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Upsamplers, DACs, jitter, shakes and analogue withdrawals, this is it.

Digital -still improving

...and measurements to back it up.

With some DACS claiming (and apparently getting) -140db, there was still work to be done.

About 10 years ago, high-bit converter chips began to disappear. The Burr-Brown 1704, Burr PCM63K, Analog Devices AD1862N, Ultra Analog D20400. With these gone, co. were trying to push the noise-floor down, with lesser, high-noise chips.

Stereo-2 chan., upsampling, volume control, clock oscillators -all these were forced on the Delta/Sigmas that flooded the market.

So here's what they did:

'Off-loading' -co.'s 'stripped the chip' of functions (more discrete): Auralic, EMM, Bricasti and I can imagine Ayre (and more, but these are a few).

New, ground-up R2Rs: MSB, Totaldac, Metrum, Mola Mola. Some incorporate FPGAs.

'Latch type' w/FPGAs for DSP: Playback Designs, PS Audio (and Nagra ? for a price)

Then, the AK 4490 -a new chip from the orient. Hegel's HD30 DAC uses it. Got reviewed twice by the U.K., once by 'Soundstage' -and it could be a breakthrough.

But probably not for long - DACs are red-hot right now !!



Edits: 04/05/16 04/05/16 04/05/16 04/05/16 04/05/16 04/05/16 04/05/16 04/05/16 04/05/16 04/05/16 04/05/16 04/05/16 04/06/16 04/06/16 04/06/16

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Topic - Digital -still improving - J. Phelan 12:38:42 04/05/16 (64)

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