DAC Chips

Your answer should be in these link data comparisons
http://www.esstech.com/files/7414/5193/1716/ES9038PRO_Product_brief_121715.pdf

http://www.esstech.com/files/9814/5193/1789/ES9028PRO__ES9026PRO_Product_Brief_121615.pdf

Cheers George

I'm not sure there is a 9038 KTM chip there are Q2M chips. The M means mobile they are mainly for phones, tablets, small DACs etc.. they are also 2 channel the PRO chips are 8 channel. 

When an 8-channel chip is used in a 2-channel application, the chip's extra channels typically are run in parallel. Assuming the noise and distortion are random (noise is; distortion may not be), running 4 channels of DAC in parallel should lower noise and distortion by a factor of 2.

Thank you all very much. Great info. Didn't know about the 8 vs 2 channel chips. I still have a lot to learn about DACs. The ESS9038KTM does indeed exist although I can not find anything about it on their website. I've emailed them an inquiry. We'll see if I get an answer. The Sabre 9028PRO is used in the Mytek Brooklyn Bridge by the way.

The DAC chip is only a part of the greater whole. In other words, you should look at other factors when doing a comparison because every part of the DAC could in some way, determine the sonic signature of that component. Many people want to say that they prefer one DAC chip over another but what matters is how that chip is implemented. Ten companies could build a DAC with the exact same DAC chip, yet they would all sound different.