Tuesday, March 19, 2024
PlayPoint DM Mark II
Dual-Mono Streaming DAC and Network Audio Server
PlayPoint DM Mark II next-generation music streamer and DAC now supports DSD512.
Combining a reference-grade 32-bit digital-to-analog converter, balanced dual-mono headphone amplifier and Roon-enabled music player in one elegant component, the PlayPoint DM brings simplicity and sonic perfection to your music room.

With refinements like dual-mono fully balanced design, two 32-bit DXD/DSD512 DACs with four autonomous I/V stages, and exaSound’s unique four-way galvanic isolation, PlayPoint DM will uncover every detail in your high-resolution music files, allowing you to hear the music just as it was recorded.

PlayPoint DM has a high-resolution digital volume control, so it can connect directly to your monoblock amplifiers or balanced headphones. It comes with Roon music-management software pre-installed, allowing you to browse your music library from a rich, colorful app running on your tablet or smartphone.

With state-of-the-art performance, easy operation, remote diagnostics, online updates, and exaSound’s acclaimed customer support, PlayPoint DM will be the cornerstone of your music system for years to come.

Designed and hand-made entirely in Canada
Analog Performance
  • Reference-class D-to-A conversion, leveraging the studio-grade 32-bit Hyperstream technology: the ESS ES9028PRO monolithic DAC
  • Dual-mono architecture: Two ES9028PRO DAC chips in octo-mono configuration for left and right channels
  • Four autonomous differential I/V stages (two per DAC chip) yield the lowest noise and distortion, resulting in very natural and enjoyable sound
  • Balanced dual-mono, bridge mode, high-power headphone amplifier featuring both XLR and 1/4" connectors for use with the most demanding balanced headphones
  • Single-ended headphone amplifier with 1/4" connector
  • FemtoMaster™: Our multi-clock architecture, with 82-femtosecond master clock and three auxiliary stream-control clocks, minimizes jitter for maximum timing accuracy, stereo imaging, portrayal of transients, and bass extension
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Four-way Galvanic Isolation and Independent Power Sources
  • GalvanicInfinity™ affords complete galvanic isolation for ultimate stereo separation and maximum reduction of external and internal noise
  • Left and right channels are isolated from each other and from the digital subsystem
  • Three power supplies with isolated ground planes for left, right channels and digital circuits
  • Two reference voltage sources with less than 2µV RMS noise for the DAC outputs
  • Galvanically isolated SPDIF, TOSLINK and Ethernet Inputs
  • Balanced headphone amplifier with galvanic isolation between left and right channels
  • Two galvanically isolated 12V trigger outputs for controlling monoblock power amps
  • Optional external power base with separate power cables for left and right channels and the digital module will be available by the end of the year

Volume Control
  • ZeroResolutionLoss™: an exclusive ultimate resolution four-way synchronised volume control
  • Volume knob with variable sensitivity
  • 0.5dB steps from -80 to 0db
  • Touchscreen channel trimming and mute
  • Remote master volume, channel trimming and mute from mobile devices and Web browser
  • In-app volume control with Roon, UPnP and AirPlay
  • Volume bypass
Network Audio Player
  • Industry best ergonomics with Roon: the most engaging, enjoyable way to browse your music
  • Supports open-source UPnP/OpenHome steaming technologies
  • NAA streaming for advanced oversampling applications with Signalyst HQplayer
  • ZeroJitter™: Proprietary asynchronous bus with re-clocking and error correction assures error-free streaming
  • Support for DSD up to 24.576MHz (Octuple-rate / DSD512)
  • Support for Hi-Res Audio to 32 bits/384kHz PCM and 352.8kHz DXD
  • Glass capacitive touchscreen for zero-configuration operation
  • Web interface for remote operation and advanced configuration from a mobile device
Server support
  • Built-in Roon Core for basic Roon configurations. Supports bit-perfect operation for music libraries up to 50,000 tracks
  • Built-in UPnP server. Built-in servers can be accessed from external devices over the home network
  • External Roon Server for advanced Roon configurations, oversampling, PCM to DSD conversion and room correction
  • External UPnP/OpenHome 
  • External Signalyst HQplayer 
Music Storage
  • Two attached USB drives, up to eight USB drives with external powered USB hub
  • Locally attached USB drives can be accessed over the network for copying and tagging music files
  • Roon: Network Attached Storage (NAS) servers
Streaming Services
  • Tidal and Qobuz via Roon, AirPlay and third-party apps
  • Spotify with third-party apps like Bubble UPnP
  • Internet radio via AirPlay
  • Audio streaming protocols: Roon RAAT, Signalyst NAA, UPnP, Open Home, AirPlay
  • Networking: Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi 802.11ac


