Audiosector TDA1543 NOS DAC
My first experience with the TDA1543 IC was not really favourable... see my experience with the Valab TDA1543 DAC that I had aquired in about 2010 as my first DAC. But the world of digital audio reproduction is moving fast and chip technology advancing in big steps; still at the time the market seemed to be dominated by inexpensive chinese offerings and the Buffalo DAC's.
Searching all available options I was quite intrigued by the minimalist creations of Peter Daniel and choose to try one of his Audiosector NOS TDA1543 DAC's as a first serious foray into computer audio. It seems that I got one of the last units he sold, fully packed with genuine Black Gate capacitors and, on request, with a discrete Bobken regulator for the digital section.
I mounted the DAC board on a CNC cut bottom plate with copper feet and cased it up in in a housing made of two blocks of modelling hard foam finished in very rare Amboina, with a black perspex element down the middle for visual contrast and smoked panels front and rear.Connecting the DAC to my transport was done via a battery powered M2tech EVO USB converter.
The Audiosector DAC certainly delivered what I expected from it with its natural and energetic presentation. You could definitely hear the break-in phase of all those Black Gate caps since at first it sounded quite grainy and congested. A few weeks later that turned into an open soundstage with very nice pace and rythm and a great sense of authenticity. It was a small step up from my previously used Thule CDP... but then: computer audio is advancing fast! :)