vikoma
Member
Yes. It specifically allows you to set sound output to SPDIF in settings. It is not automatic though.
The Objective DAC is Here!
- Thread starter Audiodoc
- Start date
Yes. It specifically allows you to set sound output to SPDIF in settings. It is not automatic though.
Audiodoc
Well-Known Member
For people in need of a nice case for the ODAC PCB the aluma wallet is a great and cheap option especially if you are using a stereo pin output. Just drill two holes, remove the leaves for the cards, some double tape and you are done. These are available on eBay.in for 150 rupees.
Out of curiosity, I did a google search and found these:
This one is even more cheaper @ 40 USD: New Allwinner A10/ 1GHz Cortex-A8 MK802 II 1G/4G google android 4.0 mini pc smart tv box HDMI stick dongle,View Android tv dongle,OEM Product Details from Shenzhen Aileend Electronic Co., Ltd. on Alibaba.com
This is costlier @$64 but has better specs: K802 Android PC Smart TV Dongle/Stick Quad Core,View quad core android pc dongle,Neutral Product Details from Shenzhen Newking Technology Co., Ltd. on Alibaba.com
Could you guys update me as to how they are used?
grubyhalo
New Member
Audiodoc
Well-Known Member
http://www.ebay.in/itm/300806792560?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649
This is one I was talking about. Fit and finish is good. You need to be make two neat holes for the USB input and 2.5 mm output along the rim using a drill or dremel tool. Both can be round.
Then make a small round disc from plastic used in spiral binding covers and cut a rectangle with a paper cutter in the shape of the USB input to make a air tight washer.
Attach to the USB port, fix the PCB using double tape close the lid and you are done.
This is one I was talking about. Fit and finish is good. You need to be make two neat holes for the USB input and 2.5 mm output along the rim using a drill or dremel tool. Both can be round.
Then make a small round disc from plastic used in spiral binding covers and cut a rectangle with a paper cutter in the shape of the USB input to make a air tight washer.
Attach to the USB port, fix the PCB using double tape close the lid and you are done.
FWIW, HiFiMeDIY on diyaudio.com sells a similar Tenor TE7022 + ES9023 Sabre 24/96 USB Stereo DAC that works out of the box on most platforms including most recent Linux distros. This one is very compact, boxed and completely USB-powered, with on-board low-noise regulators. There's also a newer version with a USB isolator and external DC supply, which is slightly better on THD+N, but less convenient for portable use. In either case, the ES9023 sonically destroys just about all the other DACs out there, with the possible exception(s) of its own big brother the ES9018, the Asahi Kasei AK4396 and AK4399, all of which are more expensive and much more difficult to implement correctly.
I got the first version to drive a variety of low-Z headphones from a notebook, and I'm very happy with it at its sub-50 USD price point. There's no way I could have engineered something like that. I could probably add one of my discrete opamps as an output buffer/amp, but it may need a separate box.
I got the first version to drive a variety of low-Z headphones from a notebook, and I'm very happy with it at its sub-50 USD price point. There's no way I could have engineered something like that. I could probably add one of my discrete opamps as an output buffer/amp, but it may need a separate box.
iaudio
Well-Known Member
linuxguru, long time no see!
Have you compared the hifimediy kit with the odac?
Have you compared the hifimediy kit with the odac?
Thad E Ginathom
Well-Known Member
linuxguru, if that thing is even 1/10 as good as your enthusiasm suggests then, at that price and size, it would be the perfect device to carry with a laptop/notebook. Looks like you'll never again use a built-in headphone socket on such a device.
Great find. I'm trying to find an excuse to buy one
Great find. I'm trying to find an excuse to buy one
I haven't got an ODAC for comparison, but the reviews on diyaudio rate them as very similar on most audible sonics. The measured THD+N on the HifiMeDIY were slightly higher than the ODAC, but probably not of much audible significance.
I'll post more detailed impressions after I try it out with my Sennheiser HD201 which is not with me now.
