I forgot to mention that this DAC has a very hot output signal. It's said to be 5V on SE outs but I think it's even higher since it's louder than most 5V BAL outs in a direct comparison. Beware of this if deciding to make one. Some preamps might not accept such high signals. If you doubt that could be the case, Cathode follower might be a better option. I made Anode follower version since Fikus prefers it sonically.
@iiWiReviews thanks for replying. Like you said in the video, it seems going balanced would be a lot of extra unnecessary work and money. I have an Aune S17 Pro, have you tested your dac with the review sample S17 you have? If it can tolerate the 5V single ended that would be great news and I'll probably dive straight into the project 😄
Thanks Srba for bringing up to us this do it yourself project based on Lukasz early work. It is indeed a great DAC competing with any high market several thousand € ones. As I build it myself almost like yours with the same miflex capacitors I could concord with your review about the great sound. Also I compared myself at friend locations this dac with others high tier ones like Romanian made Rockna high end dac etc. and my smile was big when all the peoples present had prised it. Yes I used Amperex PQ golden pin they are 6922 tubes and I was thrilled with them, they had very extended bass great midrange and very extended highs, they matched perfectly, better that 6n6p with my former Wharfedale Linton speakers, because Lintons d'ont go such low and are a little rolled off on highs. But on the other hand now I changed the speakers with Golden Ear Triton one...and this speakers are truly full range from at least 20 hz to 32kz and they do not need Amperex tube in the DAC, it is to much, and rolled back to 6n6p that are more thru balanced sounding. But what is clear is that by changing different tubes you could significantly calibrate the sound.
Thank you for making us aware of such an interesting build. Being non-technical, I have a friend who is prepared to do the build. A definitive list of parts would be really, really useful! Fabulous work.
My youngest brother has a Lampizator DAC (I’d have to find out the model from him). Years ago we spent a weekend building a Lampucera and then comparing the two. It’s too long ago to remember the details but we put the Lampucera at 90-95% of the Lampizator. The Lampucera improved with Mundorf output caps and Elna Silmic caps in the power stage.
I just bought a 24 yesr old Ahh Tjoeb CD player, which is a Marantz CD player modified with an EC88 dual tube output. I had one new years ago but sold it to travel. I had to get it again for personal reference. And wow it's the best digital sound I've had since I sold it 20 years ago. Now I understand how I listened to that CD player for hours a day. Definitely need tubes on a digital output. I almost bought one of the digital kits you talk about years ago. And will do it now to see how much better it can be and compare it to the Tjoeb circuit. Thanks heaps for the video. ❤❤
@@sean_heisler yes that's when I bought it too. I am surprised it sounds better than I remember. When I sold it it took 3 days before I could pack it up and post because I didn't want to b let it go. 🙃 Looking inside now I am also surprised it doesn't bypass the op amp. It's simply an add on buffer stage.
@@CanberraProtest-dm6hu The tubes do act as a buffer as opposed to an analog/gain output stage. Those opamps can be rolled, I’m sure you know. There’s a good refresher about the modifications in a Stereophile review if you search for it.
@@sean_heisler @sean_heisler I am going to send a signal from my professional hi res Tascam digital recorder into it and see how it goes. There is a little degradation of transient sound through the buffer but adds more life than it takes away. I guess that is what a good pre amp does. I've never has a good pre amp that improved the sound. It never made sense adding more circuitry should degrade it.
THANKS SO much for sharing sO deeply Your project And thanks Lukass for sharing your original design & Not being greedy to keep it just for you Grear STUFF i ll try it if ican find parts in Africa
I had my power amplifiers capacitors upgraded from Jantzen Audio Superior-Z caps to Miflex Audio caps and experienced similar improvement/result as you did with your DAC. I too would recommend the Miflex Caps.
Amazing work and description. Congrats and thanks for sharing. I realise it's basically an off the shelf Delta-Sigma chip with careful point-to-point tube preamplification! The tuning of the sound comes mainly from the capacitors and tube choice. It comes to show that a preamp is so important. Musical Paradise MP-701 mk2 is a popular preamplifier that reminds me of his analog section (prob. without the gain) in which you can upgrade capacitors and tubes to get the sound that you want.
This experiment fits the statement that I saw in a video from channel OCD HI-Fi Guy where it is said that the output stage and power supply are the most important parts of a DAC sound quality and that chips can basically be ignored.
Thank you for making this information available! I think sometimes its hard to evaluate the value of DIY-projects since components became quite expensive, especially if you opt for more esoteric parts. Whats missing is a benchmark to compare the output of these projects to commercial products, so I´m hoping to see more DIY videos on this channel! :)
Love your diy videos! You now got end game dac, end game pre amp, your sprit wind I bet is your end game speaker, now I'm waiting to see your end game amp and the review of your avanger end game system!
Where did you get the case? I did not see that in the Google Doc. Would be nice to see a Google Spreadsheet with every part, quantity, link to purchase... Thank you
Brilliant video, I think I have found my next diy project, after assembling the CSS 1tdx speakers and Hypex Nilai power amp this seems a natural next step project. Thank you this video was inspiring.
@@connorduke4619 yes very happy with the Nilai, enough to stop me scratching the upgrade itch. I paired it with a ladder bach preamp and they seem to pair very nicely in my system. Not really a price comparable pairing perhaps but thought I would give it a try and it has worked well for me.
@@jonathanhart-sc6ix Awesome thanks for your update! I wonder if your combo beats Hegel H190 integrated amp despite being at a significantly lower price,... that would be fascinating to know.
Wow! I'm good at Diy but not done any electronics unfortunatly apart from a bit of wire soldering😅. It's a shame as would love this DAC, you really sold it to me!
Cool video. I have built multiple DIY dacs. Amazing what can be achieved in a shed. I also used a Lampizator circuit with 6n2p valves. 8x TDA1387 dacs.
I would love to do this. I have the basic skills (I replaced the capacitors and resistors to audiophile grade in my Schiit Freya + with great success). This project is not above my abilities to construct if it was a kit. If I had specific parts for one build, sourcing for the parts and a video perhaps about basic assembly, then I could build this...but with all the scattered info here, multiple choices, extra notes and no firm structure to the presentation, as a beginner I am afraid that I do not have the ability to sort thru all of this information and make appropriate choices to layout a complete plan with sourcing.. This is very frustrating...I can see the candy...but the glass case will not let me touch it. ARRRGGGGHH! 😀😊😊 This sounds like a rewarding project!!!
