JE Labs Audio Playground AKA System No. 2

 My main system has remained pretty constant for over 20 years, except for a couple of milestones. However, the same can't be said about my audio playground which sits beside my home office, in which the only thing constant is change. 😉

 Testing a few flea market/thrift store finds: a Kenwood KT880D tuner, a Sony DVP NS900V, a Magnavox CD2000, comparing a pair of Electro-Voice Sonocaster portable speakers vs. Lafayette SK98s, revisiting a Rek O Kut L34 + S160 tonearm + Shure M3D 

The power amp is my JEL Simple 45 with Tamura F475s driven by the JEL Loctal Preamp.

Trying a pair of Sansui T-104 horn tweeters on top of Altec 755Cs in Altec 618 cabinets, Denon DP1250 + Rega R200 tonearm + Audio-Technica AT3600L, comparing the Scott LT110B vs. the Kenwood KT880D vs. the Yamaha T-2

A JEL Loctal Preamp drives the JEL Simple 46 amp with Noguchi PMF 10WS OPTs.

Since I blogged about the Altec 755A in Dr. Bae/Silbatone cabinets, this system has remained pretty consistent with a Gates CB77 + Fidelity Research FR54 + DL103 + Shure MC transformers or a moving permalloy Nagaoka MP10 serving LPs + the JEL Loctal Preamp  and JEL Simple 46 or Dyna ST35 doing preamp/amp duties.

This system also served as a cross reference for the  CD/DAC mods, Multi-bit DACs, Thrift Store CD players, Darling Amp, JEL Style, FM Tuner reviews, amongst others that I blogged about this past year.

At the end of summer, the boss decided that it was time to mitigate the flooding problem during heavy rain and snow in the lower level of our home. 

Since this entailed removing the drywall in the hifi man cave, everything had to be stored or relocated and dust-proofed. 

It's been over a month since the retaining wall was sealed with waterproof coating. We've had a couple of strong rains and it's been dry so far. But we're in no hurry to replace the drywall. We want to make sure that it'll stay dry through the worst precipitation Mother Nature sends our way.

Meanwhile, even if I have a nice mono hi-fi in the living room, I miss stereophonic sound.

The boss was kind enough to allow the re-commissioning of the near-field system. To make unpacking simpler, I minimized the use of tube electronics. 

I'm currently DJ'ing between a Denon DP1250 + DA50 and a Sony TTS2500 + Grace G565 with various MM and MC cartridges. Line level sources include a Raspberry Pi 3B+/Volumio > Musical Fidelity V-Link USB to S/PDIF* > NOS'd Arcam Delta Black Box DAC and an NAD 4300 AM/FM tuner.

*I acquired this for less than half the cost of an Allo DigiOne and it sounds just as good!

A Realistic 32-1100A Stereo Mixer I found at a flea market for 10 bucks is doing preamp duty. It has provisions for three line level inputs or 2 x magnetic phono + 1 line level. I thought the magnetic phono inputs were pretty decent on this discrete transistorized unit (no op-amps) until I got another discrete solid-state Radio Shack product, the 42-2109 phono preamp. This unit produced a warmer, more vivid midrange with even better extension in the frequency extremes. 

To warm things up further, I inserted a pair of UTC A20 line level transformers between the Rat Shack Stereo Mixer and the Nobsound NS-02g. 

Belden 9497

The Belden 9497 speaker cables softened the slight edginess betraying the solid-state DNA of the JLH 1969 Class A amp clone and made the Altec 755Cs in Altec 618 cabinets sound snappy!

Judicious mixing and matching of yesteryears' solid-state audio components employing discrete circuitry with the line transformers and a cable tweak inserted in between, mimicked the musical experience I typically enjoy only from an all vacuum tube set up. It's akin to the Fuji Acros film simulation setting in my Fuji X-E3 camera. But there's still no substitute for the real thing. 😉

November Hi-Fi Show 2019

It's that time of the year again! 

more info

If you're in Manila, please join my friends on November 23-24! 

