ESS Technology Manufacturer Skill

MPN Structure

ESS Technology specializes in high-performance audio DACs (Sabre series).

ES[SERIES][VARIANT]-[PACKAGE]-[PINCOUNT]
   |   |      |        |         |
   |   |      |        |         +-- Pin count (optional)
   |   |      |        +-- Package code (QFN, TQFP, etc.)
   |   |      +-- Variant (PRO, Q2M, K2M, P, S)
   |   +-- Series (9038, 9028, 9018, 92xx)
   +-- ES = ESS Technology prefix

Example Decoding

ES9038PRO
|  |   |
|  |   +-- PRO = 8-channel flagship variant
|  +-- 9038 = Flagship Sabre series
+-- ES = ESS Technology

ES9218P-QFNR-48
|  |  | |    |
|  |  | |    +-- 48 = 48-pin
|  |  | +-- QFNR = QFN package, Tape and Reel
|  |  +-- P = Portable variant with headphone amp
|  +-- 9218 = Portable DAC series
+-- ES = ESS Technology

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Product Families

ES9038 Series - Flagship Sabre DACs

The ultimate performance audio DACs.

| Part | Channels | Features | |------|----------|----------| | ES9038PRO | 8 | Flagship, -140dB THD+N | | ES9038Q2M | 2 | Mobile/portable optimized |

ES9028 Series - High-End Sabre DACs

| Part | Channels | Features | |------|----------|----------| | ES9028PRO | 8 | High performance | | ES9028Q2M | 2 | Mobile version |

ES9018 Series - Classic Sabre DACs

| Part | Channels | Features | |------|----------|----------| | ES9018S | 8 | Reference stereo | | ES9018K2M | 2 | Mobile 2-channel |

ES901x/902x Series - Mid-Range DACs

| Part | Description | |------|-------------| | ES9010 | Entry-level DAC | | ES9016 | Mid-range DAC | | ES9023 | Popular 24-bit DAC |

ES92xx Series - Portable DACs with Headphone Amps

Integrated DAC + headphone amplifier for mobile devices.

| Part | Features | |------|----------| | ES9218P | Portable HiFi, headphone amp | | ES9219 | Latest portable DAC/amp | | ES9219C | ES9219 variant | | ES9281 | USB DAC |

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Variant Suffixes

| Suffix | Meaning | |--------|---------| | PRO | Professional 8-channel flagship | | Q2M | 2-channel mobile/battery optimized | | K2M | 2-channel compact variant | | S | Stereo version | | P | Portable with headphone amp | | C | Grade/revision variant |

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Package Codes

| Code | Package | Notes | |------|---------|-------| | QFN | QFN | Most common for audio DACs | | QFNR | QFN, Tape & Reel | QFN with packaging | | TQFP | TQFP | Larger pin count parts | | WLCSP | WLCSP | Compact mobile parts | | LQFP | LQFP | Low-profile quad flat |

---

Handler Implementation Notes

Series Extraction

// Extract ES + 4 digits for the series
// ES9038PRO -> ES9038
// ES9218P -> ES9218

if (upperMpn.length() >= 6) {
    String digits = upperMpn.substring(2, 6);
    if (digits.chars().allMatch(Character::isDigit)) {
        return "ES" + digits;
    }
}

Package Code Extraction

// Check for hyphenated suffix with package info
// ES9218P-QFNR-48 -> QFN

// Check for embedded package code without hyphen
// ESxxxxQFN -> QFN

Base Part Number Extraction

// Remove package suffixes to get base part
// ES9038PRO-QFN -> ES9038PRO
// ES9218P-QFNR-48 -> ES9218P

// Remove trailing package codes
result = upper
    .replaceAll("QFN.*$", "")
    .replaceAll("TQFP.*$", "")
    .replaceAll("WLCSP.*$", "")
    .replaceAll("LQFP.*$", "");

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Replacement Rules

Same Part, Different Package

Parts with the same base number but different packages are replacements:

• ES9038PRO-QFN = ES9038PRO-TQFP (same part, different package)
• ES9218P = ES9218P-QFNR-48 (same part with package suffix)

NOT Replacements (Different Channel Count)

Parts in the same series with different channel counts are NOT direct replacements:

• ES9038PRO (8-channel) != ES9038Q2M (2-channel)
• ES9028PRO (8-channel) != ES9028Q2M (2-channel)

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Related Files

• Handler: manufacturers/ESSHandler.java
• Component types: ComponentType.IC

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Common MPNs

| MPN | Description | Application | |-----|-------------|-------------| | ES9038PRO | 8-ch flagship DAC | High-end audio | | ES9038Q2M | 2-ch mobile DAC | Portable HiFi | | ES9028PRO | 8-ch high-end | Audio equipment | | ES9018K2M | 2-ch classic | DAPs, headphone amps | | ES9218P | Portable DAC/amp | Smartphones | | ES9219 | Latest portable | USB-C audio | | ES9023 | Entry 24-bit | DIY audio |

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Audio Specifications

ES9038PRO Performance

| Spec | Value | |------|-------| | THD+N | -140 dB | | DNR | 140 dB | | Channels | 8 | | Resolution | 32-bit | | Sample Rate | Up to 768 kHz |

ES9218P Performance

| Spec | Value | |------|-------| | THD+N | -118 dB | | SNR | 129 dB | | Output | 2 Vrms | | Features | HiFi DAC + headphone amp |

---

Applications

• High-end audio equipment
• Digital Audio Players (DAPs)
• Headphone amplifiers
• USB DACs
• Smartphone HiFi
• Professional audio systems
• Home theater preamps
• Audiophile equipment

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Learnings & Edge Cases

• PRO vs Q2M naming: PRO = 8-channel professional, Q2M = 2-channel mobile - NOT interchangeable.
• Channel count determines compatibility: 8-channel and 2-channel parts are functionally different.
• ES92xx includes headphone amp: These are integrated DAC + amp solutions, not standalone DACs.
• Package rarely changes function: Same base part in different packages are true replacements.
• ESS Sabre branding: All modern ESS DACs use "Sabre" technology branding.
• K2M vs Q2M: Both are 2-channel, but K2M is earlier generation, Q2M is optimized for mobile.
• High-end audio market: ESS dominates portable HiFi - found in most premium DAPs and USB DACs.

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