LC5 is stable in both IV and LPF! My silver extensions came in today.. The sounds is amazing! Very three dimensional and separation of instruments in the sound stage. Impressive sound... this was an unbelievable upgrade for very little money.
@@marksobotkin6141we are still using this DAC with AkLAIM LC5 modules in the IV section and LPF section in our main room. The sound is quite excellent. I have an LT3042 based linear power supply on it. When I upgrade this DAC I will be going to R2R and will likely get the Denafrips Enyo.
I deleted my previous comment about LC5. The first pair I had one module was problematic and weak. AkLAIM sent me replacement and the sound is exceptional with them in the IV section. Testing all this week with no problems. Looking forward to trying them in the LPF section once I get some silver adapters.
Hello, what about size? in comments of LC5 they looks too big, i have LC2*4 and ordered EQ200 to try and compare sound, i wonder about LC5, but their size looks a bit too much
@@nix7705 there is definitely a size issue with LC5 modules. They are 2mm too high so a lid modification is required. Given the size and shape of the LC5 module you will also need adapters to run them in the LPF section. The sockets are too close to each other so there is module overhang that is blocking the LPF sockets. I may just run four adapters and then 3D print some kind of cage to hold all the LC5 modules above the chassis. 🤷♂️
Great review! Which OpAmps did you put in for the output stage and the headphone amp? What are the upsampling frequencies that are supported? You should do another video demonstrating the DA50 in your system 😀
Thank you! In the output stage and headphone amp I have discrete Akliam LC2A now - since the review I've ordered another 3 pieces to have them everywhere (they are that nice). As for upsampling - I forgot to mention that it does that by multiplying input freq by 1x,4x and 16x going up to 768kHz max. There will be another vid with pairing DA50 with twin A07 MAX in mono mode :)
I'm using this DAC with D5 Pro amp and KLH Model 5 speakers. I've upgraded the op-amps to OPA828 in the IV stage and TI NE5532P in the LPF stage and this combo gives me the best dynamics, wide sound stage and great imaging while keeping sibilance to a minimum. I've tried many combos like having LC5 in LPF but the sound got too harsh on my gear. I hope this helps people who want to get rid of the digital glare in their setup.
Can it be used as a dac only? Like no preamp working or is it always on? And as a preamp does it work good like having a lot of steps and good control?
Yes it can be used as a DAC only, you can disable HP output and when volume is set to 100 it works as a DAC. In preamp mode or works very good as with 100 volume steps you can precisely set the required level.
Anybody try newer LC5 op amps? I am curious about them. I also have this same DAC on the way, linear power supply also. It seems many of us are trying to make $250USD DAC sound like $1000+USD
@JosephThompson619 No experience with LC5 on my side. Howerer, I can also strongly recommend OPA828 - I've tested it in I/V section with LCs as LPF, and this is also great setup. A little less body (tiny amount) but lots of sparkle and tons of detail. OPA828 is very, very fast and precise. DA50 has nice build quality, I'm really curious about measurements. Unfortunately I have no access to APx..@@JosephThompson619
My C9.3 mbl6010 Preamplifier clone has four OPA828 in it! So you like OPA828 for the High Frequency and using the LC discrete op amps in your Low Pass Filter? Please forgive my arrogance, the LPF are the sockets closest to the back of the chassis?
@@JosephThompson619 I/V conversion is not for high frequency, it's first stage after DAC where need to convert one into another (with full freq range). It's important to have fast and precise opamp (or discrete circuit) in order not to loose audio information. LPF is low pass filter for filtering very high frequency artifacts in this output signal, leaving only audio band. LPF is close to XLRs, IV is right after AK chips on PCB.
@@TC-bz8sm surprisingly good. It really is a discrete amp section with opa 2604 and it sounds good. I haven't checked if it has some power limits, it was fine with my Ananda and Arya (and bunch of IEMs)
I have this DAC on the way, I am really excited to get it and see how close it is to other AK4499EX on the market. I have an LT3042 linear power supply on the way, and plan on trying a DC filter on the LPS. I think I'm going to experiment with LC5 op amps just to try something different ... The LC2 op amps seem to be very popular. Have any sound sample videos by chance? Thank you for your review!
