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Audio Codec Comparison Table

Author: Gabriel Torres
Type: Tutorials	Last Updated: April 9, 2012
Page: 1 of 5

Introduction

Audio codec is a small chip measuring 0.25 x 0.25 inches (7 x 7 mm) located on the motherboard in charge of the analog audio functions. Knowing the specs of a codec will permit you to compare the audio quality of different motherboards, allowing you to choose the right product for your needs.

For further details on audio codecs, including an explanation of the specs we are publishing, please read our tutorial “How On-Board Audio Works.”

We will separate the codecs according to the manufacturer.

Analog Devices (ADI/SoundMax)

Analog Devices are also known as ADI or SoundMax, and their codecs use names starting with “AD.” In Figure 1, you can see an example of an Analog Devices codec.

click to enlarge
Figure 1: Analog Devices AD1988B codec

Model	Channels	Input Resolution	Output Resolution	Input Max. Sampling Rate	Output Max. Sampling Rate	Input SNR	Output SNR
AD1819B	2	16-bit	16-bit	48 kHz	48 kHz	87 dB	90 dB
AD1881A	2	16-bit	16-bit	48 kHz	48 kHz	87 dB	90 dB
AD1882	5.1	24-bit	24-bit	96 kHz	96 kHz	90 dB	95 dB
AD1884	4	24-bit	24-bit	192 kHz	192 kHz	85 dB	90 dB
AD1885	2	16-bit	16-bit	48 kHz	48 kHz	87 dB	90 dB
AD1886A	2	16-bit	16-bit	48 kHz	48 kHz	87 dB	90 dB
AD1887	2	16-bit	16-bit	48 kHz	48 kHz	87 dB	90 dB
AD1888	5.1	16-bit	20-bit	96 kHz	96 kHz	80 dB	90 dB
AD1980	5.1	16-bit	20-bit	96 kHz	96 kHz	82 dB	90 dB
AD1981A	2	16-bit	20-bit	48 kHz	48 kHz	85 dB	90 dB
AD1981B	2	16-bit	20-bit	48 kHz	48 kHz	85 dB	90 dB
AD1981BL	2	16-bit	20-bit	48 kHz	48 kHz	83 dB	90 dB
AD1981BW	2	16-bit	20-bit	48 kHz	48 kHz	85 dB	90 dB
AD1981HD	2	20-bit	24-bit	48 kHz	48 kHz	85 dB	80 to 85 dB
AD1983	2	20-bit	24-bit	48 kHz	48 kHz	85 dB	80 to 85 dB
AD1984	4	24-bit	24-bit	192 kHz	192 kHz	90 dB	96 dB
AD1985	5.1	20-bit	20-bit	96 kHz	96 kHz	85 dB	80 to 90 dB
AD1986	5.1	20-bit	20-bit	96 kHz	96 kHz	85 dB	80 to 90 dB
AD1986A	5.1	20-bit	20-bit	96 kHz	96 kHz	85 dB	80 to 90 dB
AD1987	7.1	24-bit	24-bit	96 kHz	192 kHz	90 dB	95 dB
AD1988A	7.1	24-bit	24-bit	192 kHz	192 kHz	90 dB	95 dB
AD1988B	7.1	24-bit	24-bit	192 kHz	192 kHz	92 dB	101 dB

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