Once I downloaded the extended user manual I was able to set up the unit without any problems, but to get the drivers I had to use a login that wasn’t provided anywhere. It referred me to the manufacturer's website. But….the two page insert in the box only contained connections description and a brief overview. The remaining 6 were waiting politely to be used in the home-theater cinema of my neighbour. In my case I was completely happy with two channels. Apparently a DAC is a DAC, and the number of channels doesn't matter, if you have more than what you need. When I began testing, I wasn't aware that before I could hear the unit, I would have to talk to the manufacturer. I was asked to audition the device, to check how it works and to see what this company was all about. I received the small package with the e28 DAC inside. The headphone amplifier module is based on two Texas Instruments LME49600 IC’s. To achieve the highest possible sonic transparency, the e28 DAC uses fifteen power filtering stages and galvanic isolation between the digital and the analog section. The third oscillator acts as a master D/A conversion reference clock with 0.13 ps. and the other handles the 48 kHz family of sampling rates (48, 96, 192 and 384kHz). Two of the oscillators are responsible for accurate reclocking of the input data. To ensure the lowest distortion and jitter exaSound used three precision crystal oscillators. DSD is processed without conversion to PCM. The heart of the system is an ESS ES9018 Sabre32 DAC chip capable of handling PCM signals with sampling rate up to 384 kHz/32 bit and DSD up to 12.28 MHz (256 FS). The galvanically isolated Asynchronous USB input uses FTDI FT2232HL controller. All digital inputs go to Xilinx Spartan ® XC3S50AN programmable FPGA. To accommodate the multi-channel requirements, there are eight output stages. The main board occupies the entire interior of the e28 DAC. The whole process takes just few seconds. The e28 assigns the appropriate commands to the appropriate buttons. Simply press the setup button and follow the prompts that appear on the front panel. The procedure is easy even for a person with no technical background. The e28 can be configured for use with almost any third party IR remote control. On the left are the digital inputs coaxial and optical sockets, a USB input, and a small, external power supply interface. The Rear panel, despite its small size and a number of outputs is not overcrowded. Two of these control the selection of sources and access to the menu and the other two are used for volume control. On the left side of the display there is a power switch and 6.3 mm headphone jack. Both the manufacturer's logo and all button names have been engraved. The Allen screw bolt heads, chrome buttons and headphone jack form a clean design around the two-line display. Despite the small surface area every detail has been carefully and pleasantly laid out. Slightly bevelled sides of the front panel can be regarded as a skillful blend of elegance and ergonomics. The elongated chassis with slightly rounded edges is made of extruded anodised aluminum. The ExaSound e28 DAC is, despite the small and almost inconspicuous case, not only a DAC but also a pre-amplifier, and a high quality headphone amplifier. The fact is that we have this rather exotic device in our hands and we can enjoy it for long time. However, given the deep-seated beliefs and focus of the audience of our website, I allowed myself to treat the exaSound’s new product as a typical two-channel DAC. The e28 is aimed at a group of music lovers who want to improve the sound of their systems both for listening to stereo and multichannel. It appears not everyone is satisfied with having just a Left and Right channel. What is the true meaning of buying an 8-channel device? For orthodox audiophiles it may seem comparable to riding an 18 wheeler through the center of Warsaw. A chat with a friend who recently went on a business trip to Canada brought the 8 channel DAC to my attention. Until recently I didn’t know anything about the exaSound brand.
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