Digital-to-Analog Conversion in High Resolution Audio

The requirements for high resolution audio circuits
are characterized by extremely high dynamic range and
relatively low signal frequencies. For
digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital converters
this implies special challenges related to the very
high resolution needed in the converter design. The
dominant design paradigm for audio converters is
delta-sigma modulation, a process in which speed is
traded for resolution through the means of
oversampling and noise-shaping.
Analysis of delta-sigma modulation is non-trivial and
publications are often highly theoretical, requiring
advanced mathematical skills to understand. Practical
circuit design is usually based on rules of thumb,
and bridging it with complex delta-sigma theory can
be challenging and time consuming. This book seeks to
bridge the gap between theory and design rules, and
to offer simplified estimates and performance
predictions that will allow designers to make
qualified design trade-offs in an easier manner. It
is based on the Ph.D. work of the author and consists
of six peer reviewed publications, in addition to a
preceding monograph which presents the context and
theoretical overview to understand their contents.