Anyone using AKM AK4497 based DAC

[mirekti]

It has been some time since the chip from the tile became available. I wondered if there are any users who could put some words on it.
My primary use will be with HQPlayer and use the NOS feature and I am quite excited about it. On other forums I've read new AKM and ESS chips are a digital audio history changers, yet I didn't notice any hype that usually goes with it. 

[mfsoa]

I'm using the Gustard A20H. Don't have much to compare it to - More forward than my Marantz SA8005 but never harsh. I like it.

-Mike

[twluke]

11 hours ago, mirekti said:

It has been some time since the chip from the tile became available. I wondered if there are any users who could put some words on it.
My primary use will be with HQPlayer and use the NOS feature and I am quite excited about it. On other forums I've read new AKM and ESS chips are a digital audio history changers, yet I didn't notice any hype that usually goes with it. 

Hi mirekti,

 

I built a dual mono AK4497 kit early this year (which is now out of stock and will not be available even in the future) only for the purpose of playing upsampled DSD512 via HQ Player (with Roon). As the kit was designed only for I2S/DSD connection, I also prepared a set of I2S/DSD devices as an NAA for HQP, using a BeagleBone Black, on which a linux system called Botic is running to provide I2S/DSD signals extracted from the networkaudiod daemon of HQP in it, combined with Hermes and Cronus boards from Twisted Pear Audio to receive the I2S/DSD signals from BBB and to send the isolated signals with reclocking of the on-board 44K1/48K master clocks to the AK4497 board.

 

As the AK4497 is a chip of voltage output, differential analog output can be easily obtained directly from it but the author of this board also provided another option so that it can be used for current output. I compared the SQ w/o I/V stage using an IVY-III from TPA above, which can be configured to adjust to each output, current or voltage. After preliminary auditioning, I decided to use voltage output by connecting it to the voltage input of the IVY-III. This decision was only based on the obtained level of analog output, which happened to be rather higher with voltage output. So it may vary by changing the output or gain resistors of the I/V stage. No science in my decision.  

 

For nearly a month after building the kit, I continued to check the SQ of the AK4497 board, occasionally comparing with my other DACs capable of DSD512: a T+A DAC 8 DSD and Buffalo 3/3SE (ES9018) kits with Botic/BBB/Hermes/Cronus from TPA. First of all, the board was very quiet in terms of the noise floor and quite excellent in playing upsampled DSD512 from HQP, offering a deeply embracing sound stage without any trace of irritating loudness even on raising the volume level up to a bit too much high. The SQ of this board was quite comparable to T+A DAC, maybe superior to it in that you can avoid USB interface through your audio signal path. With the combination of Botic/BBB and Hermes/Cronus, the well-designed ES9018 boards like B3 or B3SE had proved to work as DSD512-able DACs but tended to suffer from occasional clock unlocking by noises, though mostly manageable, causing occasional unwanted termination of pleasant listening (falling asleep, to tell the truth ). However, this AK4497 board showed no such problems and is always working well free from any noise. Just wonderful.

 

I checked the frequency effect of master clocks because the Cronus board has a chip for MCLK frequency divider. The clocks of 45/49MHz appeared to be optimal for DSD512 play. The clocks of 90/98MHz also work well but the DSD output becomes fixed to the mode of Volume Bypass: i.e., fixed to 2.5Vpp, lower than 3.75Vpp in Normal Path mode. Fixation per se was not a problem but caused some inconvenience in volume leveling with other device outputs. So, I'm now using 45/49 clocks from Crystek.

 

The pictures shown below is the case I ordered in March with my humble CAD drawings, in which you can see the units I introduced above, together with PSUs. I'm quite grateful to the staff of Modushop.biz by Hi-Fi 2000 for their fine work of milling and drilling the case, which I eagerly wanted to put these AK4497-related pearls in it. Well, I'd like to say that I'm quite happy with the sound of this AK4497 board: it's just great!

 

Regards,

 

Figures: Front; Close-up; Rear; Inside; Close-up of BBB/Hermes/Cronus on your left and dual-mono AK4497 with IVY III on your right

[mirekti]

It seems the DAC I was waiting had finally been released 
https://www.computeraudiophile.com/forums/topic/34665-lio-dac-20-statement-level-dac-in-production/

 

I placed an order and can't wait to try it out and hear these new AKM chips. Also, given the fact it can be used as NOS, HQPlayer can send any data rate i.e. don't need to send DAC's max (DSD512) rate to avoid filters in the DAC. 
 

[Fabian069]

Hi Twluke,

 

I have the same DAC AK4497 and would like to wire a I²S signal outcoming from my DSP to the DAC.

Do you know something about the wiring / DSD meaning ?

 

Thanks, Fabian

 

 

[CJH]

D70s desktop MQA DAC-TOPPING (tpdz.net)

CJH