Article: EMM Labs DAC2X Review

[michael123]

I would also love to see basic parametric digital EQ in the stand alone music server products like the MAN301 and aurender. This is one of the reasons I am not moving away from my mac mini as in both Pure Music and Amara I am able to pull down 3 problematic room modes with parametric EQ filters generated from REW.

 

Exactly!

[minzyman]

Chris,

 

Great article on the Dac2. Wish I could afford one.

 

Just wondering if you've ever considered reviewing the Phasure NOS1 USB dac. I am pretty amazed at the sound and have compared it directly to several setups, both Mac and PC, and including Tim's amazing Mykerinos/PMII rig, which is my ear's reference. The Phasure is really impressive sounding and I think any tweakers out there would be really impressed.

 

Just wondering if it is on your radar.

 

Thanks.

/LM

[The Computer Audiophile]

Chris,

 

Great article on the Dac2. Wish I could afford one.

 

Just wondering if you've ever considered reviewing the Phasure NOS1 USB dac. I am pretty amazed at the sound and have compared it directly to several setups, both Mac and PC, and including Tim's amazing Mykerinos/PMII rig, which is my ear's reference. The Phasure is really impressive sounding and I think any tweakers out there would be really impressed.

 

Just wondering if it is on your radar.

 

Thanks.

/LM

 

Hi Lee - Thanks for the kind words.

 

The NOS1 USB isn't on my review radar at the moment.

[minzyman]

Hi Lee - Thanks for the kind words.

 

The NOS1 USB isn't on my review radar at the moment.

 

Sure hope you get a chance to hear this Dac. I am really impressed and also have the Berkeley as you may remember. The Phasure to me has a more natural, musical sound and I feel, while the Alpha has incredible depth of soundstage and very detailed sound, the Phasure has infinite transparency and a smoothness that is about the most natural sounding I have heard yet from a digital rig. And it's a tweaker's paradise. The software player (XXHighend) has great synergy with this dac, offers an infinite number of settings for memory, latency and other variables and literally takes over and shuts down Win 7 during playback (always a good thing IMO).

 

I really like it with the kernel streaming driver (KS mode).

 

To me this is a system to watch, er listen to...

 

See you soon at CAL Audio?

 

/LM

[The Computer Audiophile]

See you soon at CAL Audio?

 

You bet.

[earflappin]

Chris,

 

Great article on the Dac2. Wish I could afford one.

 

Just wondering if you've ever considered reviewing the Phasure NOS1 USB dac. I am pretty amazed at the sound and have compared it directly to several setups, both Mac and PC, and including Tim's amazing Mykerinos/PMII rig, which is my ear's reference. The Phasure is really impressive sounding and I think any tweakers out there would be really impressed.

 

Just wondering if it is on your radar.

 

Thanks.

/LM

 

Lee, how would you compare and contrast the NOS1 versus Tim's Mykerinos/PMII set-up?

 

Chris, since you put the DAC2X at the top of your list and you have heard the Mkerinos/PMII, so I presume you feel the DAC2X is better? Or was your qualification only DACs you've heard in your personal system?

 

Thanks.

[firedog]

MAN301 is an interesting product, and more interesting is a comparison to EMM and 202.

But what I actually need is an embedded EQ and/or RC.

When this is happening, I am taking a mortgage.

 

But if you are running a music server, why not use one of the software RC solutions like Audiolense? A fraction of the cost of a hardware solution, more flexible, and should work just as well.

[The Computer Audiophile]

Hey guys - Good stuff but drifting off topic.

[Daman_AstuteAbode]

Nice article Chris, just found the site via looking for audiophile stuff on the Google Play app store. Well played, a great way to draw traffic to the site (I'm an SEO/SMS guy). Cheers!

 

-Daman

[AstuteAbode]

[tosca]

Very interesting review. You often use the word "decay", an example "... a terrific decay can be heard from the left to right channel". What do you mean by that?

[hamsi]

original message is here......http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f3-article-comments/article-dcs-paganini-dac-paganini-upsampler-and-puccini-u-clock-review-11567/index3.html#post171249

[joeinid]

Chris,

 

What would you consider the break in time for the DAC2X? How much time did you give it for break in before serious listening? Thanks!

 

Joe

[The Computer Audiophile]

Chris,

 

What would you consider the break in time for the DAC2X? How much time did you give it for break in before serious listening? Thanks!

 

Joe

 

Hi Joe - I really don't know what the break in time is for the 2X. I usually receive components several months before I actually review them. This allows me to run them for several hundred hours before listening. The DAC2X ran for hundreds of hours in my listening room before I review it.

[joeinid]

Based partly on your recommendation and that of a few friends who own the DAC2X, I bought one and I have to say this dac is spectacular. I kind of thought digital was digital. Boy was I wrong. I think your review is spot on. Thank you and please keep up the good work. I am a happy camper.

[The Computer Audiophile]

Based partly on your recommendation and that of a few friends who own the DAC2X, I bought one and I have to say this dac is spectacular. I kind of thought digital was digital. Boy was I wrong. I think your review is spot on. Thank you and please keep up the good work. I am a happy camper.

 

 

Great to hear Joe.

[Priaptor]

Mine should be here in a couple of weeks, when I get back from vacation.