Magnavox CDB465 Mods > TDA1541 DAC Kit > Arcam Delta Black Box

Magnavox CDB465

The Magnavox CDB465 was the no-frills entry level model marketed ca. 1987. Its more upmarket contemporaries were the CDB460, CDB560 and CDB650. Since it shares the same DAC and audio section as its more expensive siblings, they are sonically on equal footing.

I wanted all my modifications to be reversible so I installed IC sockets for the audio op-amps and SAA7220 digital OverSampling filter. The original electrolytic output caps were replaced with 4.7uf WIMA polyester caps.

Since there were no "bulging" electrolytic power supply capacitors and the AC line current draw monitored on my Variac was very normal, I didn't deem it necessary to recap the entire unit.

Typical dual op-amps found in
80s vintage Philips/Magnavox CD players:
NE5532N and LM833N
+
the FET-input OPA2604AP

This modification follows the footsteps of Walt Jung's article on page 74 of the June 1987 issue of Audio. Walt discussed the importance of op-amps with fast slew rate and higher quality output capacitors for better audio performance. Although the Burr-Brown OPA2604APs I chose date from the late 90s, they are still sonically respected due to their FET-inputs, which supposedly give them a "tubey" quality.

There's a plethora of cheap Burr-Brown op-amps from Chinese sellers, but I didn't want to risk getting fakes. So I searched hard and found some for less than $5 each from a seller in Texas.

The polyester caps + OPA2604AP op-amps cleaned up the sound. I heard less digital screech at the top end and an overall improvement in definition across the audio band.

I don't consider cutting traces in the PC board and using jumper wires à la Lampizator as reversible. So I ordered this plug 'n play NVKaudio NOS/re-clock module for $30/shipped from Bulgaria. I was quite taken aback by the improvement in sound when I installed this NonOverSampling module in place of the SAA7220 digital OS filter. The high frequencies opened up, the midrange became more luminous, detail and definition improved without additional harshness and it had better dynamic contrasts. It was an experience reminiscent of the first time I fired up my DIY no-negative feedback PP2A3 amp in the early 90s.

To objectify these two modifications, the op-amp/output cap upgrade gave at least a 10% improvement, while the shift to NOS = 40%! If this NOS modification was known in the 80s, I probably would've been more amenable to CD technology then. Oh well, as they say, better late than never. 😊

My problem now is, I want a stand-alone TDA1541-based DAC to connect to my Pi 3B+/Allo DigiOne or any digital transport. Can it be done on a modest budget? 

TDA1541 Chinese DAC Kit

This fully assembled DAC board sans TDA1541 chip cost $50 shipped from China. For another $30 I got an R-core power transformer with dual 15V + dual 9V secondary + 120/240V primary windings. Within less than an hour, I had a TDA1541 DAC on a breadboard ready for listening.

 It has 3 digital inputs including a PCM2704-based USB interface + optical or coaxial feeding a CS8412 receiver. The audio section came with single NE5534N op-amps (2 per channel) and polyester WIMA caps in the output section. Adjacent to the empty TDA1541 socket is a socketed SAA7220P/C digital oversampling filter. With seven heat-sinked regulators and a battery of filter capacitors, I surmise that every section of this DAC is independently filtered and regulated.

The topology reminded me of the innards of D/A sections of upmarket CD players and DACs from the TDA1541 era. For example, the TDA1541 socket is surrounded by film-type capacitors, which is a recommended upgrade to the SMDs found in mainstream mid-80s Philips/Magnavox CD players.

Using a TDA1541 chip I scavenged from a dead CDB2041, I fed this DAC with the output stream of the modified CDB465 above with its SAA7220 digital filter re-installed*. Honestly, I could not conclusively discern a difference between the output of this DAC and the modified audio section of the CDB465. This can only mean that this DAC must be doing something better...

*NOTE: removing the SAA7220 digital filter disables the digital coaxial output of any Philips/Magnavox CD player from the TDA1541/1543 era

The stock Adcom GDA600 offers better detail resolution and definition + a smidgen better extension in the frequency extremes compared to this TDA1541 DAC. But there is something organic about how the TDA1541 DAC presents music especially in the midrange, which makes it musically more satisfying.

