The Nakamichi Dragon DAC Clone Updates

This is the post I made for closing this year.

Such a beautiful years with lot of new experienced especially when I made a DAC with the vintage multibit DAC IC.

The latest DAC I made is a clone from Nakamichi Dragon DAC and I named it "the Dragon DAC". The overall result is surprisingly good and I can now stop thinking about building another new DAC with new concept using the vintage multibit DAC since all of them are already done.

This post is just an update from my previously built, the Dragon DAC, with some components added and changes for the sake of an improvement.

Building Process Nakamichi Dragon DAC Clone

If someone asking me about what is my dream for the vintage multibit DAC to own is for sure the Nakamichi Dragon DAC.

Anyone who doesn't know the original Nakamichi brand is a company that specialized in the high fidelity audio product and they are all made in Japan. Unlike today Nakamichi which already bought by the Asian company and they missing it's original culture.

The Nakamichi Dragon is the highest level of audio product and the DAC in this Dragon line-up is the limited edition product with ultimate price tag to own.

Don't expect me to buy it, I guess I better make it by my own:)

DAC2000 Build With AD1865 DAC

The curiosity I got from studying the DAC2000 schematic that I previously post are on the analog stages.

Although this analog stage is quite common for the third pole LPF, but the specific resistors value become the key factor for the overall LPF slope result. The goal for a better LPF calculator is we want the slope of the LPF as linear as possible because it reflect to the sound quality.

That is why I want to make the same DAC2000 but with some changes, especially on the DAC section that will be using AD1865.

So let's continue.

Elektor Electronics Magazine DAC2000 Article Review

In November 1999, Elektor Electronics magazine released a series articles about the building process of their state of the art multibit DAC using PCM1704.

They named it DAC2000.

This is quite spectacular because at that time, almost everything named with 2000. It is the new millennium and if you lived at that era you can feel the hype that everyone are excited to welcoming the year 2000.

But how good is the DAC2000?

We are two decades ahead but why I still digging out this ancient vintage multibit DAC article?

Seriously?!

Non-oversampling PCM63 DAC

When I was build a DAC using PCM63, it always in the oversampling method using SM5813 IC. The reason is simply I was comfortable with this design and it is guarantee to work very well.

But I often think if I can try in the non-oversampling method with this specific DAC. Probably because in my experience with the good non-oversampling DAC build, the sound characteristic are more natural. This issue is always keep rolling in my head if this non-oversampling PCM63 can outperform the previous oversampling DAC build or not?

So here it is, the non-oversampling PCM63 DAC building process.