Can Someone please explain Burr-Brown DACs

[HAMP]

What is this feature? All I know it is for clean sound, but can someone get a little more into the information?

Or maybe tell me how to test it out?

[maseo503]

Originally Posted by HAMP

What is this feature? All I know it is for clean sound, but can someone get a little more into the information?

Or maybe tell me how to test it out?

just as all engines have a fuel system... all digital devices have a Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC)... but in both cases, some do a better job than others. DACs change digital (numeric 0s and 1s) signals to analog (sound wave) signals. Burr-Brown was a company that held a long and much respected reputation in the integrated circuit industy... they were some of the first to develop DACs and the first to put it all on a single chip. Back in the day they employed some of the top up and coming engineers and amassed a bunch of patents. Texas Instruments bought them in 2000... and still use BB patented technology today. the BB DACs used in receivers such as the Onkyo 805 test very well on the bench and introduce little or nothing to the audio signal during conversion...for that, they are regarded highly among audiophiles.

[moviefan]

Originally Posted by maseo503

just as all engines have a fuel system... all digital devices have a Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC)... but in both cases, some do a better job than others. DACs change digital (numeric 0s and 1s) signals to analog (sound wave) signals. Burr-Brown was a company that held a long and much respected reputation in the integrated circuit industy... they were some of the first to develop DACs and the first to put it all on a single chip. Back in the day they employed some of the top up and coming engineers and amassed a bunch of patents. Texas Instruments bought them in 2000... and still use BB patented technology today. the BB DACs used in receivers such as the Onkyo 805 test very well on the bench and introduce little or nothing to the audio signal during conversion...for that, they are regarded highly among audiophiles.

Ya gotta love this forum!

[Kuraudo]

maseo503 : couldn't have said it any better myself

[HAMP]

Thanks maseo503!

[saprano]

wow i wanted to know this to! i love this place

[maseo503]

Thanks guys!

I had briefly researched it awhile back when i was shopping for my a/v receiver. you kept hearing and seeing BB here and there...but when you ask a sales guy what is BB and what does it have to do with DACs...they looked dumb founded... ... I was in sales for years...and i cant see how someone can be successful and cant answer every question a customer has about the product your selling... especially if that feature is SUPPOSED to be a strong selling point! sheesh.
That was just a snippet of Burr-Brown's storied and inspiring history... started out in Brown's garage back in 1956... all the way to hundred of millions in revenue and R&D centers all over the world....until Texas Instruments snatched them up during the tech boom early-2000s.

[Big Daddy]

This is from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burr-Brown

Corporation
"The Burr-Brown Corporation was a United States technology company which designed, manufactured, and marketed a broad line of proprietary, standard, high-performance, analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits (ICs) used in electronic signal processing. The company's products were used in a wide range of applications: industrial process and control, telecommunications, test and measurement, medical and scientific instrumentation, medical imaging, digital audio and video, personal computing and multimedia.

The company was incorporated in Arizona in 1956 and reincorporated in Delaware in 1983. The company was public with stock trading on NASDAQ under the symbol BBRC. For 1998, sales and earnings were $258,094,000 and $0.94/share (diluted), respectively.

The company employed over 1,300 people worldwide with manufacturing and technical facilities located in Tucson, Arizona; Atsugi, Japan; and Livingston, Scotland. Corporate headquarters were located in Tucson, Arizona.

Acquisition
In September 2000, Burr-Brown Corporation was acquired by Texas Instruments Incorporated.

Monument
After acquisition, a monument was erected in the main courtyard in Tucson, Arizona with the following text:

From its humble beginnings in Tom Brown’s garage, Burr-Brown Corporation grew into one of the world’s leading designers and manufacturers of high-performance analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits. Robert Page Burr and Thomas R. Brown, Jr., co-founded the company in 1956 and gave their names to the new enterprise. Mr. Burr left in 1958 to form another company, while Mr. Brown continued to lead Burr-Brown for 44 years. The company developed the first commercial solid-state operational amplifier and led the world in high-precision data conversion technology. This monument honors Burr-Brown’s founders and their pioneering spirit; its gifted and dedicated employees; and its rich history of technological achievements. In the words of its stated Corporate Purpose, Burr-Brown truly did “provide something of value to mankind.” On the occasion of becoming one company, this marker is hereby dedicated with deepest respect by Texas Instruments Incorporated to the people of Burr-Brown. August 30, 2000.”

[Clark Kent]

Not all Burr-Brown DACs are created equal though. There are noticeable variations in sound quality(at least to an audiophile) among the various Burr-Brown DACs. Forums that focus on higher end audio would have some discussion of this. And other companies also make high quality DACs that compete with them.