[The Computer Audiophile]

Excellent. Please let us know how it goes.

[joeinid]

Priaptor,

 

You will love it. For the money it's well worth it. I have not decided to add the transport yet.

[[email protected]]

Chris,

 

This is my first time writing and I really enjoy your website.

 

My first DAC was a Peachtree iNova. 3 months later I went to the top of the C.A.S.H List and now own a Weiss DAC202. After reading this article I'm interested in buying a DAC2X and PRE2. Since most of your auditioning was in the DSD format I'm hesitant to make this purchase. Where would you place the DAC2X in your C.A.S.H. List listening in the PCM format?

[The Computer Audiophile]

Chris,

 

This is my first time writing and I really enjoy your website.

 

My first DAC was a Peachtree iNova. 3 months later I went to the top of the C.A.S.H List and now own a Weiss DAC202. After reading this article I'm interested in buying a DAC2X and PRE2. Since most of your auditioning was in the DSD format I'm hesitant to make this purchase. Where would you place the DAC2X in your C.A.S.H. List listening in the PCM format?

 

Hi rtoupin - I listened to much more PCM than DSD through the DAC2X as there simply isn't that much DSD material available. My opinion on the DAC2X holds with DSD and PCM. I highly encourage you to audition the PRE2 and DAC2X.

[stumil]

Chris,

 

Would you mind sharing more of your thoughts how the DAC2X differs from the MA-1? Are there some similarities in sound, or does the DAC2X just blow the MA-1 out of the water? Could you live with the MA-1 after hearing the DAC2X? Thanks for sharing your observations.

[Priaptor]

Chris,

 

Would you mind sharing more of your thoughts how the DAC2X differs from the MA-1? Are there some similarities in sound, or does the DAC2X just blow the MA-1 out of the water? Could you live with the MA-1 after hearing the DAC2X? Thanks for sharing your observations.

 

stumil,

 

I recently set up my EMM DAC2X on Sunday and have only listened to it sparingly at this point, as I really don't like to judge equipment until I feel there has been that change in character that almost always accompanies new products. I will also be reporting my findings in the next couple of weeks. My comparison will be to a previously owned PS Audio MKI, ARC DAC 8 which the EMM is replacing as well as a comparison to an older dCS Debussy, the latter while a wonderful piece, just wasn't my cup of tea. I am not criticizing the dCS, but it's characteristics were just my taste.

 

 

My system is all ARC gear, including a REF5SE preamp, REF 250 monoblocks driving Nola Baby Grands II. My initial impressions of the DAC2X is very positive but not overwhelming at this time, compared to my outgoing DAC 8. This is not a slight on the EMM as I know it has not yet reached its full character at this point and is improving everyday. Last night I believe was a breakthrough in the burn in process where my expectations are starting to close in on reality, but there is still a gap. (as an economic Noble Prize winner who developed his groundbreaking psycho-econometric model concluded, Economic Happiness = Reality/Expectations; which can really be applied to just about all things). My "happiness" with increasing daily BUT, my expectations for this product are very high.

 

So I will give a follow up when I believe the system is ready. Right now it has about 120 hours on it and is really starting to sweeten up. Since I the DAC8 is outgoing, I can say, I am amazed this incredible dac didn't get better accolades. I will miss some of its unique characteristics, but can already, at this short period of time with the EMM, see it will be surpassed in many areas by the DAC2X

 

One nice thing is that Chris uses my favorite transistor gear, namely Spectral and I use my favorite tube gear namely ARC, so I think together our opinions will give a nice spectrum to those considering the unit.

 

Will report back later.

[ted_b]

BTW, I know that Stumil is mainly looking for differences in sound, but to comment on the differences in product, the DAC2X is digitally the same as the MA-1. It's analog section is designed on expensive ceramic boards, unlike the MA-1. Ed says the ceramic boards sound "point-to-point". I asked if Meitner would allow me to pay to have my MA-1 boards swapped but they are unlikely to cannibalize DAC2X sales. Regardless, I love my MA-1.

[Priaptor]

BTW, I know that Stumil is mainly looking for differences in sound, but to comment on the differences in product, the DAC2X is digitally the same as the MA-1. It's analog section is designed on expensive ceramic boards, unlike the MA-1. Ed says the ceramic boards sound "point-to-point". I asked if Meitner would allow me to pay to have my MA-1 boards swapped but they are unlikely to cannibalize DAC2X sales. Regardless, I love my MA-1.

 

Ted,

 

This is my first foray into the DSD dimension. What has been your experience. My has been quite positive so far. I like it, even before the unit is fully broken in.

 

There are few products I have no problem buying blindly and Spectral, ARC and Meitner are probably my only three. I was about to pull the trigger on the MA-1 just before Chris's review which caught me by surprise so I went for the DAC2X. Just curious how long of a break in period you needed before the true character of the DAC came through.

[Encore]

Strangely, DSD doesn't sound better in my system. I know Ted's experience is that DSD is quite a bit better, and the Danish Meitner dealer tells me the same. I have arranged with him that we should get together at one point and look deeper into that ...

 

As for break-in, I would say that most of the break-in was done by something like 100 hours. The real step forward came when I shifted from AES/EBU from a Hiface Evo to USB.