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Deltec / DPA

martin clark said:
Since the input to this dac is SPDIF via RCA phono, that obvs connects signal before ground... unthinkingly plug it in with the dac on, and...
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Why the RCA is a stupid design. The signal before ground connection is also responsible for the demise of many input selector ICs in Cambridge amplifiers.
BNC would have been much better for SPDIF.
 
The way of removing and to replace the input-reciever made it easy, thanks for tips and advice. The little bit is still silent though.
Other dpa dacs are much better. The best example is maybe a smooth and enganging DX32/enlightenment serviced and upgraded by chevron audio. The bigger bit made in 1991 and a 1997 Enlightenment in a shiny box are also very good. The latter is the best overall in the context of extraordinary involvement in rock music.

Pic of the improved dx32
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Just saw this thread. Bought the PDM3 , plugged it for a week aNd gave it a run ( you must plug it for a week to balance its sonics) it is special one that relates and rivals the PDM2 . Compared it to Hegel line and few others, they don't come close, this dac has paste, details , micro and macro dynamics , musicality, air and solid deep bass. Above all it has extraordinary balanced soulful neutral sound signature you get addicted to ( the dpa addiction i guess ) Even if bit unsexy and lack fancy featurs it worth its asking price for sheer musicality and performance imho.
I use lowthers dx4 / hedlund horn fed by P70 Esoteric transport and 2a3 se amps. Passive ladder type pre.
Wish we had support from deltec, we bought the deltran unit and were promised to get the insertion manual/ instructions ...never sent them.
Btw, has anyone compared chords( rob watts) qbd76 to pdm3 or 2?
 
I never owned any DPA/Deltec but always liked what I heard. Hankered for an Enlightenment but was broke at the time.

I may be wrong, through the haze of a dodgy memory, weren't they the first British company to extensively use in house SMT?
 
I thought they used an outside assembly subcontractor, but they were early adopters of SMD. Most UK HiFi brands were very slow to adopt new technology and came out with all manner of excuses for sticking to THT
 
They were the first that I'm aware of yes. The downward spiral continues....

My DPA Little Bit continues to impress after I fixed it a couple of years ago (cheers johnW for the new DAC IC's!). Small further improvements were made with better op amps and capacitors. I may even get round to having a look at my PDM1 Series 2 someday. This has the incredibly complex discrete op amp modules at the output.
 
The hybrid discrete opamps are totally reliable at the voltages these run (they are rated for +/-35Vdc supply, I have, erm several in different bits of my system, and not a failure yet). They run in class A up to +/-16mA output and can supply +/-40mA no probs at full supply V - so there's no benefit in looking at IC replacements. They have excellent psrr, but do - ime - still like a clean supply/ or at least good decoupling at the supply pins, as any stupid-fast opamp does...

Problems with a PDM1s2 will be mostly primary reservoir caps and any of the (simple) glue logic on input. And, an old tweak (IIRC discovered by JohnW) if your DPA dac uses 5v to switch a muting relay, filter this supply to stop it radiating VHF digital hash from the 5v supply rail...
 
DuncanF said:
Have to give a wry smile to the bolded bit! I had a Renaissance CD player in the 90's. A wonderful sounding CD player that knocked spots off more expensive rivals I compared it to at the time. All IMO, of course.

But the build quality was shite. It went back for fettling at least three times in the first year. Oh, and a mod to stop an ear piercing howl when put on standby with the amp not muted. And as I recall the remote came with batteries from Tesco. I took a look inside after one return trip to the factory and it was not pretty....

That may have been early days/early production at DPA and later stuff may very well be built better. But I think caveat emptor if you are buying this stuff now.

Having said that, it is the one piece of kit I wished I'd kept from a sound POV, but it was just too unreliable.
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Same here- you Sir describe the Renaissance Cd player to a tee, very musical indeed.:)
 
There are probably many little bits (original and 3s) around, also PDM1s and 1.2s/3s and bigger bits. My choice would be the bigger bit, if you can find one. Of the later DACs the SX variations are better sounding than the DX but watch out for what I understand to be underspecified power supplies - which fail if the DACs are run for an extended 24/7 as recommended.
I really liked the 50S pre/power combo but had a poor experience with the later enlightenment power amps, very disappointing :-( in reliability terms.
I have one of the newer pre-amps which is smooth and very detailed, not unlike the 50S to be honest.
 
NeilK said:
There are probably many little bits (original and 3s) around, also PDM1s and 1.2s/3s and bigger bits. My choice would be the bigger bit, if you can find one. Of the later DACs the SX variations are better sounding than the DX but watch out for what I understand to be underspecified power supplies - which fail if the DACs are run for an extended 24/7 as recommended.
I really liked the 50S pre/power combo but had a poor experience with the later enlightenment power amps, very disappointing :-( in reliability terms.
I have one of the newer pre-amps which is smooth and very detailed, not unlike the 50S to be honest.
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Do not run anything 24/7!!! Even if the manufacturer has decided to lie and tell you it should be on 24/7. It's bollocks and destroys more hi fi electronics than just about anything else. It explains the knackered capacitors and DAC IC's I've seen in every DPA DAC I've worked on...
 
I don't generally do digital... So if I do DPA stuff (now and then if I'm in the mood:D I'm not touting for work!) there is a fecking good reason. From one engineer up in Northumberland, to the people who designed DPA kit (including the amps!).. Respect!
 
I’m hoping my PDM3, which looks to have been either NOS or a dem model, has a lengthy life ahead. I don’t leave it powered up and it sounds great from cold to my ears. It really is a very good DAC IMO.
 
For some bizarre reason, Philips DAC chips seem to be the only IC with a finite lifetime. Normally you would only expect programmed parts like EPROMs and EEPROMs to gradually erase and in practice even these last far longer than the decade promised.
There must have been a major flaw in their trimming process
 
EDITED:

I just read the Bigger Bits review from 1991 where it is described as very clear and revealing, however also as having less bass slam than the PDM2. Ok did not realize that the PDM2 was a two box affair.

I like the idea of a DAC that just sounds good. I suppose that these are "limited to" 44/16?
 
That is no problem at all as long as the sound is good. I have my eyes on a Bigger Bit or a PDM1.
 
The far more recent PDM3 is a rather different thing in that it is a multi-bit AK4397 chip and can do some high-res formats, but not via its rather primative USB input (which I don’t use). On paper it looks a bit of a turkey, but I really like it. Certainly the best sounding digital I’ve had access too. They don’t seem to go for much second hand either as I guess most folk think it is far older than it is. The £300 I paid for mine seems about typical. How it compares to a modern Chord Mojo, Hugo or whatever I’ve no idea, but it is a step up from what I’m used to.
 
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