Mmm Phillips Double Crown Dac Chips are in

[Icarium]

http://picasaweb.google.com/asebastian2/DoubleCrown/photo#5107114672554852322

So pretty! These are the ultra rare and highly acclaimed double crown version of the 20 year old R2R non-OS Phillips TDA1541A chip. Haven't been tested by my DAC builder to see if they are legit ;p But hopefully they are!

They use this chip (only 1 or 2 though) in the highest end Zanden dac and various old school players like the Marantz CD-7. Apparently crazies in Japan build dacs with 32-64 of these chips per channel. Very pricey at

$100-$150 if you can find them ;p

Asebastian sourced them for me and is planning on sticking them in a modified version of this dac:

http://www.ecdesigns.nl/dacs/di8m/di8m.html

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=79452

in a custom chassis ;p

Excited! But sadly this project will have to be sidelined with the purchase of my transport and lack of funds Ohwell at least I have the pretty chips... been wanting something with them in it forever. But finding a Marantz cd-7 is tough (It even has a digital input!).

[tkam]

Too bad those chips are the most overrated dac chips in history.

[PFKMan23]

Too bad those chips are the most overrated dac chips in history.

[Icarium]

Yeah I don't doubt that they are vastly over priced and aren't the best possible chip. In fact Filburt told me he prefers some other R2R chip that I can't remember off the top of my head. Still, I seem to go for the overrated products and I kind of wanted to hear for myself how it sounds.

[mulveling]

I kind of wanted to hear for myself how it sounds.

You are wise beyond your years...unfortunately at this rate, you will also be poor below them

[Icarium]

What can I say I hate money. If you want some from me you just have to slap the words "Rare"/"Best" whatever on it and I'll cough up the bank.

[n_maher]

please donate to my "Rare"/"Best" paypal account.

Please PM me for this address.

[n_maher]

you backstabber!

NOBODY EXPECTS THE SPANISH INQUISITION!

[aerius]

Yeah I don't doubt that they are vastly over priced and aren't the best possible chip. In fact Filburt told me he prefers some other R2R chip that I can't remember off the top of my head. Still, I seem to go for the overrated products and I kind of wanted to hear for myself how it sounds.

There's actually several that are nicer. Burr-Brown PCM63, PCM1702, PCM1704. I have the PCM1700 in my CD player, not quite as a good as it's only an 18-bit chip as opposed to the 20 & 24 bits of the others. Still pretty happy with it though.

[Icarium]

Yeah I think the PCM63 is the one that Filburt likes best. It's cool. Will still sound good. Now I just have to get the deal worked out for wood puck feet for the DAC made from a mix of Noah's Ark and the True Cross. Ah, sonic bliss.

[DigiPete]

add to that the top BB 1792 and slightly lower 1796

[tkam]

I tend to prefer the pcm1704 but out of the current delta-sigma dacs i like the AKM4396 the best followed by the pcm1792/4/6

[grawk]

There's actually several that are nicer. Burr-Brown PCM63, PCM1702, PCM1704. I have the PCM1700 in my CD player, not quite as a good as it's only an 18-bit chip as opposed to the 20 & 24 bits of the others. Still pretty happy with it though.

Do the extra bits help when you're decoding 16 bit data?

[deepak]

Icarium I have a CD transport that is only 1 of 2 in this planet Earth. Yours for eleventy billion yen.

[DigiPete]

Do the extra bits help when you're decoding 16 bit data?

They do if you have a DSP that upsamples the data to 24 bit... and even better... to 96khz

[grawk]

If you say so

[Icarium]

I tend to prefer the pcm1704 but out of the current delta-sigma dacs i like the AKM4396 the best followed by the pcm1792/4/6

I actually like the AK4396 quite a lot and probably the upcoming AK4397. I am definitely going to get them in my other source when I have the money for an APL mod. Still I am very curious to see if the retarded premium I'm paying on the double crown can equal or beat the AKM chips in redbook.

[DigiPete]

I do

[n_maher]

Icarium I have a CD transport that is only 1 of 2 in this planet Earth. Yours for eleventy billion yen.

Pfffft, I have a DAC that's 1 of 1.

[deepak]

I actually like the AK4396 quite a lot and probably the upcoming AK4397. I am definitely going to get them in my other source when I have the money for an APL mod. Still I am very curious to see if the retarded premium I'm paying on the double crown can equal or beat the AKM chips in redbook.

If you like that NOS sound then it might just. Me, not such a fan.

[aerius]

Do the extra bits help when you're decoding 16 bit data?

The short answer is yes, it does help. The long answer involves a lot of math which I don't understand anymore, as I've been out of university too long and my Calculus is pretty damn rusty.

The Long Answer (PDF File)

[mulveling]

The short answer is yes, it does help. The long answer involves a lot of math which I don't understand anymore, as I've been out of university too long and my Calculus is pretty damn rusty.

The Long Answer (PDF File)

Can we get a postjack-style summary of the long answer?

[DigiPete]

Nice.... good reading material for my plane trip to DC.

[Icarium]

If you like that NOS sound then it might just. Me, not such a fan.

I have a Wavelength Audio Cosine dac right now. i forget which chip it is but Filburt might remember he took a look inside. It's a great sounding DAC owns the FUCK out of the Monarchy M24 I used to have.

The improvements on detail/tone are subtle and slight, but the very fact that it has like 3x the soundstage was a big deal to me. the Monarchy was remably narrow.

[Nanoha]

The TDA1541 hype is pure bullshit.

Yeah I don't doubt that they are vastly over priced and aren't the best possible chip. In fact Filburt told me he prefers some other R2R chip that I can't remember off the top of my head. Still, I seem to go for the overrated products and I kind of wanted to hear for myself how it sounds.

I'm guessing he prefers many other chips over the TDA1541.