Thank you iiWi for your share of the info. As for the 6n6p tube, I downloaded a white paper written by Lucas a dozen or so years ago where he talks about this 6n6p tube then he goes on to say he discovered a sister tube the 6n1p which he liked better then discovered another sister tube the 6n2p which he says was sonically even better. You might want to check out the 6n2p… Thanks again, Marc
6n2p(ecc83) it is the tube with great amplification factor, which is useful as a first voltage amplification in vinyl correctors, mic amp. and so on. but it operates with small anode current only (
thanks for this video i grabbed some of your files and will maybe do a version of it in the future. But know I would have to also change things as i dont work well to a recipe. I had dropped you and many of my subscriptions to reviewers about 18 months ago once i decided to go the DIY path. I liked your content but was concentrating on trying to learn for myself. Recently have looked at some of those sold reviewers and super happy to have watched this video and to re-subscribe. A video on a comparison of your 4 different versions would be interesting. You are lucky to have a group to learn with ; would be very useful to work in a group, has taken me two years to build a tube amp as there is a lot to learn and spare time is limited. Thanks again for all l the information.
I feel a little dismayed. The video says that if you can solder, read a schematic, and have some experience building stuff, this should be easy. But looking through the documentation, it seems to be targeted to very experienced builders. I don't see a BOM or general instructions, and the schematics are kind of scattered around with multiple versions for different options that are not clearly identified. Someone would be doing the world a huge favor by organizing, documenting, and simplifying this project, just a little.
@@alanhuth7568 I sent the info over to my guitar amplifier tech. He said he could build it. 3-4 hours labor. I'm in. I hope you make it happen somehow.
Liked your video very much, thank you. I have a Abbas audio 2.2. dac (tda 1541 chip with tubes). It was my first (and last?) purchase on a DAC. I'm curious how it sounds in comparison with your tube DAC. Curiousity will stay in the audio buisiness I guess 🙂
Many thanks - it would be really appreciated if you also covered lower capability DACS with USB. At the moment very happy with a Khadas Tone Board. I will fit the seperate power supply, isolation circuit and reset switch between 2 perspex sheets. The downside is that sometimes the DAC stops decoding and needs a DC reset.
The cs4397 already outputs a differential voltage signal- you don't need an additional amplification stage. Pick up the chip output from pin 24 and 19 - pass through a 1uf low voltage cap to RCA out for single ended operation. As far as dacs go its decent but lacks the performance of the classic r2rs like PCM1704 and AD 1862 1865. You can find the perputual technologies p3a dac, from 2000s its 96khz capable. It uses the cs4397 and it easy to extract the voltage output from chip. Sound will be cleaner than passing through any additional (unneccesary) voltage amp stage. You can only detract from signal or add artifact. Mhdt tube dacs are great platforms for modding and can get super high performance if you understand the principle of less is more.
Thanks for a great video. As A DIY sucker I'd love to do this but unfortunately I am technologically incapacitated. Actually, it sounds like the same philosophy of design as Border Patrol. Tube rectifier and keep it high quality and simple. I have observed Akatika amplifier kits for a while but vision issues precludes me making one of their amp r preamp kits. People seem to love them.
Great video! Did you try replacing bridge rectifiers with hand build discrete 4 x MUR860 or other similar diodes ? It makes a really nice difference for very very little investment , sound great on analog section rectifier. Also some of the electrolitics caps repalced in key areas will have great affect on sound . For example 2 Black Gate NX when wired into Super E canceling Cap way would being noise levels into ridiculous levels affecting sound in amazing way. It can now be tried now with current Rubycon AudioNote Kasei NonPolars at not very high cost ... ❤ This is fantastic project to learn how different parts affect sound quality ....yes they all affect the sound 😉 How would a main value Miflex cap sound when bypased with V ODAM of say 0.1uf ? Have fun and enjoy your hobby and passion for sound .
I didn't but I may at one point. For example I would like to try Mundorf electrolytics in the PS. That's all for some later time when I get bored and feel the upgrade itch. 🙂
@@iiWiReviews Just have fun with it. Mundorf electrolitics in my power amp sound very low noise , neutral tonally, have punchy bass and great bass control . I'm using 4 pole Jensen's that are obsoleted and they sound richer tonally but maybe a tad less punchy... Audio Note Kasei are super clean and low noise sounding cap with lush sound and open top with soundstage to die for. Some of lower values are priced all right .
Greetings! Thank you for this video. I am interested in building this DAC. I would like to use a ESS chip. Is this possible? Also, would you consider building a streamer of similar quality? I am thinking of a streamer design such as the Aurender series. Finally for this DAC why not use a separate power supply unit?
It's possible of course. I belive that all ESS chips are with current output (this one is voltage) so you would need to add the I/V conversion in that case. How that's done would also influence the final sound quality. So it's not a straightforward chip change but needs different output stage. Streamer is a whole different beast, and software plays a huge role there, so I'm not ready to tackle that topic. 🙂
👍well done! Long ago I tried to make diy dac with dulend output transformers, got all parts but never managed to finish it due to a lack of electronic knowledge, am still sorry not having my diy dac by looking into your job well done.
Great build, congratulations! I was very interested in this dac until you clarified that its output is quite hot😂 That is the last thing my Supratek Cabernet needs, I have been interested in the Audial S5 for a while, very elaborate power supply and a galvanized usb input, also an output off 2.1volt so good for my pre. Is there any chance you will review this dac in future? Great channel.
what do you think of Hegel hd12 ? if I build this with the ebay kit with toroidal psu upgrade and upgraded caps and upgrade the 2 tubes from the ebay kit will it sound better than the Hegel hd12?
Thank you, great video. I bought this ebay board set but the board layout and component names are different. Do you have any guidance on how to proceed with this current board. Thanks.
These days Lampucera A.D 2023 would be build on SMSL SU 1 or PO100AK. Sorry to say but functionality of Lampucera is kind of stone age type. I did this project 15 years ago but it was replaced with Behringer upsampler with AKM chip where whole analog stage was passive built on Lundahl transformers. It beat Lampucera all the way. Lampuceras design in to simple to be end game but it's fun to work on. Try to make active filtering for tubes based on mosfet transistors. You will need to redefine end game scenario to your dac 😂
Your build sounds great but quite expensive too. Just Lundahl transforms cost is probably equal to this whole build. Maybe one day I get to think about something like that. Lampucera is old but simple and fairly affordable to build. Its sound is maybe not up to your end-game standards but done this way for most people it would be. Its price to performance ratio is the real star in my opinion. Cheers 🍺
@@iiWiReviews I know that capacitors that you've used were not cheap either. That's real rabbit hole in tube's world. I will try Fikus idea with modern Dac. SU-1 is almost perfect choice. Best donner would be cheapest dac with I2s input. Maybe smsl will come up with SU-2 😜
Wow, three (!) toroidal transformers in a DAC seems a bit over the top. Those transformers must certainly be capable of handling at least 30 W, each. The one in the middle looks capable of around 60 W. I also do not understand how/why the capacitors can be/are so big given their modest filtering capability of 2.7 microfarads. On the other hand there seem to be 4 more capacitors (maybe Elna?), so perhaps it is the combination that makes the magic? Anyway, very interesting stuff. I am something of a newbie to Hi-Fi and am basically just weathering my ignorance loudly.
