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caad  
#1 Posted : Thursday, September 1, 2016 3:00:58 PM(UTC)
caad

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Hi

I have noticed that Esstec has released a new Dacchip ES9038 with even better specs then the ES9018.
Are there any plans to update the Buffalo to support for this new ES9038?

Best Regards
Caad

Edited by user Thursday, September 1, 2016 3:01:48 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Brian Donegan  
#2 Posted : Thursday, September 1, 2016 3:33:46 PM(UTC)
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We have been working on one for a while now. Chips have ben announced, and pre-production chips are available for testing, but production chips will not yet available. When they are, we will be ready.
AndriyOL  
#3 Posted : Monday, November 7, 2016 1:02:23 PM(UTC)
AndriyOL

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Hi Russ and Brian.

The chips are available now.
I would like to buy the DAC with new 9038 chip and 9311 regulator.
What will be the price and sale date of BIV or\and will it be cheaper or more expensive than BIII?
Do you consider the use of NDK oscillator instead of Crystek or built-in, synchronous and asynchronous mode swapping? People report NDKs they are better than Crystek.
Also, do you consider to use the best components available in Tridents\AVCCs modules for BIV or better versions are planed only as future updates?

Thanks and Regards.
TioFrancotirador  
#4 Posted : Tuesday, November 8, 2016 12:46:33 PM(UTC)
TioFrancotirador

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Brain,

Would it be possible also to:
- include spdif in directly on Buffalo IV board (the new es9038 chip has spdif input)
- analog control of digital bitperfect volume. What I mean is to use some simple analog potentiometer as voltage divider between 3.3V and GND. Then some chip would sense output from this potentiometer (the divided voltage) and convert it to specific volume level and send I2C command to es9038 chip. In such case there would be no need for any analog volume control in the signal path. Purest design. Lowest impact on analog signal or rather none.

Regards,
Mirek
Brian Donegan  
#5 Posted : Tuesday, November 8, 2016 5:24:41 PM(UTC)
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Originally Posted by: TioFrancotirador Go to Quoted Post

- include spdif in directly on Buffalo IV board (the new es9038 chip has spdif input)
- analog control of digital bitperfect volume. What I mean is to use some simple analog potentiometer as voltage divider between 3.3V and GND. Then some chip would sense output from this potentiometer (the divided voltage) and convert it to specific volume level and send I2C command to es9038 chip. In such case there would be no need for any analog volume control in the signal path. Purest design. Lowest impact on analog signal or rather none.


There will be S/PDIF input, as we do with B3SE, but a little different.

The volume control on the Buffalo-III DACs works that way, and will continue to do so on B4 DACs.
Brian Donegan  
#6 Posted : Tuesday, November 8, 2016 5:35:24 PM(UTC)
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FYI: We are not currently planning on using the 9311 regulator.
TioFrancotirador  
#7 Posted : Tuesday, November 8, 2016 6:40:28 PM(UTC)
TioFrancotirador

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Originally Posted by: Brian Donegan Go to Quoted Post
Originally Posted by: TioFrancotirador Go to Quoted Post

- include spdif in directly on Buffalo IV board (the new es9038 chip has spdif input)
- analog control of digital bitperfect volume. What I mean is to use some simple analog potentiometer as voltage divider between 3.3V and GND. Then some chip would sense output from this potentiometer (the divided voltage) and convert it to specific volume level and send I2C command to es9038 chip. In such case there would be no need for any analog volume control in the signal path. Purest design. Lowest impact on analog signal or rather none.


There will be S/PDIF input, as we do with B3SE, but a little different.

The volume control on the Buffalo-III DACs works that way, and will continue to do so on B4 DACs.


Cool. I did not noticed it was already in Bufallo III.

AndriyOL  
#8 Posted : Wednesday, November 9, 2016 1:28:07 AM(UTC)
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Originally Posted by: Brian Donegan Go to Quoted Post
FYI: We are not currently planning on using the 9311 regulator.


Is there something better? or with respect to simplified system design, reduced build of materials?
What about synchronous and asynchronous mode swapping, is it hard to accomplish?
tobbeswim  
#9 Posted : Wednesday, November 9, 2016 2:21:59 PM(UTC)
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Hi,

I am looking for a complete build of a dac with the ES9038 with Multichannal balanced output. Like the exaSound E28. Anyone that can help me? I can try to build it myself but then I would like to be able to buy all the parts + the case and a manual on how to build. I only need USB in. It should be capable of playing multichannel DSD.

Possible?
TioFrancotirador  
#10 Posted : Wednesday, November 9, 2016 3:53:13 PM(UTC)
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Brian,

One more question. Are you going to allow easier clock swapping in Buffalo IV? I would like to put Pulsar Clock in there.

Thanks,
thomaspf  
#11 Posted : Tuesday, November 15, 2016 5:40:57 AM(UTC)
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Originally Posted by: Brian Donegan Go to Quoted Post
We have been working on one for a while now. Chips have ben announced, and pre-production chips are available for testing, but production chips will not yet available. When they are, we will be ready.


That is great to hear. Given the much improved analog output performance of even the ES9028pro

Benchmark Media DAC3 application note

is it fair to assume you are also working on an updated IVY?