I'll post more detailed impressions after I try it out with my Sennheiser HD201 which is not with me now.
finally put together the odac and o2 together. its quite an impressive setup, sounds really awesome. very revealing. i used porta pros and realistic pro 30 headphones with it.
i put it in a plastic box to keep the weight less and use it at home as well as office. size is a little more than a cd.
some pics, will post internal pics when i open it next time.
backside:
15vac adaptor is a headache to get, found a 1a ei trafo. have to figure a cab for it.
i put it in a plastic box to keep the weight less and use it at home as well as office. size is a little more than a cd.
some pics, will post internal pics when i open it next time.
backside:
15vac adaptor is a headache to get, found a 1a ei trafo. have to figure a cab for it.
TheCoolestOne
Active Member
Doors666, It looks real neat. Where have you sourced the enclosure from?
enclosure is from sp road. ask for project box. om electronics has another store there, he sells it. costed some 60 bucks. made of plastic, can be cut using a sharp knife or a heated small rod, filed it using small files. some holes didnt come all that good as the pcb has a lot of mounted front panel items and correct alignment became an issue.
Thad E Ginathom
Well-Known Member
Nice to see another positive ODAC review from another demanding listener. The box looks good too.
Whatever has become of NwAvGuy? No updates to his blog since last May. Although I have, as yet, no hands- or ears-on experience, I really feel that his designs and articles are a major contribution. I guess he has other stuff in life. Here's hoping he's ok, and that it's good stuff taking his time.
spirovious
Well-Known Member
ODAC is really impressive to my ears.There is no absolute Background noise.Bass is good, may not be very punchy,but enough.Treble is not harsh.Overall good sound.
Thad E Ginathom
Well-Known Member
The Objective DAC is Here Too!
OK... I bought one.
Sorry, no pics of amazing DIY, because I went the lazy route and bought the ready-boxed (with RCA sockets) version from JDS Labs.
Delivery was by ordinary post (other options are rather expensive) and took 16 days from despatch to letter box. Customs looked, I think, but no charge.
It is very hard for me to make any before/after comparisons, because it has to be used in a different way to my existing box, which is a firewire audio interface with a built-in headphone socket.
Feeding the M-Audio AV-40's unbalanced inputs, the level is very low compared to my existing balanced input. The sound from the AV-40's headphone socket is awful and good-for-nothing, certainly not evaluating source material.
Feeling rather frustrated, I moved the Cyrus Integrated amp away from the hifi end of the room and connected the ODAC and the headphones. I also connected the powered speakers to the Cyrus's pre-amp outs.
PC -> ODAC -> Cyrus i6 VS2 -> Audio Technica ATH AD900
Yes, the sound is lovely. Very clean, very clear, very detailed. Others such as Audiodoc have put it far better than I can, and I agree with what they have written already.
I was keen to hear the ODAC perform as part of a "real hifi" and, also, to see how it compares to other DACs, and how the owners of those DACs hear it. First to be arranged was a visit to Capt Rajesh, where we put it between a laptop (just plain WinXP) and his massive Dared tube amp, feeding sound into his Cadence speakers. The comparison was with his AP DAC. We listened to a variety of music from quite-heavy 60s prog rock, through vocal/acoustic to quite-heavy Western classical orchestral.
There was far less difference than I expected. I am keen on the AP kit that I have heard, it has a really lovely sound, but I thought that, quality aside, the AP might be voiced towards a warmer tone, and that, should the ODAC be as transparent as it is meant to be, there might be a noticeable contrast. That was not the case. We felt that we could perhaps detect a little more depth and/or dynamic range with the AP, but, again, signal levels differed, and we made no more than a very subjective attempt with the volume knob to equalise them. I felt the tests were complimentary to both DACs. If the ODAC is transparent then so is the AP; if the AP is musical, then so is the ODAC.
I had intended this to be a stepping stone towards a higher-end DAC/Headphone amp. Now, I am thinking that this little box will do the DAC function perfectly well, and I can concentrate the spending ambitions on a pure headphone amp. This also relieves me of the does-it-work-with-Linux hassle every time I fancy some piece of kit. The ODAC does work with Linux. One or two hassles getting it configured to work with Jack (Jack Audio Connection Kit) but most linux users won't give themselves that problem, and the ODAC would probably be plug'n'play for them.
PS...
JDS Labs ODAC with RCA connectors $159 + shipping $15.38.
I paid UK116, from UK account.
I think it is fair to call this a really amazing one-hundred-pound DAC. Buying from India in Rs, just now, is obviously not so favourable, but that goes for all our imported goods.