How about channel separation with only one small tube? Is there a frequency graph for it anywhere? And this huge 5Volts per channel on single ended outs, does it come noise - free? Or do we have usual, tuby high noise floor? Great project, thanks for the info. I'm still using an old NOS, TDA1545A, 16/44 dac and thinking of putting a tube I/V stage to it.
Hi - i enjoyed the content so much that i decided to try building a DIY DAC for the first time. im quite familiar with soldering and whatnot, however after successfully building similarly to the schematics : - resistor from 0.47u caps (400k originally -> i used 470k), - resistor from cathode to ground (300 ohm originally -> i used 330ohm) - Anode voltage ( electricity in my place is not that good, i got around 115 V AC with the 2x 120v AC transformer) - using a different dac board (ak4118 + ak4490) with output voltage of around 2.65 V on each left and right - currently using 6n1p-ev (waiting for 6n6p to arrive) i encountered an issue where the volume of the dac is super small, and when i try to increase the volume, it distorts horribly. may i know if anyone has experienced something similar or know regarding which parts are causing this issue? im currently going to try to lower the 15k resistor to 2.2k, in order to give more voltage to the anode of the 6n1p Thanks a lot for sharing any info or ideas XD
Hiya! I had a look at the notes, and although you mentioned a custom made Toroidal transformer, I was wondering how many toroidal transformers and at what Nominal Power and Nominal anode current? I think it was mentioned that going with toroids that are too small compromises things, so what is the ideal kind of size? Also, is there any potential to modify the SE so that it becomes XLR?
Schumann has slightly richer midrange tone timbre, R26 has cleaner sound and bigger soundstage. R26 sounded a bit better in my system and to my ears. It doesn't mean you would agree with that. Both are fantastic.
Another quick question, just out of curiosity. Why use Miflex caps with over 400V capability when surely 250V is more than enough, and smaller and cheaper?
I wanted to use 250V version but few people told me that 600V actually sound better. I can't confirm or deny that, but I didn't want to doubt my decision later on, so I went with 600V. Full disclosure here, I don't think it matters really.
From my online search, Lampizator uses anode follower, cathode follower and SRPP in various DAC. You are using anode follower in this project. Is there any particular reason?
I used 1W across the board (which is overkill in most places but a safe choice), but that tube heater resistor that adjust the voltage needs to be at least 5W because there's 750mA going trough it.
Thanks so much for sharing this design. In terms of the output, did you consider a simple voltage divider using resistors on the output to 1/2 the output voltage?
I didn not because my preamp handles this voltage just fine. It's worth exploring but I'm guessing it would have some kind od impact on the sound. Every L-pad does in the end. There's also a Cathode follower schematic that natively gives half the output signal... But Fikus prefers this one sonically and so did my friend that tried both.
@@iiWiReviews to be clear, I'm suggesting based purely from an electrical standpoint, but I'm sure there is an "optimal" configuration with additional components that maintains the power curve and dynamic.. at the end, there are plenty of components (ie resistors, caps, etc.) already in the signal path.. Perhaps someone can contribute how to best divide the voltage with minimal degradation.
Thanks a lot, great work!! Wondering if you have also verified the awesome DIY Kits from Ian Canada? Love it, especially his craziness about perfect power 😅 Also have a look at Abbas Audio (own an SE3.2, outperforms my €15k commercial DAC). His building is outstanding, like Audio Note.
I used the smallest 0.01uF bypass. It opens the midrange a bit more. Other tuning stuff incuded trying few different tubes. 6N6P with red tip and OTK stamp sounds great.
I have built a few tube amps, and this project looks like fun so I ordered the kit and some tubes already. Planning the rest of the build now, think I might expand a little on the design and add analogue inputs so I can use it as a preamp also. My question is this; What kind of button is needed to switch the digital inputs (button 3 in your design)?
Board has 3 pins that switch inputs by connecting left or right pin to the cental one (jumper). So this switch needs to have both NC and NO contacts. Voltage is few volts so anything will do the job.
@@iiWiReviews Great, thanks IWI! So a simple two way toggle switch will also work then. I need to decide if I am going for a "modern" or oldschool design :)
I have a Lampucera DAC and would love to build this tube analogue stage but the schematics are terrible. I cannot read the designation for many of the components. For example, I do not see a value for RG on the tube screens. Does anyone have a better copy?
All this looks very good... now what about trying a modern ES9038 or ES9068 or AKM Velvet 449x DAC board in it, or a good old TDA1541 with a Yamaha receiver chip and a custom IV stage? I also prefer the copper-foil/paper in oil caps (e.g. Audio Note and Jupiter, which are far more expensive than Miflex, but the latter look pretty similar, so need to try them, too). Also try some good CC resistors, you might be surprised. Not speaking about rectification diodes, huge differences there. As for the output stage, I found that good LDMOS designs sound better than most tube designs in DAC builds and headphone amps (and are also more practical), but in electrostatic energizers and speaker amps tubes are still a better (more musical) choice, even better than GaN or SiC, in the sense that it's easier to make good sound with tubes (semiconductors measure better in all accounts). YMMV. The point is that today, in low voltage applications, good semiconductor designs can match tube designs in all musical criteria, with lower noise and better power delivery. So the deciding factor and the guarantee for good sound is not really that it has a tube output stage, but what kind of design and implementation that is. Back to the Lampucera case, I really wonder how a more up to date DAC board might fare.
Sorry to go off topic from what this video is about, but many have been asking about preamp function of Aune S17 Pro vs Ladder Bach preamp - how do they compare? I've heard one person who compare them say he and his friend both preferred Aune as preamp. What are your thoughts ?
@@iiWiReviews Thanks! It will be a big service to your subscribers and anyone not yet subscribed, because one of those products is the clear choice for preamp under $1000. Thanks again!
Every DAC is supposed to be able to use I2S internally if I'm not mistaken, and somewhere in between SPDIF receiver and the DAC itself there should be a point that is capable to accept I2S signal. However, I haven't looked into it. If someone has any info on this, please do share.
Question: what kind of hours would be required for an experienced person who is familiar with build tube based guitar amplifiers once all the past are there? Considering having my amp tech put one together for me, just need a estimated amount in the labor time involved. He has good electronics working knowledge.
