Singxer SU-1 vs FUN01 assembled XU208

[sbenyo]

Is anyone familiar with "Assembled XU208 XMOS USB Audio Digital Interface XLR/AES/fiber/coaxial" ? (Sometime under FUN01 name)

See example listing: 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Assembled-XU208-XMOS-USB-Audio-Digital-Interface-XLR-AES-fiber-coaxial-L1611-2-/122210294479

 

It seems like a Singxer SU-1 just without a case. The only visible difference is the I2S is R45J instead of HDMI connection.

In addition it has a 5v connection that allows using a good LPS. If this is correct it even reduces the need for tweaking the SU-1 for LPS.

 

 

I wonder if this is true and if this can deliver the same SQ as SU-1. Price difference is small ~100$ vs ~400$.

 

[scan80269]

22 hours ago, sbenyo said:

Is anyone familiar with "Assembled XU208 XMOS USB Audio Digital Interface XLR/AES/fiber/coaxial" ? (Sometime under FUN01 name)

See example listing: 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Assembled-XU208-XMOS-USB-Audio-Digital-Interface-XLR-AES-fiber-coaxial-L1611-2-/122210294479

 

It seems like a Singxer SU-1 just without a case. The only visible difference is the I2S is R45J instead of HDMI connection.

In addition it has a 5v connection that allows using a good LPS. If this is correct it even reduces the need for tweaking the SU-1 for LPS.

 

 

I wonder if this is true and if this can deliver the same SQ as SU-1. Price difference is small ~100$ vs ~400$.

 

Are you looking to use the AES or coax/optical S/PDIF outputs of this DDC to connect to your DAC?  Or are you eyeing the I2S output?

 

If you intend to use I2S, it looks like this FUN01 can support only DACs that have an RJ45 receptacle for I2S input.  Unlike the SU-1, I see no DIP switches that can change the pin definitions or polarities of the I2S signals, so it is difficult to guarantee the I2S pinout of the RJ45 will exactly match a DAC accepting I2S-RJ45.

 

I also saw no link on the auction page to a Windows driver download for this DDC, so I would advise caution.  At minimum, I recommend contacting the seller to ask about the Windows driver (assuming you will need it) and a list of DACs with I2S-RJ45 known (or expected) to work with this DDC.

 

[sbenyo]

I am using AES and not interested in I2S. I am interested in Singxer SU-1.

I just wonder if the FUN01 is the same from SQ perspective if true, why I should pay 3 times more.

 

Regarding drivers, this is a good point. I will check it.

 

[kaap]

Hi, I was considering this fully assembeld XU208, with LPS.. almost placed an order.. but an 2end hand Singer Su1 came on the marked, so got that one instead... And I could not find any reviews or anything on this FUN01... So I went with the safest bet... 

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/FUN01-XU208-XMOS-USB-Audio-Digital-Interface-XLR-AES-fiber-coaxial-LPS-/322214870575?hash=item4b0580be2f:g:x4cAAOSwqfNXoX0W

[sbenyo]

I think you did right. I saw in an unrelated post someone hinting the FUN01 are not in the same level as Singxer because they use cheaper components. Price wise it is still tempting but unless someone comes with head-2-head testing to prove the differences not worth the extra cost, I would not go there. 

 

[juergenp]

Hello,

long time no see,

i have both the singxer su1 and the Fun01.

The Fun01 needs the same driver as the Singxer so a direct comparrison between the two is possible.

What can i say the Fun is fantastic !

My Dac is a Audiobyte Black Dragon.

So input I2S over HDMI is no problem but AES is the better way to go IMHO.

I think that the FUN01 is a oem product from Singxer.

best regards

Jürgen

[tgb]

hi Jurgen,

can you explain more about the SQ diff between the Su1 and the Fun01 ?

Thks

[FIndingit]

For that price and some modifications, the board only looks like a better deal than Eitr. I’m getting one.

 

After the Chinese New Year, that is.

[tgb]

I bought the board only, last week. 

Delivery : end of April !!! Hope I'll receive it before.

I bought it because it looks pretty close to the SU-1. As I plan to power all parts externally, I prefer to pay 100usd for what i need (board), than 400usd for board+nice box+crapy PS.

