Need help with wolfson diy dac

[afj]

Hi
was looking for some info and help with some diy dac kits that i identified. was looking at wolfson since i had that in my cdp (cambridge) - it used dual wm8740 dacs and was very happy with its dynamics and sound stage and clarity. yes, could be a little clinical, but matched perfectly with a slightly warm sounding nad

of the two kits i saw, one has dual wolfson wm8740 dacs. the other has dual wolfson wm8741, which reviews say is a decent improvement over the 8740.

1. does anyone have any information or experience with these kits. specs say that the 8741 plays 192khz, and the 8740 plays only upto 96 or 48khz (pl correct me if im wrong). what would be the implications of this, both in sound and also ability to play files / formats.

2. also i see a yellow rca connector on the board, apart from the red and white. im assuming the red and white are audio out. is the yellow a video out? if it has a video out that would be perfect. else i could connect a separate cable from the computer to the tv - just for video out.

3. does this connect to the computer via usb?

to give you an idea of my setup, i would be using this as a dac / external sound card for my computer. this would then connect to a nad pre onto a nad 272 power amp. speakers are monitor audio silver rs6. there is also a tv that i would like to connect to the setup for video to watch movies / youtube. video through the tv, and audio through the amp / speakers

below are the links of the kits

DAC Dual WM8740 Coaxial USB Decoder Board WM8740 DIR9001 PCM2706 | eBay

24BIT192K CS8416 PCM1794 AK4399 Double WM8741 DAC Decoding Board LCD Softwave | eBay

 

[sarith]

1. does anyone have any information or experience with these kits. specs say that the 8741 plays 192khz, and the 8740 plays only upto 96 or 48khz (pl correct me if im wrong). what would be the implications of this, both in sound and also ability to play files / formats.

2. also i see a yellow rca connector on the board, apart from the red and white. im assuming the red and white are audio out. is the yellow a video out? if it has a video out that would be perfect. else i could connect a separate cable from the computer to the tv - just for video out.

3. does this connect to the computer via usb?

1. WM8741 is a good chip and plays 192Khz.

2. Yellow RCA seems like coaxial input.

3. You can connect your computer via usb.

Other thoughts: The DAC in the link you posted is of normal quality. If using your computer is the only reason why you are going for a DAC, it's better to go for a USB to analogue out DAC (without S/PDIF input)

 

[afj]

1. WM8741 is a good chip and plays 192Khz.

2. Yellow RCA seems like coaxial input.

3. You can connect your computer via usb.

Other thoughts: The DAC in the link you posted is of normal quality. If using your computer is the only reason why you are going for a DAC, it's better to go for a USB to analogue out DAC (without S/PDIF input)

thanks sarith. when you say the dac is of normal quality, what exactly do you mean by that. is that build quality or sound quality. does normal mean good or average

 

[sarith]

thanks sarith. when you say the dac is of normal quality, what exactly do you mean by that. is that build quality or sound quality. does normal mean good or average

Both built quality and sound quality. By normal, I meant good but not extra ordinary or you know, hi-fi. I think a DAC sounds good, regardless of the chip, by the way it is implemented. I sent you a PM.

 

[spirovious]

You can get Kits from ebay-
DAC 7 WM8741 x2pcs TL072X3PCS DAC Kit WLX | eBay
New HiFi Assembled WM8740 DIR9001 DAC Board USB Coax Decoder ZZ | eBay
DAC DIR9001 PCM2706 WM8740 Kit Coaxial USB WLX 1 | eBay

 

[sarith]

You can get Kits from ebay-
DAC 7 WM8741 x2pcs TL072X3PCS DAC Kit WLX | eBay
New HiFi Assembled WM8740 DIR9001 DAC Board USB Coax Decoder ZZ | eBay
DAC DIR9001 PCM2706 WM8740 Kit Coaxial USB WLX 1 | eBay

This one looks promising..

DAC DIR9001 PCM2706 WM8740 Kit Coaxial USB WLX 1 | eBay

 

[afj]

You can get Kits from ebay-
DAC 7 WM8741 x2pcs TL072X3PCS DAC Kit WLX | eBay
New HiFi Assembled WM8740 DIR9001 DAC Board USB Coax Decoder ZZ | eBay
DAC DIR9001 PCM2706 WM8740 Kit Coaxial USB WLX 1 | eBay

thanks spirovious. do you have any experience with listening to these products

 

[spirovious]

No but DIY forum may give answer like this-
DIY ES9018 Hi-end USB DAC - Page 2 - diyAudio

 

[Nikhil]

Anand,

The Wolfson DAC chips are good. The AP DAC is based on the WM8741.
But as others have posted implementation is far more important than the chip.

In general Wolfson made very good chips. They are no longer around.
The company has now been absorbed into Cirrus Logic.
WM8741 Data Sheet: http://www.cirrus.com/en/pubs/proDatasheet/WM8741_v4.3.pdf

Regards.

 

[srisaikat]

Though implementation will come first and DAC chip itself come later but I have to agree, after trying few DACs with Wolfson, Sabre, AKM, Cirrus and BB chips, I have kept two wolfson based dac for their effortless yet resolving sound.

 

[spirovious]

I will vote for Sabre or Burr-brown DACs.:thumbsup:

 

[prasen_b]

I have a Sabre based DAC for sale. Its a good implementation. Take a look.

 

[fw335]

From my personal experience:
1. philips tda1311-most musical,excellent instrument separation,balanced sound i.e the way instruments are placed in the soundstage, very natural sound, perfect weight given to kick drums,snare drums,voices,cymbals. 3d sound.
2. wolfson 8772-musical sounding,good instrument separation,balanced sound,good weightage given to kick drums,snare drums,voices and cymbals,lacks little bit of holographic 3d effect of philips dac,hence placed on second number,but the difference is very less.
3. pcm1727-not as musical as wolfson or philips,but still not bad,far better than newer garbage.(akm, ess, cirrus logic).balanced sound and soundstage is good.tonality is not as natural as philips or wolfson dac,but with good passive components around it sounds good.note: This dac sounds good the differences that i pointed are only in comparison with the specific philips and wolfson dac i compared it to.
4.galaxy s7 cs47l91-manipulated sound,vocals pushed forward(for getting more background details and for clearer dialogues in compressed movies)tonality not natural,far better than snapdragons inbuilt sound decoder,sounds boring,cannot listen for longer time.
5.dsd1793(ifi zen dac)-this dac also follows the same kind of trend that all dac manufacturers are following now a days-forward vocals to enhance back ground details and losing out on balance.if balance or weightage given to instruments is shifted then musicality is directly affected.i was disappointed by this dac. older dacs from burr brown are far better than this dac.
6.ak4490-worst dac that i have heard in my life. In order to please some audiophiles(the kind of people who listen to boring songs containing very few instruments) akm built this dac which brings vocals forward to get more details,the side effect being snare drums or the lower midrange being pushed back,this dac causes depression.very bad sound.but one thing is good-its tonality is natural i.e smooth sound.

I hope future dacs have the same musicality or balance as older dacs from philips, wolfson and burr brown.Musicality which lies in good instrument placement,neutral weightage to kick drums,vocals,snare drums,cymbals is far more important than enhancing back ground details. or else manufacturers can make separate dacs-one for people who prefer balanced neutral sound, and another for people who like back ground details.