theBIT unveil their flagship Hi-Res Player – Audio Opus#2

theBit Opus#2

8.9

Sound and Build Quality

9.6/10

Specifications/Features

9.0/10

Value For Money

8.0/10

Pros

• Top tier high spec signature
• Very easy to use and fast boot times
• Competitive Pricing

Cons

• Only has 1 Micro SD Card Slot
• Volume Dial Lock on software would be nice

 Specifications

The quality of the DAC or DAC Chips used in the construction, play an important part in the signature characteristics of this player. Start with a diesel engine and you will never become a Ferrari for example. The implementation of these components is down to the craftsmanship and attention to detail of the Research and Development Centre .This is a complex and time consuming process that demands a special working relationship between the hardware and software developers and a lengthy test lifecycle to ensure consumers get a robust and desirable product. As you know we are some of the most demanding of audiences.

theBIT have put SABRE32 ES9018K2M x 2EA Dual DACs in the 2 .  ESS Technologies describe the 9018 – “with ESS patented 32-bit Hyperstreamä DAC architecture and Time Domain Jitter Eliminator, the SABRE32 Reference Stereo DAC delivers an unprecedented DNR of up to 135dB and THD+N of –120dB, the industry’s highest performance level that will satisfy the most demanding audio enthusiasts.”

The Audio Opus #1 Cirrus Logic CS4398 x 2EA Dual DACs in comparison. The specifications of the CS chip : 120 dB dynamic range -107 dB THD. The 4398 is a 24 bit chip.

My iBasso DX100 has one ES9018 32Bit DAC Chip and was back then a rare implementation of this chip in a portable player.

Questyle’s QP1R a single Cirrus Logic CS4398.

The AK380 uses dual AKM AK4490 32 bit DACs with a patented Velvet Sound architecture. This from the AKM people -“low-distortion technology achieves industry’s best performance of -112dB as a DAC with 120dB S/N characteristic”.

So there we have it ; confusion! 2 DAC chips claiming to be the industry leaders – yet the CS4398 has lower distortion and the ES9018 the highest dynamic range.

There is no doubt in my mind that the quality of the DAC chip has a major part to play in the performance of a Digital player.

The 3 chips mentioned here are expensive parts ; they are not found in smartphones , even the LG flagship with the B&O hifi add on steers clear of the 9018 and uses the 9028.

Interestingly , the D1 Dacamp , which sounds entirely different from the Opus 2 to my ears – has exactly the same ESS9018K2M Dual Dacs.

Great minds think alike…… but they don’t somehow sound alike…..

The signal to noise ratio is 114dB @ 1KHz, the 380 has a slightly better spec at 116dB, Unbalanced.  Signal to noise is a good indicator of how accurately the device is able to amplify the signal it receives without adding distortion.

Crosstalk is 130dB @ 1KHz Unbalanced ; the same as the 380. Crosstalk is the distortion occurring between the left and right channels as they are separated out from the original signal from the DAC.

Total harmonic distortion is 0.003% @ 1KHz, the 380 0.0008% a whole decimal point better. The QP1R manages even lower – 0.0006. THD is how far away from the original input the output device is , the lower the better.

The output level is 2.5 Vrms , the AK380s is 2.2 which is as I suspected , meaning the Opus will power more difficult to run IEMs and even the occasional full size. The QP1R has 1.9 Vrms, this in high gain mode was good enough for me to enjoy the HiFiMan HE1000 at CanJam London.

Jitter is 30ps on the AK380  ; it is 50ps on the Opus 2.  Jitter is the deviation between the signal sent from the digital part of the chip to the analogue conversion ; the lower the score the truer the reading is. Questyle has no public spec for this that I could find.