It took me around 6 hours to do the final assembly and soldering. But it's tough to say, it could vary a lot depending how well is everything prepared - holes, cutouts, screws, wires... Things that you don't think trough and have to figure out on the spot are the ones that take most of the time.
@@iiWiReviews thank you for your response. That means for roughly 1500 Dollars i could have a dac like this. Probably the best dac i could get for that kind of money. I like that the money goes to quality parts and design that gives a sonic payoff. Makes Sense to me. Thank you so much for sharing this. If i print out the schematic and the parts spec and a picture of the layout that should give him a good reference point for the project. Thanks again🙏.
Question about the transformer 2 x 120v. I see on the schematic voltage 2 x 120v but on the same schematic output from the transformer 150v. Which transformer did you order from Trafomatic? 230v / dual 150v or 230v dual 120v?
@@petercrook1111The schematic has issues. For example, the PS for the Anode is connected by the 150k Ohm resistor. The negative is not connected to anything.
I apologize in advance for being childish, but I couldn't help it. Roman named Lampucera DAC is based on a design by Lukasz Ficus, with some help from Biggus Dickus...
Hello , thank you for the ncie review.......... 6N1P is close to a 6DJ7/ECC88 but not the same .....one can substitute when the operation points allow it !( but not in all cases ) AVOID ......6922 /7308 , they have no damper mica fingers on the cathose as do,have the ECC88 and ECC188 /CCA ! 6922 is prone to ringing and that fault is often liked by audiophiles who think it gives more highs !!!!!..........but is is a fault Not all 6922 have the fault , one should check , some NOS selected are good ! BEST tubes ( musicality ) are nos ...like the SIEMENS/HALSKE , TELEFUNKRN and PHILIPS SQ ( same as the famous Bugle boys from AMPEREX witch are in fact PHILIPS tubes that have beeb burned in and selected ! My favoured tubes are the CCA ( CC = double triode and C stands for the premium grade or the best tube we can build !) ECC188 Siemns Some E88CC TELEFUNKEN and SIEMENS ( selected ) Original ECC88 NOS ( selected ) AND ..........the wonderfull sounding PCC88 SIEMENS .......( string filament + based on curerent drive insteéad of voltage ....300 MA / 7.4 OR 7.6 VOLT ) Another great sounding tube with guts , rythm and drive is the 12BH7GE ..........lots od energy , up and go ... A tube to avoid is the SIEMNS/ECG 7308 ( US MADE nos ) .........(Siemens bought ECG former Sylvania /us PHILIPS .......) PS: ECC88:/6DJ7 have max plate voltage of 1340 volt! Some PCC 89 are relabeled as a EEC88 or 6922 ..........AVOID AT ALL TIMES !! Only buy from respectable sellers ..........Beware of fraud on E-BAY !! Have a nice day
Alternative to a USB board, one could just run USB from source to SMSL PO100 as it is a very capable digital to digital converter, is extremely affordable, and a very simple solution to not only have USB signal incorporated but highly cleaned up USB signal at that. Ive recently added one to my system between laptop and R26 Gustard and was amazed at how much it cleaned up the sound. No more grounding issues and pops from laptop signal.
Any tube DAC that doesn't use 2A3 output tubes isn't the "endgame" DAC. The $49k is a total joke. The same design can probably found for around $800 in China...
I forgot to mention that this DAC has a very hot output signal. It's said to be 5V on SE outs but I think it's even higher since it's louder than most 5V BAL outs in a direct comparison. Beware of this if deciding to make one. Some preamps might not accept such high signals. If you doubt that could be the case, Cathode follower might be a better option. I made Anode follower version since Fikus prefers it sonically.
P
Do you know if a scaled up version of yours that is made for XLR would output 5V? Or would an XLR version double the output and be 10V?
XLR would be double the voltage.
@iiWiReviews thanks for replying. Like you said in the video, it seems going balanced would be a lot of extra unnecessary work and money.
I have an Aune S17 Pro, have you tested your dac with the review sample S17 you have?
If it can tolerate the 5V single ended that would be great news and I'll probably dive straight into the project 😄
I haven't but I will do it due to the popular demand. 😊
Super cool project! I hope to see an ULTIMATE digital transport build in the future!
Imo the inside of your DIY DAC is beautifully laid out and wired. Congratulations!
Thanks Srba for bringing up to us this do it yourself project based on Lukasz early work. It is indeed a great DAC competing with any high market several thousand € ones. As I build it myself almost like yours with the same miflex capacitors I could concord with your review about the great sound. Also I compared myself at friend locations this dac with others high tier ones like Romanian made Rockna high end dac etc. and my smile was big when all the peoples present had prised it. Yes I used Amperex PQ golden pin they are 6922 tubes and I was thrilled with them, they had very extended bass great midrange and very extended highs, they matched perfectly, better that 6n6p with my former Wharfedale Linton speakers, because Lintons d'ont go such low and are a little rolled off on highs. But on the other hand now I changed the speakers with Golden Ear Triton one...and this speakers are truly full range from at least 20 hz to 32kz and they do not need Amperex tube in the DAC, it is to much, and rolled back to 6n6p that are more thru balanced sounding. But what is clear is that by changing different tubes you could significantly calibrate the sound.
salut! de unde esti ...ca esti singurul om din ro care si-ar fi facut dacul asta! tare as fi curios sa aud parerea ta despre el!
Thank you for making us aware of such an interesting build. Being non-technical, I have a friend who is prepared to do the build. A definitive list of parts would be really, really useful!
Fabulous work.
Hello, I know this is late but did your friend did it? I couldn't understand the schematic at all.
My youngest brother has a Lampizator DAC (I’d have to find out the model from him). Years ago we spent a weekend building a Lampucera and then comparing the two. It’s too long ago to remember the details but we put the Lampucera at 90-95% of the Lampizator. The Lampucera improved with Mundorf output caps and Elna Silmic caps in the power stage.
I just bought a 24 yesr old Ahh Tjoeb CD player, which is a Marantz CD player modified with an EC88 dual tube output. I had one new years ago but sold it to travel. I had to get it again for personal reference. And wow it's the best digital sound I've had since I sold it 20 years ago. Now I understand how I listened to that CD player for hours a day. Definitely need tubes on a digital output. I almost bought one of the digital kits you talk about years ago. And will do it now to see how much better it can be and compare it to the Tjoeb circuit. Thanks heaps for the video. ❤❤
Ha, I almost forgot about that unit. I owned one back around ‘99 or so, great sound!
@@sean_heisler yes that's when I bought it too. I am surprised it sounds better than I remember. When I sold it it took 3 days before I could pack it up and post because I didn't want to b let it go. 🙃
Looking inside now I am also surprised it doesn't bypass the op amp. It's simply an add on buffer stage.
