DAC Wars continue - New ESS Sabre

[Chris]

ESS Technology Announces the World’s Highest Performance Audio Analog-to-Digital Converter with a Staggering +128dB of Dynamic Range
New SABRE PRO & SABRE Analog-to-Digital Converters (ADC) set the new benchmark for audio performance with unmatched specifications and the highest sample rate available in the market

San Jose, California - ESS Technology, the industry leader in audio semiconductor devices, today announced their new series of SABRE PRO and SABRE ADCs with an Ultra Low Noise Floor Bandwidth of 200kHz. The Ultra Low Noise Floor Bandwidth is up to 10 times wider than the competition, enabling higher resolution at higher sample rates.

The ES9842 PRO provides 4 channels of ADC with a DNR of 122dB and 116dB of THD+N, the ES9822 PRO is a 2 channel ADC, with a DNR of 125dB and 117dB of THD+N, achieving the best per channel specification of any part on the market. When the ES9842 PRO’s 4 channels operate in parallel, as a mono channel ADC, they provide +128dB of dynamic range, a performance mark that is the best in the industry today.

The ES9840 & ES9820 provides 4 & 2 channels of ADC with a DNR of 116dB, and 108dB of THD+N.

www.esstech.com/index.php/en/news/newsroom/ess-technology-announces-worlds-highest-performance-audio-analog-digital-converter-staggering-128db-dynamic-range/

[sailor]

One cannot take a breath or a blink without companies like ESS pushing the envelope. I am all for it as long as these devices produce music and not broken glass that makes your ears bleed. (I do not necessarily believe the DAC motor is the culprit but poorly executed audio and PS sections are the main cause here)
My favorite DAC before the BP and the DAC I switch in so I can listen to DSD and the like uses an ESS chip and it sounds good from what I believe is a good audio section and PS.
For 16 bit Red Book I still maintain the BP DAC is the most musical sounding DAC I have experienced. The designer and builder this is due to mostly the PS and the copper case. Prototypes of this device sounded better in a wood case but that proved difficult to implement on a commercial basis.