assembled dac kit

[afj]

i had posted about an assembled dac kit that i purchased in the amp section (i had bought an amp as well), but thought i'd post it here as well in case it would be of help to anyone looking here for a dac.

purchased a fully assembled dac kit. had researched quite a bit on the assembled kits that were available. initially didnt understand much about it at all but with the help of fm sarith, i started understanding what the important components of a dac were. also with help from diyaudio forum, settled in on a well established and recognized dac. there is a guy called weiliang that has designed quite a few dac boards and sells it right from totally unassembled, to assembled components to fully assembled dac. i went with the fully assembled one (since i do not have any experience with soldering and electronics). went with the ak 4118 input section (for spdif and coaxial), ak 4495 dac chip, xmos usb card (for usb input section) and LM49860 for the output amp section. the dac is very solid in the way its built as you can see from pics and pretty heavy as well. it also comes with a toroidal transformer. and good quality branded capacitors. i loved the sound quality. very transparent and dynamic. really opened up the amp when compared to playing it on the nad dvd player. streets ahead. and def quite a few steps better than the cambridge cdp that i had. if i had to pick a small defect (or perhaps just a personal preference), i wouldve liked the vocals to be a little bit warmer. but just a little. the good thing about this dac is that you can experiement with the output amp chips. you can buy one for under 10 dollars and this will give you different sound signatures.

purchased it from minishow on ebay who came well recommended. he was very professional and answered questions for over a month before i made the purchase. exchanged atleast 30 emails with him. accommodated me in every way possible and item was received well packaged. totally costed me about $300 plus import duty

below is the link of the dac i bought with internal pictures

Finished AK4495 AK4118 DAC Decode LM49860 High Quality New Design for Audio | eBay

the xmos usb card is not included in the link and is extra

 

[Nikhil]

Good show afj! Congratulations!

When are we getting together for a listening session?!!
The weather is getting cooler and a good whiskey with some tunes ...

 

[afj]

Good show afj! Congratulations!

When are we getting together for a listening session?!!
The weather is getting cooler and a good whiskey with some tunes ...

sure. will make a plan sometime soon. in the next week or two

 

[Nikhil]

Super! Look forward to it.

 

[spirovious]

Congratulations,details review may be helpful.

 

[afj]

opened the top up the other day and took some pics. was very impressed with the quality of work esp considering its an assembled kit. looks extremely professionally done inside. esp the soldering.





as for the sound quality, it'll blow the socks of anything in its price range (of branded products). just streets ahead - so much more sound stage. and you just hear new and more sounds

to look at it critically, its not perfect. it is a bit coloured - but im comparing it to dacs that are 3-4 times the cost. its a little inconsistent in playing different albums. when i put on diana krall everything seems so perfect. brilliant sound stage and smooth and neutral. but not the same with buble. the one thing that stands out is that the vocals have a slight metallic edge to it. from what i am given to understand, the op amp section used (lm49860) does have this particular sound signature. the op amps can be swapped out - its a $50 fix (not 10 as i stated earlier). apparently theres a lot of fake op amps on the market. i dont mind spending the money to do it and i will, but want to be sure which one to go with. but apart from that the vocals are full and sweet. esp when you listen to duets you really enjoy it. another issue i have is that i would like it to be more transparent. not that its badly lacking, but when youre looking for perfectly neutral, it does lack it slightly. sometimes would also like a little more definition in the instruments. for example a bit more forwardness in the definition of each string of a guitar. or the thump in a piano key. the sound separation is there, but a little more definition would do nicely. the sound of horns are a standout. full, sweet and extended. its like you can almost 'feel' the air coming out of it.

pl note that when im being critical of the dac, its while comparing it to almost perfect. it definitely is huge value for money and would strongly recommend it to anyone looking for a dac at that budget (or even 2x)

 

