This was originally experimental but we were surprised by its sound quality. Our ability to build these depends on the supply of the sound card. That’s why we call this AAMS Extreme LE (Limited Edition).
Internal Sound Card by EVGA engineered by Audio Note UK
The internal sound card is no ordinary sound card. This is the only internal sound card which supports DSD 256 / 4x. In our implementation, it is powered by LPSU through SATA power connector.
Even though PCIe x1 cable is the interface between motherboard and the sound card, it actually uses XMOS xCORE-200 USB interface. D/A conversion is by AKM AK4493 decoder chip (PCM up to 32bit/384kHz and DSD256) which in turn feeds the card’s analogue output stage: an ADI AD8056 op-amp spills via a pair of RCA sockets and is fully rollable.
Capacitors used include WIMA, Audio Note(UK), and Nichicon. With high-quality linear regulator inside the sound card (Texas Instruments TPS7A47/TPS7A33 ultralow-noise power solution), it runs hot. A small Arctic F8 quiet fan is used to generate some breeze, taking away the heat from the sound card.
AA Extreme ATX LPSU
The motherboard, SSD, and the sound card are powered by our AA Extreme ATX LPSU. It uses Mundorf MLytic AG (Audio Grade) smoothing capacitors with active rectifiers. There are 7 rails total with 2 rails (12V and 3.3V) dedicated for the sound card. There are 2 toroidal transformers with total 330 VA.
For longevity of the LSPU and to prevent nuisance tripping, our inhouse-designed inrush limiter (also called soft start) is used.
Instead of using fuse, we use thermal circuit breaker embedded in the rocker switch, giving the best LPSU performance without being limited by the tiny wires inside the fuse. Neotech SOCT UP-OCC wires are used for internal DC wiring.
The sound card draws about 8W of DC power through the SATA power connector.
Dimensions
