Author Topic: kajak12; wave player qls 550  (Read 23420 times)

Offline mcb

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Re: kajak12; wave player qls 550
« Reply #20 on: November 17, 2010, 02:32:26 PM »
Hi Tuyen,

I saw you post elsewhere (great and informative post by the way) about using the wave player with an I2S connection.  I am interested in your thought on the improvement the I2S made with the wave player. 

Converting my DAC, wave player and Duet to I2S are possible improvements that I will be looking to explore in due course.

tuyen

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Re: kajak12; wave player qls 550
« Reply #21 on: November 17, 2010, 02:42:30 PM »
G'day Murray,

The QLS wav player already has little solder points for the 4 output signals needed by your dac. They are located near where the power connector is on the pcb.

I'll upload a photo tonight to show what I mean.

To be honest, I can't comment on the improvements (if there were any) as I only tried the connection for a few songs and didn't really sit down and concetrate with an A/B comparison.    I can say (from memory) it didn't seem to sound any worse then when using the digital cable though :)

Offline mcb

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Re: kajak12; wave player qls 550
« Reply #22 on: November 17, 2010, 09:20:48 PM »
Thanks Tuyen,

Have you modded yours, or was it more of a case of giving it a run and then reverting the the CD94.

tuyen

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Re: kajak12; wave player qls 550
« Reply #23 on: November 18, 2010, 10:44:56 AM »
No probs mcb,

Nope, didn't mod mine.  Only just tried powering it with car battery for clean DC input.

It did sound good for what it is, but after listening to Marios fully modded one and tuned to his ears  with his modded CD94,  I didn't find the WAV player to be any better then the cd94 so  no point to me.. plus the hassle of converting all my cds (1000+) to wav makes me cry! :)

Photo of the I2S connection of of the QLS player.   Easy peasy right! :)


Offline mcb

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Re: kajak12; wave player qls 550
« Reply #24 on: November 18, 2010, 03:44:55 PM »
Thanks Tuyen.

I appreciate you posting the photo and your further comments.

I have a feeling it is not quite as easy to get the I2S into the Satch.  Something for me to look into in due course.

Offline ozcal

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Re: kajak12; wave player qls 550
« Reply #25 on: November 18, 2010, 05:04:28 PM »
Hi Murray , AFAIK , it's just a case of attaching a cable to the I2S header near the dac chip and moving a couple of jumpers on the Satch
Listening with my ears :)

Offline mcb

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Re: kajak12; wave player qls 550
« Reply #26 on: November 18, 2010, 09:23:27 PM »
Thanks Gordon,

Looking at I2S will have to wait until next year.

Offline YoungSC

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Re: kajak12; wave player qls 550
« Reply #27 on: July 05, 2011, 01:01:28 PM »
I just received one of these and am reasonably happy with it so far.  I'm having some problems with the player recognising some tracks and some folders.

The sound is clean, with more treble emphasis, but better treble quality than my modded CD player.  In my system, that is a good thing as I'm running 8 inch Fostex in an Azura horn, so the treble isn't as strong as it was before the horn.

Switching to a 12V SLA (altronics 7.2mAh), there is an added smoothness that has it surpass my CD player fpr overall quality.

I want to go I2S at some stage, but am waiting for an I2S to EIAJ converter to be available from DIY Paradise.

I also want to look at cap upgrades.  I notice that Solen and Wima caps seemed to be used extensively in Mario's (MCB's) player.  I will likely enquire in more detail about which components were being replaced.  My board is revision 4.1, which appears to be different, so that could be interesting.

Simon

Offline kajak12

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Re: kajak12; wave player qls 550
« Reply #28 on: July 05, 2011, 07:21:54 PM »
I just received one of these and am reasonably happy with it so far.  I'm having some problems with the player recognising some tracks and some folders.

The sound is clean, with more treble emphasis, but better treble quality than my modded CD player.  In my system, that is a good thing as I'm running 8 inch Fostex in an Azura horn, so the treble isn't as strong as it was before the horn.

