# ESS Technology, Inc.

> ESS Technology is a privately held fabless semiconductor company in San Jose, California that designs high-performance analog and audio chips. It is best known for its SABRE line of digital-to-analog converters (DACs) and analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), built on the patented HyperStream modulation architecture, which are widely regarded among audiophiles as some of the best-sounding audio silicon on the market. ESS parts power everything from LG flagship smartphones and Sennheiser's flagship headphones to home-theater receivers, professional studio gear, soundbars, and automotive audio systems.

- **Founded:** 1984
- **Headquarters:** San Jose, California, United States
- **Founders:** Forrest Mozer (Co-Founder (UC Berkeley space physicist; speech-synthesis pioneer)), Todd Mozer (Co-Founder), Joe Costello (Co-Founder (departed early; later co-founded Cadence Design Systems))
- **Team size:** ~190 employees
- **Products:** SABRE Audiophile DACs, HyperStream Architecture, SABRE ADCs, SABRE HiFi / Mobile DACs, Audiophile Headphone SoCs
- **Notable:** The ES9038PRO is widely regarded as one of the best-sounding, highest-performance DACs on the market., Pioneered speech-synthesis chips in the 1980s, including the iconic Commodore 64 game voices., SABRE DACs became a de-facto standard in high-end audiophile desktop and portable gear.

## Products & services

- **SABRE Audiophile DACs** — Highly integrated 32-bit and 24-bit digital-to-analog converters for premium home theater, A/V receivers, professional audio workstations, and studio equipment. Flagship parts include the ES9038PRO and ES9039PRO.
- **HyperStream Architecture** — ESS's patented modulator technology (now in its fourth generation, HyperStream IV) that pushes timing jitter out of the audible range for an exceptionally clean, consistent soundstage.
- **SABRE ADCs** — High-sample-rate, ultra-wide-bandwidth, low-noise analog-to-digital converters for professional audio interfaces, mixing consoles, and microphone preamplifiers.
- **SABRE HiFi / Mobile DACs** — Compact DAC and headphone-amplifier chips (e.g., ES9218P) used in flagship smartphones and portable audio players.
- **Audiophile Headphone SoCs** — Integrated headphone system-on-chip solutions (e.g., the ES9219 3rd-generation SoC) combining DAC, amplifier, and processing for mobile devices, USB dongles, and headsets.
- **Crescendo Soundbar & Audio SoCs** — Single-chip soundbar and audio SoCs that integrate SABRE DAC technology with audio decoding and post-processing.
- **Automotive-Grade Audio Products** — AEC-Q100 qualified DACs such as the 8-channel ES9039STPRO (+132dB DNR, rated -40C to 105C) for in-dash automotive audio.

## Achievements

- The ES9038PRO is widely regarded as one of the best-sounding, highest-performance DACs on the market.
- Pioneered speech-synthesis chips in the 1980s, including the iconic Commodore 64 game voices.
- SABRE DACs became a de-facto standard in high-end audiophile desktop and portable gear.
- Flagship automotive ES9039STPRO delivers +132dB dynamic range with AEC-Q100 automotive qualification.
- Sennheiser chose eight ESS DACs for its reference HE 1 headphone system.

## Latest updates

- **2025-02** — Announced availability of AEC-Q100 automotive-grade audio products, including the flagship 8-channel ES9039STPRO (+132dB DNR, -40C to 105C).
- **2024-09** — Introduced the industry's first high-performance 8-channel SMART DACs (ES9082 and ES9081) with +120dB True DNR.
- **2024** — Released the ES9069Q and ES9039Q2M 2-channel DACs, extending the SABRE audiophile lineup.
- **2022** — Introduced the third-generation SABRE audiophile headphone SoC (ES9219) for mobile devices.

## Links

- Website: https://esstech.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/ess-technology
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/ess_technology
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/esstechinc

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Last updated: 2026-07-12