SOULNOTE D-2 D/A Converter

SOULNOTE D-2 SE D/A Converter

A DDS using the LMX2594 super low jitter features with external clock generator inputs.
A perfectly symmetric, discrete non-NFB D/A converter that uses a total of four ES9038PRO circuits and supports non-over sampling.

TD/A converter formats that recreate the required master clock from standard clocks typically use a DDS (Direct Digital Synthesizer). The performance of external clock generators in this format guarantees extreme frequency accuracy (e.g. how many seconds of deviance will occur over tens of thousands of years), but jitter (fluctuations in waveform width arising in the clock) and the resulting phase noise are highly dependent on the performance of the DDS. By convention, audio equipment generally uses DDS-specific ICs with 10 ps (picosecond) jitter functions, but the D-2 is the first device to use Texas Instrument’s PLLatinum™ RF LMX2594 synthesizer for an audio DDS. The LMX2594 synthesizer was developed for radars and measurement instruments and boasts the world’s highest specifications with an efficiency index of -236 dBc/Hz and jitter of 45 fs (femtosecond, 1/1000 of a picosecond). This ultralow jitter DDS results in an overwhelmingly clear and deep spatial presentation when inputting the high-precision external clock and using the built-in TCXO.

Using a DDS with jitter functionality that surpasses quartz means that the D-2 comes with 10 MHz external standard clock inputs, a SOULNOTE first. The internal clock relies on a high performance TCXO boasting stunning phase noise (-121 dB at 10 Hz offset). It also features a high frequency relay with mechanical contacts to avoid additional jitter from the IC when switching between the internal clock and an external clock generator. The internal clock power supply shuts off and vibrations stop when using an external clock generator, this way removing any risk of mutual interference.

Manufacturer’s website SOULNOTE