Hi! Thanks for the feedback. I hope you'll enjoy your unit. I'm recording these videos with my phone, I can do a sound sample test but it will be trash - even with good quality mic youtube compression makes sound tests problematic :( And, of course, there is a question of copyrights: sound sample would be best on some popular song or music piece, so everyone would be able to compare it. Free youtube music samples are bad for sound testing :D
@@k4syxunderstand about sound quality. I wonder what your op amps configuration will be after all your testing? The LC2 is sold out now I believe. I do not believe the lid will close with the LC5 that I have ordered 😆
@JosephThompson619 at the moment my favorite combination is OPA828 in IV section and LC2 at LPF. The best combination of precision and A class natural sound. More 828 on the way though, I wanna test them in my set of cheap amps :) As for LC5 - I've heard about angled DIP8 adaptors, but you'd have to put additional socket to have one above another if you know what I mean.
My DA50 is burning in. I think it needs at least a few hours before it starts to sing 😊 I also got two Sparkos and two Akliam opamps, XLR to RCA adapters and a linear power supply. I will probably stay with stock capacitors for now...
Hey! I've bought this DAC per your recommendation in the comments section under another one of your videos. Could you please recommend what kind of opamps I should buy for it? There's an ali sale right now, I think I can snatch a good deal on those. LC2 is no longer available for sale. What should I buy? 4 of 828? 4 of LC5? 2 pairs of each?
Hi! That depends on your budget and preferences. I would get 2 828 and 2 LC5 for starters. If you can get 4 828 and 4 LC5 then you can check all the combinations and choose the best one for you, but that gets more expensive! I happen to have a weird box of opamps but I know collecting them can make a dent on your wallet :)
I planned on buying a Geshelli Jnog 3 DAC with Burson audio v7 vivid op-amps until I saw this video. Both use the same AKM 4499ex chips. I already own the Burson opamps and can use them in this DAC. I'm curious if you feel your Gustard DAC's sound much better than the Semibreve? This purchase would save me 3 or 4 hundred dollars on a DAC if it's very close in sound quality to equipment like the Gustards
@@marksobotkin6141 I'd say this one is like 80-85% of what my Gustard X26PRO offers. The law of diminishing returns works here: X26PRO is like 6-7 times more expensive, but not 6-7 times better
@@k4syx Did you ever replace all 4 opamps with discrete? Did the extra two make much more of a difference in sound quality? Thanks, I really enjoy your videos.
@@marksobotkin6141 Hi! Yes I did, later on after the review. So all discretes is best combo, but also the most expensive! Opa828 and discretes will give like 85-90prc of the results for less money
They only say that HP amp uses "Lyman" circuit. That would be common misspelling of Lehmann, but I don't know any common Lehman circuit that they may be referring to.
They've said it's 1500mW x2 meaning 1.5W in two channels. I doubt that, but I will check with my HE6se V2 when I'll get home from business trip. That's too good to be true. We'll see...
@@marksobotkin6141 yes 12V, hades 12 too, though it has a range of voltages. but it works very well making Semibreve more detailed with better backgound. That was good purchase.
These are digital input and output (coaxial) so they are stereo: input - you can connect f.e. your cd player etc, output: you can daisy chain another DAC or other digital device.
I noticed the knob LED can be turned off if desired, what about the display screen? It appears the display can only be dimed. My previous AKM DAC was left turned on for over two years. If we leave this DAC powered on the screen will burn out?
Yes it's unbalanced. Balanced requires different schema and parts, like in dedicated balanced headphone amps. Also the connector has to be different :)
With a better power supply, I'm 100$ from a Topping E70 velvet (same chip) that has rave reviews. Anyone has heard both? How do they compare? I will b using xlr-out to 2 fosi v3 mono...
![Большой технический анализ ЦАП Semibreve DA50 на AK4499EX [DacMaster]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kjrKXj4Rwyg/mqdefault.jpg)
LC5 is stable in both IV and LPF! My silver extensions came in today.. The sounds is amazing! Very three dimensional and separation of instruments in the sound stage. Impressive sound... this was an unbelievable upgrade for very little money.
