DAC progress

[ssssly]

Thanks Doc. Guess I'll grab an inexpensive solution while I eagerly await the Bottlehead goodness.

And congrats on the new place. Will it be open for visitors around the Dec timeframe? Should be passing back through the states around then and would love to shake hands with the folks who have fed my addiction for the past 11 years (man it doesn't seem like it has been that long).

Be well

 

[Doc B]

Yes, a big part of the move is having a place where folks can stop by and listen to our products, and also learn about various aspects of audio. I plan to start giving classes on amp building, amp design, using tape recorders and quite a few other ideas we have had over the years but only tried a few of. We will also be willing to host audio club meetings, and I'm kicking around the idea of having informal tape, vinyl and high res digital listening sessions after hours.

I just got word last night that the space should be ready for us to start moving in by the end of next week. I have tentatively planned an open house on October 22, but we hope to be ready to entertain visitors well before that date.

 

[HF9]

Anything new on the Bottlehead DAC forefront? A few minor updates to whet our appetites?

 

[booangler]

bump

 

[xcortes]

OK guys. So I've been trying to learn a little bit about this stuff in the last days. While I am not at all concerned about the analog part of the DAC I am a little bit underexcited that the DAC won't control the source which really seems to be the ticket. In any case I found that Wavelength makes a USB to SPDIF converter that looks like a good alternative. It is expensive but if I go into digital I want it to be the best possible as is my other BH gear:

http://www.usbdacs.com/Products/Products.html

WaveLink HS 24/192 USB to SPDIF converter:

I know you have been expecting this release for a long time. We were waiting for OSX version 10.6.4 to be released as there were some issues with previous releases. Apple has released 10.6.4 and so we are ready to release the WaveLink product. Since Windows does not support Class 2 USB Audio we had to get a driver capable of working with our product. We therefore have the Thesycon USB Class 2 Audio driver available for our products. All of the new setup is covered in the 24/192 page.

While this will not bring legacy DACS up to the asynchronous capabilities of direct USB connectivity it will do a lot for those people wanting to connect their SPDIF dacs to computers. Since the clock in all transports are changing the SPDIF output also has to change and this is used to control the flow of audio data between a transport and dac. With the WaveLink the clock is fixed and therefore the SPDIF is fixed and this makes the receiver section of any SPDIF connected device to work really well because the internal PLL (Phase Lock Loop) that derives the Audio DATA stream connects at one frequency, locks on and stays there.

This means that the WaveLink has significantly better jitter capabilities than most transports. It also has rates available and shown with LED's for all the popular audio frequencies (44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4 and 192KHz). The WaveLink is shipped with a BNC connector for the best response and is shipped with a suitable BNC-BNC SPDIF cable and with a mating BNC->RCA adapter if your dac requires this. A high grade USB 2.0 High Speed cable is also included with each WaveLink.

$900 US Retail.

 

[Yoder]

The Hiface is something we're looking into. In the meantime we plan to work with cards that should work very well - EMU 0404USB, EMU 1212m, Juli@, and Lynx II. I use the 0404USB as a USB/TOSLINK interface with my Acer netbook and it sounds quite good. I expect the SPDIF setup will be as good or better.

I have an 0404 E-Mu that has a bad USB port. If you would like to use it for an R&D, then I would be more than happy to ship it your way (my treat.) I am currently using an Apogee Duet, but am waiting to build my own DAC.

Having read through this thread I saw a lot of references to different DAC manufacturers, but did not see anything referring to AudioNotekits.com...pricey, but they have an interesting take on things.

 

[Doc B]

Thanks for the offer. I already have an 0404 USB that I have been using for evaluation. The DAC project has unfortunately been sitting on the back burner for a few months as we have been getting moved and caught up on product releases that have been delayed even longer than the DAC. However every time I hear it vs. other DACs my enthusiasm is greatly renewed. Now that we are getting caught up I think we will be qble to dive into the next phase of the project.