Switching to a 12V SLA (altronics 7.2mAh), there is an added smoothness that has it surpass my CD player fpr overall quality.

I want to go I2S at some stage, but am waiting for an I2S to EIAJ converter to be available from DIY Paradise.

I also want to look at cap upgrades.  I notice that Solen and Wima caps seemed to be used extensively in Mario's (MCB's) player.  I will likely enquire in more detail about which components were being replaced.  My board is revision 4.1, which appears to be different, so that could be interesting.

Simon
enjoy your journey simon   i hope you can use a soldering iron to take the smd caps off
still discovering the link between electronics and audio reproduction.so much to learn and so little time

Offline YoungSC

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Re: kajak12; wave player qls 550
« Reply #29 on: October 31, 2011, 02:56:55 PM »
I've been running I2S for a little while now and am very happy with the results.  With extended listening in the early days pre-I2S, my brain was telling me that something wasn't quite right.  Post-I2s, the gestalt is now more believable.  This may be partly due to run in.

There are 2 further upgrades that I am considering on the cheap:
1) Insert a Trichord Clock 3 from my Marantz (requiring a frequency change to 11MHz)
2) Upgrade some resistors

Q's
1) I notice that the spec for the QLS clock is 2ppm, but the Trichord is 5ppm.  Is it worth upgrading, or will it be a downgrade?
If this will be a step in the right direction, my initial intent is to steal the crystal from the QLS board and put it on the Trichord board.  If that doesn't work, I'll pull the trigger on a replacement chip from Trichord.

2) Directed at Mario:  I was going to buy some Takman resistors for my active crossover, but in that order can grab an extra ones.  I note that you replaced a couple of resistors when you were playing around.  I believe I have a later version of the QLS PCB, so can't plagiarise based on the photos.  What components were the resistors sitting between?

Offline kajak12

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Re: kajak12; wave player qls 550
« Reply #30 on: November 01, 2011, 12:54:48 AM »
I've been running I2S for a little while now and am very happy with the results.  With extended listening in the early days pre-I2S, my brain was telling me that something wasn't quite right.  Post-I2s, the gestalt is now more believable.  This may be partly due to run in.

There are 2 further upgrades that I am considering on the cheap:
1) Insert a Trichord Clock 3 from my Marantz (requiring a frequency change to 11MHz)
2) Upgrade some resistors

Q's
1) I notice that the spec for the QLS clock is 2ppm, but the Trichord is 5ppm.  Is it worth upgrading, or will it be a downgrade?
If this will be a step in the right direction, my initial intent is to steal the crystal from the QLS board and put it on the Trichord board.  If that doesn't work, I'll pull the trigger on a replacement chip from Trichord.

2) Directed at Mario:  I was going to buy some Takman resistors for my active crossover, but in that order can grab an extra ones.  I note that you replaced a couple of resistors when you were playing around.  I believe I have a later version of the QLS PCB, so can't plagiarise based on the photos.  What components were the resistors sitting between?
you can by the qls crystals of ebay dont worry too much about ppm as none supply any test certificate to back up ppm.
Your better of buying crystals of ebay then trichord due to costs trichord charge around $50.00.
Send me a pm with the model number of your wav player and i can send you a schematic via email,the i2s on the wav player use 33r resistors change them.
reagrding which resistors i must remember first i will get back to you on that one.

still discovering the link between electronics and audio reproduction.so much to learn and so little time

Offline zenelectro

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Re: kajak12; wave player qls 550
« Reply #31 on: November 01, 2011, 01:03:48 AM »
I've been running I2S for a little while now and am very happy with the results.  With extended listening in the early days pre-I2S, my brain was telling me that something wasn't quite right.  Post-I2s, the gestalt is now more believable.  This may be partly due to run in.

There are 2 further upgrades that I am considering on the cheap:
1) Insert a Trichord Clock 3 from my Marantz (requiring a frequency change to 11MHz)
2) Upgrade some resistors

Q's
1) I notice that the spec for the QLS clock is 2ppm, but the Trichord is 5ppm.  Is it worth upgrading, or will it be a downgrade?
If this will be a step in the right direction, my initial intent is to steal the crystal from the QLS board and put it on the Trichord board.  If that doesn't work, I'll pull the trigger on a replacement chip from Trichord.

