Heyo! first post on really any forum, but I will keep introduction short.
I am an electrical engineer in interest of designing my first dac/amp, and I have chosen my dac carefully and have decided on the ES9038Q2M(datasheet attached) I chose it for a few reasons that I won't exactly get into.
The thing I need help with is basically the entire chip, it does not have a good reference diagram, and I don't exactly know how it works. I have studied the datasheet pretty well, but I seem to still be a bit lost.
at first I wanted to go with USB to I2S and then into the chip, but then I remembered that I have SPDIF on my motherboard! that's what I will use as it fits my purpose much much better, in the ways that it has no common ground and the fact that I do not need an expensive usb->I2s interface.
so my final question is more of a call for someone that would be willing to help me understand the small details and where to start and how. any advice is always welcome, and feel free to DM me. My discord is Senk0-san#6969 and I will ALWAYS reply on my discord instantly aslong as I am awake, so that's the best place to reach me. Thank you all in advance!!
I am an electrical engineer in interest of designing my first dac/amp, and I have chosen my dac carefully and have decided on the ES9038Q2M(datasheet attached) I chose it for a few reasons that I won't exactly get into.
The thing I need help with is basically the entire chip, it does not have a good reference diagram, and I don't exactly know how it works. I have studied the datasheet pretty well, but I seem to still be a bit lost.
at first I wanted to go with USB to I2S and then into the chip, but then I remembered that I have SPDIF on my motherboard! that's what I will use as it fits my purpose much much better, in the ways that it has no common ground and the fact that I do not need an expensive usb->I2s interface.
so my final question is more of a call for someone that would be willing to help me understand the small details and where to start and how. any advice is always welcome, and feel free to DM me. My discord is Senk0-san#6969 and I will ALWAYS reply on my discord instantly aslong as I am awake, so that's the best place to reach me. Thank you all in advance!!
I've never used an ES9038Q2M, but the second post of this thread might be of interest to you:
ES9038Q2M Voltage Mode DC Blocking
ES9038Q2M Voltage Mode DC Blocking
Hi SENK0,
There is a lot of information around the forum on ES9038Q2M. It is a very versatile chip that can be used in different ways. IME for best sound quality it needs a good output stage and good AVCC voltage regulation. Those are the two most important things.
PCB layout quality is also important.
Other things that can affect sound quality include clock quality, various other voltage regulators, synchronous verses asynchronous operation, etc.
For very best sound quality I would recommend asynchronous USB used with synchronous clocking of the dac chip.
On the other hand, using SPDIF requires enabling the dac chip's internal ASRC. Depending on SPDIF jitter, it may not be possible to reduce DPLL_Bandwidth much while maintaining stability. In that case there could be some adverse effect on sound quality. ESS recommends to set DPLL_Bandwidth to the lowest stable value. Such complications do not occur if using asynchronous USB combined with synchronous dac chip operation.
There is a lot of information around the forum on ES9038Q2M. It is a very versatile chip that can be used in different ways. IME for best sound quality it needs a good output stage and good AVCC voltage regulation. Those are the two most important things.
PCB layout quality is also important.
Other things that can affect sound quality include clock quality, various other voltage regulators, synchronous verses asynchronous operation, etc.
For very best sound quality I would recommend asynchronous USB used with synchronous clocking of the dac chip.
On the other hand, using SPDIF requires enabling the dac chip's internal ASRC. Depending on SPDIF jitter, it may not be possible to reduce DPLL_Bandwidth much while maintaining stability. In that case there could be some adverse effect on sound quality. ESS recommends to set DPLL_Bandwidth to the lowest stable value. Such complications do not occur if using asynchronous USB combined with synchronous dac chip operation.
In that case, word of caution, there are many posters with business interest. Be wary as soon as you see the phrases like "sound quality", "improve"... etc on DACs, cables and amps. They shill for audio business.