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Hello all I was one of the lucky to preorder the BII with some accessories for the build. I'm getting really excited as the BII will be my first DAC. I hope and sincerely believe it was a good choice. Facing this as my first DIY, i have some newbie questions that i hope to get answered without too much public humiliation :) 1) Do the kits provide schematics and/or example wiring diagrams? - are they the same as those on the website? 2) Is it a good thing to house the DAC in it's entirety in a metal case, or is it just fine to make one using wood? - i have some mdf from some furniture projects left over i could use. 3) What gauge should the wires be for internal connections? - any demands to shielding properties? 4) I've been advised to use my BII with a Volumite to act as a preamp. Is there an easy way of switching the preamp if i use my surroundreceiver for video and a Volumite for stereo (music)? I mean, i use the preouts on my receiver and connect it to the amp. That is, i want to use the same amp for both stereo and surround. Can i make a simple circuit using a relay to switch when the receiver turns on? Then some questions concerning inventory and future products: 5) When will the transformers be available? Should i source some here in Europe instead? - i hear selectronics is a very nice brand. 6) When will the tridents be available once again? 7) What the news regarding the new USB-reciever from TPA? - is there a good chance i can buy one to ship with the BII amp(that is, will it be done in febuary)? Thanks in advance. Happy new year Edit: I see that the transformers are now in stock.. Edited by user Monday, January 3, 2011 2:53:04 PM(UTC)
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Hi!
1. Kits arrive without any documentation. You will have to rely on those posted on web.
2. No exact answer to this one. A metal case will provide better shielding. Personally I use cases of wood and acrylic and it works very well. If you use metal cases; remember connecting the case to power input ground!!
3. Wire gauge is not very critical. I guess most use something around 18-20. I would put some effort in shielding AC lines and digital lines. Use shielded cable or wrap it with aluminium foil. And keep them well away from other lines. DC cables should be twisted.
Good luck!
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Just go for it. It's a great DAC, you won't be disappointed.
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1. use the forums to check for up-to-date information on dual mono, in general the information for a stereo setup is correct.
2. I think I've read the preference is metal, as it provides a common ground for all modules.
3. Virtually anything that fits goes. For power I've used simple signalling wire, for I2C/I2S I've used strands of STP.
5. The R-Cores are great, and cheaper. Plus they're shielded. There's really no reason not to use them.
7. Russ' idea was to build them late last year and to ship them beginning this year, but I think the schedule has slipped a bit. This is not their main job, so things can get delayed.
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2- Use something with easy access. This is a diy project and Russ/Brian keep developing new stuff. The most important thing is to keep the wires short and avoid crossing them. But I think Russ prefers thin particle board :-)
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I typically build prototype cases with MDF. :)
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LeonvB wrote:.
5. The R-Cores are great, and cheaper. Plus they're shielded. There's really no reason not to use them.
Thanks everyone for enlightening me! Leon, where do you see the R-cores are cheaper? - i've only managed go find some at ebay, but they were way too big (100VA), cost 50 USD and shipping from Hong Kong doubled the price.. I was hoping the USB-receiver was ready by Febuary, but as i read the above, chances are very slim. My plan was to enhouse the USB-board and Dac together to try and keep the I2S connection in between as short as possible. The laptop and dac would then be connected via an active USB-cable (10-15 m long). Is this ok? - USB is digital, so if there is a connection, it should work just as good as keeping the USB-cable under 5 meters, right?
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I've used the 30VA 9V and 15V ones from http://www.selectronic.fr/. They ship them out fast and at very low shipping charges, esp. if you compare it to the airfreight from the US the savings are quite big. I'd be careful in selecting the right USB cable. Most of the cheaper and even some of the more expensive active cables only go up to 12Mbps, which is referred to as full-speed instead of what you would want (hi-speed, for 480Mbps).