Left = NVKaudio NOS module 
Center = SAA7220P/C
Right = JE's DIY NOS module

After a couple of days, I upped the stakes and upgraded the NE5534Ns op-amps to FET-input OPA604s. Then I pulled out the SAA7220P/C digital filter and inserted a simpler NOS module I made from a 24-pin socket and three jumper wires (above, right) based on a tip from this DIYer's website. Thanks, man!

Please note that my 24-pin socket/3-jumper wire NOS concoction doesn't work with CD players, only with outboard DACs. The NVKaudio NOS module works with both CD player and outboard DAC. The good news is, in a DAC application, I don't hear a sonic advantage using the NVKaudio NOS module over my cheap NOS concoction.

With the OPA604s installed and the SAA7220P/C chip replaced by my DIY NOS module, the TDA1541 Kit (fed by the digital stream of either a Magnavox CDB650 or a Sony CDP 505esD) overtook the modified CDB465 with the NVKaudio NOS module in terms of midrange warmth and definition across the audio band. The edge in detail retrieval that the Adcom GDA600 had was narrowed, while the NOS TDA1541 DAC with op-amp upgrade pulled ahead in terms of midrange warmth and dynamics.

I didn't consider a further upgrade to Burson or Sparkos discrete op-amps because they are expensive and by nature, these devices rely on negative feedback (NFB) to achieve linearity. IME as a vacuum tube DIYer, NFB satisfies the scope and meters but not my ears. 😜

Arcam Delta Black Box

Arcam and Musical Fidelity both claim to have produced the first outboard D/A processor. Here are links to Stereophile's review from the late 80s of the Arcam Delta Black Box and Musical Fidelity Digilog. 

I lucked out on a Delta Black Box which needed some work. Fortunately, a service manual is available online. After replacing a couple of fried resistors, music!

Musical Fidelity Digilog
Courtesy of Google

I also wanted to try a Digilog, but in hindsight, it was a good thing I couldn't afford those that came up for sale. Based on the picture above, it was a textbook, albeit deluxe, implementation of the TDA1541 DAC chip. Except for the digital input receiver section, the D/A circuit topology is very similar to the CDB465 and Chinese kit above -  TDA1541 DAC output > op-amp ICs in the audio stage > coupling caps at the output to block DC offset.

I'm not sure if the TDA1541A S2 (dual crown) chip in the picture above was originally supplied with this unit, probably not. Stereophile's favorable review of the Digilog over the Arcam Delta Black Box is probably the reason why they command higher resale prices. 

Arcam Delta Black Box

In stark contrast, the Arcam Delta Black Box is actually the more sophisticated design. It used discrete components with Class A operating points, instead of audio op-amp ICs. The audio stage is a direct coupled design = no capacitors in the signal path. The op-amps visible are part of a DC servo circuit that controls DC offset at the output.

It did have a tendency to sound a bit hot on the top end. But I could hear its untapped potential, excellent bass definition and extension + a midrange that is still very TDA1541-like. Since there are no capacitors that I could "tune to taste" with paper in oils, I carefully unsoldered the SAA7220P/B digital OS filter and installed a 24-pin socket. 

Running the Delta Black Box in NOS mode got rid of all the nastiness in the top end. The high frequencies opened up with shimmer and airiness, the midrange became more focused and bass response and extension is the best I've heard from CDs so far. It was clearly better than my mod'ed CDB465 above with NVKaudio NOS module, op-amp upgraded and NOS TDA1541 Chinese DAC kit and stock Adcom GDA600. Although not quite as lucid in the midrange as the Audio GD R2R-11, the frequency extremes were much better.

Now that I've heard a few TDA1541 DAC topologies and have compared them to a PCM-63 based DAC + a discrete R2R design, I'm quite confident that my ideal DAC would use an NOS TDA1541 DAC chip coupled to a tube output stage.

