My (very) mini review of the Singxer SU-1 DDC

[elan120]

After making various modifications with my SU-1 over the past months, every mod show improvements anywhere from subtle to extensive, which prompt me to believe putting more effort into improving signal quality going into the DAC will have great dividend, and after completing my latest SU-1 modification project, and burn-in all new components well past 300 hours, I can confidently say this project is well worth the time and effort.

 

What I did this time was having all 3 SU-1 clocks replaced using 2 of the 4 outputs from SOtM sCLK-EX clock board while feeding sCLK-EX clock board with sCLK-OCX10 reference clock.  Although the cost is well exceeded the "reasonable" level, but the result is a totally transformed system, making improvements from my previous mods seem subtle.  In case anyone is interested, please refer to the block diagram below.

 

 

 

[elan120]

2 hours ago, roberto2 said:

Hi,

did you make the upgrade yourself or did you sent to Sotm?

And the biggest improvement was made by the sCLK-EX or the sCLK-OCX10 add?

I ask you because I own a Sotm sms-200 Ultra with the sCLK-EX inside and two slots free that I coud use. But I wonder if it is possible to do the upgrade by myself or if it is necessary to sent all to Sotm.

The improvement from sCLK-EX clock outputs alone is significant, but adding sCLK-OCX10 took it to another level completely.

 

This upgrade will need to be done jointly with support from SOtM programming the two outputs on sCLK-EX to be used on SU-1, but since SOtM do not perform modification on other audio company's products, actual modification will need to be carried out by the end user. 

 

The SU-1 USB input clock programming is straight forward, more planning is needed to program output for the 22.5792MHz/24.576MHz sampling clocks, where one of the selector switch (SEL0 or SEL1) also need to be programmed in order to switch between these two frequencies based on incoming music file frequency played.  Once the sCLK-EX output programmings are done, the actual modification work is about medium level difficulty.

[elan120]

1 hour ago, tgb said:

Very interesting elan120 !

 

Just a fairly stupid question : 

I upsample all sounds coming out of my PC to 24/192 (with convolution & passive treatment, blablabla...)

A reference clock is too expensive, I don't want to to pay 3kUSD or EUR.

Is it better to go for a clock upgrade based on a NewClassD NeutronStar 2 or a SOTM sCLK clock board ?

As I need the clock upgrade upon the 24MHz clock only, only 1 NeutronStar would be needed.

 

So, which one to go for : NeutronStar or SOTM ?

Rgds

I have only done clock modification replacing stock Crystek oscillators with NDK oscillators, but never used NewClassD NeutronStar 2, so I won't be able to offer any comparative performance opinions between it and SOtM sCLK-EX clock board.  However, sCLK-EX clock board will provide user up to 4 clock outputs and an upgrade option to use master reference clock if it becomes desirable in the future.  From the cost point of view, if you plan to do only one clock (24MHz) upgrade, NewClassD NeutronStar 2 will certainly be favorable, but if you plan to look at the clock upgrades for the system, and be able to utilize all 4 outputs from sCLK-EX clock board, then the total cost is fairly even.  As for actual modification work, NewClassD NeutronStar 2 is self-contained, which will be simpler, sCLK-EX clock board requiring SOtM to program its output as one additional step prior to starting SU-1 mod.

 

Hope this helps in some way.

[elan120]

27 minutes ago, michaeltay5871 said:

As I have just purchased a Sotm master clock and would like to add the

SOtM sCLK-EX to my SU 1, I am just wondering if the various upgrades to the power supplies of the SU 1 clocks will still be relevant since the SOtM sCLK-EX comes with its own power supply?

If you place sCLK-EX internally to SU-1 and use two of its four outputs to replace both stock USB input clock (24.000MHz) and the output sampling clocks (22.5792MHz/24.576MHz), the only two voltage regulators (VR) will no longer be used are the two VR's for stock Crystek oscillators (ADP150) since you will now be using the clock signals from sCLK-EX instead, where the other 3 VR's on the main board are still needed, so VR upgrades are still useful here.  However, since sCLK-EX board does have one each of the 5.0VDC and 3.3VDC outputs, you can consider using them.  I have not had a chance to compare them against other VR's, I am not sure how they stack against other choices.

[elan120]

23 minutes ago, michaeltay5871 said:

The 3 VRs still required are you referring to the 5V one for the main board and the 3.3V and 1.0V for the XMOS ?

The 5 VRs I mentioned earlier were all on the main board, and there is no 5V VR on this board.  As for the 3 remaining VR's, two were 3.3V and 1.0V for XMOS that you have mentioned, and the last one being 3.3V VR is located next to the 5V input connector.

[elan120]

10 minutes ago, michaeltay5871 said:

Just to confirm the above is the last VR you are referring to ?

Yes, that is the one I was referring to.

[elan120]

19 minutes ago, michaeltay5871 said:

Do you also use the sCLK-EX for the motherboard ethernet input other than the JCAT Net card so that bridging can benefit?  What kind of motherboard are you using at  the moment?

No, I have not yet work on this side, other than using JCAT Net Card and got a good boost of improvement, and I am currently using JCAT Net Card to connect both my music PC and NAS in bridged configuration with good result.  I will likely be doing more in this area on second half of this year.  Meanwhile, I am going to keep this post short since I really don't want to hijack this thread and discuss different setup other than SU-1.  Back to the original scheduled program...

[elan120]

12 minutes ago, Lazz said:

Just wondering if anyone has tried this connector from Ghentaudio That I'm looking to purchase. . https://www.ghentaudio.com/part/dc99.html

 

No experience with this adapter plate, but should work just fine.

