Eastern Electric DAC

Bill O'Connell · « **Reply #180 on:** 22 Jan 2010, 12:00 am »

Gopher,

I talked with Alex last night as he was on the ferry going to the factory to meet with the other engineers, I'm waiting to hear from him the results. He said he would post shortly.
Thanks again for your patience guys,
Bill

ajayrav · « **Reply #181 on:** 27 Jan 2010, 07:36 pm »

Any updates, Bill or Alex? It would sure be nice to get pics and details of the final product....Going by EE's track record, it is bound to be good! Has production started, or will it be after the Chinese New Year holidays?

Thanks, and sorry for being impatient....

Ajay

goldlizsts · « **Reply #182 on:** 27 Jan 2010, 08:37 pm »

Quote from: ajayrav on 27 Jan 2010, 07:36 pm

Any updates, Bill or Alex? It would sure be nice to get pics and details of the final product....Going by EE's track record, it is bound to be good! Has production started, or will it be after the Chinese New Year holidays?

Thanks, and sorry for being impatient....

Ajay

It is now another "several" days after last post by Bill, saying that Alex will post soon......... So, everybody's getting a little edgy

? Last I heard, Alex was to leave China before Chinese New Year regardless, which is about 2 weeks away (Feb. 14, Year of the Tiger; so shall the EE DAC be roaring out like one?). Does that mean production WILL not happen until after New Year (very likely under such circumstances)? We may not see delivery until March sometime?

That's what everybody's guessing, and pacing I'm sure.

Bill O'Connell · « **Reply #183 on:** 28 Jan 2010, 02:17 am »

They will be completed before the Chinese New Year and be on their way to us.
I know Alex was waiting for the factory's top engineer to give him all the correct spec's on the unit as I know that is what your waiting to see.
He told me in last nights email and this morning I wrote him telling him to please post.
He did say the engineers and him sat down along with some audio friends who own a few shops in HK and they really liked the sound. Alex preferred the tube output presentation which I would have guessed as he truly knows how to make a circuit sing employing tubes.Very musical was the thoughts of all.
I was hoping Alex would have posted by now so I hope by this evening or tomorrow he will chime in.
Bill

goldlizsts · « **Reply #184 on:** 28 Jan 2010, 01:25 pm »

Quote from: Bill O'Connell on 28 Jan 2010, 02:17 am

They will be completed before the Chinese New Year and be on their way to us.
I know Alex was waiting for the factory's top engineer to give him all the correct spec's on the unit as I know that is what your waiting to see.
He told me in last nights email and this morning I wrote him telling him to please post.
He did say the engineers and him sat down along with some audio friends who own a few shops in HK and they really liked the sound. Alex preferred the tube output presentation which I would have guessed as he truly knows how to make a circuit sing employing tubes.Very musical was the thoughts of all.
I was hoping Alex would have posted by now so I hope by this evening or tomorrow he will chime in.
Bill

That's great news, Bill. Thanks. Now, all those who had ordered can rest assured; Alex didn't run away with the down payment$$$

. He's just too busy fine-tuning the sound. Now that they also had some users chiming in on the sound, that's more good news. I don't doubt that the tube output route would be the ultimate in sound quality, as compared to opamps.

bravophase · « **Reply #185 on:** 28 Jan 2010, 02:29 pm »

Hi All, I am sorry for not writing sooner as I have been getting very busy of tuning the sound and arranging the production. The delivery from here will be before the Chinese New Year that is middle of Feb. The DAC is singing great in our audition room....very musical

Here are some highlights for your interest.

   ESS DAC chips
   inputs : AES/EBU, BNC, RCA, OPTICAL and USB
   Tube and solid state output selectable
   Phase In/Out selectable
   Output volume control
   Frequency Response : 15Hz – 32KHz
   Sampling rates : 32bit 32kHz、44.1kHz、48kHz
   Dynamic Range : 129dB
I will have the photo shooting done sometime next week and I will post here.

Cheers !

Alex

srb · « **Reply #186 on:** 28 Jan 2010, 02:46 pm »

Alex, could you please clarify two points?

Quote from: bravophase on 28 Jan 2010, 02:29 pm

 ESS DAC chips

The chip being used is still the 9018?

Quote from: bravophase on 28 Jan 2010, 02:29 pm

 Sampling rates : 32bit 32kHz、44.1kHz、48kHz

I thought originally that sampling rates up to 192KHz were supported by S/PDIF inputs, and that only the USB input was limited to 48KHz.

Thanks for the clarification.

Steve

doctorcilantro · « **Reply #187 on:** 28 Jan 2010, 03:30 pm »

The Nova utilizes 96kHz even though the Sabre chip they used can do 192.

I'm curious to hear what the EE implementation uses. Guessing your right SRB, that is probably USB.

DC

oxric · « **Reply #188 on:** 29 Jan 2010, 12:11 am »

Hello everyone here. This is my first post so I hope you guys will be nice if I inadvertently disregard or flout any of the usual protocols and conventions.
I have been reading this informative thread for a while and I believe its only raison d'etre is a good marketing strategy to fill in the order book as well as try to satisfy the requests of people willing to order a product that no one has heard as an act of blind faith in the exellence of the designer.
Well, I would be very upset if this dac build around the ESS dac was not capable of sampling rates over 48KHz. I would hope anything based around the ESS dac would offer 176.4kHz so it can be used with the latest high resolution material being offered by the likes of Naim, Linn and HRx Reference recordings. See for instance,
http://www.referencerecordings.com/HRx2.asp
I am sure that the dac used must be the ESS 9018 as this has been the whole point of this thread, not some other chip from ESS Technology. But it might be an idea for those involved to chime in and clarify.

Cheers
R

roscoeiii · « **Reply #189 on:** 29 Jan 2010, 02:46 am »

Quote from: oxric on 29 Jan 2010, 12:11 am

I believe its only raison d'etre is a good marketing strategy to fill in the order book as well as try to satisfy the requests of people willing to order a product that no one has heard as an act of blind faith in the exellence of the designer.

As this is the industry ads section, yes I'd say one purpose is to get people excited about a new product. But it's also far more than that. If you look back over the thread, you'll see that there's also been a process of getting feedback from potential customers so that ultimately a more appealing product can be made, something that benefits both the buyers and Eastern Electric. It's also great for giving a consumer an idea of the design and production process. And yes, Eastern Electric has enough of a reputation for solid design, and is using a chip that enough people are excited about that people are willing to buy the product without having heard it. And in exchange for taking the risk (which is lessened somewhat by knowledge of the manufacturer & designer, as well as the feature set and the associated discussion of why this might be a great feature set) the early adopter gets a nice $100 discount. The skeptics need only wait for the opportunity to audition or read reviews and can then decide if this is a project worth spending their hard-earned money on. At the low, low cost of missing out on a $100 discount.

Based on the great reputation of Bill O'Connell and Eastern Electric and the features that the DAC offers, there's reason for excitement. I will likely wait and see what others impressions are, or see if I can hear the unit myself before buying. But not a thing wrong with that. And not a thing wrong with supporting a well-respected manufacturer and distributer and taking the plunge. The support and faith in Bill and Alex represented by early orders is a thing to be applauded. It shows that there is faith that they are moving in the right direction.

bravophase · « **Reply #190 on:** 29 Jan 2010, 10:25 am »

Hi all, it is the ESS 9018 of course

It surely supports the 192KHz that I missed that in my last post.

I want to say thank you for all your very kind supports through out the development of this DAC. Your comments and inputs are invaluable.

Cheers !

Alex

goldlizsts · « **Reply #191 on:** 29 Jan 2010, 10:33 am »

Quote from: bravophase on 29 Jan 2010, 10:25 am

Hi all, it is the ESS 9018 of course It surely supports the 192KHz that I missed that in my last post.

