I had an Amanero/Hermes/Cronos that I couldn't get working along with a BIIISE PRO that had a clock problem. I finally figured out that it was the soldering on the potato flip flop on the Cronos that was the problem and that the DAC would work with an external clock - so I built a headphone DAC that also operates as a preamp.

The build uses 2 OttoII boards to switch between Amanero and an AVB Dongle, and between front and surround channels on the AVB Dongle so it will drive surround speakers at the flip of a switch.

The build also features a separate power supply box containing regulators feeding another set of regulators in the box.

I used this build to experiment with a a few build configs to try to extract the highest fidelity I could out of the BIII PRO - in particular, adding an extra stage of regulation and comparing various I2S connectors including hirose connectors.

I concluded from my experiments that, in general, 3 stage rectification made little difference, but independently powering the AVCC provided a quantum leap in audible sound quality.

I also concluded that 'digital' is not digital when it comes to I2S connections transmitting digital data (hardly surprising as it does so via an analog waveform). I started off using cheapo breadboard/arduino dupont connector cables - sounded ok but not inspiring by any shade. I then hand made replacement dupont connectors using 26 AWG pure silver wire and cotton sleeve - a substantial audible improvement was heard (did same for MCLK signal). I then replaced with around $150 worth of hirose shielded connectors - which was probably the biggest waste of money AFAIAK as they sounded even worse than the cheapo breadboard/arduino dupont connector cables.

As you can see, the final build has the silver wire in cotton sleeve restored throughout the digital (and analog) chain. IMHO they utterly wipe the floor with the commercial hirose connectors I tested.

Edited by user Sunday, January 27, 2019 1:13:29 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified