Picked up a demo model of this thing a week ago, so far so good, wanted a dedicated player for my desktop setup with a screen etc. XLR outputs measure really well according to ASR and subjectively I like the way the dac sounds.
I’ve got it feeding a Schiit Magnius via XLR and a set of KEF LSX II’s via SPDIF. I keep volume at 0dB (same as volume pass through mode) when outputting to the Schiit with no eq and just use the pot on the Schiit to control the volume, so that’s bit perfect. The KEFs could be fed bit perfect too, but I like being able to use the DMPA6’s volume knob to control them so I break the bit perfect chain with digital volume control. I lose the ability to see the Roon Ready KEFs eq and volume settings in Roon by going through the DMPA6 first, but they’re mostly set and forget so that’s not a huge deal.
Overall it’s a great device with near state of the art performance that makes listening more enjoyable. Having the screen and controls along with vu and spectrum visuals are really nice.
As far as I can tell. Sound quality doesn’t change whether you are using Ethernet or WiFi. I don’t have an Eversolo but I do have a Bluesound and a Cambridge.
The only difference would be getting a solid network connection as WiFi can be very spotty in combination with Roon. Go Ethernet when you can.
As long as the connection is good enough (if it is not you get drop-outs) sound quality is identical.
With Roon being more network-intensive than native streaming apps or something like Blusound WiFi might fail with Roon more often than with other systems, but if it works, sound will be just fine.
My headphone setups are WiFi only, not an A6 mind you but still WiFi. They are maybe 20 feet from the router in a direct line through brick walls and floors and I have never had a drop out in Roon.
I don’t use WiFi relays.
Wifi and ethernet sounds the same and for me Wifi works flawlessly with the DMP-A6. The router is new and fast, and just in the opposite end of the same room (the Roon core is connected with ethernet to the router though). I only use it as a streamer connected through USB to a DAC.
I took the plunge and got one 3 weeks ago. I have to say I am absolutely delighted.
I run it as a Roon endpoint from a Rock NUC wirelessly and its been flawless and always shows a strong connection.
It goes into and Arcam SA 20 amp via RCA and then to Monitor Audio Silver 200 speakers. I use the internal DAC as Im not sure given my set up I would see any real benefit. It replaced a Bluesound Node 130 (which is repurposed as a great Roon headphone amp) and honestly I think the sound is better than the Bluesound.
Where it absolutely wins hands down is usability. With Roon as well you can end up having apps for everything and I did find the Bluesounds controls not very intuitive (although the app was great)
The large touchscreen really adds to the experience and Roon looks great as does Tidal. Having a full screen with all the info is so much better than on my phone- more so than I even imagined.
Everything works fantastically well and is intuitive and seems to be free of glitches. My only minor quibble about Apps having to be accessed from a separate menu has been fixed in a Firmware update last week! All my favourites like BBC Sounds sit in a little dock like on an IPad.
Spotify and Apple music work well although entering passwords etc is a bit of a challenge on essentially a mini PC screen. Spotify is great (it even plays those annoying mini videos) although Apple music doesn’t quite display to the same quality.
I have even added an M2 card and trialled moving music on to the device which was dead easy but having Roon means Im not sure I will ever use it.
Its rare to have a product that ticks EVERY box and Im glad I bought this rather than the new Cambridge streamer which again seems to be good but slightly lacking in some features.
Its one of the best things I have bought and I am definitely getting more out of my music which is what its all about really.
There is a question for those Eversolo owners who use Roon (I understand that it is only A6 so far):
Do you include any upsampling in Roon’e? If so, which one? And how do you hear the difference? And if someone is not, then please also tell me why?
Thanks in advance for the answers.
Just bought the Eversolo DMP-A6 Master Edition for my Rotel setup and I am very happy. Was coming from the Wiim Pro Plus but wanted a display, better SQ and the Wiim made my amplifier’s relays click constantly not sure if due to using the coax connection instead of USB on my DMP-A6. The DMP-A6 sounds fantastic: Warm and detailed. Very impressed.
You may have saved me some fiddling around here. I have an ADI-2, but it’s been unused for over a year, to be honest I couldn’t be bothered to delve into its capabilities. I’ve not even upgraded the firmware since I bought it.
Since the DMP-A6 has USB out to a dac, I thought I’d try that. The seller (Audiophonics) reckons that SQ of DMP-A6 is better than ADI-2.
Edit: I have received and installed the DMP-A6, so far - so good. At the price point, c. 900 €, when you add the optional remote control, you get a very complete “push” (Roon, DLNA), or “pull” (Qobuz, Tidal, etc) streamer, a very competent dac, and a pre-amp. You get two other inputs (Optical, for TV, say) and coax (legacy CD player, if you want). What’s not to like ?
The only downsides I experience are the learning curve, but in all honesty, it’s not that steep, and what appears to be a somewhat narrow range of “real world” volume adjustement, music is a good level for me at -35 dB, but TV needs -25 or so. This surprised me as the max output voltage, on XLR, is 5 volts.
I’ve tended to use upsampling to the maximum that the internal dac will take (384 kHz), and have mostly left it at that. I did try using just native, but here I have to say that it was relatively short lived, I found the sound, let’s call it, less smooth. What I haven’t decided yet, is which is closer to the truth. In a similar way to drinking coffee.
I only drink coffee black, and only espresso, for me that’s the only true way to drink coffee.
Getting a lot of stuttering on the A6 no matter what format. With Roon as well as tidal connect. And it’s bad. There’s not a single song I can listen to without it stuttering throughout. I’m connected via Ethernet and outputting to my Yamaha RX-A4A via RCA. I’m not sure what the problem is. I’m on Eversolo version 1.2.50 and running the Roon core on an i3 11th gen Nuc. Anyone experiencing the same issue or has found a solution?
Since moving from the Argon Solo to the DMP-A6, which I had originally intended as the control centre for Audio/TV. I couldn’t get the itch to retest the RME as a USB dac. What pushed me, more than anything, was the fact that the ADI-2 FS’s volume control is in the analogue domain.
My evaluation is using Stefano di Battista’s Round About Roma CD, which is an album with strings and orchestra. This can sound quite “steely” for want of a better word, even “brassy” (yeah, I said that, can’t resist a pun).
Anyway, what I now think with regard to Upsampling is that it sugar coats the original. Just like sugar in bad coffee, it makes bad coffee drinkable, but ruins the “good stuff”.
No its not, its a digital preamp all controlled digtially which is why the recommened to use it with autoref levels and volume from -20db to 0 to maximise its dynmaic range.
Note that the reference levels for a 0 dB FS signal are set in the analog domain on both inputs and outputs, but volume control relative to the reference levels is done in the digital domain in 0.5 dB steps
I have one and its fabulous to my Audiolab 8300XP over XLR. It does need some attenuators to bring it to more managable levels with the poweramp and keep the dac in its best range.