@@CanberraProtest-dm6hu The tubes do act as a buffer as opposed to an analog/gain output stage. Those opamps can be rolled, I’m sure you know. There’s a good refresher about the modifications in a Stereophile review if you search for it.
@@sean_heisler @sean_heisler I am going to send a signal from my professional hi res Tascam digital recorder into it and see how it goes. There is a little degradation of transient sound through the buffer but adds more life than it takes away. I guess that is what a good pre amp does. I've never has a good pre amp that improved the sound. It never made sense adding more circuitry should degrade it.
miflex caps looks great, and three toroids looks expensive 😅 overall it's your best video in 2023 👍 Thank you.
THANKS
SO much for sharing sO deeply
Your project
And thanks Lukass for sharing your original design & Not being greedy to keep it just for you
Grear STUFF
i ll try it if ican find parts in Africa
I had my power amplifiers capacitors upgraded from Jantzen Audio Superior-Z caps to Miflex Audio caps and experienced similar improvement/result as you did with your DAC. I too would recommend the Miflex Caps.
Amazing work and description. Congrats and thanks for sharing. I realise it's basically an off the shelf Delta-Sigma chip with careful point-to-point tube preamplification! The tuning of the sound comes mainly from the capacitors and tube choice. It comes to show that a preamp is so important. Musical Paradise MP-701 mk2 is a popular preamplifier that reminds me of his analog section (prob. without the gain) in which you can upgrade capacitors and tubes to get the sound that you want.
I own that DAC and it's very good. I just don't understand where the Musical Paradise company is going at the moment.
This experiment fits the statement that I saw in a video from channel OCD HI-Fi Guy where it is said that the output stage and power supply are the most important parts of a DAC sound quality and that chips can basically be ignored.
I've been waiting for this video for months. We'll worth the wait. Great project. Well done.
Hi, correct name is Łukasz Fikus. You pronounced very good but first letter is Ł (pronounced as W in english).
Thank you for making this information available! I think sometimes its hard to evaluate the value of DIY-projects since components became quite expensive, especially if you opt for more esoteric parts. Whats missing is a benchmark to compare the output of these projects to commercial products, so I´m hoping to see more DIY videos on this channel! :)
Happy New Year Srbo, all the best!
I hope you'll continue to make DIY projects like this outstanding DAC is (I've heard it and it's really amazing).
Just had to comment. The mic you use for your videos is excellent.
Love your diy videos! You now got end game dac, end game pre amp, your sprit wind I bet is your end game speaker, now I'm waiting to see your end game amp and the review of your avanger end game system!
In Polish „lampucera” means a woman with lots of makeup on her face, usually not a very pretty one ;)
Bravo Srboljube, palac gore za ovakav sadržaj i Lampućeru!
Where did you get the case? I did not see that in the Google Doc. Would be nice to see a Google Spreadsheet with every part, quantity, link to purchase... Thank you
Brilliant video, I think I have found my next diy project, after assembling the CSS 1tdx speakers and Hypex Nilai power amp this seems a natural next step project. Thank you this video was inspiring.
Are you happy with how Hypex Nilai sounds... and which preamp do you pair it with?
@@connorduke4619 yes very happy with the Nilai, enough to stop me scratching the upgrade itch. I paired it with a ladder bach preamp and they seem to pair very nicely in my system. Not really a price comparable pairing perhaps but thought I would give it a try and it has worked well for me.
@@jonathanhart-sc6ix Awesome thanks for your update! I wonder if your combo beats Hegel H190 integrated amp despite being at a significantly lower price,... that would be fascinating to know.
Has my Tradutto met its match? Excellent vid. Happy New Year
I think it has. 🙂 Thanks and happy new year!
Wow! I'm good at Diy but not done any electronics unfortunatly apart from a bit of wire soldering😅. It's a shame as would love this DAC, you really sold it to me!
Keep up the good information you provide. Congratulations and bravo on your success. Cheers!
Cool video. I have built multiple DIY dacs. Amazing what can be achieved in a shed. I also used a Lampizator circuit with 6n2p valves. 8x TDA1387 dacs.
I would love to do this. I have the basic skills (I replaced the capacitors and resistors to audiophile grade in my Schiit Freya + with great success).
This project is not above my abilities to construct if it was a kit. If I had specific parts for one build, sourcing for the parts and a video perhaps about basic assembly, then I could build this...but with all the scattered info here, multiple choices, extra notes and no firm structure to the presentation, as a beginner I am afraid that I do not have the ability to sort thru all of this information and make appropriate choices to layout a complete plan with sourcing.. This is very frustrating...I can see the candy...but the glass case will not let me touch it. ARRRGGGGHH! 😀😊😊
This sounds like a rewarding project!!!
Same dude, did u manage to somehow build it tho?
Thank you iiWi for your share of the info.
As for the 6n6p tube, I downloaded a white paper written by Lucas a dozen or so years ago where he talks about this 6n6p tube then he goes on to say he discovered a sister tube the 6n1p which he liked better then discovered another sister tube the 6n2p which he says was sonically even better. You might want to check out the 6n2p…
Thanks again, Marc
6n2p(ecc83) it is the tube with great amplification factor, which is useful as a first voltage amplification in vinyl correctors, mic amp. and so on. but it operates with small anode current only (
thanks for this video i grabbed some of your files and will maybe do a version of it in the future. But know I would have to also change things as i dont work well to a recipe. I had dropped you and many of my subscriptions to reviewers about 18 months ago once i decided to go the DIY path. I liked your content but was concentrating on trying to learn for myself. Recently have looked at some of those sold reviewers and super happy to have watched this video and to re-subscribe. A video on a comparison of your 4 different versions would be interesting. You are lucky to have a group to learn with ; would be very useful to work in a group, has taken me two years to build a tube amp as there is a lot to learn and spare time is limited. Thanks again for all l the information.
I feel a little dismayed. The video says that if you can solder, read a schematic, and have some experience building stuff, this should be easy. But looking through the documentation, it seems to be targeted to very experienced builders. I don't see a BOM or general instructions, and the schematics are kind of scattered around with multiple versions for different options that are not clearly identified. Someone would be doing the world a huge favor by organizing, documenting, and simplifying this project, just a little.
Bumping this so it finds a home
@@DJayH34TB34TZ Thank you. Still really interested in this.
@@alanhuth7568
I sent the info over to my guitar amplifier tech. He said he could build it. 3-4 hours labor. I'm in. I hope you make it happen somehow.
I started a build thread over at DiyAudio. Once that is completed, there will be good documentation for making a US version of this Lampucera.