Roon offers engaging, enjoyable way to browse your music. Via intelligent automatic cloud service library management, Roon delivers metadata for the user’s library and frees the user from the complexities of music library management.


PlayPoint DM is a Roon Tested DAC and Roon Ready network Player. It has been profiled and tested by both Roon Labs and exaSound for maximum compatibility. Roon identifies exaSound devices and sends them audio optimized for their capabilities. Together, Roon and exaSound deliver the power, flexibility, and performance benefits of digital audio, with the easiest setup and highest reliability available.



The PlayPoint DM includes full MQA decoder and renderer performing full ‘unfold’ for delivering Hi-Res music data up to 24-bit 384kHz.


MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) is a new technology which delivers studio master quality audio using no more bandwidth than a CD quality file – so it can be easily streamed or downloaded. MQA encoded content is available from major streaming services and download sites. Visit mqa.co.uk for more information.

Elegant and Simple
PlayPoint DM connects directly to your monoblock or stereo amplifier. It’s equipped with exaSound’s ZeroReslutionLoss™ volume control, so it can function as a preamp. This makes for a very clean, very simple installation, with a minimum of component and cable clutter. If you want to use your own preamp (or integrated amplifier), you can bypass PlayPoint DM’s volume control and use it strictly as a source device.

In addition, the PlayPoint DM features a balanced high-power headphone amplifier, capable of driving the most demanding headphones.

The primary purpose of PlayPoint DM is to play music from streaming services and files stored on network storage (NAS) and attached USB drives. It supports high-resolution PCM audio to 32 bits/384kHz, 384kHz DXD, and DSD to 24.576MHz (Octuple-rate / DSD512).

Easy to Configure, Easy to Use
Connect PlayPoint DM to your home network, connect a USB drive to one of the PlayPoint DM’s USB ports, and you’re ready to listen to music. Even if you’re unfamiliar with computers and networking, you can expect the setup process to take less than 15 minutes.

PlayPoint DM comes with Roon Core music-management software pre-installed. Roon will catalog all the music on your USB and network drives. If you subscribe to TIDAL, it will integrate your local library with your TIDAL Favorites and Playlists; and can even recommend music based on your listening habits.

You interact with Roon using the Roon Remote app, which is available for Apple and Android smartphones and tablets, as well as Windows PCs and Macs. Roon presents your music in a rich, colorful interface. While you’re listening, Roon can show related content such as artist bios and song lyrics. Think of it as the album-cover experience on steroids.

If you’d prefer a leaner way of browsing your music library, you can do so with a simple UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) control app on your smart device, or through our Web interface running on a smartphone, tablet, PC or Mac.

USB drives attached to the PlayPoint DM can be accessed over your home network. That makes it easy to load files from a Windows PC or Mac, and (if desired) to edit their metadata.



Audiophile Performance
Especially with downloaded high-resolution DSD and PCM files, with PlayPoint DM you’ll experience a degree of sonic purity that is unattainable with conventional computer audio. Encapsulating everything exaSound has learned about digital audio in its seven-year history, PlayPoint DM has one function only: to play music. There are no extraneous background tasks and no unnecessary hardware to generate noise. But that’s just the beginning.