That's great news!
Hi Joseph, what DAC did you replace with this one? I'm trying to decide this one and a Geshelli Jnog 3 with burson opamps
@@marksobotkin6141we are still using this DAC with AkLAIM LC5 modules in the IV section and LPF section in our main room. The sound is quite excellent. I have an LT3042 based linear power supply on it.
When I upgrade this DAC I will be going to R2R and will likely get the Denafrips Enyo.
@@marksobotkin6141I might have misunderstood, what did this DAC replace? It was a TDA1541A fever DAC.
I deleted my previous comment about LC5. The first pair I had one module was problematic and weak. AkLAIM sent me replacement and the sound is exceptional with them in the IV section. Testing all this week with no problems. Looking forward to trying them in the LPF section once I get some silver adapters.
Hello, what about size? in comments of LC5 they looks too big, i have LC2*4 and ordered EQ200 to try and compare sound, i wonder about LC5, but their size looks a bit too much
@@nix7705 there is definitely a size issue with LC5 modules. They are 2mm too high so a lid modification is required. Given the size and shape of the LC5 module you will also need adapters to run them in the LPF section. The sockets are too close to each other so there is module overhang that is blocking the LPF sockets. I may just run four adapters and then 3D print some kind of cage to hold all the LC5 modules above the chassis. 🤷♂️
Too birght!
Great review! Which OpAmps did you put in for the output stage and the headphone amp? What are the upsampling frequencies that are supported? You should do another video demonstrating the DA50 in your system 😀
Thank you! In the output stage and headphone amp I have discrete Akliam LC2A now - since the review I've ordered another 3 pieces to have them everywhere (they are that nice). As for upsampling - I forgot to mention that it does that by multiplying input freq by 1x,4x and 16x going up to 768kHz max.
There will be another vid with pairing DA50 with twin A07 MAX in mono mode :)
@@k4syxThanks! Could you please also check if the coax output really supports DSD128?
@@k4syx Which type of LC2 discrete op amp is compatible? Type 1, Type2, or Type 3? Can I change the op amp for the unbalanced connection?
@thatchinaboi1 Type 1 and 2, type 3 would be too tall. They are used for both outputs, XLR and RCA.
I'm using this DAC with D5 Pro amp and KLH Model 5 speakers. I've upgraded the op-amps to OPA828 in the IV stage and TI NE5532P in the LPF stage and this combo gives me the best dynamics, wide sound stage and great imaging while keeping sibilance to a minimum. I've tried many combos like having LC5 in LPF but the sound got too harsh on my gear. I hope this helps people who want to get rid of the digital glare in their setup.
@@Gary_J Thanks for sharing! It's a nice setup!
Can it be used as a dac only? Like no preamp working or is it always on? And as a preamp does it work good like having a lot of steps and good control?
Yes it can be used as a DAC only, you can disable HP output and when volume is set to 100 it works as a DAC. In preamp mode or works very good as with 100 volume steps you can precisely set the required level.
i also got this dac, and waiting for linear power supply, i have ordered acliam lc2/lc3 discrete opamps (for now)
The best complete setup :)
Enjoy!
Anybody try newer LC5 op amps? I am curious about them. I also have this same DAC on the way, linear power supply also. It seems many of us are trying to make $250USD DAC sound like $1000+USD
@JosephThompson619 No experience with LC5 on my side. Howerer, I can also strongly recommend OPA828 - I've tested it in I/V section with LCs as LPF, and this is also great setup. A little less body (tiny amount) but lots of sparkle and tons of detail. OPA828 is very, very fast and precise.
DA50 has nice build quality, I'm really curious about measurements. Unfortunately I have no access to APx..@@JosephThompson619
My C9.3 mbl6010 Preamplifier clone has four OPA828 in it!
So you like OPA828 for the High Frequency and using the LC discrete op amps in your Low Pass Filter?
Please forgive my arrogance, the LPF are the sockets closest to the back of the chassis?
