ExaSound s88 DAC/network player: eight channels, headphone amplifier and digital volume control

Canadian company exaSound Audio Design has unveiled the s88 8-channel flagship streaming DAC. The device was equipped with a 32-bit DAC based on the Saber ES9038PRO chip and a headphone amplifier. The novelty is capable of providing eight channels of DSD256 or DSD512 – in stereo mode.

PCM support is announced up to 384 kHz. Eight discrete DAC channels can be configured for use with, for example, a stereo 4-way digital crossover to provide in-band speaker connections with fine digital tuning.

The system has an asynchronous USB interface ZeroJitter with error correction. According to the developers, the ZeroResolutionLoss 4-way sync volume control will provide performance comparable to the best analog volume controls.

To reduce noise, the new product used GalvanicInfinity full galvanic isolation technology. The timer functions are implemented in the proprietary 4-frequency FemtoMaster architecture. All of this resulted in a total harmonic distortion and noise level of 0.00021%.

The manufacturer has promised future hardware upgrades to the output stages, streamer module, RAM and other components of the device. The exaSound s88 streaming DAC is complemented by a Roon-Ready streamer. Interoperability with Signalyst HQPIayer, UPnP, AirPlay, Tidal and Qobuz is also supported.

When connecting via USB to Windows or Mac computers, the ASIO protocol is used. The novelty is assembled by hand in a stylish full-size silver case with a large display on the front panel.

ExaSound has not yet announced the cost and dates of the appearance of the s88 on the market.