Reference-class D-to-A conversion: PlayPoint DM employs two of ESS Technology’s flagship ES9028PRO monolithic 32-bit DAC chips in a fully balanced dual-mono configuration. Each DAC has two autonomous differential I/V stages.

Dual-mono fully balanced design: The analog stages for the left and right channels are fully independent, and each has its own power supply. Not only does this maximize stereo separation, it means that high voltage demands on one channel will not affect the other channel. Thanks to the balanced design, common-mode noise is rejected. This makes for a very quiet background, especially if a balanced connection is used for the amplifier or headphones.

Galvanic isolation: All inputs (SPDIF, TosLink, Ethernet) benefit from exaSound’s Galvanicity™ galvanic isolation, which blocks noise both in the signal path and on the ground plane. Inside PlayPoint DM, the digital section is galvanically isolated from the analog section, and the left and right channels are galvanically isolated from each other. PlayPoint DM has independent power supplies for the left, right and digital sections, all with isolated ground planes. Galvanic isolation is also employed between the left and right channels of the headphone amplifier. Sonically, this translates to a significant reduction in external and internal noise, and a significant improvement in stereo separation.

FemtoMaster™ clock: With digital audio, timing is everything. During playback, the bits in the digital file must be processed at very precise intervals. Errors in timing give rise to a form of distortion known as jitter. PlayPoint DM features exaSound’s FemtoMaster™ multi-clock architecture, with an incredibly precise 82-femtosecond master clock (a femtosecond is one millionth of one billionth) and three auxiliary stream-control clocks. This advanced design minimizes jitter. Sonic benefits include more precise stereo imaging, more natural portrayal of transients, and improved bass extension.

Considered singly, each of these refinements makes a significant contribution to sound quality. Combined, their effect is revelatory. With vanishingly low noise and distortion, every detail in your files is exquisitely presented against an anthracite-black background. Micro and macro dynamics are both extraordinary, yet the overall presentation is natural and inviting.

Versatility
While PlayPoint DM is a high-end component intended for serious listening, it offers some intriguing options for casual listening. When you’re entertaining, you can use PlayPoint’s Roon Server capability to stream music to other Roon endpoints in your home. You can also use PlayPoint DM’s UPnP server capability to play music on other UPnP devices in your home.

PlayPoint DM supports Apple AirPlay, so you can stream audio from an iPhone, iPad or Mac. This can be music stored on the device, Internet radio, or a streaming service like TIDAL. You can do the same with an Android smartphone or tablet by installing a UPnP streaming app.

Lasting Value
Computers and networking can be intimidating; but exaSound has taken care to hide this complexity. The PlayPoint DM is very easy to set up, use and maintain.

With conventional computer audio, special software is required for high-resolution audio playback. In some cases, this software may stop operating properly when (as frequently happens) the operating system software is updated. Then, the user has to wait for the developer of the music software to issue its own update. That won’t happen with a dedicated music player like the PlayPoint DM.

exaSound periodically releases online updates to enhance functionality and improve performance. We also support users throughout the world with remote diagnostics and our acclaimed customer service.

Combine our service and support with PlayPoint DM’s superb sound and ease of use, and you have a product that will delight you for years to come.


D/A Converter IC
 2xESS Technology ES9028PRO 32-bit, 8-channel
PRO series DAC in octo-mono configuration

Sampling Rate Support - LAN

PCM
44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz, 192kHz, 352.8kHz, 384kHz

Native DSD
DSD 64 Fs: 2.8224MHz; 3.072MHz
DSD 128 Fs: 5.6448MHz; 6.144MHz
DSD 256 Fs: 11.2896MHz; 12.288MHz
DSD 512 Fs: 22.5792MHz; 24.576MHz