[afj]

as stated in my previous post, i was looking to experiment a bit with the opamp section of the dac. did a bit of research and then was put on to fm linuxguru by another fm keith correa. linuxguru makes his own opamp which is a discrete opamp labelled LF03D. with reviews on other sites and siva (linuxguru) offering me a sale or return if i wasnt happy with the sound quality, i decided to go with it.



there was a couple of weeks delay in receiving it (no fault of siva) due to the rains in chennai. its an easy installation - pull out the old opamp and pin this one in. whatever apprehensions i had with the dac were ironed out after this change. the sound is more dynamic and airy now. there was a slight flabbiness around the edges previously which is now tightened up, also resulting in better sound separation. and overall it sounds much more refined and smoother now. and whatever inconsistencies that were there previously have now gone away. im not saying that theres a night and day difference - but definitely worth the upgrade. the inconsistencies used to stand out previously and now im enjoying the music a lot more. it has brought a lot more balance to the overall sound.

 

[saikatbiswas82]

as stated in my previous post, i was looking to experiment a bit with the opamp section of the dac. did a bit of research and then was put on to fm linuxguru by another fm keith correa. linuxguru makes his own opamp which is a discrete opamp labelled LF03D. with reviews on other sites and siva (linuxguru) offering me a sale or return if i wasnt happy with the sound quality, i decided to go with it.

View attachment 19651

there was a couple of weeks delay in receiving it (no fault of siva) due to the rains in chennai. its an easy installation - pull out the old opamp and pin this one in. whatever apprehensions i had with the dac were ironed out after this change. the sound is more dynamic and airy now. there was a slight flabbiness around the edges previously which is now tightened up, also resulting in better sound separation. and overall it sounds much more refined and smoother now. and whatever inconsistencies that were there previously have now gone away. im not saying that theres a night and day difference - but definitely worth the upgrade. the inconsistencies used to stand out previously and now im enjoying the music a lot more. it has brought a lot more balance to the overall sound.

First of all, congratulations on your purchase and thanks for the vivid description.

Could you please provide some clarification on my queries?

1. Where did you purchase LF03D from?
2. How many opamps were there and how many have you replaced?
3. Are you going to try any other opamp like bursons or something?

 

[afj]

First of all, congratulations on your purchase and thanks for the vivid description.

Could you please provide some clarification on my queries?

1. Where did you purchase LF03D from?
2. How many opamps were there and how many have you replaced?
3. Are you going to try any other opamp like bursons or something?

thanks saikat

1. i purchased the LF03D from fm linuxguru in chennai who is the designer and maker of the unit

2. the previous opamp section had one piece of the LM48960 which was a dual opamp. the LF03D is a dual one as well, so i needed to buy only one unit

3. since im happy with the LF03D, i dont think i will be experimenting with others. though prior to that i was thinking of the OPA627 and the burson discrete as well

 

[saikatbiswas82]

thanks saikat

1. i purchased the LF03D from fm linuxguru in chennai who is the designer and maker of the unit

2. the previous opamp section had one piece of the LM48960 which was a dual opamp. the LF03D is a dual one as well, so i needed to buy only one unit

3. since im happy with the LF03D, i dont think i will be experimenting with others. though prior to that i was thinking of the OPA627 and the burson discrete as well

Thanks a lot for the clarification @afj. Read some good reviews on AK4495 dac. Probably someday I will have one for myself when budget permits.

 

[afj]

Thanks a lot for the clarification @afj. Read some good reviews on AK4495 dac. Probably someday I will have one for myself when budget permits.

def worth the money saikat. good quality components, professional build and good design. though you should factor in the lf03d opamp upgrade as well. all the best

 

[saheb11123]

I have built a ak4490 kit from diyinhk with self made linear regulated(shunt) psu. Sounds good and can be improved a lot.

 

[linuxguru]

Anand, thanks for the review. The build quality of the DAC board and cabinet looks excellent - much better than the price suggests. Happy listening with the LF03D.

(I don't have my regular DSL access restored yet, hence the short and delayed response to this thread. I'll reply to the diyAudio thread also in due course.)