Best regards

Thomas

Edited by user Tuesday, November 15, 2016 5:45:45 AM(UTC)  | Reason: typo

AndriyOL  
#12 Posted : Tuesday, November 15, 2016 3:06:38 PM(UTC)
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Improved performance still are only numbers, no more. More important how it sounds.
Russ and Brian prefer not to disclose all the info before the release. I hope the dac will be available before holidays.
thomaspf  
#13 Posted : Tuesday, November 15, 2016 5:19:41 PM(UTC)
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Sure, but I prefer to have control over my euphonic distortions and not have it added by the electronics where I can't turn them off. I hope the new DAC/IVY combo will have distortion levels reflecting the capabilities of the ES9038Pro.

The fact that Benchmark used the ES9028Pro seems to indicate they went for a quick solution and they are still developing a new analog stage that can actually show off the lowered distortion levels of the ES9038Pro.

Cheers


Thomas

TioFrancotirador  
#14 Posted : Thursday, November 17, 2016 1:04:12 PM(UTC)
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Originally Posted by: thomaspf Go to Quoted Post
Sure, but I prefer to have control over my euphonic distortions and not have it added by the electronics where I can't turn them off. I hope the new DAC/IVY combo will have distortion levels reflecting the capabilities of the ES9038Pro.

The fact that Benchmark used the ES9028Pro seems to indicate they went for a quick solution and they are still developing a new analog stage that can actually show off the lowered distortion levels of the ES9038Pro.

Cheers


Thomas



One of the best stages I tried for sabre was passive "Super v/i converter LL1684". Its performance depends on used caps. Sabre works in voltage mode with this stage. This stage is also usable for other Vout chips like e.g.: ak4497.
There is also other option: Teramoto FINEMET transformer. This passive stage does not have any cap, just load resistor. I am wonder how it sounds, yet it is very, very, very expensive.
Brian Donegan  
#15 Posted : Thursday, November 17, 2016 3:12:35 PM(UTC)
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Originally Posted by: thomaspf Go to Quoted Post

The fact that Benchmark used the ES9028Pro seems to indicate they went for a quick solution and they are still developing a new analog stage that can actually show off the lowered distortion levels of the ES9038Pro.



The ES9028 is probably the best solution for stereo implementations. The ES9038 is essentially eight 9028s in parallel, and really only makes sense for 8-channel solutions.

The ES9038 can be used in stereo and mono, but the amount of current means more complexity is required in the I/V stage to deal with it. It can be done, but is not going to be an inexpensive solution.
dahlberg  
#16 Posted : Thursday, November 17, 2016 4:43:18 PM(UTC)
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Hello.
First post here. I'm working on a dsp project and as usuall space is limited so I'm wondering about the
size of the coming Buffalo IV board ? The same (54x94mm) as BuffaloIII ?
Brian Donegan  
#17 Posted : Friday, November 18, 2016 10:31:15 PM(UTC)
Brian Donegan

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Currently the board is slightly larger than the B3. We are making a few changes, so I don;t want to quote a specific size just yet. At the moment the mounting holes are the same as the B3 though.

AndriyOL  
#18 Posted : Friday, November 18, 2016 11:19:13 PM(UTC)
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Just use the best components available and the most flexibility in customization, as we asked before. Than it will the best gift for music lovers)
dahlberg  
#19 Posted : Saturday, November 19, 2016 12:09:21 PM(UTC)
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Originally Posted by: Brian Donegan Go to Quoted Post
Currently the board is slightly larger than the B3. We are making a few changes, so I don;t want to quote a specific size just yet. At the moment the mounting holes are the same as the B3 though.



Ok, fair enough. The area I have to use is 125x100mm so if I only could get a verification that it would fit in that space I can start metalwork on the project without risk having to do it all over again.

The i2s ports are located at the right side of the dsp and I would like to keep the connections as short as possible. Dependent on rotation it would be somewhere around 30-60mm.

dsp

thomaspf  
#20 Posted : Thursday, November 24, 2016 5:20:53 AM(UTC)
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Originally Posted by: Brian Donegan Go to Quoted Post
Originally Posted by: thomaspf Go to Quoted Post

The fact that Benchmark used the ES9028Pro seems to indicate they went for a quick solution and they are still developing a new analog stage that can actually show off the lowered distortion levels of the ES9038Pro.



The ES9028 is probably the best solution for stereo implementations. The ES9038 is essentially eight 9028s in parallel, and really only makes sense for 8-channel solutions.

The ES9038 can be used in stereo and mono, but the amount of current means more complexity is required in the I/V stage to deal with it. It can be done, but is not going to be an inexpensive solution.


Sorry Brian,

but I think you lost me. The ES9028Pro used in the Benchmark DAC3 is also an 8 channel DAC. Is the 9038Pro the only one that supports mono mode? Gustard just shipped the first batch of a dual mono ES9028Pro DAC.

http://www.shenzhenaudio...khz-dsd-dop-decoder.html

I am waiting for your ES9038Pro Buffalo with a matching IVY....

Happy Thanksgiving

Thomas


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