Scali wrote:I still think having a simple op-amp on the Covox would be a good addition. It can deliver a buffered signal at line level, making it easier to connect to external equipment. It could also be used for unpowered speakers or headphones.
I think it could be an 'optional' component: Eg, you could just split the output from the DAC ladder to the input of an op-amp, and a direct passive output.
Then if the op-amp is not powered, you can still use the passive output like we do now. And if you connect a power supply (could make a simple cable to get +5v from a serial port for example, or just a separate transformer), the op-amp will be powered and the amplified output can be used.
True, it would be nice. If I had a Covox that has power available, I'd also be very tempted to put other stuff there as well - like real DAC - and the feature creep never stops, just a second ago I thought 8 channels output, pr volume control to play mods without software mixing, or an audio codec to get SPDIF output..
There's just one catch, I think you can't feed the DAC output to an unpowered op-amp input without the signal getting distorted, so when you use it unpowered, you'd have to disconnect the op-amp somehow. There's audio jacks with switches, or, maybe even a real switch.