@@JosephThompson619 I/V conversion is not for high frequency, it's first stage after DAC where need to convert one into another (with full freq range). It's important to have fast and precise opamp (or discrete circuit) in order not to loose audio information. LPF is low pass filter for filtering very high frequency artifacts in this output signal, leaving only audio band.
LPF is close to XLRs, IV is right after AK chips on PCB.
Thanks for the great review ! How’s the headphone amp performance ?
@@TC-bz8sm surprisingly good. It really is a discrete amp section with opa 2604 and it sounds good. I haven't checked if it has some power limits, it was fine with my Ananda and Arya (and bunch of IEMs)
Hi, may I what opamps are you using for the output amplier?
Akliam LC2A currently for both I/V and LPF sections. Fully discrete A class, 4 pieces were like 24$
I have V6 burson, I wonder the height it's fine without contact with upper case.
@@yeoslex625 my V5 are fitting ok with lots of room above
I just tried V6s in it, they hinders the upper cover. I guess V5 is shorter.
Will switch to V5 in I/V and V5i in LP later. Thanks.
I have this DAC on the way, I am really excited to get it and see how close it is to other AK4499EX on the market. I have an LT3042 linear power supply on the way, and plan on trying a DC filter on the LPS.
I think I'm going to experiment with LC5 op amps just to try something different ... The LC2 op amps seem to be very popular.
Have any sound sample videos by chance?
Thank you for your review!
Hi! Thanks for the feedback. I hope you'll enjoy your unit. I'm recording these videos with my phone, I can do a sound sample test but it will be trash - even with good quality mic youtube compression makes sound tests problematic :(
And, of course, there is a question of copyrights: sound sample would be best on some popular song or music piece, so everyone would be able to compare it. Free youtube music samples are bad for sound testing :D
@@k4syxunderstand about sound quality.
I wonder what your op amps configuration will be after all your testing? The LC2 is sold out now I believe.
I do not believe the lid will close with the LC5 that I have ordered 😆
@JosephThompson619 at the moment my favorite combination is OPA828 in IV section and LC2 at LPF. The best combination of precision and A class natural sound. More 828 on the way though, I wanna test them in my set of cheap amps :)
As for LC5 - I've heard about angled DIP8 adaptors, but you'd have to put additional socket to have one above another if you know what I mean.
@@JosephThompson619 Get LC5!
Hello . Does the company provide 'asio' drivers for Windows Os ? I'd like to use Foobar2000 and listen to DSD files with this dac. thanks
Hi! This is standard Amanero USB board so you can just get ASIO driver from Amanero web page.
My DA50 is burning in. I think it needs at least a few hours before it starts to sing 😊 I also got two Sparkos and two Akliam opamps, XLR to RCA adapters and a linear power supply. I will probably stay with stock capacitors for now...
Enjoy!
Dzięki ;-)@@k4syx
Hey! I've bought this DAC per your recommendation in the comments section under another one of your videos. Could you please recommend what kind of opamps I should buy for it? There's an ali sale right now, I think I can snatch a good deal on those. LC2 is no longer available for sale. What should I buy? 4 of 828? 4 of LC5? 2 pairs of each?
Hi! That depends on your budget and preferences. I would get 2 828 and 2 LC5 for starters. If you can get 4 828 and 4 LC5 then you can check all the combinations and choose the best one for you, but that gets more expensive!
I happen to have a weird box of opamps but I know collecting them can make a dent on your wallet :)
I planned on buying a Geshelli Jnog 3 DAC with Burson audio v7 vivid op-amps until I saw this video. Both use the same AKM 4499ex chips. I already own the Burson opamps and can use them in this DAC. I'm curious if you feel your Gustard DAC's sound much better than the Semibreve? This purchase would save me 3 or 4 hundred dollars on a DAC if it's very close in sound quality to equipment like the Gustards
@@marksobotkin6141 I'd say this one is like 80-85% of what my Gustard X26PRO offers.
The law of diminishing returns works here: X26PRO is like 6-7 times more expensive, but not 6-7 times better
@@k4syx Did you ever replace all 4 opamps with discrete? Did the extra two make much more of a difference in sound quality? Thanks, I really enjoy your videos.
