[modwright]

Regrading the Pro-Ject DAC, I plan to have prototype results by next week!

The goal will be a separate box with VERY solid 5V DC supply for the DAC and a well designed tube buffer to follow the analog output from the Pro-Ject DAC box.

Thanks,

Dan

[JakeJ]

Mornin' Gents,

Here is a link to my Modwright / Musical Paradise MP-D2 v.2 modification review.
https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=158757.new#new

[jhm731]

Some more DACs to look at:

https://www.denafrips.com/

[modwright]

Very interesting!  Price Points?

Dan

[jhm731]

Very interesting!  Price Points?

Dan

go to:

https://www.vinshineaudio.com/denafrips

also a review of the Terminator here:

https://www.audiostream.com/content/review-denafrips-terminator-dac

[modwright]

Impressive design and I am sure it sounds great!

Two things though:

Made in China and what is the firmware support like? I ask this because this type of DAC is ALIVE because of the programming/firmware.
I have never heard of it before.  Is it well known? I don't mean in any way that it isn't a great design, I just don't know how many are out there and hence what the level of interest in mods may be.

Thanks,

Dan

[jhm731]

Impressive design and I am sure it sounds great!

Two things though:

Made in China and what is the firmware support like? I ask this because this type of DAC is ALIVE because of the programming/firmware.
I have never heard of it before.  Is it well known? I don't mean in any way that it isn't a great design, I just don't know how many are out there and hence what the level of interest in mods may be.

Thanks,

Dan

I don't know, but here's a post from the distributor:

Hi guys,

I posted in another forum, but I thought I should share it here as well.

We have had someone in mind for months now but wanted to make sure that person was up to our standard of service. After a couple of repairs were done very well, we are happy to announce the US service center in Atlanta GA, Mike Powell Audio, a 15 year veteran in the Hifi industry with the background in modification and repair as well as design and manufacturing.

Henceforth, for US customers, you do not need to ship the faulty unit back to us. Mike offers 'white glove' courier service. All you need to do is to pack the unit back in its original packaging, tape it, and wait for the courier to pick up from your doorstep.

The turn around time is approx 1-2 weeks. Once fixed, the unit will be returned to you, door to door delivery.

Many thanks.

Sincerely,
Alvin @ Vinshine Audio

[JackD]

Mike is also the owner of Verastarr, the cable manufacturer.

http://verastarr.com/

[modwright]

OK, it sounds like it has good support.

Has anyone heard this unit?  I have to say that I am intrigued with R2R designs and adding a tube analog stage to a fantastic digital design like this is VERY attractive to me!

Thanks,

Dan

[mresseguie]

Dan,

I auditioned the Venus DAC. I wrote about it on AC. I returned it to Vinshine Audio with the <then> intention of purchasing a Terminator a few month later. However, life happened, and I bought a dB Audio Labs Tranquility SE DAC.

Michael

[hondo]

I have a Schiit Yggdrasil and a BorderPatrol DAC USB + SPDIF.  Both are R2R.  The BorderPatrol is more analog sounding, especially with a Mullard EZ80 tube.  The Yggy is more detailed.  I like both.  Since vinyl is my main media, I probably listen to the BorderPatrol the most.  I find Steve Guttenberg's assessment of the DAC's to be on target.

Duane

[Stings]

The project DAC or something in that $500 price range is very interesting. To do what I would want to do, the mod would be in the $1K range.  Now the question would be of course, at $1500 net investment, how good would it be?

Well, our $2500 mod to the $1300 Oppo UDP-205 blows people away with a net $3800 price tag.  People telling us that it CLEARLY betters standalone sources at over $7600+!

So, the question is then, is a $1K tube mod for a $500 DAC of interest?

I am thinking of a mod that would include a completely separate box, including power supply and tube stage, ideally even an improved 5V digital supply for the DAC.  I would expect there to be a simple 'bypass' mod to the DAC that would route the simplest and cleanest signal directly from the DAC to our new design, in a separate enclosure.  Given the size of the Project DAC (small), I would anticipate a secondary enclosure that the DAC could sit directly ON, so as to not require extra shelf space.  No outboard high voltage supply either.  The mod enclosure would have RCA inputs (low level) from DAC and RCA/XLR outputs (line level) out from the mod stage. AC power cord in and a 5V supply output connector to match the stock project supply cable.

Ideally very short RCA cables would connect the DAC to our mod stage and these cables could be ANY design type.  I.e. you could have your favorite cable mfr. make very short custom cables for you.

This concept is very interesting to me and, could be applied, in theory, to a number of different DACs of small form factor, with similar power needs.  I.e. a minor change made to the DAC itself (possibly could be switched on/off - i.e. stock to modified output) and the bulk of the work would reside in the separate mod enclosure.  In fact, in an ideal world, this DAC-Mod module, would be designed such that it could be inter-changed with other DACs...again in theory.

Let me know what you think of this idea! The possibilities here are endless, as is the sonic potential!

Thanks,

Dan

If someone is buying a DAC for $500 they are obviously on a tight budget. I dont think they would pay double what they paid for the original product as an upgrade. It would make more sense to do it the other way around; a $1000 upgrade on a $2000 Dac.
  I like the Tube buffer idea. A R-core or AN C-core external power suply are good.
  A good XLR, stepped attenuator volume control or LDR bassed volume and a balance control addon would be nice. There are alot of Dacs that don’t have volume or balance controls. Tortuga LDR V25 Is a good example.
  XLR TO Ethernet adapter would be good as well. This would turn your Dac into a network selectable node like the Roon ready devices are. Dante Ethernet to AES adapter Is a good example.
  Or a USB to Gigabyte Ethernet adapter would be good too.

[HT cOz]

The Topping D50 would also be a good contender for your new box.  5v input and very clean output.  See review https://audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/review-and-measurements-of-topping-d50-dac.2403/

It's as low as $199 on Massdrop!

[modwright]

Yes, thanks!

Dan

[HT cOz]

Yes, thanks!

Dan

Kinda cool http://en.tpdz.net/imageRepository/92d2df6a-1a5f-488e-94d1-0cc854408761.jpg

[modwright]

That is cool, thanks.

Dan