New ESS chip out !! -> ES8620 audio-solution (usb-bridge) !! / Gustard U-16

so, 😉
found by chance this new ESS-Baby 😉 in searching for new driver on shenzhenaudio..
Gustard U-16 (ES8620) !!

https://www.shenzhenaudio.com/gustard-u16-es8620-support-pcm32bit-768k-dsd512-dop-and-native-dsd-digital-interface.html(284$)
->”Adopting the latest USB audio interface solution ES8620 from ESS, USA
Supports up to PCM 32bit/768KHz and DSD512, and supports both DoP and Native DSD.
ESS’s USB interface chip design is a completely optimized architecture for high-quality digital audio signal processing. It is not a general-purpose chip with USB digital audio interface code, so it has immediate impact on sound quality improvement;”
“…128MB SDRAM is used as the system buffer and digital audio processing FIFO..”
“..the machine uses up to three FPGAs to implement USB audio interface clock management and external 10M clock part of the audio clock frequency synthesizer..”



first (interesting) review i found is here->https://www.dastereo.ru/t/gustard-u16-debyutnyj-konverter-na-es8620-xmos-amanero-upali-otzhalis/28117

didnt find any real opinions/soundtests against the other ES-chips till now (Update: and i guess i won´t find any at all because it is (unfortunately) only a “usb-bridge” (more or less)->”High performance usb digital audio interface” 😉 )

more to come, greets !! 😉

ESP32 – Bodmer TFT_espi / autoconnect github / Picoreplayer 4.1.0 / Dietpi V6.18

so, 😉
nothing particular new; “audio”-wise its a little bit on “hold” (had first to buy some +-15V toroidal transformer and so on) but i made a little progress/effort “usability-wise”..
i´m now able to get something in the spiffs-fs (ESP32), read it out 😉 and display it via “drawJpeg” from the famous Bodmer TFT-eSPI-library->Link

(!! sorry for the still absolutely “shitty” layout, but i was only happy to get something on the display at all 😉 !! (will change/edit it then; only some “ideas” (for not doing it in this way 😉 ) for u maybe)
was a little bit difficult because u (i) really need the absolutely newest libraries (jpegdecoder.h for example too) from the bodmer-github-repository (some older example jpgs are unreadable by their own decoder-library and so on..)..
have still some problems/the first third of a decoded jpeg is corrupt, but i can now upload some jpegs in the spiffs, list and display them..(and understood how)
the whole sketch (web-gui for filter-selection, HW-volume control via digi-poti, display jpgs etc..) is here->Link and i maybe make a post in the forum->Link..(could be very interesting for some who also want to understand the ESP32 “better”)..


by that it was all build on top of the absolutely fabulous “Autoconnect-library” by Hieromon -> https://github.com/Hieromon/AutoConnect; absolutely super great webserver/wlan access library->absolutely to recommend !!
Picoreplayer is now at V4.1.0 (24.Nov 2018)->https://www.picoreplayer.org/main_downloads.shtml(Pi-Kernel-bump to 4.14.81, squeezelite-update, support for Rpi 3B+ and so on->Link
Dietpi is now also at V6.18 (26/11/18)(some bugfixes+improvements)->https://github.com/Fourdee/DietPi/blob/master/CHANGELOG.txt
that was it for now, more to come, stay tuned, greets 😉

Project 3: read out/write data (over I2C) via the onboard mcu ES9038Q2M/-ES9028Q2M

so folks 😉 ,
essabre-90xx-rpi.sfb2.com needs your help 😉
as i just want to read out some data from the mcu on these boards like data-rate (192khz,384khz and so on), data-format (PCM,DSD) and maybe the HW-Volume for just displaying it on a small 3,5″ display for example (or use it to display it via some app/tool on a raspi/web etc..) “we” have now to find a way to solve this..



as we now have the possibility to access the I2C-bus via the new connection on an ES9038Q2M (they used it also to display/change some values via their hardware) we have to find a way to simple control/change/read-out data over it..
the normal “adresses” on an ES9038Q2M must be/are “hidden” due to some NDA-bla bla, and the real register-adresses are “encrypted”/are only in the mcu..

but how can i/we connect a raspberry/Arduino/ESP32 to it via I2C ?

i think we have now here to make a really long tutorial to get such “experimental setup” to work. how to exactly connect and to which pins, which tools/commands to use (python/i2c-set and so on)..
i will make a new thread in the forum->”Project 3: controlling the onboard mcu on an ES9038Q2M/-9028Q2M
there i will make this tutorial but i first to have to gather all possible informations about it and there u come in !! ;-)
so please post all your informations/experiences concerning this topic in the forum or here in the comment-section !!

a good start for now are these (new) “VinnyLorrin“-repositories at github->https://github.com/VinnyLorrin
->”ES9028Q2M-controller”,”ES9038Q2M-Linux_Driver”,”ES9028-controller-PCB” and so on..very good, first, informations about it…
(many many thx btw. to “eslei” at the diyaudio-forum for getting first infos/an entry->https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/digital-line-level/314935-es9038q2m-board-322.html

thread in the forum->http://essabre-90xx-rpi.sfb2.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=86
greets for now 😉

The OPA627AU arrived – very “warm”- not so much “digital-room/-soundstage”/ Volumio now at V2.502 / dimdim.gr

so 😉 ,
finally the OPA627AU (as dual on one DIP-8) arrived..
and indeed, absolutely more “analogue/tube-sound” (in comparison to the AD797ANZ + LME47910-20s) here..
very “warm”, but with a lot of “body”, more “natural”, not so digitally “harsh” as the AD797ANZ (or the LME47910 of course) by example..


better for high-volumes->thought first “more right/true”->more hi-fi..(but also maybe a little bit “fatiguing/boring” due to the analogue “timbre”)
not so much “digitally room/3D” what i liked the most on the ES Sabre-Chips; very “sweet”..
The OPA627AU and the AD797ANZ are absolutely on a very similar “level”; u absolutely dont go wrong in using the OPA627AU..
but for me, i think i stuck with the AD797ANZ; more “room/clinical”, but thats really an absolutely personal impression/affection/taste..)
i think the speciality on these Sabre-Chips is this digitally room/3D-feeling + also with the great soundstage..
so i stay, as said, with the AD797ANZ (all on this “Blue” ES9038Q2M; the “Green” have a slightly different characteristic as mentioned in an earlier post..)
(Update 2hrs later: i will definitively stuck with the AD797ANZ; for me absolutely the better choice !!)

by that Volumio is now at V2.502, some minor bugfixes + Pi Kernel-bump to 4.14.71; couldnt determine any differences in the overall tune..


by that i want to suggest/introduce you to http://www.dimdim.gr again..
absolutely great site; inventor of the famous “Hifiduino-project”; a lot of very interesting infos/tips there; take a look over there !!


more to come !! 😉