Audiophonics I-Sabre V3 DAC

The I-Sabre V3 by Audiophonics is a very high-end DAC based on the ES9023b digital-analogue converter chip in its third generation. The DAC is simply stacked on top of the Raspberry Pi, no soldering necessary.

This DAC does a lot of things differently: For example, the I-Sabre comes with a temperature compensating oscillator and is situated a bit higher on top of the Raspberry Pi, allowing all the important ports to be accessible on the same side. On the same side as the DC input for the Sabre since it is the first DAC in our product range that requires its own power supply. Once it has its own power supply it can power all the other devices as well.

The larger build dimensions of this DAC also naturally offers more room for details like the small cooling elements. Options to expand the I-Sabre are also available in abundance. The board offers ports for an OLED display and a power button, to safely shut the Raspberry Pi down.

Attention! This DAC requires a power button added to the board in order to be turned on. To run this DAC without a power button, a few adjustments have to be made on the board. Thus, we recommend the usage solely with a power button.

At a glance

• Easy one-click setup with Max2Play Audiophonics Plugin
• Compatible with Raspberry Pi A+, B+, 2B and 3B
• Not compatible with Raspberry Pi 3B+ and 4B
• Supports the connection of OLED Displays (direct Pin HD44780)
• Supports Power Button (recommended)
• Powers the Raspberry Pi via GPIO connection, allowing the use of only one power supply for the whole system
• Simple assembly (no soldering necessary)

Technical Details

• High Precision Clock: 0,5ppm TCXO Ultra-Low-Jitter
• Gold-plated RCA connectors
• DC-Input 5,5 / 2,1 mm
• Fully-HD-Audio – up to 24 Bit/192 kHz
• Distance of the mounting holes (HAT format): 50mm x 58mm
• RCA sockets: 20 mm spacing, hole diameter 12 mm
• Fully HAT compliant
• Size (LWH): 85mm * 56mm * 33mm

Components

• AUDIOPHONICS I-Sabre V3 DAC ES9023 TCXO
• Nuts, Screws or Spacers are not included

By purchasing this product, you receive an additional copy of the Max2Play Premium Testlicense (3-month period).
You can find more information about the features of the premium license here.

I-Sabre V3 DAC with the Power Button

The following picture shows how to connected the Power Button with the Sabre:

After you press the Power Button the LEd starts flashing as long as the Raspberry Pi is in the Boot Mode. If the signal of a stable system has been received the LED is on permanentely. For power off just press the Power Button again and a signal will shut down the Raspberry Pi immediately. As soon as the Pi is off the LED will turn off.

I-Sabre V3 DAC without Power Button

If you use the Sabre V3 DAC without the Power Button you need to make some adjustments in order to use the Sabre together with the Raspberry Pi. The microcontroller has to be bridged by both terminals, as seen on the schematic. Consequently, it is necessary to remove the AT tiny85 microcontroller from the circuit as pictured. To ensure a permanent contact with the Raspberry Pi, a switch has to be used.

We recommend the Sabre V3 DAC together with the Power Button.

Plug & Play with Max2Play

Max2Play offers a browser-based administration interface for Raspberry Pi on a Linux basis. With Max2Play, applications (Max2Play extensions) can be installed and administrated on a minicomputer without any Linux knowledge. The controls can be accessed via smartphone, tablet or computer, without connecting a mouse or keyboard to the minicomputer. There is a special Audiophonics Plugin available.