I know this is now 4 years old...but it is the only other information (besides an Audio Exotics announcement a few years ago) I have read about a new Zanden digital design, and at least as of 2019 he certainly seemed to have a clear idea in his mind.
hifiplus.com
Quotation from Alan Sircom's interview:
"AS: You also made a range of digital audio electronics. Why did you stop?
KY:I concentrated on the 16-bit audio, because I think it sounds more musical than bitstream. However, it is almost impossible to find those 16-bit DAC chipsets anymore and I am still interested in the multibit conversion. While they are very good, I wouldn’t be happy replacing multibit with an AK or ESS converter. But that doesn’t mean I won’t be launching any more digital products!
AS: If you don’t like bitstream DACs how will you launch new digital audio?
KY:I am interested in building a discrete R2R DAC. Right now, we are resourcing parts for this, such as resistors, logic ICs, and so on. The most difficult part in building such a DAC is finding very precise resistors, 0.0005% tolerance for example. However, I have found a source, but it’s not going to be cheap. Nevertheless, it is very important for us to make and design both a USB and a Network converter.
AS: What about DSD and MQA? How can you make them work with a R2R DAC.
KY:DSD will be… difficult! Multibit technology does not lend itself to DSD’s high-frequency bitstream. It’s not impossible, but it is difficult. Zanden is a very small company, I am not sure I can obtain an MQA license until the next generation of digital products are on the market. After they have been released, however, it should not be difficult for me to release MQA onto that digital platform."
Meet Your Maker: Kazutoshi Yamada, Zanden Audio Systems
We spoke to Kazutoshi Yamada – President of Zanden Audio Systems – during a recent brief tour of Europe. Unlike many manufacturers and designers in the
hifiplus.com
Quotation from Alan Sircom's interview:
"AS: You also made a range of digital audio electronics. Why did you stop?
KY:I concentrated on the 16-bit audio, because I think it sounds more musical than bitstream. However, it is almost impossible to find those 16-bit DAC chipsets anymore and I am still interested in the multibit conversion. While they are very good, I wouldn’t be happy replacing multibit with an AK or ESS converter. But that doesn’t mean I won’t be launching any more digital products!
AS: If you don’t like bitstream DACs how will you launch new digital audio?
KY:I am interested in building a discrete R2R DAC. Right now, we are resourcing parts for this, such as resistors, logic ICs, and so on. The most difficult part in building such a DAC is finding very precise resistors, 0.0005% tolerance for example. However, I have found a source, but it’s not going to be cheap. Nevertheless, it is very important for us to make and design both a USB and a Network converter.
AS: What about DSD and MQA? How can you make them work with a R2R DAC.
KY:DSD will be… difficult! Multibit technology does not lend itself to DSD’s high-frequency bitstream. It’s not impossible, but it is difficult. Zanden is a very small company, I am not sure I can obtain an MQA license until the next generation of digital products are on the market. After they have been released, however, it should not be difficult for me to release MQA onto that digital platform."