I'll post my feedback. When? I really don't know :-)

[seeteeyou]

MX-U8

https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Melodious-Audio-MX-U8-Ver-1_60411329248.html

https://www.shenzhenaudio.com/melodious-audio-mx-u8-ultimate-edition-32bit-384khz-dsd-xmos-usb-digital-audio-interface.html

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Melodious-Audio-MX-U8-Ultimate-Edition-32Bit-384KHz-DSD-XMOS-USB-Digital-Interface-Ver-1-7/32736417139.html

 

FUN01

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Assembled-XU208-XMOS-USB-Audio-Digital-Interface-XLR-AES-fiber-coaxial/112402255126

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Assembled-XU208-XMOS-USB-Audio-Digital-Interface-XLR-AES-fiber-coaxial/122420183602

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Assembled-XU208-XMOS-USB-Audio-Digital-Interface-XLR-AES-fiber-coaxial-/222506096055

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Assembled-XU208-XMOS-USB-Audio-Digital-Interface-XLR-AES-fiber-coaxial-R109/122376578166

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hi-end-Finished-XU208-XMOS-USB-Audio-Digital-Interface-XLR-AES-fiber-coaxial-/322789545622

http://www.ebay.com/itm/FUN01-XU208-XMOS-USB-Audio-Digital-Interface-XLR-AES-fiber-coaxial-LPS-ZJ-84-/131913489796

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hi-end-Finished-XU208-XMOS-USB-Audio-Digital-Interface-XLR-AES-fiber-coaxial-/192317319223

http://www.ebay.com/itm/FUN01-XU208-XMOS-USB-Audio-Digital-Interface-XLR-AES-fiber-coaxial-LPS-L168-2-/122094491351

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Assembled-XU208-XMOS-USB-Audio-Digital-Interface-XLR-AES-fiber-coaxial-L1611-2-/122210294479

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hi-end-Finished-XU208-XMOS-USB-Audio-Digital-Interface-XLR-AES-fiber-coaxial-/322789545726

http://diyerzone.com/audio-preamp/finished-preamp/fun01-xu208-xmos-usb-audio-digital-interface-xlr-aes-fiber-coaxial-lps.html

 

Both of them looked strikingly similar, though the prices seemed to be remarkably different.

[FIndingit]

The FUN01 has smaller clocks and the pads are closer to each other which means retrofitting ndk clocks is easier than in the SU-1 for example.

[tgb]

Hi,

I received the Assembled XU208 yesteday : really good product.

 

I have a heavy tweaked Breeze U8, all part are externally powered (individuals clocks @ 3.3V, board @ 5V, USB input @ 5V). The modified Breeze is night/day vs the stock version.

In Jan'18, I tested the new Breeze U208 (stock version) : still behind my modded Breeze U8.

For info, I've always used the AES output.

 

So, as I have nice power supplied @ 5V & 3.3V, I wanted to test the Assembled XU208. Only 90eur delivered to France, very cheap.

After nearly 30hours burning, the sounds is ok. In fact as it is a simple board, I guess burning is pretty quick, because there is no power supply attached to burn, and my power supplies are constantly running.

 

Well, to be clear, the winner is the Assembled XU208, far ahead my modded Breeze U8 (thus far ahead the Breeze U208) : much more detailed, more space, quiter background, better stereo (better split up between L/R).

In fact all what you may expect when a DDC is better than another.

 

If you have already good PS at 5V & 3.3V, this tiny board is a bargain.

Rgds

[FIndingit]

Very interesting. Mine is still in a shipping hub somewhere in the world, but you will get an opinion, compared to Eitr, as soon as I get it.

[tgb]

Cool ! Thanks FIndingit ! Nice to compare the FUN01 with the Eitr !

 

I modifiy my previous post after testing my modded Breeze with the FUN01 this afternoon :

I said "more space" & "better stereo" (I think crosstalk is the right word in english for "better stereo" but I'm not sure, sorry) : very little difference with a heavy modded Breeze.

But testing result is clear : FUN01 far ahead the modded Breeze upon all other SQ points. Finally the FUN01 brings much more pleasure when listening. I confirm it is a bargain !

 

Please find my report after testing on this French hifi forum ("phile" is my member name over there) => http://forum-hifi.fr/thread-7380-post-146794.html#pid146794 (if Google fails to translate, I can do it here)

Rgds

[tgb]

Hi,

After a few days with the FUN01, I've to admit the SQ is not OK.

Listening is tiring.

The basis of the product is fine, it brings all criteria above the Breeze, as said before.

The trouble is that the SQ is tiring. 

