Yes, all of those are options for you to consider. A Centaur PS is noisier than LT3045s but fine for the main digital supply as digital circuits are not very sensitive to noise. However, I prefer the PS I suggested as it has Murata chokes that both prevent noise coming in and getting out.

Independent power supply for analog and XO along with DAC chip upgrade should make a night and day improvement (depending on the rest of your system's resolving power)

The newer chips are pin compatible. I have successfully performed the transplant onto BII, BIII, and BIIISE boards - however, the old firmware will not work with the new chips. You will need to use an external I2C microcontroller like an Arduino if you want to configure the DAC to stereo operation (default is 8 channel). See my other thread on doing this and my Arduino code library for controlling the ES9028/38. Also beware that the RESET pin must be pulled high AFTER all voltages have reached operating values after powerup.

You'd need to completely isolate the Arduino 'cos it makes a heap of PS noise that will interfere with the DAC if there are any common grounds - so separate PS, I2C isolator, and relay or optocoupler for operating the DACs RESET pin.

If, on the other hand you buy a 9038PRO + Mercury the onboard firmware does all that for you, but that's a substantial amount of money to outlay.

I like the flexibility the Arduino gives. I use the Wemos R1D2 board which is WiFi capable. I can control my system via WiFi and an app on my smartphone - change filter shapes, attenuation/mute, and switch xover and FIR profile configs on the miniSHARC. Others use it for IR and LCD control.

Hi Possum,

I have ordered two of the PSU’s you suggested this morning to start with.

I did some questioning about swapping DAC chips and, as you describe below, it’s not quite straightforward for a Sunday DIY like I am. So I have to skip this option too. Sorry for the effort you put in the extensive explanation but it might be useful for others to use.

The Centaur boosts a 2A against the LT3045 with 0,56 per rail if I stand correctly. As I use the sidecar connected to the Placid of the DAC I’m in doubt if the LT3045 is capable of providing sufficient headroom? The power to the XO an AVCC is divided dough.
To do it the best way I need 3 seperate PSU’s per DAC don’t I? One for the BIII main input, one for the XO and one for both AVCC’s where I could combine the PSU for the XO and the AVCC’s right?


Ok but instead of building dual mono (buying two 9028’s) I buy one 9038 and a Mercury. This setting is comparable right?

Cheers,

Jordo

PS: The DIYINHK PS is only good for max 400ma as the murata choke gets too hot above that

If pure solid silver wire makes your system sound sharp it means there is a problem elsewhere (most probably your PS noise)

"As for the Ufl connections. I was just starting to become a big fan of this system that allows you to totally shield your data connections"

I must ask, for what purpose? I can understand using Ufl connectors to carry a microscopic GHz signal from a mobile phone antennae a few inches without being contaminated by the surrounding circuits - but that simply ain't an issue with a 3.3v I2S signal traveling a few inches carrying relatively low frequency (i.e.: KHz) signals.

Its all bullshit. Get your power clean and simply do a listening test and you will throw your Ufl connectors in the bin like I did. Biggest waste of money ever IMHO.

Just get some fine silver wire (99.99% pure or better - do not use sterling silver!) from a jewelry supplier (or ebay) and put a loose insulating sleeve on it - I use 26-30 AWG wire with either braided cotton sleeve or PFTE tubing with a 1.2mm inner diameter (the PFTE tubing is cheaper and much easier to thread the wire into)

The idea of the sleeving is to be loose enough that the wire is mainly using air as the dielectric.

After much experimentation I came to the following conclusions about cabling:

- Avoid using multicore cable anywhere (power and signal). Only use solid core/strip.
- Never use plated wire in the signal path
- Pure silver sounds much better everywhere in the signal path (interconnects, speaker cable, and even digital) than using any kind of copper
- Silver sounds no better than equivalent solid core copper for power lines (I simply use 1mm solid core house wiring)
- Silver makes the best speaker cable - use fine silver strip

Do not touch the silver as it will oxidise it badly. Polish it with very fine steel wool or metal polish.

Silver can sound overly-bright to begin with. It needs to be burnt in for 100-200 hours.

My other tips for attaining audio heaven are to use good mains power filtering and DSP to correct your speakers and room

Edited by user Sunday, March 14, 2021 9:08:35 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Sure - I use 9V without any issue

The Murata chokes are the limiting factor on those PSUs - they get hot. 350-400ma is their limit, but you shouldn't be coming anywhere close to that current.

In theory, No. It powers digital compute. Digital circuits have a high noise tolerance. However, I haven't tried it. 1.2v does power the digital part of the actual DAC circuit - as opposed to decoding and filtering core logic. The manufacturer makes no mention of any improvement (only to analog power).

From the data sheet:

"Power Supplies
To maximize THD+N, AVCC_L and AVCC_R must be powered by low-noise +3.3V supplies. Although AVCC_L and
AVCC_R could be powered from a single low-noise supply, crosstalk would be compromised and so separate +3.3V supplies are highly recommended."

I just completed a Buffalo-IIIse 9038 with individual psus for all components. Individual psus really make a big difference:)

Do you use any special board-to-board connectors or just standard headers?

Just a though that came into my head reading about you using silver wire.

I have noticed a feature small feature after upgrading to individual psus. Its as if the dac has to warm up for 2 minutes during which it sometimes momentarily looses lock. Once its warmed up everything is perfect.

It doesnt really bother me but Im curious if you have encountered something similar?