Paradisea DAC

launche · « **Reply #200 on:** 11 Jan 2007, 02:58 am »

Another vote for the Stereovox,

I'm currently using the The Stereovox HDXV cables between the transport and a Monarchy DIP Upsampler and then onto the Paradisea DAC with very pleasing results.

I previously used the Kimber Illuminations DV30 (which I believe the DV60 replaced) The DV30 is also a good cable but I found the Stereovox to be more defined across the board and it helped snap things into better focus. The differences were immediately audible and the Sterevox is more flexible to work with than a few other digital cables I've tried. Many glowing reviews and I would have to agree with their assessment. Here are a few reviews, one actually compares the DV60 to the Stereovox.

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/0404/stereovoxhdxv.htm

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/stereovox/hdxv.html

denjo · « **Reply #201 on:** 11 Jan 2007, 03:10 am »

I am using Nordost's White Light Glass with excellent results!

Best Regards
Dennis

tdangelo · « **Reply #202 on:** 11 Jan 2007, 03:48 am »

I use a Purist Audio Design Proteus which is BNC on the DAC side and RCA on the SB2 side. Sounds very nice in my system

Tony

tweaknkeep · « **Reply #203 on:** 25 Jan 2007, 11:49 pm »

thanks everyone for all the information. i've been listening to this dac for about a month now and i'm so happy with it.

have had excellent results with a wireworld toslink supernova 5+ cable ($90) from my meridian 200 transport to a 48/96 monarchy dip (you see, i've read, and acted on, all the posts) and a stereovox xv2 from the dip to the dac

have not tried other than the stock tube, but it sounds wonderful to me (in fact i ordered 5 more through ebay at $1.79 a pop)

made my own equipment rack using flagstone shelves and cinderblocks (with copious amounts of bluetack in between) and support the dac on three brass cones (ebay $30) with a 5lb weight on top (from a weight lifting set)

also using the herbie's hal-0 tube damper

any other tweaks out there that have improved performance ?

thanks again everyone for all the useful info

lonewolfny42 · « **Reply #204 on:** 26 Jan 2007, 04:37 am »

tweaknkeep :

Quote

have not tried other than the stock tube, but it sounds wonderful to me (in fact i ordered 5 more through ebay at $1.79 a pop)

The Paradisea is a very good dac....very analog sounding.....smooth. I would urge you to try other tubes besides the stock one. See if you can get ahold of a WE 396 tube....it will make a difference....and for the better.
Another you could try....a 2C51 tube - TungSol. They both perform better than the stock tube....at least thats what I'm hearing.....happy listening !!

Jim N. · « **Reply #205 on:** 26 Jan 2007, 05:22 am »

Definately do some tube rolling. Searching for the "Holy Grail" of a Bendix 6385 will be as problematic as Monty Python found it to be. 2C51, WE396 are more reasonable alternatives that should provide you with very good results. What's the fun of having a tube DAC and using the stock tubes

?

I little Stillpoints ERS cloth on top of the DAC does not hurt. I have found it to be beneficial.

jman66 · « **Reply #206 on:** 26 Jan 2007, 10:36 am »

Quote

Searching for the "Holy Grail" of a Bendix 6385 will be as problematic as Monty Python found it to be.

If you can get past the price, the Bendix 6385 pops up on eBay.
Tung-Sol may be a good alternative since they took over producing the Bendix Red Banks from the late '50s to '70.

Is there a preferred vintage of the 6385 to look for?

tweaknkeep · « **Reply #207 on:** 28 Jan 2007, 03:46 pm »

has anyone tried the Hi-Fi tuning ceramic fuses for this dac? they seem quite pricey at $30/fuse but perhaps they have an effect...anyone know?

rajacat · « **Reply #208 on:** 28 Jan 2007, 06:09 pm »

Quote from: tweaknkeep on 28 Jan 2007, 03:46 pm

has anyone tried the Hi-Fi tuning ceramic fuses for this dac? they seem quite pricey at $30/fuse but perhaps they have an effect...anyone know?

Silver ceramic fuses are available at Acme Audio for $12.

http://www.acmeaudiolabs.com/products.htm

Raj

tweaknkeep · « **Reply #209 on:** 29 Jan 2007, 01:23 am »

thanks for the thought raj,

but our dac uses the european size 5mmx20mm fuse T .4A (250v i think)

this was not listed in the ACME website

anywhere else?

tweaknkeep · « **Reply #210 on:** 30 Jan 2007, 05:27 am »

ok, i found it - ceramic fuses

Ceramic Slow Blow Time Delay 5x20MM fuses Littelfuse 215-series
215.500 Littelfuse 5x20MM 1/2 Amp Slow Blow Ceramic fuse $3,78

go to

http://www.kenselectronics.com/lists/fuses.htm

topround · « **Reply #211 on:** 11 Feb 2007, 12:46 pm »

I just replaced the original opamp in my Paradisea with a 2107 chip.

