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the AKDesign
DAC-module

General description

The ADM module is an audiophile grade D/A converter for the most demanding applications, where standard off-theshelf chip solutions are not good enough. All components and algorithms have been designed discretely with internal precision of 72 bits and the goal to treat transient characteristics in the music signal like only analog audio equipment does. The result of this novel design concept is the most “analog like” system in digital audio. The module can receive digital audio directly in AES/EBU, I2S or DSD format, which then are all upsampled to 128FS 1-bit delta-sigma through a proprietary algorithm that, unlike standard digital filters, varies its characteristics in time to safeguard the transient nature of music signals. A final digital processing step further increases the data rate by a factor of 4 and readies the signal for the discrete analog low-pass filter and low impedance output line stage. The ADM also contains a clock generator that is only very loosely connected to the incoming digital audio stream to reject any clock jitter from those signals. No PLL is used. Part of this clock generator is a small buffer for the audio data.

Photos

Features

• Discrete implementation of DAC
• Proprietary digital upsampling algorithms with transient conserving response
• PCM inputs up to 384kHz / 24 bits
• DSD input up 5.6MHz
• All inputs are up-converted to 128FS sample rate before being converted to analog
• Integrated AES/EBU decoder and I2S receiver
• Integrated re-clocking algorithm designed to reject jitter on incoming digital audio signals
• Master or slave clock operation
• Dual differential analog output filter designed with the same goals in transient behavior as the digital upsampling filters
• Integrated analog line stage, dual differential
• 2 separate analog outputs for external line stage
• +/- 12V operation