@@alanhuth7568 good to know. Thank you sir
Dude, such a great and informative video.
Very interesting project. I, obly voried about that nois going downstreamto speakers.
Another great video. I love DIY, so much bang for the buck. And it is fun to build and test.
Liked your video very much, thank you. I have a Abbas audio 2.2. dac (tda 1541 chip with tubes). It was my first (and last?) purchase on a DAC. I'm curious how it sounds in comparison with your tube DAC. Curiousity will stay in the audio buisiness I guess 🙂
Many thanks - it would be really appreciated if you also covered lower capability DACS with USB.
At the moment very happy with a Khadas Tone Board.
I will fit the seperate power supply, isolation circuit and reset switch between 2 perspex sheets.
The downside is that sometimes the DAC stops decoding and needs a DC reset.
The cs4397 already outputs a differential voltage signal- you don't need an additional amplification stage. Pick up the chip output from pin 24 and 19 - pass through a 1uf low voltage cap to RCA out for single ended operation. As far as dacs go its decent but lacks the performance of the classic r2rs like PCM1704 and AD 1862 1865. You can find the perputual technologies p3a dac, from 2000s its 96khz capable. It uses the cs4397 and it easy to extract the voltage output from chip. Sound will be cleaner than passing through any additional (unneccesary) voltage amp stage. You can only detract from signal or add artifact. Mhdt tube dacs are great platforms for modding and can get super high performance if you understand the principle of less is more.
Excellent video, thanks for sharing your experience. Happy New Year! 🎉
Thank you for a great presentation and a wonderful project
Thanks for a great video. As A DIY sucker I'd love to do this but unfortunately I am technologically incapacitated. Actually, it sounds like the same philosophy of design as Border Patrol. Tube rectifier and keep it high quality and simple. I have observed Akatika amplifier kits for a while but vision issues precludes me making one of their amp r preamp kits. People seem to love them.
Great video!
Did you try replacing bridge rectifiers with hand build discrete 4 x MUR860 or other similar diodes ?
It makes a really nice difference for very very little investment , sound great on analog section rectifier.
Also some of the electrolitics caps repalced in key areas will have great affect on sound .
For example 2 Black Gate NX when wired into Super E canceling Cap way would being noise levels into ridiculous levels affecting sound in amazing way.
It can now be tried now with current Rubycon AudioNote Kasei NonPolars at not very high cost ... ❤
This is fantastic project to learn how different parts affect sound quality ....yes they all affect the sound 😉
How would a main value Miflex cap sound when bypased with V ODAM of say 0.1uf ?
Have fun and enjoy your hobby and passion for sound .
I didn't but I may at one point. For example I would like to try Mundorf electrolytics in the PS. That's all for some later time when I get bored and feel the upgrade itch. 🙂
@@iiWiReviews Just have fun with it.
Mundorf electrolitics in my power amp sound very low noise , neutral tonally, have punchy bass and great bass control . I'm using 4 pole Jensen's that are obsoleted and they sound richer tonally but maybe a tad less punchy...
Audio Note Kasei are super clean and low noise sounding cap with lush sound and open top with soundstage to die for. Some of lower values are priced all right .
Greetings! Thank you for this video. I am interested in building this DAC. I would like to use a ESS chip. Is this possible? Also, would you consider building a streamer of similar quality? I am thinking of a streamer design such as the Aurender series. Finally for this DAC why not use a separate power supply unit?
It's possible of course. I belive that all ESS chips are with current output (this one is voltage) so you would need to add the I/V conversion in that case. How that's done would also influence the final sound quality. So it's not a straightforward chip change but needs different output stage.
Streamer is a whole different beast, and software plays a huge role there, so I'm not ready to tackle that topic. 🙂
Please review Audial S5 DAC it's a product from your country! It's amazing implementation of TDA1541 I have one and I think it's my end game.. :)
Goes to show how power supply and output stages are sooooo important in a DAC. The DAC chip or R2R network is secondary and inexpensive.
Any chance to review the Audial S5 dac and A21 amp?
Do you believe one can replace the TOshlink optical with a ST Fiber glass output using this design ?
Duland caps , and Jupiter capacitor are also good
👍well done!
Long ago I tried to make diy dac with dulend output transformers, got all parts but never managed to finish it due to a lack of electronic knowledge, am still sorry not having my diy dac by looking into your job well done.
@iiWi Reviews do you think Aune S17 Pro will be a good match for Lampucera ? or better to build DIY amp ?
This is a burning question I have too lol
I wish that quality DIY HiFi kits were more of a common thing, like it was decades ago. Dynaco, Heathkit, Hafler, etc…
Amazing work🎉
Great video, and an excellent idea!
Great build, congratulations! I was very interested in this dac until you clarified that its output is quite hot😂
That is the last thing my Supratek Cabernet needs, I have been interested in the Audial S5 for a while, very elaborate power supply and a galvanized usb input, also an output off 2.1volt so good for my pre.
Is there any chance you will review this dac in future?
Great channel.
Have you heard the Holo May?
what do you think of Hegel hd12 ? if I build this with the ebay kit with toroidal psu upgrade and upgraded caps and upgrade the 2 tubes from the ebay kit will it sound better than the Hegel hd12?
Really great. 👍
Try a Philips J.A.N 6922 (green label) in the output, they are quite lively and 3D in presentation to my ears. Did try a Reflektor OTK btw.
Thank you, great video. I bought this ebay board set but the board layout and component names are different. Do you have any guidance on how to proceed with this current board. Thanks.
These days Lampucera A.D 2023 would be build on SMSL SU 1 or PO100AK.
Sorry to say but functionality of Lampucera is kind of stone age type.
I did this project 15 years ago but it was replaced with Behringer upsampler with AKM chip where whole analog stage was passive built on Lundahl transformers. It beat Lampucera all the way. Lampuceras design in to simple to be end game but it's fun to work on.
Try to make active filtering for tubes based on mosfet transistors. You will need to redefine end game scenario to your dac 😂
Your build sounds great but quite expensive too. Just Lundahl transforms cost is probably equal to this whole build. Maybe one day I get to think about something like that.
Lampucera is old but simple and fairly affordable to build. Its sound is maybe not up to your end-game standards but done this way for most people it would be. Its price to performance ratio is the real star in my opinion.
Cheers 🍺
@@iiWiReviews I know that capacitors that you've used were not cheap either. That's real rabbit hole in tube's world. I will try Fikus idea with modern Dac. SU-1 is almost perfect choice. Best donner would be cheapest dac with I2s input. Maybe smsl will come up with SU-2 😜
Curious about that active filtering with MOSFETs, as I am playing with the latter, already dabbled with tubes too.
