ESS Technology Introduces Suite of High-Quality USB-C Audio CODECs Featuring Sabre DACs

ESS Technology announced a series of USB Low-Power Audiophile CODECs that feature QUAD DAC Technology. Intended for use in headsets and audio adaptors that demand high-quality sound, the new line of CODECs can support end-to-end high-resolution audio quality. An ideal platform for USB-C audio products, the new CODECs include the flagship ES9281PRO model, which also offers an integrated hardware MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) renderer.

ESS Technology announced the ES9068Q Low-Power Audiophile CODEC, its newest in a line of SABRE DACs designed for small desktop and portable applications with demanding audio specifications. As previously announced in May 2018, this is the first product to offer an integrated hardware MQA (Master Quality Authentication) renderer that makes MQA playback easy and cost efficient. This is also the first product in the series with CODEC capabilities; it features microphone support as well as stereo PDM inputs.

Support for Master Quality Authenticated (MQA), the technology that delivers master quality audio in a file small enough to stream, continues to receive consistent support across the audio industry. MQA adoption will be a dominant topic at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest 2018 show, October 5-7, in Denver, CO, where Astell&Kern and DALI, among others, will announce MQA support on new products and the company will be running two MQA Live events, as well as supporting its many partners.

ESS Technology has announced that it will be launching versions of its popular SABRE audio DACs that feature integrated MQA rendering. This will enable easy implementation of MQA across a wide variety of applications, including more mobile devices. As MQA technology is becoming widely accepted as a standard for distributing high resolution files and streams across a variety of platforms, the new ESS chips will enable manufacturers to easily implement MQA support.