ROHM Semiconductor announced that it has developed a new digital-to-analog converter IC (DAC), BD34352EKV, and corresponding evaluation board, BD34352EKV-EVK-001, supporting playback of high-resolution sound sources in high-fidelity audio equipment. Designed to maximally extract and convert high-resolution digital audio data to analog audio signals, audio DAC chips are one of the most important components for determining the quality of audio equipment.

Leveraging 50 years of expertise in developing audio ICs has allowed ROHM to establish ‘sound quality design technology’ capable of extracting the full amount of information from sound sources and offering products that deliver superior sound quality, including sound processor and power management ICs. Among these is the BD34301EKV, the flagship DAC chip of ROHM’s MUS-IC series which has been highly evaluated for its sound quality since its release in February 2021. The BD34301EKV continues to see worldwide adoption; however, to meet the growing demand from manufacturers for a DAC chip that can be used in a wider range of audio equipment, ROHM developed the BD34352EKV.

The new BD34352EKV DAC chip is specially tuned to powerfully express the energy of sound sources while maintaining the natural flat sound characteristics of ROHM’s DAC chip design concept. At the same time, an advanced digital filter is included – the same as used for the BD34301EKV. This leads to superior numerical performance (S/N ratio: 126dB, THD+N: -112dB) of the DAC chip, making it ideal for high-end audio equipment. In addition, the BD34352EKV features pin compatibility with the BD34301EKV. It has the same customizable filter as the BD34301EKV. This enables different sound quality tunings for each audio device, reducing development load while contributing to the creation of ideal sound sought by audio manufacturers.

The BD34352EKV is available now for $16/unit (samples, excluding tax).