PCM Sampling Rates - Coaxial SPDIF
44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz, 192kHz  
PCM Sampling Rates - Optical (TOSLINK)
44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz 
Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise,1kHz, 0dBFS
Balanced: 0.00026% @ 1KHz, 0dBFS
Unbalanced: 0.00021% @ 1KHz, 0dBFS
Total Harmonic Distortion1kHz, 0dBFS
Balanced: 0.00012% @ 1KHz, 0dBFS
Unbalanced: 0.00014% @ 1KHz, 0dBFS
Intermodulation Distortion
19kHz + 20kHz
0 dBFS 2nd order IMD
-128dB  0.00004%
Dynamic Range
A-weighted, 2.5 Vrms
Balanced: 123.8 dB, A-weighted, 5 Vrms
Unbalanced: 123.5 dB, A-weighted, 2.5 Vrms
DAC Master Clock Jitter
0.082ps (82fs) rms
Frequency Response
0Hz - 20kHz (-0.15dB) @ 44.1kHz / 48kHz
0Hz - 30kHz (-0.15dB) @ 88.2kHz and higher rates
Phase
Non-inverting
Channel Separation
Balanced: 157 dB @ 1 KHz; 153 dB @ 20KHz
Unbalanced: 164 dB @ 1KHz; 130dB @ 20KHz
Digital Inputs
LAN, SPDIF Coaxial, SPDIF TOSLINK (optical), USB storage
Line Outputs
Balanced (XLR), Unbalanced (RCA), gold-plated contacts
Line Output Level
Balanced: 5 Vrms
Unbalanced: 2.5 Vrms
Line Output Impedance
200Ohms
Line Output Offset
< 5mV
Headphone Amp Current Output
 500mA peak
Headphone Amp Output Impedance
0.5Ohm, 20Hz-20kHz
Headphone Amp Output Balanced: 0-5Vrms
Unbalanced: 0-4Vrms
Headphone Amp THD+N
0.0012%, 1Vrms into 60ohms
Headphone Amp Intermodulation Distortion
1Vrms into 60ohms
19kHz + 20kHz 2nd order IMD
 -120dB  0.0001%
Headphone Channel Separation  Balanced: 156 dB @ 1KHz; 138 dB @ 20KHz;
Unbalanced: 50 dB @ 1KHz; 50 dB @ 20KHz;
Headphone Jack
Balanced: 1/4" TRS; 3pin XLR
Unbalanced: 1/4" TRS SE
Volume Control
 Four-way volume synchronization,
Volume bypass
Channel trimming
Mute
ZeroResolutionLoss™ volume control provides all-time 0dB Full-Scale streaming
 Volume Control Step 0.5 dB 
 Volume Matching Between Channels Better than 0.1 dB 
 USB Ports 2x USB 3.0 
 USB Port Max Current 500mA  
 Ethernet Interface Gigabit Ethernet 
 Wi-Fi Interface  Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260
802.11 ac/n
2.4 GHz, 5 GHz
Compliance PCI, CISP, FIPS, FISMA
 IP Setup IP4, DHCP, WPA, manual configuration  
 Wi-Fi Setup  WPS Push Button, manual configuration
 Wireless Security Mode  WPA-PSK2 AES (Home)
 Display  Glass Capacitive Touch Color LCD
 External Power Supply  Option 1: Switching Mode Power Supply
Input: 10-240V AC, 1.4A, 50-60Hz
Output: 12V DC, 5.4A
Compliance CE, FCC, RoHS,
Safety CE,UL/cUL,FCC,TUV/GS

