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teo_video.
Livin’ in the past
teo_video.
Livin’ in the past
NO! Jitter does not always matter.
I see a lot of discussion of jitter on this forum. A lot of it makes sense. However, I think a huge advancement in DAC chips about 13-14 years old was missed. Some people noticed that a big change in lower cost DACs occurred about aa decade ago, but probably do not know why.
Almost all modern DACs are multi-bit sigma-delta based implementation. They are not 1-bit. They have a multi-bit DAC with a sigma-delta based modulator.
Prior to the mid-late 2000's, the multi-bit DACs were based on effectively resistor ladders. So effectively a 3-4 bit resistor ladder DAC fed by a sigma-delta modulator. As it was resistor based, the amount of energy transferred was a function of both the DAC value, and also the timing, i.e how long each resistor was turned on.
Starting in the mid-late 2000's, audio DACs started to be made with switched capacitor DACs. A bank of capacitors replaced the resistors in the above DACs. The capacitors would be charged, and depending on the digital value from the sigma delta modulator, the charge would be transferred to the output. BIG CHANGE! -- With resistors, the amount of energy transferred was a function of the DAC value, and time. With switched capacitors, the energy transferred was now only a factor of the DAC value. Time was effectively removed from the equation.
Where a resistor based mutli-bit sigma-delta DAC or worse single bit sigma-delta DAC would drop to 70-80db dynamic range with 1nsec jitter, switched capacitor DACs could maintain 100, 105, even 120db of dynamic range.
I know it is inconceivable to many audiophiles that a relatively low cost DAC could compete with a megabuck DAC, especially when a lot of that money goes into jitter control, but that is what technology can do.
https://www.electronicproducts.com/understanding-clock-jitter/#
Almost all modern DACs are multi-bit sigma-delta based implementation. They are not 1-bit. They have a multi-bit DAC with a sigma-delta based modulator.
Prior to the mid-late 2000's, the multi-bit DACs were based on effectively resistor ladders. So effectively a 3-4 bit resistor ladder DAC fed by a sigma-delta modulator. As it was resistor based, the amount of energy transferred was a function of both the DAC value, and also the timing, i.e how long each resistor was turned on.
Starting in the mid-late 2000's, audio DACs started to be made with switched capacitor DACs. A bank of capacitors replaced the resistors in the above DACs. The capacitors would be charged, and depending on the digital value from the sigma delta modulator, the charge would be transferred to the output. BIG CHANGE! -- With resistors, the amount of energy transferred was a function of the DAC value, and time. With switched capacitors, the energy transferred was now only a factor of the DAC value. Time was effectively removed from the equation.
Where a resistor based mutli-bit sigma-delta DAC or worse single bit sigma-delta DAC would drop to 70-80db dynamic range with 1nsec jitter, switched capacitor DACs could maintain 100, 105, even 120db of dynamic range.
I know it is inconceivable to many audiophiles that a relatively low cost DAC could compete with a megabuck DAC, especially when a lot of that money goes into jitter control, but that is what technology can do.
https://www.electronicproducts.com/understanding-clock-jitter/#