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glt wrote:2- Use something with easy access. This is a diy project and Russ/Brian keep developing new stuff. The most important thing is to keep the wires short and avoid crossing them. But I think Russ prefers thin particle board :-) Keep good height clearance. I think the builds tents to raise wildly ;-)
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LeonvB wrote:I've used the 30VA 9V and 15V ones from http://www.selectronic.fr/. They ship them out fast and at very low shipping charges, esp. if you compare it to the airfreight from the US the savings are quite big. I'd be careful in selecting the right USB cable. Most of the cheaper and even some of the more expensive active cables only go up to 12Mbps, which is referred to as full-speed instead of what you would want (hi-speed, for 480Mbps). Thanks, i had to look a bit further. I could not find them under the English pages, but i somehow managed to find those i needed in the french version. 31 EUR for two transformers + shipping.. not bad!!! I have both LCDPS and LCBPS as per Russ' advice. I only need to find out if i need more than one of each before i order the transformers. The USB cable is indeed critical. I found some via monoprice that should do the job: http://www.monoprice.com...=1&format=4#feedbackThank you all for getting me started. I will probably make a thread once the build commence. I hope you will be kind to leave me feedback as i go along on my maiden voyage into DIY!
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FYI: TI (maker of the PCM2707 chip) recommends keeping the USB cable under 6m.
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The spec goes no further than 5m, without a performance drop. But these are active cables so it might work. I'd be much more at ease however with the official, certified 5m cable with extension electronics and then a certified 5m connection cable. That combination complies fully with the USB 2.0 standard, which allows multiple active extenders, each running 5m of cable. This cables only says "compliant", which means it isn't tested (in that case it would mention "certified"). So this cable could work, but it also might not.
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LeonvB wrote:The spec goes no further than 5m, without a performance drop. But these are active cables so it might work. I'd be much more at ease however with the official, certified 5m cable with extension electronics and then a certified 5m connection cable. That combination complies fully with the USB 2.0 standard, which allows multiple active extenders, each running 5m of cable. This cables only says "compliant", which means it isn't tested (in that case it would mention "certified"). So this cable could work, but it also might not. Well, if i can remember to do so, i will post my experiences with the cables so other will benefit. There is no need for others to experiment as well.
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Hello.
As I see this is 8ch DAC. Your BII is configured in 2ch (1ch) only. Am I right?
If I want configure this DAC for 8ch output, does this BII suits my needs?
BII suports only up to 32-bit/192kHz inputs, while DAC, according to datasheet supports up to 500KHz sampling input. Can I feed BII with more than 192KHz input?
Regards.
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BII is a stereo/mono only DAC. Edited by user Sunday, February 27, 2011 8:00:00 AM(UTC)
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Quote:As I see this is 8ch DAC. Your BII is configured in 2ch (1ch) only. Am I right?
If I want configure this DAC for 8ch output, does this BII suits my needs?
BII suports only up to 32-bit/192kHz inputs, while DAC, according to datasheet supports up to 500KHz sampling input. Can I feed BII with more than 192KHz input? Yes, the BII is set in stereo or mono mode. No, it doesn't with only 1 board. You'd need 4 boards, each supporting 2 channels. The BII supports 32/400 max. For more information: www.twistedpearaudio.com/docs/docs.aspx
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Thanks for your replies. Shall I wait for 8ch (7-6-4-2-1) configurable Buffalo version or it's not planned to come? I guess you should edit description Highlights at http://www.twistedpearau...com/digital/buffalo.aspxChip itself supports up to 500KHz of input. ESS made a amendment to it's general overview datasheet. However, they could start to produce some kind of upgraded batch. Nobody knows! They used to not answer to any requests outside. According to datasheet, it's CONFIDENTIAL ADVANCED INFORMATION Rev. 0.6 January 17, 2011.  Looks like datasheet was made for kids.) Regards. Edited by user Monday, February 28, 2011 4:05:11 PM(UTC)
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It always been capable of that, it really just depends on the clock you use. :)
We try to be conservative about such claims.
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