 

13 minutes ago, Lazz said:

Also I want to upgrade the cables running from a couple of Zerozone lps which I am using. They use a 5.5/2.1 jack on one end but a 2 pin type plug on the other. Does anyone know what this 2 pin plug is? https://www.aliexpress.com/item/ZEROZONE-HIFI-130W-Ultra-Low-Noise-DC-Linear-Power-Supply-2-Way-LPS-65W-65W/32767844733.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.S3gwaw

The connector type normally is GX16-2, and I purchased mine from eBay to make the cable, and here is one example:  https://www.ebay.com/itm/10-PCS-Aviation-Plug-GX16-2-Male-Female-Panel-Metal-Connector-16mm-2-PIN-/183025638455?hash=item2a9d2d9c37

 

15 minutes ago, Lazz said:

I'm thinking it may be either of these.https://www.ghentaudio.com/part/dc21.html

https://www.ghentaudio.com/part/dc22.html

As mentioned earlier, normally they came with GX16-2 connectors, which the second link is the one to use.  If you plan to order these cables, you might want to ask them the cost to apply JSSG.

[elan120]

11 hours ago, Duy Le said:

@elan120 @Energy

I soldered my NDK clocks wrong direction and turn on power, do I need to buy another pair ?

Ouch...that isn't good.  When soldering these oscillators in "wrong direction" means +3.3V was applied to the GND pin, and GND was applied on Vcc pin, that normally will cause internal circuitry be damaged within a very short time.  If you have an access to a scope, take some measurements on the output pin when they are soldered in correct orientation, and this will be the best way to find out for sure.  As a reference, below are outputs from my SU-1:

 

22.5792MHz:

 

24.576MHz:

 

[elan120]

5 hours ago, rafa said:

Did you ever compare wave shape when use two different VR for the clock?

No, I didn't, I only took measurements using different clocks.

[elan120]

10 hours ago, Duy Le said:

@elan120 @Energy Are the stock clocks 45/49 MHz on v2.0 better than 22/24 MHz on V1.x ?

p/s: with NDK clocks mod now I cannot stop loving my SU-1 ❤️

I have not had the chance to check out the new v2.0 unit, since I have modified mine using SOtM sCLK-EX clocks in all 3 clocks locations, I will likely stay with this setup for a while until something significantly better comes along.

 

Very good to know you like NDK clocks...I enjoyed mine when I had them.

[elan120]

Another new discovery...

 

It's been a short while since I post more findings for SU-1 here, and think it is time to share my latest finding.  I have been making Gotham JSSG360 cables for a while, replaced all DC power supply cables, PC CPU, SATA, and soon 24pin ATX power cables, as well as few other devices internal DC cables with very good success, finally I decided to give SU-1 the same treatment, and the improvement is very noticeable from the moment I power everything back up.  The improvement from this short section of cable is quite surprising, not only the overall detail retrieval took another step forward, sound stage, dynamic, layering all moved up nicely.

 

This cable isn't difficult to replace, and for the amount of additional enjoyment it provided, I would highly recommend to give it a try.

 

Here are couple pictures of this Gotham JSSG360 cable.

 

New cable installed.  Connecting to the 5VDC input:

 

Closer look:

 

 

[elan120]

3 hours ago, rafa said:

@elan120 those RF sockets, are the standard UFL SMD sockets? 

I was thinking to do something similar. It's cleaner.

Yes, those are Hirose uF.L connectors.

[elan120]

5 hours ago, Tuy Hoang said:

Hello Elan120,

 

I'm looking for Gotham JSSG360 cables , replacing all DC power supply cables, PC CPU, SATA for my PC, but could not find anywhere. Cn you help? Many Thanks

 

Hello Tuy,

 

Here is the Gotham cable:  https://gothamcables.com/en/gothamcables/starquad/11301gac41ultrapro

 

I purchased mine from here:  http://gothamaudiousa.com/

 

If you plan on making the cable yourself, getting them from Gotham distributor is great, since you can make custom length and connections.  If you want to purchase ready made, then follow the post above from Ghent, although I have not seen their cable in person, so cannot comment their termination method.

 

I have posted how to make the cable in another thread, let me know if need it.

 

[elan120]

2 hours ago, tboooe said:

I'm interested in following your lead and making a Gotham for the internal cable of the SU-1.  Any pointers?  I've previously made a normal DC cable from the DC input to the board connector so I am fairly familiar with what to do in general.

The only pointer is try keeping the shields terminated as close to the connectors as possible to help keeping the RFI exposure to the minimum.  Other than that, if you already have a crimper for the two VHR-2N crimp terminals (pins), it will help make this job quite simple.

 

Another option is...send me your address via PM, and I will make one for you (no cost).  All you have to do is to replace the cable you have and plug this one in.

[elan120]

1 hour ago, motionmover said:

Hello All,

 

 Wonder if anyone can help?

 

 What is the part number for the ' white plastic  2 pin female connector' attached to the output 5V wires, coming out of the power supply board, that attach to the main circuit board?

 

 Thanks for your time and help.

 

tony

The connector housing is made by JST and the model is VHR-2N.  Here is one place you can get them from:  https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/jst-sales-america-inc/VHR-2N/455-1183-ND/608624

 

 

The corresponding pins is SVH-21T-P1.  Here is the link to the same source:  https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/jst-sales-america-inc/SVH-21T-P1.1/455-1133-1-ND/527367