CS decoding chips - the differences

[ttan98]

Can anyone tell me the differences(if any) between these 2 chips:

Digital audio decoding chip : CS4397KSZ
& CS4398

which one is superior my guess is the CS4398, can anyone elaborate.

thanks.

[hifimaker]

The CS4397 is obsolete. The DAC performance is similar, but I believe the 4398 has their new advanced digital volume control.

It's almost a moot point since the 4397 is not longer in production. There are some Asian DAC's floating around with cs4397's, but that's about it. New commercial designs are using the 4398.

-David

[ttan98]

Originally posted by dw8083
The CS4397 is obsolete. The DAC performance is similar, but I believe the 4398 has their new advanced digital volume control.

It's almost a moot point since the 4397 is not longer in production. There are some Asian DAC's floating around with cs4397's, but that's about it. New commercial designs are using the 4398.

-David

thanks,

what do you think of CS8416 and CS4398, used in Chinese DAC, eg DAC in box?

[hifimaker]

Personally I prefer the cs4398, it's a higher performing chip. The actual implementation makes a big diffrence. Design short-cuts for price reasons and PCB layout makes a hugh difference. Just the layout alone can make a great chip sound average. All of the Chinese DAC's I've heard are not the best implementations. Again this is my personal experience.

If you're into DIY and really like the CS4398, consider getting a Cirrus cs4398 eval board.

Below is a pic of my cs4398 eval board. Just add the required PSU's.

-David