So, what should I add to my cart?
Any suggestions?
I got parts in it to finish my cheap DAC project from around ten years ago (CS4398 DAC chip), including a few opamp upgrades to swap in and see what sounds best. It uses jumpers on the board to select the input, and I am changing that to a front panel rotary selector which will do the board jumps (going inside to swap inputs is just dumb). Another gang on the switch will activate LED indicators letting you know what input is selected (also a "mute" position which has no input connected). Different color LEDs in the cart so you can tell from across the room what input is selected, even though you need to touch the knob to rotate it...
I had planned to switch to Lundhall output transformers on that DAC (and I have them), but I'm planning a better DAC based on the latest (nearly 20-years newer technology) ESS Sabre chip- two actually, so I'm saving the trannies for something better in the future. Each chip has eight channels but I'm going to run fully dual-mono with eight channels paralleled per chip, and one chip per channel, to drive down noise (even though they are super quiet chips anyway). We'll see how that comes out next year sometime. Looks promising on paper. Balanced and single-ended output. The chips run quite hot, and I'll be at nearly maximum voltage for them, so I will need a cooling scheme. Fortunately, they are about the size of a CPU and there are a Brazilian options for CPU coolers...
The elliptic filter project will fill the gap. I know a few were interested here, so I may have bare boards available as well as complete units to "plug n play" with.
Still dealing with some minor issues with my phono preamp, but it is truly minor now and will be sorted before the front panel is complete. I'm looking forward to welding the top closed on that box...
Balanced preamp is on the table as well. Still juggling a couple architecture choices, but regardless, it will be fully balanced and true dual-mono of course- all the way back to the pair of transformers. Remote control? Maybe. Two-chassis design? Maybe. Single-ended "downgrade" add-on board? Maybe. I'm thinking a long-lost KISS approach to proper two-channel hi-fi is needed. Get off your dead ass and adjust the volume! Plus if I keep it simple, I can add a tape loop. A long-lost feature of better preamps of yore that I think should be there. Maybe as an add-on board "upgrade" option? Also fully balanced, to support proper tape decks. No tape loop and no remote control option keeps cost down, because I refuse to compromise on build quality. It will cost what it costs; and you get what you pay for.
Far back-burnered is the balanced JSA-100 amp project. I have a plan, but no time to devote to it. And there are plenty of other amp options available now, so I'll wait. That benchmark amp (two of them, ideally) is probably the best current off the shelf option today. I'd like to have a pair for reference, but need an income stream to offset the expense.
Finally, resurrection of my tonearm. I'm planning a plinth upgrade for my Rega (simple Baltic birch ply with nice veneer) since the damn motor is not sitting straight, preventing me from playing 45RPM records (the belt walks out of the pulley). I'd like to find a nice reproduction "Rega Planar3" decal for the top... That's first; but the tonearm I need to completely redesign (re-draw in CAD). Again. I lost all my cad files and only have some of the components printed on paper. But I should have enough info to re-draw it (along with my shitty memory of the fine details), and I might try it in 3D so I can 3D print some of the components to check everything along the way. But this represents the true "deep end" of 3-D cad design...
That concludes the end of the year summary... You do not get those three minutes of your life back.
Any suggestions?
I got parts in it to finish my cheap DAC project from around ten years ago (CS4398 DAC chip), including a few opamp upgrades to swap in and see what sounds best. It uses jumpers on the board to select the input, and I am changing that to a front panel rotary selector which will do the board jumps (going inside to swap inputs is just dumb). Another gang on the switch will activate LED indicators letting you know what input is selected (also a "mute" position which has no input connected). Different color LEDs in the cart so you can tell from across the room what input is selected, even though you need to touch the knob to rotate it...
I had planned to switch to Lundhall output transformers on that DAC (and I have them), but I'm planning a better DAC based on the latest (nearly 20-years newer technology) ESS Sabre chip- two actually, so I'm saving the trannies for something better in the future. Each chip has eight channels but I'm going to run fully dual-mono with eight channels paralleled per chip, and one chip per channel, to drive down noise (even though they are super quiet chips anyway). We'll see how that comes out next year sometime. Looks promising on paper. Balanced and single-ended output. The chips run quite hot, and I'll be at nearly maximum voltage for them, so I will need a cooling scheme. Fortunately, they are about the size of a CPU and there are a Brazilian options for CPU coolers...
The elliptic filter project will fill the gap. I know a few were interested here, so I may have bare boards available as well as complete units to "plug n play" with.
Still dealing with some minor issues with my phono preamp, but it is truly minor now and will be sorted before the front panel is complete. I'm looking forward to welding the top closed on that box...
Balanced preamp is on the table as well. Still juggling a couple architecture choices, but regardless, it will be fully balanced and true dual-mono of course- all the way back to the pair of transformers. Remote control? Maybe. Two-chassis design? Maybe. Single-ended "downgrade" add-on board? Maybe. I'm thinking a long-lost KISS approach to proper two-channel hi-fi is needed. Get off your dead ass and adjust the volume! Plus if I keep it simple, I can add a tape loop. A long-lost feature of better preamps of yore that I think should be there. Maybe as an add-on board "upgrade" option? Also fully balanced, to support proper tape decks. No tape loop and no remote control option keeps cost down, because I refuse to compromise on build quality. It will cost what it costs; and you get what you pay for.
Far back-burnered is the balanced JSA-100 amp project. I have a plan, but no time to devote to it. And there are plenty of other amp options available now, so I'll wait. That benchmark amp (two of them, ideally) is probably the best current off the shelf option today. I'd like to have a pair for reference, but need an income stream to offset the expense.
Finally, resurrection of my tonearm. I'm planning a plinth upgrade for my Rega (simple Baltic birch ply with nice veneer) since the damn motor is not sitting straight, preventing me from playing 45RPM records (the belt walks out of the pulley). I'd like to find a nice reproduction "Rega Planar3" decal for the top... That's first; but the tonearm I need to completely redesign (re-draw in CAD). Again. I lost all my cad files and only have some of the components printed on paper. But I should have enough info to re-draw it (along with my shitty memory of the fine details), and I might try it in 3D so I can 3D print some of the components to check everything along the way. But this represents the true "deep end" of 3-D cad design...
That concludes the end of the year summary... You do not get those three minutes of your life back.
