Soekris "dac1541": DAC/Amp - Stream of Consciousness Impressions

Discussion in 'Headphone Amplifiers and Combo (DAC/Amp) Units' started by Torq, Jul 27, 2017.

  1. TheIceman93

    TheIceman93 El pato-zorro

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    @Northwest ... glad to see that it comes off. Could you mount a smaller diameter knob to the pot?
     
  2. mitochondrium

    mitochondrium Friend

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    Given the fact that the scratch marks do not run the whole circumference of the knob the problem seems to be a bad run out. In that case making the cut out in the front plate larger in diameter does not sound like a good idea to me. If a rim of your car has a bad run out you do not fix the problem by making the wheel well larger, you mount a rim with a specification matching run out. Imagine the same knob with bad run out in a front plate with larger cut out, the clearance between the knob and the front plate will vary with position on the circumference. This might be visible, on a piece of gear with > 1k price tag, I do not think so.
     
  3. dmckean44

    dmckean44 In a Sherwood S6040CP relationship

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    I'm including my review of the dac1321 in this thread rather than starting a new one. I'm also borrowing @MrTie's format.

    System:
    PC > Schiit Eitr > Soekris dac1321 > Schiit Saga > Sherwood S-6040CP > Crites Cornscala 'B' speakers

    [​IMG]

    Impressions:

    Filters: I prefer the Linear (Red) filter between the stock filters that come with the unit. But it's really the DIY forum's community filters that shine. User spzzzzkt (Paul) from the DIY Audio forums released dozens of filters over the course of 2015. But due to a change in filter specs in version .99 of the Soekris firmware, you can only run the last ten or so filters he created. Most of those are of Linear type with slightly different parameters. But there's also a couple interesting ones and a NOS filter. It can actually be pretty hard to tell the difference between Paul's EQHQ Linear filters, they all have the same sonic signature and it can take hours of listening to decide you like one over of the other. I settled on the EQHQ_lpbr_b4 filter.

    The community filters can be found here and here. Default can be found on the Soekris website.
    Look for a step-by-step detailed tutorial (with close up pictures and screenshots) in the next few days on how to connect to a Soekris DAC from a Windows PC and load a filter file.

    Build: It's fairly small, about 20% bigger than the Modi Multibit and solid. There doesn't seem to be a problem with the knob rubbing on the faceplate like on the dac1541. I dig the green lights and 80s aesthetic, it looks right at home in my system. The dac1321 runs luke warm to the touch and not nearly as hot as Modi Multibit.
    [​IMG]

    Sound: The sound of the dac1321 is very impressive, especially when you take into account it's $500-$600 price point. As described by others, the sound is very clean and precise with inky black backgrounds. What really stood out to me what the speed, I could believe how fast the transients were when I first hooked it up, this is especially apparent when using one of the Linear filters.

    When compared to the Gungnir Multibit, the Gungnir Multibit is less soft with a more detail but has a noticeable haze and notes take longer to decay. The dac1321 is faster, to the point it can actually be a little insane at times. When compared to the Modi Multibit, both DACs have roughtly the same level of detail and softness. The Schiit filters are still special though and I own about 25 CDs (out of 600) that just really sound amazing on Schiit DACs. I’ve decided to keep both the dac1321 and the Gungnir Multibit in my system for now.
     
    Last edited: Jan 21, 2018
  4. mitochondrium

    mitochondrium Friend

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    different size knob and different size hole, fit should be tight but not too tight

    Might well be you chose the sweet spot in terms of bang for buck, Happy Listening

    By the way, I really do believe the soekris gear is something special and it surely has a good value for money ratio as far as sound quality, yet I would prefer to have no knob at all instead of one that seizes (I am talking volume knob).
    Given the fact that the 1541 (and the 1421 if I am not mistaken) have the remote control possibility why not get rid of the volume knob? Spare a few dollars and make the unit a little cheaper?

    Anyways I will stop talking about mismatching knobs and holes now
     
  5. Cellist88

    Cellist88 Friend

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    Damn.....dac1541 sounds pretty damn good NOS ><. Everyone that has a dac1541. Should give NOS and nyquistC128 filter a try. Sounds so much better than the linear filter that comes default.
     