Meet Energy Star EPS2.0/ErP lot 7
Meet DOE Level VI
High Reliability
EMC Standard: EN55022 CLASS B / EN55024 CLASS B
Over Current Protection
Over Temperature Protection
Over Voltage Protection
 Option 2: Teddy Pardo 12/4 Linear Power Supply
Input: 110V or 240V, factory selected
Output: 12V DC, 4A
Compliance CE, FCC
Over Current Protection
 DC Input  12V, 4A
 Power Consumption  <48 W
 Power Jack Diameter Int. 2.5mm / Ext. 5.5mm
 Enclosure  Premium machined and anodized aluminium
Finish: Silver, Black, Zebra
 Dimensions (W x H x D) 16.5 x 2.625 x 13.75 inches (420 x 70 x 352 mm)  
Weight 2.4 lbs (4.26Kg)
Package dimensions (W x H x D)
20.75 x 8.25 x 16.5 inches (525 x 209 x 423 mm)
Package Weight
15.2 lbs (6.9Kg)
Teddy Pardo power supply dimensions (W x H x D)
20.75 x 8.25 x 16.5 inches (525 x 209 x 423 mm)
Teddy Pardo power supply weight 
4.4 lbs (2.0Kg)
 Teddy Pardo power supply package dimensions (W x H x D) 12.75 x 8.25 x 4.25 inches (320 x 107 x 235 mm) 
 Teddy Pardo PS package weight 5.5 lbs (2.5Kg) 


Firmware Updates


Version 24 (2019-10-25)
New Features:
  • MQA Support.
Improvements:
  • Updated Signalyst Network Audio Adapter.
  • Performance and stability improvements of the Web User Interface.
  • Hardware compatibility improvements.
Bug Fixes:
  • 8-channel volume sliders are reliably displayed for 8-challel DACs.
Version 23 (2019-08-16)
New Features:
  • Automated CD Ripping with external USB CD-ROM drive. Ripping is controlled from the Web User Interface. Metadata editing is available with Roon.
  • Remote Support Ver. 2.0 with Remote Diagnostics.
Version 22 (2019-05-07)
Improvements:
  • Performance optimizations and memory use optimizations improve the performance and the stability of the Web User Interface.
Version 19 (2019-03-08)
New Features:
  • USB disks are mounted with Read/Write access rights to allow Roon to make backups on attached USB drives.
  • The Web User Interface is available for use with monitor, keyboard and mouse attached to the PlayPoint. This is useful in situations when there is no network connectivity.
Improvements:
  • Performance optimizations and memory use optimizations improve the performance and the stability of the Roon Core.
Version 18 (2018-11-06)
New Features  -  added automatic configuration profiles.
    Improvements:
    • Avoid slow boot if the network is not available
    • Avoid delay on boot for scanning Wi-Fi networks
    • Updated to latest Roon RAAT SDK v. 1.1.32
    Version 17 (2018-06-29)
    New Features:
    • Support for e32 Mark II and MQA.
    Version 16 (2018-05-07)
    Initial release.
    PlayPoint DM Configurations
    PlayPoint DM -  All Configuration Options


    The PlayPoint DM receives digital audio via Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi 802.11AC, SPDIF, TOSLINK or form attached USB drives.

    PlayPoint DM outputs analogue audio via balanced and unbalanced outputs that can be connected directly to analogue monoblocks or a stereo power amplifier.

    The exaSound PlayPoint DM is managed locally via capacitive glass touch screen and remotely with a Web browser.

    Playback is controlled remotely with Roon or with various UPnP/Open Home apps for iPad, iPhone, Android devices, Macs and PCs.

    Tidal and other streaming services are available with Roon, Bubble UPnP on Android devices and with AirPlay from Apple iPad and iPhone.

    The exaSound PlayPoint DM supports Network Audio Adapter (NAA) protocol for network audio streaming with HQPlayer.
    Roon Server and Roon Ready Player - Basic Configuration



    Roon offers engaging, enjoyable way to browse your music. exaSound PlayPoint DM works as Roon Core and RoonReady player. Via intelligent automatic cloud service library management, Roon delivers metadata for the user’s library and frees the user from the complexities of library management.

    The Ronn Core built into the PlayPoint DM supports bit-perfect operation for medium-sized music libraries. If you have a music library with more than 50,000 tracks, if you want to use simultaneously several audio zones or if you are interested to experiment with the digital signal processing capabilities of Roon, you will have to use an external Roon server like the exaSound Gamma Server or the Roon Nucleus.