Wow, three (!) toroidal transformers in a DAC seems a bit over the top. Those transformers must certainly be capable of handling at least 30 W, each. The one in the middle looks capable of around 60 W. I also do not understand how/why the capacitors can be/are so big given their modest filtering capability of 2.7 microfarads. On the other hand there seem to be 4 more capacitors (maybe Elna?), so perhaps it is the combination that makes the magic? Anyway, very interesting stuff. I am something of a newbie to Hi-Fi and am basically just weathering my ignorance loudly.
How about channel separation with only one small tube? Is there a frequency graph for it anywhere? And this huge 5Volts per channel on single ended outs, does it come noise - free? Or do we have usual, tuby high noise floor? Great project, thanks for the info. I'm still using an old NOS, TDA1545A, 16/44 dac and thinking of putting a tube I/V stage to it.
You should be able to use an E88CC in place of that 6n6p.
Hi - i enjoyed the content so much that i decided to try building a DIY DAC for the first time.
im quite familiar with soldering and whatnot,
however after successfully building similarly to the schematics :
- resistor from 0.47u caps (400k originally -> i used 470k),
- resistor from cathode to ground (300 ohm originally -> i used 330ohm)
- Anode voltage ( electricity in my place is not that good, i got around 115 V AC with the 2x 120v AC transformer)
- using a different dac board (ak4118 + ak4490) with output voltage of around 2.65 V on each left and right
- currently using 6n1p-ev (waiting for 6n6p to arrive)
i encountered an issue where the volume of the dac is super small, and when i try to increase the volume,
it distorts horribly.
may i know if anyone has experienced something similar or know regarding which parts are causing this issue?
im currently going to try to lower the 15k resistor to 2.2k, in order to give more voltage to the anode of the 6n1p
Thanks a lot for sharing any info or ideas XD
Hiya! I had a look at the notes, and although you mentioned a custom made Toroidal transformer, I was wondering how many toroidal transformers and at what Nominal Power and Nominal anode current? I think it was mentioned that going with toroids that are too small compromises things, so what is the ideal kind of size?
Also, is there any potential to modify the SE so that it becomes XLR?
Would a 12au7 work for a replacement tube? The 12au7 should be quieter and bring the output Voltage down.
I thought Ladder Schumann was for a long time your go to circa 1500 Euro dac.... do you prefer Gustard R26 to it now?
Schumann has slightly richer midrange tone timbre, R26 has cleaner sound and bigger soundstage. R26 sounded a bit better in my system and to my ears. It doesn't mean you would agree with that. Both are fantastic.
@@iiWiReviews Thanks for explaining this Srb.
Another quick question, just out of curiosity. Why use Miflex caps with over 400V capability when surely 250V is more than enough, and smaller and cheaper?
I wanted to use 250V version but few people told me that 600V actually sound better. I can't confirm or deny that, but I didn't want to doubt my decision later on, so I went with 600V.
Full disclosure here, I don't think it matters really.
Can the 250V version of the Miflex caps be used instead of the 600V, could save little bit of money
From my online search, Lampizator uses anode follower, cathode follower and SRPP in various DAC. You are using anode follower in this project. Is there any particular reason?
Hi. Both Fikus and a friend of mine that tried both agreed it sounds better (more energy, more soundstage) so I went with it.
Great video!
Where is the BOM? Where can I source it from?
What are the powers of the resistors to use for the anode, cathode and grid circuits and RCA output?
THANKS
I used 1W across the board (which is overkill in most places but a safe choice), but that tube heater resistor that adjust the voltage needs to be at least 5W because there's 750mA going trough it.
Is there any chance for review smsl dl200 or dl300? I would love to hear your opinion about them 😄
Thanks so much for sharing this design. In terms of the output, did you consider a simple voltage divider using resistors on the output to 1/2 the output voltage?
I didn not because my preamp handles this voltage just fine. It's worth exploring but I'm guessing it would have some kind od impact on the sound. Every L-pad does in the end.
There's also a Cathode follower schematic that natively gives half the output signal... But Fikus prefers this one sonically and so did my friend that tried both.
@@iiWiReviews to be clear, I'm suggesting based purely from an electrical standpoint, but I'm sure there is an "optimal" configuration with additional components that maintains the power curve and dynamic.. at the end, there are plenty of components (ie resistors, caps, etc.) already in the signal path.. Perhaps someone can contribute how to best divide the voltage with minimal degradation.
Thanks a lot, great work!! Wondering if you have also verified the awesome DIY Kits from Ian Canada? Love it, especially his craziness about perfect power 😅 Also have a look at Abbas Audio (own an SE3.2, outperforms my €15k commercial DAC). His building is outstanding, like Audio Note.
I haven't tried anything from Ian Canada but my friend is building his dual power supply so we'll see about that.
Hello
You said you tuned your sound
Was it by putting in the Duelund cap across the miflex 2.7 micro f
What value Duelund did you use ❓
I used the smallest 0.01uF bypass. It opens the midrange a bit more. Other tuning stuff incuded trying few different tubes. 6N6P with red tip and OTK stamp sounds great.
Please share a the complete bill of materials you used.
Did you act in Mulholland Drive?
I have built a few tube amps, and this project looks like fun so I ordered the kit and some tubes already. Planning the rest of the build now, think I might expand a little on the design and add analogue inputs so I can use it as a preamp also. My question is this; What kind of button is needed to switch the digital inputs (button 3 in your design)?
Board has 3 pins that switch inputs by connecting left or right pin to the cental one (jumper). So this switch needs to have both NC and NO contacts. Voltage is few volts so anything will do the job.
I used this one
a.aliexpress.com/_mqNe068
@@iiWiReviews Great, thanks IWI! So a simple two way toggle switch will also work then. I need to decide if I am going for a "modern" or oldschool design :)
Yes, toggle is the word I couldn't come up with. 🙂
I have a Lampucera DAC and would love to build this tube analogue stage but the schematics are terrible. I cannot read the designation for many of the components. For example, I do not see a value for RG on the tube screens. Does anyone have a better copy?
same issue could'nt understand the schematics at all. and the pictures is not enough like it gets confusing on the tube part so many wires connected.
