December 12, 2011, Toronto, Canada - exaSound Audio Design (exaSound.com) announces the official release of the e18 DAC - 8 channel 384kHz/32bit asynchronous interface [$1999].

 

e18 plays DXD 352.8 kHz master files with recording studio precision. It supports stereo or 8 channel modes at sampling rates up to 32bit/384kHz with remarkable bit-perfect low-jitter accuracy. The e18 DAC delivers reference performance for high-end stereo, digital crossovers and cutting edge audiophile multichannel applications.

Noteworthy features include:

• The e18 DAC is based on the ESS Technologies ES9018 Sabre32 jitter-immune reference DAC chip.
• Further jitter minimization is achieved by using three precision quartz oscillators.
• Seventeen internal independent power sources minimize noise, jitter and channel crosstalk.
• Galvanic isolation between the USB subsystem and the DAC circuits eliminates noise caused by ground loops and blocks computer-originated interferences.
• e18 operates in asynchronous USB transfer mode. The custom ASIO driver is completely independent from the Windows sound system. ASIO provides many benefits that are relevant to audiophiles, including high sampling rates, bit-perfect playback and automatic sampling rate switching.
• The e18 DAC comes with high fidelity headphone amplifier capable of driving the most demanding headphones.
• Two SPDIF inputs provide jitter reduction and superb D/A conversion when used with traditional disc transports.
• For user convenience, the e18 DAC can be programmed to work with most IR remote controls.