After posting a link to this site in the digital section on www.diyaudio.com, Doede Douma pointed me to his own TDA1543 based DAC (see www.dddac.de). He also paralleled 8 chips, decided for passive output and implemented a reclocking circuit. The main difference is the battery supply. I was very tempted to build his DAC.

Short time later it was done and I was able compare Doedes DAC with mine. I have to admitt that the DDDAC1543 is even better. It is more dynamic, the music is played on a more quiet background. I could also say, that my DAC is a bit more nervous. Well, the difference is small, but it's there.

I first wanted to find the reason for this difference. But then I was more interested in how (if at all) DDDAC1543 can be improved. I did not change anything on the circuit itself. I only focused on supply caps, coupling caps and I/V resistors. At least in my opinion, there is some space for improvement.

It is not easy to describe differencies in sound when exchanging parts. The effects are sometimes hardly noticable. It's sometimes difficult to distinguish between reality and imagination. Nevertheless, I did some serious listening and I tried to write down what I heard.

Click on the left links to read about my conclusions.