All this looks very good... now what about trying a modern ES9038 or ES9068 or AKM Velvet 449x DAC board in it, or a good old TDA1541 with a Yamaha receiver chip and a custom IV stage? I also prefer the copper-foil/paper in oil caps (e.g. Audio Note and Jupiter, which are far more expensive than Miflex, but the latter look pretty similar, so need to try them, too). Also try some good CC resistors, you might be surprised. Not speaking about rectification diodes, huge differences there. As for the output stage, I found that good LDMOS designs sound better than most tube designs in DAC builds and headphone amps (and are also more practical), but in electrostatic energizers and speaker amps tubes are still a better (more musical) choice, even better than GaN or SiC, in the sense that it's easier to make good sound with tubes (semiconductors measure better in all accounts). YMMV. The point is that today, in low voltage applications, good semiconductor designs can match tube designs in all musical criteria, with lower noise and better power delivery. So the deciding factor and the guarantee for good sound is not really that it has a tube output stage, but what kind of design and implementation that is. Back to the Lampucera case, I really wonder how a more up to date DAC board might fare.
Srba, in your diagram the power supply has 4 x 4.7uf caps is this incorrect ? , in the finished DAC there are only 3 per channel .
2 x 47uF and 2 x 4.7uF. Smaller ones are on top of the bigger ones and both are red blocks so it might not be easily seen on the picture.
@@iiWiReviews Thank you.
Never say end game.😊
One can dream. 😄
Sorry to go off topic from what this video is about, but many have been asking about preamp function of Aune S17 Pro vs Ladder Bach preamp - how do they compare? I've heard one person who compare them say he and his friend both preferred Aune as preamp.
What are your thoughts ?
I will have to take them both out of the box again and make that comparison sometimes.
@@iiWiReviews Thanks! It will be a big service to your subscribers and anyone not yet subscribed, because one of those products is the clear choice for preamp under $1000. Thanks again!
hi, does the dac board have i2s input pins? can it be used without modification with the standard i2s output of an Ian Canada reclocker/streamer? thx
Every DAC is supposed to be able to use I2S internally if I'm not mistaken, and somewhere in between SPDIF receiver and the DAC itself there should be a point that is capable to accept I2S signal. However, I haven't looked into it. If someone has any info on this, please do share.
@@iiWiReviews thanks for the quick response and the video 😎 i think i shall try to build one with my engineer friend
What's the detail level compared to the Lampizator and others?
It's great. Baltic 3 may have a touch more midrange deteils but the difference is small. Other DACs like Gustard R26 can't fully match this one.
Question: what kind of hours would be required for an experienced person who is familiar with build tube based guitar amplifiers once all the past are there? Considering having my amp tech put one together for me, just need a estimated amount in the labor time involved. He has good electronics working knowledge.
It took me around 6 hours to do the final assembly and soldering. But it's tough to say, it could vary a lot depending how well is everything prepared - holes, cutouts, screws, wires... Things that you don't think trough and have to figure out on the spot are the ones that take most of the time.
@@iiWiReviews thank you for your response. That means for roughly 1500 Dollars i could have a dac like this. Probably the best dac i could get for that kind of money. I like that the money goes to quality parts and design that gives a sonic payoff. Makes Sense to me. Thank you so much for sharing this. If i print out the schematic and the parts spec and a picture of the layout that should give him a good reference point for the project. Thanks again🙏.
Top video. i might have missed it but does he mention the cost of his build?
$1000~1200 depending on the parts chosen.
Thank you@@iiWiReviews
Post a sound demo
Question about the transformer 2 x 120v. I see on the schematic voltage 2 x 120v but on the same schematic output from the transformer 150v. Which transformer did you order from Trafomatic? 230v / dual 150v or 230v dual 120v?
150V is DC... rectified 120 V AC x 1.4 = 168 minus some loss in rectifier and RC stage.
What petercrook said.
@@petercrook1111The schematic has issues. For example, the PS for the Anode is connected by the 150k Ohm resistor. The negative is not connected to anything.
How much do you want to build me one?
Ah nice purist dac project. Some argue that the added features of commercial dacs degrade the sound.
0 seconds ago
Hi - I can't seem to find the correct CS8416 + PCM1798 Lampucera DIY kit on looking in eBay in the UK. Any ideas anyone?
I apologize in advance for being childish, but I couldn't help it. Roman named Lampucera DAC is based on a design by Lukasz Ficus, with some help from Biggus Dickus...
My UAD apollo twin x is going to be real sad after this build
My Sanskrit 2 is endgame dac for me. Best I've ever heard. It was $110 three years ago. Amir measured it and it was better than some $5000 dacs.
Sanskrit 2 is the worst DAC I've heard, Sound BlasterX AE-5 is running circles around it and costs about the same
What other dacs do you have experience with ?
Tnx! V
Hello , thank you for the ncie review..........
6N1P is close to a 6DJ7/ECC88 but not the same .....one can substitute when the operation points allow it !( but not in all cases )
AVOID ......6922 /7308 , they have no damper mica fingers on the cathose as do,have the ECC88 and ECC188 /CCA ! 6922 is prone to ringing and that fault is often liked by audiophiles who think it gives more highs !!!!!..........but is is a fault
Not all 6922 have the fault , one should check , some NOS selected are good !
BEST tubes ( musicality ) are nos ...like the SIEMENS/HALSKE , TELEFUNKRN and PHILIPS SQ ( same as the famous Bugle boys from AMPEREX witch are in fact PHILIPS tubes that have beeb burned in and selected !
My favoured tubes are the CCA ( CC = double triode and C stands for the premium grade or the best tube we can build !)
ECC188 Siemns
Some E88CC TELEFUNKEN and SIEMENS ( selected )
Original ECC88 NOS ( selected )
AND ..........the wonderfull sounding PCC88 SIEMENS .......( string filament + based on curerent drive insteéad of voltage ....300 MA / 7.4 OR 7.6 VOLT )
Another great sounding tube with guts , rythm and drive is the 12BH7GE ..........lots od energy , up and go ...
A tube to avoid is the SIEMNS/ECG 7308 ( US MADE nos ) .........(Siemens bought ECG former Sylvania /us PHILIPS .......)
PS: ECC88:/6DJ7 have max plate voltage of 1340 volt!
Some PCC 89 are relabeled as a EEC88 or 6922 ..........AVOID AT ALL TIMES !!
Only buy from respectable sellers ..........Beware of fraud on E-BAY !!
Have a nice day
pretty sure any cheap DAC runs circles around this crazy exotic DAC in terms of measurements.
Do you have a meter that measures musical enjoyment?
Probably doesn’t sound as realistic, though.
Alternative to a USB board, one could just run USB from source to SMSL PO100 as it is a very capable digital to digital converter, is extremely affordable, and a very simple solution to not only have USB signal incorporated but highly cleaned up USB signal at that. Ive recently added one to my system between laptop and R26 Gustard and was amazed at how much it cleaned up the sound. No more grounding issues and pops from laptop signal.
Any tube DAC that doesn't use 2A3 output tubes isn't the "endgame" DAC. The $49k is a total joke. The same design can probably found for around $800 in China...