Computer Audio Asylum: Re: Thanks John... by John Swenson

Yes, the single 1543 with the mirror stage is by far the best of the 1543 configurations I've tried, not the best I've tried period, there are other DACs I like better, but to get them to do their best takes a LOT more than it does to get the 1543 to work well.

From Gordon's posts he likes a single 1543 driving a resistor with a tube gain stage after it.

The 1543 is not the best sounding DAC, but it probably IS the easiest to hook up, which seems to be one of the reasons for its popularity in the DIY community.

One thing I've found is that many of my preconseptions about what should sound best are simply false, what I wound up liking the best is not at all what I expected. I was firmly in the no oversampling, no digital filter, multibit DAC camp, but what I ultimately liked the best was a 1792 delta sigma DAC with a builtin digital filter! With a very low jitter signal feeding it, the digital filter setup right with the right data rate (NOT the default configuration!) and a very good low impedance output stage the results are simply incredible. But its not easy, I have probably $500 to $600 in parts in this, 5 circuit boards and 20 lbs worth of power supply, not a simple DIY project.

Its been an interesting journey. (and its not done yet!)

John S.