audiolab m-dac

[schwantz34]

Hi guys, who tried to modify this dac (with a power supply and modifications on the mainboard of the converter) from the standard form and what are the result of this?
Tnx
ciao
s

[Sovereign]

John Westlake (one of the two designers) had my MDAC for a few months and spent a lot of time trying out different modifications.
I don't know what he did exactly (i know it was only to the dac itself, I have it on an email somewhere, I'm pretty sure it was to do with the power supply around the chip) but when I ran it side by side with a stock dac it does sound more dynamic and involving.
JW has plans to offer an better external power supply and mods for the inside, but I wouldn't hold your breath.

[schwantz34]

John Westlake (one of the two designers) had my MDAC for a few months and spent a lot of time trying out different modifications.
I don't know what he did exactly (i know it was only to the dac itself, I have it on an email somewhere, I'm pretty sure it was to do with the power supply around the chip) but when I ran it side by side with a stock dac it does sound more dynamic and involving.
JW has plans to offer an better external power supply and mods for the inside, but I wouldn't hold your breath.

Thank you sovereign, but ...have I read right? months? May I ask how much this modification takes in terms of money?
tnx
ciao
s

[terrybooth]

I'm holding fire on the whole DAC thing (happy with what is in the TFS at the moment) until we here what NVA might do.

[Sovereign]

John Westlake (one of the two designers) had my MDAC for a few months and spent a lot of time trying out different modifications.
I don't know what he did exactly (i know it was only to the dac itself, I have it on an email somewhere, I'm pretty sure it was to do with the power supply around the chip) but when I ran it side by side with a stock dac it does sound more dynamic and involving.
JW has plans to offer an better external power supply and mods for the inside, but I wouldn't hold your breath.

Thank you sovereign, but ...have I read right? months? May I ask how much this modification takes in terms of money?
tnx
ciao
s

JW will admit himself he can never commit to timescales, it was meant to be at the beginning of this year, but as usual he is delayed.
There is a huge thread on the MDAC running on PFM, if you ask one of the chaps on there you should get some sort of answer. There are few who are willing o make an external PSU for the MDAC as It’s a bit of an odd supply, in that it’s a twin 13.8v AC output. AC power supplies are expensive to make, as the transformers are all hand wound specifically for the job they need to do, so there must be suitable demand or they work out very expensive just to make the odd one.
But if I was to guess I would say JW should have his act together within 6-9 months.
Hope this helps.

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

Who told you that crap, you are falling for the bullshit Hand wound transformers all toroids are wound on a machine with an operator, does that make it hand or machine, well it depends on if you want it for marketing purposes and hire a few Norwegian virgins to do it for you. Those multiple continuous threads at PFM are a marketing exercise. The whole persona of Jonn Westlake on those threads is a marketing exercise, initiated by SQ(whatever) who is a marketing man by profession.

You should treat everything you read there with a very large pinch of salt.

[Sovereign]

Those multiple and continuous threads on PFM are a big pain in the arse. To many blokes talking way too much crap, but you will get the answer schwants is looking for.
I left the PFM MDAC threads very soon after they started as I don't have the time or the patience for them.
I revisited a month back or so to report on the work JW carried out on my DAC.
But they did help me diss over a very good and Capable DAC

[schwantz34]

thank you, sovereign