The analog input circuit is a low noise balanced input with very high common mode rejection. The optional
ADC module uses an AKM AK5397, considered by many to be the best ADC on the market. It has a S/N in
excess of 127dB. This is 20-30dB better that most home theater oriented converters.
All of the data converters have a variety of internal filter choices. This include both sharp cutoff and
minimum phase types. Minimum phase filters are favored for most applications, because they avoid pre echo
artifacts.
Minimal clock jitter is of prime importance for high quality audio. If a clock has excessive jitter, a perfect data
converter would be transformed into something mediocre. The right data at the wrong time is the wrong
data! The dspMusik 2/8 uses a very low phase jitter clock with very careful routing to minimize reflections to
each device. The SHARC DSP has eight ASRCs that provide jitter attenuation far better than a low noise PLL
is capable of achieving. This is very helpful for rate conversions (generally upsampling) and is absolutely
imperative for S/PDIF streams that are intrinsically noisy from a jitter perspective.
The dspMusik 2/8 uses a standard IEC connector and can be powered with any 100-240 VAC 50/60 Hz
mains source. All that is needed is the appropriate mains cord set. This makes the dspMusik 2/8 functional in
international markets without special configuration settings.
Software
There are two primary ways to program the dspMusik 2/8.
Most customers will opt for DSP Concepts' Audio Weaver. This is a graphical design program that includes as
many as 400 optimized modules. Systems are designed in a drag and drop fashion to create signal flow.
Audio Weaver runs natively on the SHARC DSP with optimized production quality modules. You design the
signal processing system without the need for custom programming. Once you have your layout, you can
adjust parameters in real time. For example, a loudspeaker designer can create a crossover design, make
some measurements and listening tests, and then adjust parameters to fine tune the system without
interruption of the test source or music. A run time version of Audio Weaver is included with the dspMusik
2/8. This lets you design and distribute your application without buying additional tools or licensing. All you
need is a Windows computer.
If you have an OEM version of the dspMusik 2/8, chances are this is how most of your system software was
implemented. The specific layout and tuning was done by the OEM, so that their system performs optimally.
The alternative method would be traditional programming in C or assembly. In this case, you would use
either Analog Devices' Visual DSP++ or CrossCore Embedded Studio. You would also want an emulator,
either an ICE-1000 or ICE-2000. The older ADI emulators will also work with any of the dspblok 214xx
boards. Danville supplies example code with device drivers for the converters and a basic talk thru shell
program to get you started.
dspMusik™ 2/8 User Manual
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