Right after I made my last post, I dug out my Magnavox CD-2000 which I believe is from the late 80s and uses the 1543. It (along with another Magnavox that starts skipping at the end of cds) is my best sounding CD player. I got a Topping D30 DAC about a year ago and had been using it exclusively. When I first got it, I never bothered to do this comparison. I assumed since it was a 30 year newer DIGITAL device, it MUST sound better. The first thing I noticed when first using the Magnavox was that I didnt notice a difference between its sound and the Toppings sound. Over the next 10 days of “long term listening/comparing” I just confirmed that I could not hear a difference bw the Magnavox and the Topping. Today I compared the two in real time, using the same cd (in this case Blues Traveller - Four, I wanted to try Dire Straights Brothers in Arms, but I have two different versions and didnt want to complicate things). I know most dont do real time comparisons, but they have been very useful to me in the past, on the recording side of things. Once again, I could hear no difference. My experience only, and I know my hearing (and system) arent the best(only hear to 14 kHz), probably from going to so many loud concerts. Nevertheless surprising, had I known this, i wouldnt have purchased the D30. Id also done the same comparison bw the built-in dac of my B&K AVP-1030 (1996 5.1 HT pre, $2600 retail, I use for stereo as it offers independent remote controlled subs) and the Magnavox and the B&K sounded way better. Yet someone on another site said the DAC in the B&K was nothing special/dated/mediocre. That tells me the analog output stage of the B&K must be exceptional (or the analog output stage of the Topping is mediocre, or some of each). And 4-2-7, in case you were wondering, that is a Tara Labs Space & Time Quantum IV speaker cable lol (I share one common component with you though yours lay in the “scrap pile” lol). One of these days I will bare wire them (half-heartedly started to, need to bust out the Buck 110).
I reread this thread and could have sworn there was earlier talk of the TDA-1543 chip. Either Im tripping (probably lol, may have responded to wrong thread) or the posts were deleted. Got to know my system better though, and not what I would have guessed. As Id already predicted would be the case when I get around to comparing (move into house) B&K dac with Topping dac, the B&K would win, I just indirectly proved. In a few months Ill do the comparison and report back. Prediction? The DAC in HT B&K preamp from 1996 will easily best the current Topping D30. Ill probably be wrong lol.
// I just learned the Border Patrol DACs, which are highly regarded, use the same TDA-1543 chips, the same ones used in low/mid line cd players of the 80s.
For $176 delivered, Im curious how something like this sounds.
LITE PHILIPS TDA1543 X8 in parallel Hi-end Audio DAC Coaxial + fiber input | eBay