Hi hondagx35,
You get what you pay for!
Quite, and in this case for a hobbyist who is prepared to do a couple of modifications very good value for money.
But wait a minute, just to put this into context... The ES9028 chip is also available in a very similar DAC board, this is +/-$20 on e-bay. The ES9038 is also there for +/-$35. Now, with these prices I would be concerned about drivers and support. The price/quality balance changes quickly.
In fact, any ESS Sabre based DAC board for more than $15 is a bit of a rip off: no specs, no support, no drivers.
It’s all available, but the chip manufacturer chooses not to publish the information or provide support. This is not just the case for cheap e-bay Chinese boards, it’s also valid for the supposedly 'respectable' and 'responsible' suppliers.
Please do as Frank suggests, “Ask the manufacturer (DAC board not the chip) for a driver!”, or you could also just choose not to buy the products.
janui
P.S. When the ESS Sabre chips are included in USB DAC's they are generally well implemented (the manufacturer does get the specs); the message above is primarily for I2S DAC boards.