  6. rigo

    rigo Acquaintance

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    A link to that filter?
     
  7. Cellist88

    Cellist88 Friend

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  8. dmckean44

    dmckean44 In a Sherwood S6040CP relationship

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    Since it wasn't obvious to Cellist88, this is the cable you want to buy on Amazon to easist connect to the DAC:

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015ME2WKO/

    Also, when following @randytsuch's instructions (located on page 10 of this thread), you want to upload an .skr file with the filter bank, not the .txt file used to build the .skr file.
     
  9. Cellist88

    Cellist88 Friend

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  10. dmckean44

    dmckean44 In a Sherwood S6040CP relationship

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  11. soekris

    soekris MOT - Soekris Engineering

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  12. atomicbob

    atomicbob dScope Yoda

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    @soekris - any update on the dac1421?
     
  13. skem

    skem Friend

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    So I have been engaged in a multi-month multiple DAC review, for which I promise a proper post soon. Right now I have Soekris 1541 under review and wanted to alert SBAFers to a possible issue.

    I noticed when using various amplifiers that I kept hearing an annoying hiss that was starting to drive me up the wall. Eventually I traced it to the Soekris line out. It seems to occur whether or not it is decoding, but it is definitely coming out of Soekris and not being picked up from something else. So, I hauled out the silly scope and lo... a 21.2kHz noise at a relatively high -17dBv on the right channel; -20dBv on the left. Or, put in laymen's terms, only -7dB below consumer-audio line level on right, and -10dB on left. (Note that there is also a 5 & 250MHz signal on the line.) This is well within listening volumes. The noise is independent of the volume level or filter selected. I can also hear it on the headphone out, though I did not measure it there.

    EDIT: I am starting to suspect noisy AC; this may not be coming from the DAC itself, but rather is not being filtered out by the DAC's power supply.

    The frequency is at the edge of hearing for many, but I could hear it or its lower-frequency harmonics.

    I'm including, for comparison, some data from the nearby Benchmark HGC3 DAC, so you can see the effect of environmental factors on the signal. Both DACs were connected identically. Vertical scale is the same.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    I wonder if anybody else has heard this? @soekris... any thoughts?

    P.s. Next time I’ll spell fuschia correctly.
     
    Last edited: Feb 9, 2018
  14. soekris

    soekris MOT - Soekris Engineering

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    skem,

    I don't have an explanation, when doing a fft of the dac1541 output with 192K sample rate, there is absolutely nothing, and afaik there are no 21.2 Khz sources in a dac1541.... Let me do some more testing, could be power line related.

    But you do have good ears, I can't hear anything above 16Khz anymore....
     
  15. soekris

    soekris MOT - Soekris Engineering

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    Waiting for parts from the subcontract manufacturers, might be end Feb for availability....
     
  16. skem

    skem Friend

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    Looking at the scope, it looks a little like the 21kHz is a beat frequency. I’ll double check poweline for this, but I couldn’t find anything there first time.

    --EDIT --
    @soekris, after lots of fussing... I do suspect this could be on my the power lines, despite it having two filters. I guess its somehow getting into the DAC and amplified in a way that it was not with the Benchmark.

    Thanks
     
    Last edited: Feb 9, 2018
  17. atomicbob

    atomicbob dScope Yoda

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    Thank-you for the update!
    Supply chain can be challenging, especially for runs in the quantities most of our boutique audio devices are dealing.
     
  18. rigo

    rigo Acquaintance

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  19. cskippy

    cskippy Creamy warmpoo

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    @soekris Any chance of a 1541 loaner? I'm really curious about the DAC /amp combo.
     
  20. randytsuch

    randytsuch Friend

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    My instructions are for windows, but you should be able to do this from any OS, with the right software.
    I have a Mac, but I don't know how to download a file in a Mac. Never figured it out, but I'm sure its possible.
    You might also have to find Mac drivers for the serial cable.

    The DAC doesn't know, or care, what type of machine its talking to, Win, Mac or linux.
     

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