MDAC First Listen (Part 00101001)

[iansr]

John
I'm sending you an email.

 

[jirij]

Does the single-ingot approach bring any durability improvements? What about better heat transfer? Anything besides the typically American "jewelry" feel?
I know there's this WAF factor, but a modest-looking unit achieving world-class performance would warm up my heart so much more - knowing the effort put into it and (hopefully) hearing the great music, without it looking like a show-off. (And maybe I could even afford it, ).

I mentioned racks and servers last time - they do a great job at what they're supposed to do and if they do it right, people don't even know they exist, blindly enjoying their favorite web sites, youtube videos and music streams. I see an analogy to hifi gear - if it's doing a great job, I'm able to listen to the music without thinking about the gear. If I had a solid piece of aluminium worth GBP500 (or two), just to "look good", in the middle of my room, that wouldn't be the case (for a while anyway).

(The current MDAC is doing a great job, being buried here under some cables, broken headphones I need to fix and tucked away in the corner. The remote is also great, being able to reach it in said corner, no matter what angle I use it at.)

I don't know, just my 2CZK, I guess. Feel free to ignore.

 

[JohnW]

Does the single-ingot approach bring any durability improvements? What about better heat transfer? Anything besides the typically American "jewelry" feel?
I know there's this WAF factor, but a modest-looking unit achieving world-class performance would warm up my heart so much more - knowing the effort put into it and (hopefully) hearing the great music, without it looking like a show-off. (And maybe I could even afford it, ).

I mentioned racks and servers last time - they do a great job at what they're supposed to do and if they do it right, people don't even know they exist, blindly enjoying their favorite web sites, youtube videos and music streams. I see an analogy to hifi gear - if it's doing a great job, I'm able to listen to the music without thinking about the gear. If I had a solid piece of aluminium worth GBP500 (or two), just to "look good", in the middle of my room, that wouldn't be the case (for a while anyway).

(The current MDAC is doing a great job, being buried here under some cables, broken headphones I need to fix and tucked away in the corner. The remote is also great, being able to reach it in said corner, no matter what angle I use it at.)

I don't know, just my 2CZK, I guess. Feel free to ignore.

Jiri

You know I walk around the HiFi shows and I see these great lumps of metal – built like “Male jewellery” but so very shallow, all looks but no substance! I walk around the shows with a hollow feeling in my gut – I feel depressed to be apart of this industry, as somehow stained by it.

The VFET’s are my very first real “designed from the ground up” analogue amplifier design – not a reincarnation of existing circuits but a truly unique design.

I want to be proud of this design not only because of the internal circuit design topology that’s born of me beavering away here in the Czech Rep. for the past 4 years but something that also looks the part – something that screams quality

So the solid CNC chassis is purely for my vanity Almost 5 years have gone into the VFET design, Time which is simply priceless - so I have no regrets of going alittle over board with the Chassis

 

[davidjt]

JohnW,

Going back to the Detox, have you seen the CA thread: 'Uptone Audio Regen - Clock Mod' ?

FWIW it claims a NewClassD Neutron Star Reference Clock is significantly better than the original, whatever that was.

 

[adamdea]

JohnW,

Going back to the Detox, have you seen the CA thread: 'Uptone Audio Regen - Clock Mod' ?

FWIW it claims a NewClassD Neutron Star Reference Clock is significantly better than the original, whatever that was.

Of course it does.

 

[davidjt]

Of course it does.

Is it dark up there, or did you take a torch?

 

[JohnW]

David,

To be quite honest I don't frequent the CA forum - there just too much "inaccurate" theory going on - its too much into the "Dark arts" and pseudo science that's repeated enough to become defacto reality.

I'll leave any comments about the Regen until I've had a chance to measure it.

You can rest assured that the Detox will have a very high performance clock

 

[adamdea]

Is it dark up there, or did you take a torch?

more neutron-y really.

 

[fusion5]

JohnW,

Going back to the Detox, have you seen the CA thread: 'Uptone Audio Regen - Clock Mod' ?

FWIW it claims a NewClassD Neutron Star Reference Clock is significantly better than the original, whatever that was.