    The easiest configuration for using the exaSound PlayPoint DM with Roon is to store your music on a USB drive. Here is how it works:

    You need to connect the PlayPoint DM to your home router with Ethernet cable or with Wi-Fi.

    Copy your music files to a USB drive and connect it to the PlayPoint DM.

    Roon is a subscription service. You can find out more about the trial period and about subscription plans on the Roon website - RoonLabs.com.

    The Roon playback engine - Roon Core is installed on the PlayPoint DM.

    Playback is controlled by the Roon Remote App. Roon Remote is available for Apple iPhones, iPads and Android devices. You need to install it on your device from the App Store or Google Play. Playback can also be controlled from PC or Mac.

    Roon connects to the Roon Service to retrieve well organized information about your music files.

    Roon provides access to the Tidal and Qobuz online streaming services.


    You Can learn more about Roon here: How Roon Works
    Roon - Advanced Configurations


    in addition to the Roon basic configuration, the PlayPoint DM supports advanced configurations:

    The PlayPoint DM can transparently discover and connect to Roon Core running on computers or music servers like the exaSound Gamma Server or the Roon Nucleus.

    External Roon servers offer more computing power and advanced capabilities like:

    • Support for very large music libraries
    • DSP processing, upsampling, conversion of PCM to DSD and room correction
    • Simultaneus playback to several audio zones
    Music files can be stored on Network Attached Storage (NAS) drives.

    Step-by-step guide for configuring the exaSound PlayPoint DM for use with Roon is available on our blog:

    How to get started with Roon and the exaSound PlayPoint DM - Quick Setup.
    UPnP /OpenHome Player and Audio Library Server - Basic Configuration


    The PlayPoint DM supports the public UPnP/OpenHome audio streaming standards. It can be used as a player (also called renderer or audio endpoint).

    When a USB drive is attached to the PlayPoint DM, it also becomes a UPnP audio library server.

    Playback can be controlled remotely with an app like Kazoo from an iPad, iPhone, Android device, PC or Mac. Popular control apps include Bubble UPnP on Android and Lumin, Kazoo, MconnectHD, PlugPlayer and others on iPad and iPhone.

    There are many other third-party UPnP /OpenHome control apps and library servers. The ones listed here are tested with the PlayPoint DM and support all high-resolution formats, resolutions and sampling rates up to DSD512.

    Step-by-step guide for configuring the exaSound PlayPoint DM for use with UPnP/OpenHome is available on our blog.
    UPnP /OpenHome Player and Audio Library Server - Advanced Configurations


    Media files can also be stored on a Network Attached Storage (NAS), PC, Mac or Linux computer.

    All network file server options require the use of third-party audio library software like MinimServer, Asset UPnP or Twonky.

    You will need a fast and stable Gigabit Ethernet network or top-performance tri-band 805.11AC wireless router.
    Signalyst Configuration - Network Audio Adapter for HQPlayer


    The exaSound PlayPoint DM supports Network Audio Adapter (NAA) protocol for network audio streaming with HQPlayer.

    The Signalyst HQPlayer offers the most advanced upsampling and PCM to DSD conversion algorithms available on the market today.

    Follow the Step-by-step guide for configuring the exaSound PlayPoint DM for use with HQPlayer.
    AirPlay Player


    AirPlay is a popular and convenient network media streaming technology.

    AirPlay can be used to stream content from online services like Tidal to the PlayPoint DM.

    Note that the AirPlay protocol has some limitations compared to the other network streaming standards used by the PlayPoint DM. It supports stereo CD-quality audio. There is no DSD and high-sampling rate/high-resolution PCM support.

    AirPlay support is implemented with Shairport, an open-source Linux emulator for Airplay. Since this is not an official Airplay implementation, reliability and audio quality may vary.
    exaSound PlayPoint DM Owner's Manual
    exaSound PlayPoint DM Mark II Owner’s Manual.pdf
    Last updated on June 24, 2020