gbyleveldt
AVForums Grandmaster
I was a bit bored yesterday and felt like hooking up my TDA1541A DAC that I purchased recently (I can already see DACman pulling faces :twisted: ). I also felt like hooking up my Marantz CDP5001 which I've had for a month but was still in the box! I was just so busy with the new preamp designs that I never had time to play with any of these. First, I had the CDP connected straight to my Behringer EP1500 onto my Jamo 7.6's. I know this is far from ideal, but I was bored :icon_naughty:
Well, as can be imagined, the sound coming off the Marantz is not too bad for a R1700 CDP, but it was rather uninspiring. I attributed it to my less than ideal setup. Next, I connected the TDA1541 DAC board. Pictures, just for interest http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l215/gbyleveldt/Picture122.jpg and http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l215/gbyleveldt/Picture121.jpg WHOAH! what a difference!! :clap: :clap:
I'm not into all this audiophile mumbo jumbo, so I cannot quantify what I hear in a nice essay. Being a drummer, I tend to focus on the hi-hat and cymbals, as I can compare it to the real thing. Most DACs I've listened to in the past sounded rather more like air guns than proper hi-hats, but not this one! I found myself listening to all my old reference stuff, like Andrea Bocelli's Il Mare Calmo Della Sera. There is a very nice palette of instruments recorded VERY well and, of course, the man's fantastic voice! Who would've thought that a DAC chip that is almost 20 years old can make mince meat of a modern DAC. The Marantz uses a Cirrus CS4392 D/A coverter. This is the little brother to the CS4398 as used in the Classe CDP300 (VEEERY nice!!) I have read somwhere that an R-2R (resistor ladder) configuration, as used in the TDA1541, is superiour to the Delta-Sigma conversion used in newer DACs. I'm not for one moment suggesting that the new stuff isn't good (go listen to that Classe, MAN). I just got this board so I can tinker with different things as there are some nice bits on it. Trust me that I won't be stripping this DAC anytime soon!! :eusa_naughty:
To be honset, this DAC is not without it's problems. There is a slight digital noise when the volumes are fully turned up and I put my ear next to the speaker. I should be able to get rid of it, but it as FAR from noticealbe when I'm more than 30cm from the speaker. Another one of the big surprises came from that Behringer EP1500 amp. I didn't know that professional equipment can sound half decent as well! I'm surprised at the top end I'm getting, considering that professional guys don't engineer in the same bandwidth as audiophile equipment!!
Anyway, I thought I would share as this forum has gone pretty quiet the last couple of days!
Ciao
Gert
Well, as can be imagined, the sound coming off the Marantz is not too bad for a R1700 CDP, but it was rather uninspiring. I attributed it to my less than ideal setup. Next, I connected the TDA1541 DAC board. Pictures, just for interest http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l215/gbyleveldt/Picture122.jpg and http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l215/gbyleveldt/Picture121.jpg WHOAH! what a difference!! :clap: :clap:
I'm not into all this audiophile mumbo jumbo, so I cannot quantify what I hear in a nice essay. Being a drummer, I tend to focus on the hi-hat and cymbals, as I can compare it to the real thing. Most DACs I've listened to in the past sounded rather more like air guns than proper hi-hats, but not this one! I found myself listening to all my old reference stuff, like Andrea Bocelli's Il Mare Calmo Della Sera. There is a very nice palette of instruments recorded VERY well and, of course, the man's fantastic voice! Who would've thought that a DAC chip that is almost 20 years old can make mince meat of a modern DAC. The Marantz uses a Cirrus CS4392 D/A coverter. This is the little brother to the CS4398 as used in the Classe CDP300 (VEEERY nice!!) I have read somwhere that an R-2R (resistor ladder) configuration, as used in the TDA1541, is superiour to the Delta-Sigma conversion used in newer DACs. I'm not for one moment suggesting that the new stuff isn't good (go listen to that Classe, MAN). I just got this board so I can tinker with different things as there are some nice bits on it. Trust me that I won't be stripping this DAC anytime soon!! :eusa_naughty:
To be honset, this DAC is not without it's problems. There is a slight digital noise when the volumes are fully turned up and I put my ear next to the speaker. I should be able to get rid of it, but it as FAR from noticealbe when I'm more than 30cm from the speaker. Another one of the big surprises came from that Behringer EP1500 amp. I didn't know that professional equipment can sound half decent as well! I'm surprised at the top end I'm getting, considering that professional guys don't engineer in the same bandwidth as audiophile equipment!!
Anyway, I thought I would share as this forum has gone pretty quiet the last couple of days!
Ciao
Gert
