just like make a whole new DAC unit.

And this where the upgrade is started.

I starting again from the beginning by cutting the 15 cm x 9 cm board into 3 pieces to fit inside the same chassis.

Then I start populating all the components to make a new DAC.

Off course the calculation and the main idea for this improvement DAC is been all over my head for several days before.

The changes in this new improvement "secret" DAC are massive.

Even it looks almost identical to the first one.

Such as this headphone/pre-amplifier board shared the same layout as before but the gain setting in this new layout are different. The components selection are also different except for the ALPS potentiometer and the Neutrik female socket.

To accommodate most user, I changed the RCA SPDIF digital input to Toslink connector using high quality optical receiver RX176.

Despite the argumentation which is the best between SPDIF coax vs. Toslink, in my opinion using this Toslink optical connection is so cool.

It transmit the signal by using light that makes kids think that this is kind of future technology in signal transfer.

It is also more common for newer source unit to having this type of digital output compare to SPDIF coax.

That is all for this new updates for this "secret" DAC improvement.

I test it using Astell & Kern AK120 using the optical out to this DAC and agree that this new DAC have more spacious sound-stage, more micro detail on the high frequency without trade off the quality of good mid-range from the previous built.

The rest of it is just enjoying the sound quality from this "secret" DAC.

Cheers.

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