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SCompRacer  
#1 Posted : Thursday, February 16, 2012 10:37:29 AM(UTC)
SCompRacer

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It lives! It breathes! It works! On a chunk of aluminum for now. Coax in via BNC connectors on coax, RCA out. Small coax connects the BNC to the input board. The Touch end of the coax is still RCA. Sounds fantastic right out of the box! B III with Ivy III, Placid HD and HD BP. Got a Legato waiting for assembly to try next. Thinking ahead of the future power requirements I had installed the larger heat sinks on the Placid HD. A Sidecar down the road to import DSD/PCM from a Denon 3910 I picked up cheap. Maybe USB when the hi-res module is available. The Blue Nile/Hats album is a hi-res 24/96 vinyl rip I made.

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This is what I was using and while it started as a Music Hall 25.3 it ain't that anymore. (Belleson Super regulators, larger heat sinks, Burson HD op amps, MUR860's, Mundorf MKP coupling caps, etc. The Bursons add a whopping 712% increase in power over the chip op amps). I used the SS out after the mods. SS out bypasses the tube and coupling caps.

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On to a nice case now! The BIII deserves it. High marks to TP for offering this in a DIY form.

Edited by user Wednesday, September 5, 2012 5:11:18 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Russ White  
#2 Posted : Thursday, February 16, 2012 12:47:40 PM(UTC)
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Excellent job so far! :) Enjoy!
SCompRacer  
#3 Posted : Saturday, February 18, 2012 3:25:10 PM(UTC)
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"Excellent job so far!"

Thanks Russ. It sounds great! And I'm not offended by the 'so far.' I can see so many opportunities to screw something up in the future. ;)

One observation, on the Placid HD, QN1 runs near 20C warmer than QN2 (measured on the sink, 55C versus 36C). Is that difference normal?

Thanks.

Edited by user Saturday, February 18, 2012 3:27:08 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Russ White  
#4 Posted : Saturday, February 18, 2012 5:25:38 PM(UTC)
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I only said "so far" because you had mentioned future plans. :)
avr300  
#5 Posted : Sunday, February 19, 2012 2:22:01 AM(UTC)
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SCompRacer wrote:

One observation, on the Placid HD, QN1 runs near 20C warmer than QN2 (measured on the sink, 55C versus 36C). Is that difference normal?



That's normal.
SCompRacer  
#6 Posted : Sunday, February 19, 2012 4:28:48 PM(UTC)
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avr300 wrote:


That's normal.


Thanks!
SCompRacer  
#7 Posted : Thursday, March 22, 2012 1:20:15 PM(UTC)
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Inspired by MrMajestic in this thread
http://www.twistedpearau...t.aspx?g=posts&t=992
and assisted by steinholien (thank you!), I finished my Denon DVD-3910 PCM/DSD outputs.

The 3910 has four PCM1796 DAC chips in dual differential mode. I chose the chip in line with the two channel outputs. PCM and DSD share some inputs on the 1796 chip so I only deal with attaching five wires to the audio board in the 3910 and have to switch output between two (PCM and DSD). I only need to output four wires after a switching relay. I snagged the wiring used out of an old backing camera video monitor cable. I saved the shielding foil to reuse in my application re-wrapping it around the wires.

I modified a Sidecar to switch between PCM and DSD outputs. I had damaged it by removing a 20 pin header after changing my build. (I pulled a ring off the trace). I could have made it work but got a new one instead. I removed two relays, inserted a three pin header and jumpered the pins to the appropriate relay pins. I cut the output traces from the relay to the headers at the side of the board.

I used a single long standoff off an existing board to mount the switching relay board. I snagged 5 volts off a video board below. The relay is controlled by a rocker switch mounted on the rear of the Denon. Up is DSD out (relay powered), down is PCM out. The four output wires attach to a Neutrik RJ45 connector.

A question. Since this works with a short 1 meter Cat5 cable, should I happily accept that or install the Teleporters I have ordered? My real question is would the Teleporter improve the sound quality over sending the low voltage PCM/DSD signal over such a long distance?
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Edited by user Thursday, March 22, 2012 1:27:44 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Russ White  
#8 Posted : Thursday, March 22, 2012 1:49:20 PM(UTC)
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Great work!

I would definitely still use the teleporters.
SCompRacer  
#9 Posted : Sunday, June 3, 2012 7:16:21 PM(UTC)
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My bad, someone just pointed out to me that my DSD R & L channels are reversed with my current Denon 3910/B III Sidecar configuration. The integration guide shows BIII input D1 as PCM Word Clock. On the Denon 3910 with PCM1796 DAC chip, PCM Word Clock becomes Right channel DSD. On the BIII, D1 is suppose to be DSD left channel. So I need to add a couple more relays to do the DSD channel swap in the 3910.

Currently I am using just one relay to switch between PCM and DSD Bit Clock to the BIII/Sidecar. So SACD R & L channels are flipped.