 

[tdogzthmn]

ANY chance the DAC will be done by X-MAS?  I'm in the market for a DAC and I'd like to get one from Bottlehead first.

 

[Doc B]

I'm shooting for some time next year.

 

[Thoburn]

Hello Doc,

I am thinking of making your new DAC my next Bottlehead project.

 

[Paul Joppa]

Today we discussed this a bit (after some debugging of another project). We'll be prototyping a few circuit options in the coming months.

 

[Thoburn]

OK, I'm a basic newb to the subject, but how about the loss-less digital music that is available these days? Will your new DAC be able to handle it? What ever 'it' is. How about FLAC files for instance? 

 

[HF9]

Thoburn, it's the software on your computer that has to handle the lossless files, not the DAC. If you download Foobar and the kernal streaming plugin, and hunt down an M2Tech HiFace, you'll be in perfect shape to output high quality music (all the way up to 24-bit) to a DAC. You don't need an M2Tech HiFace if your soundcard has a digital output, but I've found it sounds preferable.

 

[johnll3]

Once upon a time I had a normal life style- a day job and warmed up the stereo when I got home. I used tubes then -just a Dynaco type amp. Now I work at home and turn on music with my morning coffee and often do not turn it off until bedtime. During the day it is mostly classical internet radio. Sometimes it is muted and maybe I turn it off if I leave the house but I bet it runs 5000 hours a year. No way to treat a tube amp- it does not help my current SS stuff either.

Doc my question relates to your dac to be. As a long time lurker I realize the Dac may be ready this year. Hopefully my old stuff sells on Gon by then. Seriously,I have a memory that many months ago you stated you had a good idea of how you would do the tube output. I am not looking for specifics but how practical it might be for me.

One tube or more, heat on desk top, replace tubes every 6 months or year or

 

[Paul Joppa]

Right now, two or three tubes (including regulators) is still a question, depending on the gain budget. Doc B is currently experimenting with some of the options. They will be operating conservatively, not like power tubes, and should have much longer life than typical power output tubes. Something in the Seduction to Eros range, I would guess.

 

[Thoburn]

Thoburn, it's the software on your computer that has to handle the lossless files, not the DAC. If you download Foobar and the kernal streaming plugin, and hunt down an M2Tech HiFace, you'll be in perfect shape to output high quality music (all the way up to 24-bit) to a DAC. You don't need an M2Tech HiFace if your soundcard has a digital output, but I've found it sounds preferable.

Thanks for the info. I may have to get a cheap DAC just so I can play with the software until the Bottlehead DAC is available.

 

[johnll3]

Thanks Paul,
I think, reading reading your post and the thread -Tube life on Seduction, this is practical for me. Maybe with bottles in the mix I will turn it off more.  Looking forward to your dac announcement. John

 

[tdogzthmn]

I am really hoping for USB which has become a standard input on many DACs.  Can anyone comment if this is going to be implemented, possibly with oversampling or asynchronous data transfer?

 

[jrebman]

tdogzthmn,

They have already said that they are out to build  high-res NOS dac, so I'm not sure what the point of oversampling would be.

Async also comes with some licensing fees that I don't know if BH will be willing to pay for, but it is definitely not the only way to get a great usb implementation.

I think we'll all just have to wait to see what they come up with -- they have some very sharp folks at BH and working on this with them, and from experience we know they aren't going to release a compromised dac just to get it out the door, and I'm guessing that some of this kind of detail is still in the experimental stage.

I myself really want one of these when it comes out as there are precious few high-res NOS dacs out there even today, and it should be a real treat.

-- Jim

 

[tdogzthmn]

I know Bottlehead is a tentative guest at the Bay Area Head-fi meet on the 19th of February.  Any chance the DAC might make an appearance?  This would be a great opportunity to build anticipation in the Head-fi community in addition to getting some feedback.  I will be in attendance a look forward to seeing/hearing some great gear!