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DACs - Building a DAC

dylandylandylan
By dylandylandylan
in Audio
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Hey guys,

I have a beginner to moderate skill in electronics and soldering,

There are loads of open source plans for building DACs, and I was wondering if anyone has built/created one before and what was the difficulty factor, + price?

I just bought a pair of Sennheiser 558s and my on board audio is just not good enough to drive these!

Thanks guys

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just get a fiio e10 AFAIK those things are complicated as heck and if you decide to build one yourself it would probably be really weird

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just get a fiio e10 AFAIK those things are complicated as heck and if you decide to build one yourself it would probably be really weird

 

From the schematics that I've looked at, they don't look too complicated to build, but I guess they are very small and it would prove difficult unless I have a steady soldering hand, which luckily I do ;) 

I'm just after an opinion from someone that has built one before and if it's worth the hassle. I have 5 or 6 electronic projects to do over the summer, so why not add another one ;)

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just get a fiio e10 AFAIK those things are complicated as heck and if you decide to build one yourself it would probably be really weird

 

If he specifically wants to build one, suggesting that he should buy one doesn't really help a lot does it.

 

That being said as long as you're pretty good with a soldering iron and know how it all works, a DAC is not necessarily the hardest thing to build. Whether or not the result will be comparable to or better than prebuilt solutions depends on what you build.

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the o2 is open source, I don't know how you would build it but you can. The most benifit you will get is from an amplifier and not a dac really.

 

Most parts I believe are simply off the shelf from electronic/hobby shops, it's not that hard to find parts. I thought about going down the pre-built amp route, but I love creating my own gear. 

 

 

If he specifically wants to build one, suggesting that he should buy one doesn't really help a lot does it.

 

That being said as long as you're pretty good with a soldering iron and know how it all works, a DAC is not necessarily the hardest thing to build. Whether or not the result will be comparable to or better than prebuilt solutions depends on what you build.

 

Yeah, pretty much, I could just buy one, but where's the fun in that! 

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Most parts I believe are simply off the shelf from electronic/hobby shops, it's not that hard to find parts. I thought about going down the pre-built amp route, but I love creating my own gear. 

you can totally do it. My friend is creating his own amp, he's got the blueprints and is soon constructing. If you know your stuff, you can do it.

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MayflowerElectronics has experience, he has his own DIY kit on his website: https://www.mayflowerelectronics.com/store/p9/DIY_Objective2_kit.html

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/me whispers what's a DAC? 

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Best bet is JDSLabs Cmoy.

Edit: my bad.. Thought discussion was amps. Agreed with tge the general consensus though, building a dac isn't efficient but it's a good learning experience imo. I think whether or not the work is justifiable is OP's decision.

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Building an amp is relatively easy and fun. Building a DAC is less so and you might as well just buy one.

PC Build in LTT Gallery - JBL J88 - Fostex T50RP (Modded) - Pioneer SE-A1000 vs audio-technica ATH-AD500X - Skullcandy Aviator  
audio-technica ATH-T400 - CHC Silverado and Laredo - Clip-On Headphone Roundup - Sony LinkBuds

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Building an amp is relatively easy and fun. Building a DAC is less so and you might as well just buy one.

 

Still not really true. There are no tubes in a DAC of course, so I guess one could say building an amplifier is more fun. Preeeeeetty glooooooowing tuuuuuuuuubes. <3

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Still not really true.

Show me some DiY specifications and I'd be happy to retract my statement.

PC Build in LTT Gallery - JBL J88 - Fostex T50RP (Modded) - Pioneer SE-A1000 vs audio-technica ATH-AD500X - Skullcandy Aviator  
audio-technica ATH-T400 - CHC Silverado and Laredo - Clip-On Headphone Roundup - Sony LinkBuds

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just get a fiio e10 AFAIK those things are complicated as heck and if you decide to build one yourself it would probably be really weird

i could have bought a 60% keyboard and it would have cost me half as much a building one but building it is much more fun, that is the only real reason. Same kind of thing with a DAC.

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If you want to build a DAC for the fun of it, then build DAC,  if you want a dac for s purpose then just buy one.

 

I have been thinking about building one for the sake of it, but people going to start calling me halfa or gunna with the amount of half done stuff I'm gunna do lying around here.

Grammar and spelling is not indicative of intelligence/knowledge.  Not having the same opinion does not always mean lack of understanding.  

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If you want to build a DAC for the fun of it, then build DAC,  if you want a dac for s purpose then just buy one.

 

I have been thinking about building one for the sake of it, but people going to start calling me halfa or gunna with the amount of half done stuff I'm gunna do lying around here.

 

Haha I feel your pain main, so many projects on the go, but it's mostly because I was busy as hell with university, but now that I'm on summer break, ALL THE TIME TO FINISH PROJECTS! :D

I might buy a pre-built one, but also build the same one, and see what the quality is like between the two, I just feel much more satisfaction out of building something I guess!

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