Big Difference... for the better

Now I am no electrical engineer but what I think is going on is the new chip is better at handling the signal. I think there is less distortion or jitter. It seems to not harm the signal the way the original chip does.

What I am hearing is a quieter background. Instruments have much more air. Voices have air around them that places them easily in a room.
Upper end is much improved. Everything seems to be breathing and alive.
Tone is much improved, everything seems so much more natural and real. It really woke up the dac.
The differences are not subtle! This new chip takes a good dac and makes it much better.
The original had a little artificialness to the tone that is completely gone now. I am not talking they are in the room with you, no, but what you hear sounds so much more like what it should sound like.
I was very impressed by what this tiny chip did.

Now I wonder what we can do with the power supply?

The stock unit sounds good, modded takes it to the next level, where more money would buy a better dac.

BTW I am using the WE tube, and replaced the output caps with sonicap 4.0 bypassed by platinum .22

drmike · « **Reply #212 on:** 11 Feb 2007, 07:26 pm »

hello,
where did you get the oamp, is it a direct replacement?
thanks,
drmike

topround · « **Reply #213 on:** 11 Feb 2007, 08:30 pm »

I got it from a friend and yes it is a direct replacement, a surface mount.
If you have a paradisea you owe it to yourself to try this, you will be happy

It's almost another dac.
My uncle who is handy with a soldering iron used a battery powered iron with a needle tip and silver paste solder.

tanchiro58 · « **Reply #214 on:** 11 Feb 2007, 08:33 pm »

Hi,

Feed the WE 396A with Black Gates std (replace the same value with BG-the four caps around the tube). The sound get smoother with more weight.

Regards,
Tan

Occam · « **Reply #215 on:** 11 Feb 2007, 08:35 pm »

re: the OPA2107
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=30052.msg302684;topicseen#msg302684

Mike - The Burr Brown (now TI) OPA2107au (the au designation is for the so-8 smt direct replacement) isn't doing anything to reduce jitter. Nor would the magnitude of the distortion be materially different from the OPA2604? it replaced; though the composition of that distortion obviously is going to have a different spectral breakdown, making it different subjectively.

Please tell me you didn't do the opamp and the output cap swap simultaneously, lest you have no idea as to what is providing which......

topround · « **Reply #216 on:** 11 Feb 2007, 08:48 pm »

No I did the output caps about two months ago, have been listening ever since. the opamp change happened last night.
I spoke to someone about what I was hearing and he too said the opamp does not affect jitter in any way. It just seems to me to be a much cleaner signal, much more detail, but also much better tone.And dare I say it... more Prat..
Perhaps there is no more Prat than the original, it just seems that the timing is better controlled and evreything is so much more right.
Again I am no electrical engineer, I confess I know very little how these things work, but honestly I am excited at what I am hearing. Same dac, but now I am listening to my discs all over with renewed enthusiasm. YeeHaa

Paul, thank you for pointing me in the right direction, I give all the credit to you, you were completely right...and you do know your opamps!
Thanks

drmike · « **Reply #217 on:** 11 Feb 2007, 09:07 pm »

hello again,
i have the constantine dac, has anyone done any mods to this particular model?
thanks,
drmike

Occam · « **Reply #218 on:** 11 Feb 2007, 09:10 pm »

Mike - thanks for the nod, much appreciated.

Folks, if there is enough interest, I can try to get the vendor I previously got to offer sets of dip8 OPA2107 and OPA2111 for the Zhaolu 2.0 upgrade, to do the same for single OPA2107au chips, on Ebay. The smt version OPA2107 are rather scarce, and haven't seen them on Ebay for close to a year. No distibutors have them in stock, as far as I can tell.

Occam · « **Reply #219 on:** 12 Feb 2007, 12:13 am »

Cordless89 (Tommie) has put up smt OPA2107au opamps up in Ebay. You need one for a Paradisea.
http://cgi.ebay.com/OPA2107AU-Precision-Dual-Difet-Op-Amp-for-Paradisea-DAC_W0QQitemZ250083637741

Less expensive (even including shipping) than from a distributor, if you could find them, which you can't....
A very reliable vendor.