PS: I can't hear the difference between the TDA1541 and TDA1541A. I have no experience with the specially selected S1 or S2 samples. Does anyone care to send me a sample (or two) to try? 😉

Fuji X-E1 R.I.P. (Oct. 2013 - Aug. 2019)

After 6 years of great service, my beloved Fuji X-E1 died during our NYC trip. 😞

I miss its real camera ergonomics. Ideally, I'd like to have Fujifilm RF aesthetics, ergonomics + a full frame sensor. Perhaps a digital Leica M? 🤔

But my reality is a compromise. 😜

I'm just beginning to appreciate the benefits of a full frame sensor from this Sony device. 😊

Summer 2019 Amp Projects and 6X6 Folding Rangefinder Cameras

Radiotron SE2A3 with Noguchi PMF-15WS

Shot with an Ansco Super Speedex loaded with
Foma 100 and developed in Kodak HC110 dilution B

Ansco Super Speedex
more pics

JE Labs Simple 46 with Noguchi FM-6WS

Shot with a Super Fujica 6 loaded with
Foma 100 and developed in Kodak HC110 dilution B 

Super Fujica 6
more pics

Good light and happy listening!

JE Labs Flea Market

My boss told me we are running out of storage space and before I can acquire more audio toys, I have to free up some space.... 😜

Just like the olden days, I decided to revive the JE Labs Flea Market as an outlet for my surplus equipment and other goodies.

Multi-bit DACs from yesterday and today

Multi-bit DACs from yesterday and today

Since I listen primarily to 16-bit/44.1 kHz sources and have found the decoding capabilities of the USB DACs and DACs using sigma-delta chips musically challenged for that purpose, I searched for alternative ways. I backtracked and then moved forward.

Listening Set-Up

Magnavox CDB650 + Sony CDP505ESD
used as CD transports

Raspberry Pi 3B+/Volumio/Allo Digi One
+
Anker Power Bank

1:1 line level audio transformers
as digital filter
between DAC and preamp 😊

Near-field 

Altec 755Cs in 618 Cabs

Main System 

Man Cave HiFi

Audio Alchemy Dac In The Box

 To alleviate my disappointment with the performance of my Philips CD921 bitstream CD player, I bought this Dac In The Box in the 90s with the optional high current power supply. After the Philips CDP died, this unit soldiered on, hooked to the digital out of my Sony DVP NS755V.

While taking the circuit board out of its case, I realized that this may have been the ancestor of the Topping D30 due to its packaging. The main difference is, the D30 is powered by a cheap (potentially noisier) wall wart containing a Switch Mode Power Supply. OTOH, the basic DITB was still equipped with a linear power supply with a real transformer - silicon steel laminations + copper windings - a luxury item nowadays!

The CS8412 input receiver dwarfs all the other ICs including the 2 x Analog Devices AD1860 18-Bit DAC chips. Unlike the Burr-Brown PCM-63P below (or the Philips TDA1541), the AD1860 has a built-in op-amp that serves as an I/V converter. There's provision for coaxial and optical inputs but no USB. "Designed and manufactured in USA" is something we rarely see nowadays...

This was a highly-rated budget DAC in the 90s. Almost 30 years later, I still find it to be a pleasant sounding unit - detailed yet smooth overall, with a nice midrange and good frequency extension at both extremes. Maybe I'm yearning for more dynamics, because compared to the three other DACs, this is not as musically exciting. However, I'd much rather listen to this than either of my CS4398 chip'd DACs.

Adcom GDA600 - specs

Another American-made device from the 90s, this DAC was designed to a high standard. Because of the 2 x Burr-Brown PCM-63 DAC chips in its circuit, it has developed quite a following amongst classic multi-bit DAC aficionados. This DAC chip, along with the Philips TDA1541A S1/S2 single/double crown and the Ultra Analog U20400A, are considered the epitome of multi-bit DAC design.

To the left is a well-regulated and filtered power supply, while to the right is the digital and audio board, liberally populated by period correct plastic film capacitors for audio coupling. Just like the Audio Alchemy DITB, this predates USB. Instead, there are two coaxial inputs, an AES/EBU input and optical input plus a digital coaxial output.