My guess is that the basic clocks are bad, leading to this lack of smoothness.

 

The "difficult" recordings sound harsh. It has never been the case on my previous modded Breeze.

My PS were perfect on the modified Breeze, so they are ok on this DDC.

To me, the weak point is the clocks.

 

Very disappointed. At the beginning I enjoyed the dynamic, details etc. But at the end, to me, I admit it is not a good hifi product.

100USB could have been a bargain, but no miracle, it is not a bargain.

 

I look forward to hear from you FIndingit about FUN01 vs Eitr.

 

I keep the FUN01 on my system but I'll look for another one.

Rgds

[FredM]

Sorry to hear about this, thanks for sharing your experience.

[FIndingit]

My brief experiences with the FUN01 board: I prefer it to Eitr. I've changed all the caps to Nichicon R7, the main PSU 5v and the 3.3v regulators are lt3045, usb v+ 5v is straight from LPS-1. I use the RCA spdif out to my Hegel amp. You might say I'm not using a highly resolving dac, but its a one I know intimately.

 

FUN01 has more colour, detail and bass weight than Eitr. I don't find it tiring, although some of the cap changes I made did result in a brighter sound. 

 

In my opinion it sounded more relaxed and colourful than Eitr after changing just the 3.3v regulator.

 

Today I replaced the oscillators with NZ2520SDA's. That's the real icing on this cake, no doubt. Even more nice detail and bass weight. I'm waiting for any break in effect next.

 

[FIndingit]

To be completely  frank my enthusiasm decreases after a few days of break-in. The result is bright, but still more relaxed than Eitr.

[roberto2]

You could try Elna Silmic II capacitors instead of Nichicon R7. Elna need many hours to give their best but in my Singxer the sound was more analog then Panasonic FR. And I think lt3045 regulators are a little dry from what I have red. I use Sparkos Labs on my Singxer.

[FIndingit]

You are right, but I’m afraid the traces on FUN01 are thinner than those in SU-1 (would make sense considering the price) and can only take so much de- and resoldering.

[HallmanLabs]

What drivers exactly are you all using for the FUN01 V1.1? 

I tried the Singxer_USBAudio_v4.36.0_2017-11-14_DSD512.rar

However, that did not seem to work. I already had the normal XMOS driver installed and working with my Burson Play DAC. 

Any ideas on what could be causing this? I tried with and without external 5V supply by LT1963 LDOs. I get the small LED to come on, but none of the larger 3 towers will light up and the device isn't showing up in playback devices.

I tried USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 jacks both from the motherboard and a PCI-e USB expansion card.

Surely I didn't get a dead unit after waiting 1.5 months for it...

[HallmanLabs]

Alright, I found the problem with mine... This is ridiculous  (Note the quality control passed sticker, almost funny if it wasn't MY HARDWARE!!)  

Can someone let me know what IC I am missing? I can install one before they could get another of these out to me.

 

 

[elan120]

28 minutes ago, HallmanLabs said:

Alright, I found the problem with mine... This is ridiculous  (Note the quality control passed sticker, almost funny if it wasn't MY HARDWARE!!)  

Can someone let me know what IC I am missing? I can install one before they could get another of these out to me.

 

 

If this is the same design as SU-1, the missing IC chip should be Windbond W25X40CLSNIG 4MBIT 104MHZ flash memory

[HallmanLabs]

So if that is correct, it's a 52 cent part. I'll get a few, won't make any difference and shipping will be 50% of the cost of a Digikey order like this.

Only thing is Digikey doesn't currently have them in stock.

Can someone with the FUN01 V1.1 confirm what elan120 has said? Thanks for the info!!

[scan80269]

5 hours ago, HallmanLabs said:

So if that is correct, it's a 52 cent part. I'll get a few, won't make any difference and shipping will be 50% of the cost of a Digikey order like this.

Only thing is Digikey doesn't currently have them in stock.

Can someone with the FUN01 V1.1 confirm what elan120 has said? Thanks for the info!!

An un-programmed serial flash chip will not work.  If that circuit board is really missing the serial flash for the Xilinx chip, you'll need an exact replacement chip with the correct programming.  Best way to DIY is to track down another FUN01 unit and hook up an external programmer to read out the code from the serial flash chip, then program a blank chip and solder it onto your board.  I recommend soldering on an 8-pin SOIC chip socket at the location to allow easy drop-in and removal of the SOIC8 serial flash chip.