I want to say thank you for all your very kind supports through out the development of this DAC. Your comments and inputs are invaluable.

Cheers !

Alex

Just thought of this. How is the DAC powered? I am thinking, IF it's DC, say, I will look into if I have a linear power supply to go with it. Way ahead of the game I guess. But, it'd be good to know this spec, which I don't think was mentioned earlier.

Thanks.

oxric · « **Reply #192 on:** 29 Jan 2010, 10:37 am »

You are preaching to the converted!
Please do not misunderstand. There was no criticism implied with saying it's a good marketing strategy. It is something I would honestly consider using myself if I was launching a new product, as it's a relatively cheap method of advertising, which allows one to keep costs down and produce a product without the usual premium price tag one would expect from the use of an innovative, state-of-the-art and expensive chip. I am quite aware of how expensive the Buffalo chip based around the ESS 9018 was before TwistedPear discontinued production for rather obscure reasons. But I digress. I do appreciate the noble gesture of bringing an exciting dac within reach of all audiophiles out there.
But irrespective of price point, I believe that to use the ESS Dac 9018 and not to offer above 48kHz is a mistake and a wasted opportunity, as the excellence of this chip makes it a prime candidate to deal with the new high resolution material out there, that I for one am truly excited about. The Eastern Electric Dac is only a means to an end, as it should be, and ultimately it will be judged on how it serves that end. If that end does not encompass addressing the high resolution material, fair enough, but it is a serious limitation and I will be looking forward to another product that satisfies this requirement.
I will be disappointed though as I was almost certainly the first person in the UK to have ordered the dac and probably the reason we have a similar offering to Bill Connelly's albeit at a higher price (but we do get a five year warranty). I desisted from getting the Berkeley Alpha or Weiss Dac2, and may now find myself with a solution which fails to address my most important requirement.
So maybe it's just that I will have to go back to tracking down a 9018 or 9022 ESS Dac chip and seeing if I can get it to do what I really want. I will first wait to see a confirmation that the Eastern Dac is truely limited to 48kHz though.

Cheers
R

oxric · « **Reply #193 on:** 29 Jan 2010, 10:41 am »

Alex,

I am sorry it looks like I missed your reply above! So please ignore my groundless concerns. I am glad to hear your dac will support up to 192kHz.

Cheers all
R

John151 · « **Reply #194 on:** 30 Jan 2010, 04:37 pm »

oxric - Bill's marketing strategy here is not unique. Like many of the products discussed on this site, the Eastern Electric products are available only online (i.e. no brick and mortar sales), and have a very loyal following and an excellent reputation. I have met Bill in person, purchased an EE CDP from him, and auditioned one of his pre-amps. The EE products are well built and sound great. Also, Bill is a stand up guy and a serious audiophile. Otherwise, I would not have been so quick to pony up a deposit on a product that is not even fully developed. If this new DAC is in the same league as the other EE product, then this will be a fantastic product, and a tremendous bargain.

Gopher · « **Reply #195 on:** 1 Feb 2010, 06:53 pm »

Very exciting update. I'm looking forward to seeing the pictures of the finished product from the photo shoot!

pardales · « **Reply #196 on:** 1 Feb 2010, 08:34 pm »

Did I miss information about how the USB input signal will be handled? How will it interface with the Sabre chip? Will it be an i2s conversion or SPDIF or some other method?

bravophase · « **Reply #197 on:** 3 Feb 2010, 05:58 pm »

Finally here are some photos of the DAC

Cheers !

Alex

h.rav · « **Reply #198 on:** 3 Feb 2010, 06:00 pm »

^ Nice

Gopher · « **Reply #199 on:** 3 Feb 2010, 06:24 pm »

Very attractive piece! Those knobs look pretty hardcore. Remind me of the Hovland HP100 appearance.

Will silver be an option as well? Beautiful either way, just wondering if matching with my other eastern electric gear is a possibility.

Are these bad boys on their way to the US now? Can't wait to retire my V-DAC.