[techboy]

Ordered Phi.

Turned out defective.

Sending back to Richard. He has agreed to refund.

Can somebody tell me what’s the difference between the two DACs below?

Solo https://www.ebay.com/itm/L1387Solo-...ecoder-HIFI-Headphone-Amplifier-/273183020388

This one

L1387A 8X Decode 1969 Pure

https://m.aliexpress.com/item/4001202155569.html?trace=wwwdetail2mobilesitedetail

2V

TDA1387Solo is 1.5V. TDA1387A is 2V. Can you check and compare both and tell me if one is better than the other?

Solo takes 24V DC. L1387A takes 15V DC.

L1387Solo vs L1387A both by Lee's Hifi

Do both use passive IV?

Can you compare Solo VS A? What’s the diff?

 

[sajunky]

Sorry it happen. I am sure that PhiDAC was tested before shipping.

These units are essentially the same as your Nobsound with S/PDIF inputs (instead of outputs) and the internal PSU. Yes, both have a passive output. Those who claim 2V output do lie.

 

[techboy]

Sorry it happen. I am sure that PhiDAC was tested before shipping.

These units are essentially the same as your Nobsound with S/PDIF inputs (instead of outputs) and the internal PSU. Yes, both have a passive output. Those who claim 2V output do lie.

That might still work. Will external PSU instead of USB power make sound quality worse or better?

 

[sajunky]

It should be better for headphones due to a bigger power, but it also depends on the HP amp chip. For RCA outputs it can be better or worse, no rule. As you want something better sounding than Nobsound, I can't recomment any of these. The stronest feature of all is R2R sound which I enjoyed for one year before getting Audio GD R2R11. For now Nobsound serve me well on the road, those above are not portable. Don't waste your money.

 

[techboy]

It should be better for headphones due to a bigger power, but it also depends on the HP amp chip. For RCA outputs it can be better or worse, no rule. As you want something better sounding than Nobsound, I can't recomment any of these. The stronest feature of all is R2R sound which I enjoyed for one year before getting Audio GD R2R11. For now Nobsound serve me well on the road, those above are not portable. Don't waste your money.

I am not looking for better. I am looking for similar USB to USB. So there’s a chance the coaxial might be better than the USB. Then I want 2Vrms and additional headlamp power. USB vs USB I’m looking for very similar sound.

 

[techboy]

Friend asked to remove private convo.

 

[sajunky]

@techboy. Are you talking about PhiDAc Six? You wrote before, it arrived faulty.

 

[techboy]

@techboy. Are you talking about PhiDAc Six? You wrote before, it arrived faulty.

Yes. It was faulty. Intermittently.

 

[sajunky]

@techboy. Are you talking about PhiDAc Six? You wrote before, it arrived faulty.

You didn't mention friend by name, so no problem. Something wrong happened there....

 

[techboy]

You didn't mention friend by name, so no problem. Something wrong happened there....

It’s something personal.

 

[]eep]

I was asked again if the Douk 1387 could be improved or modified. So I had a second look at the board. While the usb input is basic and only accepts standard cd quality the output is still proper R2R. What I do see that really holds the output quality back is the output stage. That is located next to the 8 TDA chips. My main concern are the 2 last 10uF output caps. These are really bad. They produce that nasal, smeared, veiled sound. Replace with a high quality MKP, MKT with small bypass cap (pio or mkp) or take it out completely (short it with a wire) . You will get some 3V DC offset but every amp has input caps so it is safe to try, sound wil improve tremendously. Only you will get crackling when you turn the volume knob, and a thump when switching on/off. So turn down the volume before switching off, turn it up only after switching on and leave it, and you will not have a problem.
There are also 2 small orange caps that serve as a high-frequency attenuator. These are simple 1st order so they will have quite a negative effect over 10kHz. Desolder 1 leg (or snip). You will get more air.

The only thing you need on the output is in fact the R220. It should greatly improve the sound. Not the measured performance though. You can get some stange aliasing tones if you try to measure with a sweep but with music you will never encounter 0dB tones over 10kHz. The benefits far outweigh the negative effects.

I have not bought this unit and not tried the 8x1387 myself but it is very much like my 4x1543. I've been using it for 10 years already and can hold up against my new Denafrips Ares. The Ares is more mellow, sirupy and spacious but can get in trouble on soprano and piano fortes (saturates), the 4x1543 has more air, immediacy and always behaves on sustained notes. They are like twins but the Ares is the introvert quiet one and the TDA the outgoing fun type.

 

[sajunky]

Nice to hear your observations, @jeep, fully agreed.
Nobsound 8xTDA1387 can't beat my Audio GD R2R-11 (I suspect mods wouldn't make it as well), but it serves me well during load shedding and when traveling. MKP 10uF capacitors are to large to fit a case. The only things I would do is a better bypassing of individual chips, adding LC filter on the 5V line and I plan to do.

 

[]eep]

well, I did use a small solution at first with Vishay 10uF 822 MKT snubbered with a Russian 0.047 K42 PiO but while that sounded a much better, it was nothing like taking it out of the loop completely. There is a LOT to be gained by removing the hf attenuation and output caps. Like comparing an awesome little €50 dac, to €200 good dac with the snubbered MKT, to €1000+ territory with the c(r)ap removed. I'm serious, I've been to several shows and demos over the last 10y since I have it and nothing compared to this natural ease. Even the Ares which breaks out of it's class has not bested it. The Ares is polite, nice and well mannered but sometimes it trips up. It's like you're at a birthday party with the parents in law where you can't crack a dirty joke but try to tell it anyway in a kind of veiled manner and make a huge embarrassment of yourself. You didn't break any social convention but it is awkward because it shows it's filtered somehow.
A delta sigma would be like Data from Star Trek New Generation telling the joke. Totally struggling with the concept of humor.

 

[TheRealDz]

I bought the Nobsound 8xTDA1387, and am shocked at how good it sounds.

While it doesn't have the resolution or black background coming from my SingXer F-1/Denafrips Ares 2, it definitely has that ladder DAC timbre and musicality. For anyone wanting to see what the R2R fuss is about, this is an easy $42 recommendation.

A few observations:

1) I somehow didn't realize that the coax connection was an OUTPUT, not input. That sucks - I would have loved to hear what effect my outboard DDC had on it, let alone just a modern USB implementation.

2) I plugged mine into an outboard linear power supply with an injector cable. The psu made a striking improvement - much, much more clarity and a blacker background (previously it had a misty gray background).

I can only wonder what a DDC would have done for it.

I am also super curious about what bypassing those evil capacitors would do to the sound, but I don't have the skills or guts to do so...

 

[kartk]

Swapping the output caps with better ones, like from WIMA or if you wanna go crazy with mundorf, brings more linear extension to treble and has slightly better bass response. This is with line out, though a friend who is now using the modded unit claimed the HP out also was better.
Also I would recommend to swap stock opamp used with something better like opa1656.