@@marksobotkin6141 Hi! Yes I did, later on after the review. So all discretes is best combo, but also the most expensive!
Opa828 and discretes will give like 85-90prc of the results for less money
@@marksobotkin6141 (just look at Joseph's comment a little below he did that too!)
@@k4syx Thanks, I already have two expensive Burson opamps, so I'm halfway there. I also have a pair of OPA2134 that are excellent but not discrete.
What is the Hp output power?
That's a very good question, there is no info in manufacturers data on this. I've asked the seller question about that and will post info here.
They only say that HP amp uses "Lyman" circuit. That would be common misspelling of Lehmann, but I don't know any common Lehman circuit that they may be referring to.
They've said it's 1500mW x2 meaning 1.5W in two channels. I doubt that, but I will check with my HE6se V2 when I'll get home from business trip. That's too good to be true. We'll see...
The volume works also through the volume knob, isn't just set by the remote control? No need for a preamp here or is it safer to use one?
@@lucdevries8732 you can set volume both via remote and the knob: no need for separate preamp unless you need more analog inputs
Thanks. @@k4syx
Do you think the RH-202XPRO Audio Decoder could be a good alternative to the Semibreve? Or is the Semibreve superior?
Havent heard that one, cant reliably answer your question... (sorry!)
Aliexpress does not seem to have AkLIAM LC2a. Would you please suggest sources for the Discrete Opamps?
Thanks
I think LC2 may be out of stock or replaced by LC5. Look for my video review, there's a link to get them.
@@k4syx Thank you for your prompt and informative reply. Aloha from Hawaii.
@@lloydjones8509 Aloha! :)
Hi, which external linear power supply did you find worked best with this DAC? Thanks
Currently I am using breeze hifi (s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DEm1NvF) as its cheap and very good - great value.
@@k4syx Thanks! I'm assuming you're using the 12 volt option? Are you also using the Sonic Scientific Hades 12 with this power supply?
@@marksobotkin6141 yes 12V, hades 12 too, though it has a range of voltages. but it works very well making Semibreve more detailed with better backgound. That was good purchase.
One more question, does any of you have an opinion on the Ustars Audio H99 dac?
@@lucdevries8732 not me, haven't heard it
I received the amp. There's a remote selection of All/Speakers and Phones. Is that selection meant fixed and variable volume output? Burning in now.
It's just a selector for headphones and line/XLR outputs. Volume stays variable.
I didn't understand about the coaxial input and output are they mono or stereo? And is it possible to switch them from the remote control?
These are digital input and output (coaxial) so they are stereo: input - you can connect f.e. your cd player etc, output: you can daisy chain another DAC or other digital device.
@@k4syx Thank you friend!
I noticed the knob LED can be turned off if desired, what about the display screen? It appears the display can only be dimed. My previous AKM DAC was left turned on for over two years. If we leave this DAC powered on the screen will burn out?
I haven't seen any possibility to turn the screen off permanently. I guess it shouldn't stay on 24/7 :)
I believe headphone output is unbalanced, right? is there opportunity to manually turn into balanced?
Yes it's unbalanced. Balanced requires different schema and parts, like in dedicated balanced headphone amps. Also the connector has to be different :)
Hi! Please tell us about the power button. Does it turn on without pressing this button?
Via remote or on power restore, yes
With a better power supply, I'm 100$ from a Topping E70 velvet (same chip) that has rave reviews. Anyone has heard both? How do they compare? I will b using xlr-out to 2 fosi v3 mono...
Очень интересный аппарат! Можно обзор на Русском языке? У Вас появятся больше просмотров! На этот аппарат нет совсем обзоров! У Вас он первый!
Please English only, I don't speak russian..
@@k4syxхорошо бы вам нанять переводчика,для русской аудитории, спасибо
@@k4syx You just have a pronounce like a Slavic style) That's why people would like you to speak on Russian.
@@ruslanmulyk8601 gotta get a shot or two to relax my mouth before I record anything then :)
bro, he needs usb driver?
No, not really, but you can install optional driver for Amanero ASIO mode if your PC player supports/needs it.