2) Directed at Mario:  I was going to buy some Takman resistors for my active crossover, but in that order can grab an extra ones.  I note that you replaced a couple of resistors when you were playing around.  I believe I have a later version of the QLS PCB, so can't plagiarise based on the photos.  What components were the resistors sitting between?
you can by the qls crystals of ebay dont worry too much about ppm as none supply any test certificate to back up ppm.
Your better of buying crystals of ebay then trichord due to costs trichord charge around $50.00.
Send me a pm with the model number of your wav player and i can send you a schematic via email,the i2s on the wav player use 33r resistors change them.
reagrding which resistors i must remember first i will get back to you on that one.



Mario

Could you please send me the schem, I think I have misplaced mine.

thanx

Offline zenelectro

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Re: kajak12; wave player qls 550
« Reply #32 on: November 01, 2011, 01:06:33 AM »
I've been running I2S for a little while now and am very happy with the results.  With extended listening in the early days pre-I2S, my brain was telling me that something wasn't quite right.  Post-I2s, the gestalt is now more believable.  This may be partly due to run in.

There are 2 further upgrades that I am considering on the cheap:
1) Insert a Trichord Clock 3 from my Marantz (requiring a frequency change to 11MHz)
2) Upgrade some resistors

Q's
1) I notice that the spec for the QLS clock is 2ppm, but the Trichord is 5ppm.  Is it worth upgrading, or will it be a downgrade?
If this will be a step in the right direction, my initial intent is to steal the crystal from the QLS board and put it on the Trichord board.  If that doesn't work, I'll pull the trigger on a replacement chip from Trichord.

2) Directed at Mario:  I was going to buy some Takman resistors for my active crossover, but in that order can grab an extra ones.  I note that you replaced a couple of resistors when you were playing around.  I believe I have a later version of the QLS PCB, so can't plagiarise based on the photos.  What components were the resistors sitting between?

The Tricord clock should be better but it's an educated guess. x ppm does not relate to jitter really.

These transports have potential to be -very- good. It depends how they do their I2S.
I'll check it out when I get the schem


 

Offline zenelectro

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Re: kajak12; wave player qls 550
« Reply #33 on: November 01, 2011, 11:57:51 PM »
I've been running I2S for a little while now and am very happy with the results.  With extended listening in the early days pre-I2S, my brain was telling me that something wasn't quite right.  Post-I2s, the gestalt is now more believable.  This may be partly due to run in.

There are 2 further upgrades that I am considering on the cheap:
1) Insert a Trichord Clock 3 from my Marantz (requiring a frequency change to 11MHz)
2) Upgrade some resistors

Q's
1) I notice that the spec for the QLS clock is 2ppm, but the Trichord is 5ppm.  Is it worth upgrading, or will it be a downgrade?
If this will be a step in the right direction, my initial intent is to steal the crystal from the QLS board and put it on the Trichord board.  If that doesn't work, I'll pull the trigger on a replacement chip from Trichord.

2) Directed at Mario:  I was going to buy some Takman resistors for my active crossover, but in that order can grab an extra ones.  I note that you replaced a couple of resistors when you were playing around.  I believe I have a later version of the QLS PCB, so can't plagiarise based on the photos.  What components were the resistors sitting between?
you can by the qls crystals of ebay dont worry too much about ppm as none supply any test certificate to back up ppm.
Your better of buying crystals of ebay then trichord due to costs trichord charge around $50.00.
Send me a pm with the model number of your wav player and i can send you a schematic via email,the i2s on the wav player use 33r resistors change them.
reagrding which resistors i must remember first i will get back to you on that one.



Thanks Mario, I have been perusing the schematic

It's pretty easy to get I2S out of this device however that I2S comes directly from the dsPIC micro chip which is not the best approach.

Needs to have the zen treatment. 

Is anyone else here interested in these players with an upgraded clock and properly implemented  I2S OP?