The digital bits are fed to a CS8412 input receiver, oversampled eight times by a Burr-Brown DF1700 digital filter and processed by 2 x Burr-Brown PCM63P 20-Bit DAC chips (one for each channel). Finally, two Adcom 7AA op-amps serve as an I/V converter for each channel's output.

The sound of the GDA600 is very authoritative and detailed. It easily has the best extension at the frequency extremes. Starting from the deep and well-controlled bass all the way to crisp and extended highs. I found the midrange just a touch lean and dry. The sound field is the widest in this survey but not quite as deep compared to LPs or even the Audio GD below. It sounds very exciting due to the excellent rendition of dynamics. The tonal balance is very neutral and should appeal to listeners who value accuracy and detail.

This is a popular model amongst DIYers for tweaking and parts upgrades. Maybe replacing the op-amps with FET equivalents and the plastic film caps in the audio signal path with paper in oil type will warm this unit up a bit.

Muse TDA1543 x 4 mini DAC

This was a very popular entry-level Non-Over-Sampling  (NOS) available at Amazon and eBay until a couple of years ago when supplies dried up. I got this unit from the used market for an Alex above the original going rate of $55, shipped.

To keep costs down, 4 x TDA1543 DAC chips are employed to produce line level output without resorting to an active I/V converter stage for each of the two channels.

Polyester Wima caps replaced the original electrolytic output caps

I replaced the stock electrolytic output caps with film types and the stock SMPS wall wart with a linear power supply. 

SMPS vs Linear PS

With these two simple upgrades in place, this DAC portrayed a natural and vivid midrange which is musically captivating. After extended listening, I realized that the frequency extremes were truncated. It also lacks the ability to resolve complex musical passages which get compressed and congested. Based on my experience with TDA1543 chip'd CD players, an active I/V converter may address these issues. That said, I'm not sure if it is possible to get this level of musicality in reproducing a jazz trio or chamber music for under a Ben! 

Audio GD R2R-11 - specs

Mid 2018 model

Audio-GD is an audio company that prides itself with using discrete components in their designs. Since this is an NOS type DAC, the digital bits are processed directly (no oversampling filter) by an R-2R ladder (2 x DA 8 modules as pictured below) to convert digital data into analog signals. Unlike the older two DACs above, the Amanero USB input supports PCM, DSD and DXD.

From the Audio GD website

I will skip the technical description and let this picture speak for itself. Suffice it to say, I love the handcrafted/cottage industry vibe. Hence, the $384 landed cost is justified!

 This DAC has a tube-like three-dimensional quality and clarity in the midrange. The layering of vocals and instruments in the sound field easily bested the other two even if it wasn't quite as wide as the Adcom. Very good extension at the frequency extremes, second only to the GDA600. Excellent in presenting micro dynamics (even better than the Adcom), there's no need to turn the volume up to high SPLs for excitement. However, at the louder side of the spectrum, the GDA600 has the upper hand in control and authority.

I listened to the R2R-11 in the neutral setting since the warm setting was too mushy in the context of my two set ups. Although I'm just an occasional headphone listener, I heard the same tubey quality through my Grado SR80 headphones. With my CS4398 DACs,  I always found the coaxial input to sound superior to the USB. However, with this unit I could not detect a difference, so the Amanero USB input must be doing a good job!

This DAC reminded me very much of my JLH 1969/Nobsound NS-02g Class A amp - a solid-state device that tries very hard to emulate a tube unit. Almost there, but not quite...

The DAC Wrap

After listening casually and intensively to these four DACs this past year, I realized that I want the virtues of all four devices without their vices - the dynamic presentation at louder levels of the GDA600 and the micro dynamics of the R2R-11, the transparency and tube-like quality of the R2R-11 (is it because of NOS?🤔), the frequency extension and detail resolution of the GDA600, the wide sound field of the Adcom and depth of the Audio GD, the long-term listenability of the Audio Alchemy AND the affordability of the Muse Mini TDA1543x4. Can I have my cake and eat it, too?😊