PPS...
ok... pics. This one was already posted on another thread:
Close up. ANd no, that is not a huge USB connector :lol:
Tucked away in its probably-permanent living place
The audiofire gets hot (well, it would, I suppose, given its name! Doh!) but the ODAC is cold, so it has to go underneath. Four more feet, on the top, or even some small pieces of wood, will even things up. Actually... no reason at all for it to be accessible, except to photograph it and show it off
.
OK... I bought one.
Sorry, no pics of amazing DIY, because I went the lazy route and bought the ready-boxed (with RCA sockets) version from JDS Labs.
Delivery was by ordinary post (other options are rather expensive) and took 16 days from despatch to letter box. Customs looked, I think, but no charge.
It is very hard for me to make any before/after comparisons, because it has to be used in a different way to my existing box, which is a firewire audio interface with a built-in headphone socket.
Feeding the M-Audio AV-40's unbalanced inputs, the level is very low compared to my existing balanced input. The sound from the AV-40's headphone socket is awful and good-for-nothing, certainly not evaluating source material.
Feeling rather frustrated, I moved the Cyrus Integrated amp away from the hifi end of the room and connected the ODAC and the headphones. I also connected the powered speakers to the Cyrus's pre-amp outs.
PC -> ODAC -> Cyrus i6 VS2 -> Audio Technica ATH AD900
Yes, the sound is lovely. Very clean, very clear, very detailed. Others such as Audiodoc have put it far better than I can, and I agree with what they have written already.
I was keen to hear the ODAC perform as part of a "real hifi" and, also, to see how it compares to other DACs, and how the owners of those DACs hear it. First to be arranged was a visit to Capt Rajesh, where we put it between a laptop (just plain WinXP) and his massive Dared tube amp, feeding sound into his Cadence speakers. The comparison was with his AP DAC. We listened to a variety of music from quite-heavy 60s prog rock, through vocal/acoustic to quite-heavy Western classical orchestral.
There was far less difference than I expected. I am keen on the AP kit that I have heard, it has a really lovely sound, but I thought that, quality aside, the AP might be voiced towards a warmer tone, and that, should the ODAC be as transparent as it is meant to be, there might be a noticeable contrast. That was not the case. We felt that we could perhaps detect a little more depth and/or dynamic range with the AP, but, again, signal levels differed, and we made no more than a very subjective attempt with the volume knob to equalise them. I felt the tests were complimentary to both DACs. If the ODAC is transparent then so is the AP; if the AP is musical, then so is the ODAC.
I had intended this to be a stepping stone towards a higher-end DAC/Headphone amp. Now, I am thinking that this little box will do the DAC function perfectly well, and I can concentrate the spending ambitions on a pure headphone amp. This also relieves me of the does-it-work-with-Linux hassle every time I fancy some piece of kit. The ODAC does work with Linux. One or two hassles getting it configured to work with Jack (Jack Audio Connection Kit) but most linux users won't give themselves that problem, and the ODAC would probably be plug'n'play for them.
PS...
JDS Labs ODAC with RCA connectors $159 + shipping $15.38.
I paid UK116, from UK account.
I think it is fair to call this a really amazing one-hundred-pound DAC. Buying from India in Rs, just now, is obviously not so favourable, but that goes for all our imported goods.
PPS...
ok... pics. This one was already posted on another thread:
Close up. ANd no, that is not a huge USB connector :lol:
Tucked away in its probably-permanent living place
The audiofire gets hot (well, it would, I suppose, given its name! Doh!) but the ODAC is cold, so it has to go underneath. Four more feet, on the top, or even some small pieces of wood, will even things up. Actually... no reason at all for it to be accessible, except to photograph it and show it off
.
Last edited:
M
mpw
Guest
thanks nick..
many times i like reading your posts.. they are well put..
enjoi !!
mpw
many times i like reading your posts.. they are well put..
enjoi !!
mpw
IndianEars
Well-Known Member
Thad, Congrats on your purchase.
If I may say so, the extra dosh spent on the original enclosure seems worth it
If I may say so, the extra dosh spent on the original enclosure seems worth it
Get the Wharfedale EVO 4.2 3-Way Standmount Speakers at a Special Offer Price.
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