We already talked about the clock mod: http://www.pinkfishmedia.net/forum/showthread.php?p=2672666&highlight=neutron#post2672666

They're quite expensive, I might add.

Edit: Clock module €430, PSU €215

 

[davidjt]

So we did - I didn't realise it was the same one. Or what it cost.

I'll be interested to hear John's down to earth solution.

 

[JohnW]

They're quite expensive, I might add.

Edit: Clock module €430, PSU €215

I'm really doing something wrong!

 

[Rune]

I'm really doing something wrong!

Yes, you forgot to multiply with 5.
The Regen will be at least 2x$175 when you add the small PSU add-on that they will probably release later this year.

 

[sq225917]

I'm really doing something wrong!

Yeh, focussing on a million products rather than one!

 

[iansr]

John
Do you think the quality of the PS of the Detox is going to be important? If yes, are you going to design and incorporate the PS inside the Detox, or are you going to look around for an off the shelf external PS? If the latter, I have a small request; if you come across a good value for money 5v LPS then could you let us R Pi ( and other SBC owners) know.
Cheers

 

[LarsS]

John,

Not sure how far you've come designing the FDAC chassies. As an inspiration the Bricasti M1 chassies inside compartments looks well designed - - > http://www.bricasti.com/m1_photos.html

 

[JohnW]

LarS

The Bricsti is not bad - hopefully you will like the FDAC - I have very basic drawings and am waiting for the preferred vendor to quote - and presuming we are in the correct ball park, then they will completed the drawings - then I'll post them here.

 

[JohnW]

John
Do you think the quality of the PS of the Detox is going to be important? If yes, are you going to design and incorporate the PS inside the Detox, or are you going to look around for an off the shelf external PS? If the latter, I have a small request; if you come across a good value for money 5v LPS then could you let us R Pi ( and other SBC owners) know.
Cheers

Ian,

I'm planning that the Detox's internal PSU circuit will make it indifferent to the quality of the external linear adaptor - that's a basic engineering requirement for this device

 

[jirij]

Jiri

You know I walk around the HiFi shows and I see these great lumps of metal – built like “Male jewellery” but so very shallow, all looks but no substance! I walk around the shows with a hollow feeling in my gut – I feel depressed to be apart of this industry, as somehow stained by it.

The VFET’s are my very first real “designed from the ground up” analogue amplifier design – not a reincarnation of existing circuits but a truly unique design.

I want to be proud of this design not only because of the internal circuit design topology that’s born of me beavering away here in the Czech Rep. for the past 4 years but something that also looks the part – something that screams quality

So the solid CNC chassis is purely for my vanity Almost 5 years have gone into the VFET design, Time which is simply priceless - so I have no regrets of going alittle over board with the Chassis

Sure, I understand that. But make sure to include legs (not just feet) in high heel BOOTS !

 

[JohnW]

Thanks to a PFM member I received a ReGen and Jitter Bug today

I was very surprised to see how small the ReGen is - its TINY!

I was thinking of something larger for the Detox as I need space for the internal RF shielding and PSU etc - more along the lines of the Schiit Wyrd :-

http://www.audiostream.com/content/schiit-wyrd-usb-power-isolator#iDdWrZRfu2Rjs1Kp.97

I guess the thinking behind the ReGen was a device that could be directly hang off the rear of DAC's USB port, but this does limit the units "complexity".

I'll do my days work on the FDAC PCB (enforcing self control here ) - then off to the lab to start measuring these units

 

[clivem2]

Thanks to a PFM member I received a ReGen and Jitter Bug today

I was very surprised to see how small the ReGen is - its TINY!

I was thinking of something larger for the Detox as I need space for the internal RF shielding and PSU etc - more along the lines of the Schiit Wyrd :-

http://www.audiostream.com/content/schiit-wyrd-usb-power-isolator#iDdWrZRfu2Rjs1Kp.97

I guess the thinking behind the ReGen was a device that could be directly hang off the rear of DAC's USB port, but this does limit the units "complexity".

I'll do my days work on the FDAC PCB (enforcing self control here ) - then off to the lab to start measuring these units

John,

When you test the Regen can I suggest you tried with the solid connector and with a cable? I'll be interesting to know whether its proximity to the DAC shows to be relevant in your tests.