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Schiit Yggdrasil -- 21 bit?

Schiit says that Yggdrasil is a 21 bit DAC. But the DAC chips that they put in the device ( Analog Devices AD5791BRUZ, 2 per channel) are 20 bit with the error of plus-minus 0.5 LSB.

How can the DAC be 21 bit if the chips are 20 bit? Using two chips per channel does reduce the RMS voltage of the noise by  a square root of 2. But how can you get to 21 bit from there?

Can someone please explain.
defiantboomerang
shadorne's avatar
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shadorne
7,467 posts
 
+1 Almarg - I agree that the statement in the link is rather ambiguous. It isnt clear if it really is greater resolution from the greater bit depth of an additional bit or just a higher signal per bit but still 20 bits...

Summing 20 bits + 20 bits is still 20 bit levels as it is simply double the voltage value per bit compared to a single 20 but DAC chip.
gdhal's avatar
gdhal
1,641 posts
 
2^20 = 1048576
2* (2^20) = 2* 1048576
2097152 = 2097152
2^21 = 2097152
davide256's avatar
davide256
395 posts
 
Awful lot of people obsessing here over measurements, one could almost mistake this for the Stereo Review website. Whatever happened to relying on A/B comparisons for what sounds better...
gdhal's avatar
gdhal
1,641 posts
 
Awful lot of people obsessing here over measurements, one could almost mistake this for the Stereo Review website. Whatever happened to relying on A/B comparisons for what sounds better...

Plenty of folks myself included that certainly perform A/B comparisons. Nevertheless, obsessing or not, objective measurements certainly do matter.
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
I fear the problem is when something measures worse but sounds better. Besides the sound one hears in a particular room is due to the contributions of everything in the system - for better or worse - including the room itself.
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