Sorry- I was told "Oppo" cost close to $1M for the consultants. Its probably an exaggeration but I'm sure it was a lot.
There is more to the final output than the DAC chip. As Jan said folks like Weiss and others have chosen ESS for flagship products, I doubt the complete solutions all have an obvious "shortcoming" for all listeners. I couldn't say I heard any major difference between ESS and AD reference designs. Taking the bite out of Nick Cave is not something I would classify as subtle.
the original Westrex 1700 schematics are at Lathe Trolls
lathetrolls [licensed for non-commercial use only]
Neumann are similar, Chis has a lot posted at VintageWindings Neumann VMS Recording Lathe Service Manual .pdf DVD Page
these are the original manufacturers circuits, many mods were done as well.
cheers
Alan
LOL. And IIRC, it was on cowbell.
I really have no idea what would make one high end DAC sound less punchy and smoother than another, unless it's a power thing.
As in all things audio sometimes the only reason I think some are using the ESS dac chips is due to their high cost and high expectations. I see so many of those comments in other threads about how someone is using a cheap dac chip so it must be inferior to the ESS chips since they cost many multiples of many other chips. As always a fashion statement and bragging rights go far with many in this hobby.
Are you? $ 10 extra parts cost is HUGE in this cost-competitive market. It can mean the difference between $199 or $ 239 and that is a BIG disadvantage!
Jan
They go in cell phones too, the ASP at 10M piece level is no where near those numbers.
Average Selling Price. Big sales are often at negotiated prices that can vary quarter to quarter.
Yes but the product markup could be half of what it was if the R&D is extensive.
By the way for the vinyl lovers, seeking good sound without a fortune.
Get this disc and play the demagnetising track (10x). I don't believe the stock cartridges are taken well enough care to not need it from the get go.
Nobody is paying an additional $10.00 to add an ESS chip to a cell phone, that is nuts! When your talking millions of phones every penny is being counted and evaluated. If you added a $10.00 dollar item to a Harman/JBL product that would raise the end price by $100.00, not going to happen for any company who is seriously producing high volume products.
I spent 11 years at Nokia and it still does my head in!
Producing custom silicon for phones these days must cause many uclers and sleepless nights. Huge investment in development using hairy processes, but sales price per unit in cents and only one visit from the fsck up fairy and you've blown profit for the line.
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