Edited by user Sunday, June 3, 2012 7:26:54 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

SCompRacer  
#10 Posted : Friday, August 10, 2012 11:43:03 PM(UTC)
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Just wanted to share.... A good friend visited from New York and stayed a couple days. Due to my work load, the BIII is still caseless, on the cookie sheet. We have a nosy cat so I can't leave the open BIII out all the time. So I am playing digital through the SB Touch/modded Music Hall 25.3. A hard drive error put an end to that so I start disk scan and repair and went to my old standby, the ModWright Sony 9100ES. He says, wow, that sounds much better. After the drive error was fixed, I stick the Buffalo III in. After a few tracks he says I want you to build me a dual mono BIII!

So I just ordered parts to make mine a dual mono build.

Edited by user Friday, August 10, 2012 11:46:36 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Russ White  
#11 Posted : Saturday, August 11, 2012 12:23:00 AM(UTC)
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That is very cool! Thank you for the encouragement. I Am very glad you and your friend enjoyed the music.

Cheers!
Russ
SCompRacer  
#12 Posted : Sunday, August 19, 2012 5:35:04 AM(UTC)
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I was just going through my parts received for the dual mono build. My existing BIII DAC board is version 1.0.2. The BIII DAC board I just received is version 1.0.1. No worries? The Legato version is the same.
Russ White  
#13 Posted : Sunday, August 19, 2012 12:26:09 PM(UTC)
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No worries. There are no circuit changes between the two, just a couple of cosmetic additions.
SCompRacer  
#14 Posted : Sunday, August 26, 2012 9:27:14 PM(UTC)
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Getting closer. DAC # 2 and Legato board # 2 work in my existing DAC. Got the ship notice for my second Placid HD so it should be here next week.

Dual mono connection questions...I'll be using the 4-Channel S/PDIF input board/selector switch along with the Sidecar.

1) I connect Sidecar BCK, D1, D2, D3, and D4 along with respective grounds to each DAC?

2) Is it OK to power Sidecar with LCDPS?
Russ White  
#15 Posted : Monday, August 27, 2012 12:21:25 AM(UTC)
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1) yes.

2) yes.

A note about this.

You will by necessity be sharing grounds because you are using the same I2S source. So you need to carefully think about your power supplies. Make you sure you tie the power GNDs together at one point - and then wire from that point to the DACs and other modules.
SCompRacer  
#16 Posted : Monday, August 27, 2012 3:56:40 AM(UTC)
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Thank you Russ! Just to expound I take it that we do not attach that 'one point ground' from the power supplies to the chassis, correct?
Russ White  
#17 Posted : Monday, August 27, 2012 9:22:37 PM(UTC)
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I don't :)
SCompRacer  
#18 Posted : Sunday, September 2, 2012 6:06:13 AM(UTC)
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Thanks Russ. I won't then too. ;)

A liitle more BIII dual mono help please. Using Legato output stages, Placid HD's and Placid HD BP's. I also have a LCBPS.

I bought a pair of Ventus EZ to add SE out to my dual mono build. Does SQ decrease any using the Ventus EZ SE out versus the balanced out off the Legato's?

If I use XLR adapters on the balanced outputs to connect to my SE pre amp, they will put the common mode DC into the pre as GND and Neg are are connected in the XLR adapter. So I would have to use coupling caps if I used the adapters. Could I connect just the pos and neg off the balanced output to my SE pre amp or would that be a problem?




SCompRacer  
#19 Posted : Tuesday, September 4, 2012 2:15:15 AM(UTC)
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It lives! Well worth the investment in $$ and time!

I do have ~ .25 vdc on the SE out (one at .25, one at .30). Balanced out measure zero vdc. If I adjust SE out to zero vdc, I get .25-.30 back on the balanced out between + and -.

The star ground ring is mounted on a plastic standoff.

It was convenient to connect the Ventus EZ at the balanced out connectors rather than the boards. Is that OK?

Power info, if it matters. An LCBPS fed by its own transformer powers the Ventus EZ's. One side of an LCDPS powers the Sidecar and Teleporter. It uses one of the two secondaries of a 15VA transformer, the other secondary powering a Placid HD for one of the DAC's.

Just an update: I had removed the Ventus EZ's and ran pos and GND from the balanced to single ended out. Zero DC on balanced and SE (RCA) out, sounds great!

Edited by user Tuesday, October 2, 2012 9:11:59 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

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Corpius  
#20 Posted : Monday, October 1, 2012 8:46:32 PM(UTC)
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Originally Posted by: Russ White Go to Quoted Post
You will by necessity be sharing grounds because you are using the same I2S source. So you need to carefully think about your power supplies. Make you sure you tie the power GNDs together at one point - and then wire from that point to the DACs and other modules.

Hello Russ,

Just thinking, could this also solve some of the problems I had encountered with multiple sources connected to the S/PDIF board (no lock)? Is this something you also reccomend for a stereo setup?

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