New AKM AK4498EX Partitioned Stereo D/A Converter Now Sampling

Asahi Kasei Microdevices (AKM) announced the new AK4498EXVQ Stereo Premium DAC that utilizes advanced Switched Capacitor Filter Voltage Output Velvet Sound technology. Like the existing AK4499EXEQ, launched in 2022 as part of AKM's two-chip solution, when paired with the AK4191EQ separate digital filter with multi-bit sigma delta modulator, the new AK4498EXVQ also delivers a completely partitioned digital and analog architecture to improve noise isolation, enabling analog conversion from ultra-high-resolution audio sources, including DSD.

Asahi Kasei Microdevices Corporation (AKM) has expanded its lineup of premium audio Digital-to-Analog converters (DACs) with the development of a two-chip solution that separates the digital aspect from the analog. While conventional DACs use a single chip to convert signals from digital to analog, the new AKM approach splits the conversion process between the AK4191 delta-sigma modulator and the AK4498 DAC. This results in an improvement in sound quality that is easily perceptible while listening to music, the company states.