DIY NOS R-2R DAC for Raspberry Pi

Audio Gear DACs
1

Hi all,

Just wish to share my DIY AD1865 DAC project.
Been trying hard to make a discrete R-2R DAC on a pi’s hat , but can’t squeeze those parts into that small board and ended up with obsolete AD1865 chip.

Here’s more info about the DAC :

http://audiophilediyer.com/diy-nos-ad1865-dac-for-raspberry-pi/

youtu.be/QWDK1UkRcf0

2

Hi, very very nice, i cant wait to have one !

3

@Michelangelo, what would it take to support this DAC within Volumio?

Thanks,

Chris M

4

Well, thanks to the builder’s research, it turns out that the RPi-DAC setting works well with this, although he did say that this has to be set on the initial installation, else Volumio GUI shows that the DAC is changed but doesn’t change the driver. I shall run the thing in and see how it goes but it sounds good already…

5

Hmm, after running overnight, the veils are lifting. It now provides 3-4dB more output and is getting clearer… Onward!

6

Hi Chris,

Can you share your full impressions of this DAC’s sound quality after using it for a couple months?

To my knowledge, there is only one other multibit RPi DAC hat out there, and its the one I use in my system now. I’m talking about Matt Garman’s TDA1387 hat. I have tried several DAC hats in my setup, including Boss, Piano, PecanPi, DIAL, and the Audiophonics TDA1387, plus a couple DIY prototypes. The Garman DAC is my favorite of all.
https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/digital-line-level/313395-tda1387-dac-pcb-front.html

Anyway, I seem to much prefer the NOS sound. I have never heard an AD1865 DAC, but these chips seem to have been used in some top-tier commercial gear in their heyday. This new DAC hat definitely has my attention! I look forward to hearing more about your experience with it.

7

does this dac work with the kali reclocker?