The Computer Audiophile Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 View full article Founder of Audiophile Style | My Audio Systems Link to comment
firedog Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 Wow, impressive write up. If you say it equals or beats anything you've heard, that's saying something. Would love to hear one of these. It would be interesting if someone compared it to his 2 least expensive DACs and described the difference. EMM Labs 1 Main listening (small home office): Main setup: Surge protector +>Isol-8 Mini sub Axis Power Strip/Isolation>QuietPC Low Noise Server>Roon (Audiolense DRC)>Stack Audio Link II>Kii Control>Kii Three (on their own electric circuit) >GIK Room Treatments. Secondary Path: Server with Audiolense RC>RPi4 or analog>Cayin iDAC6 MKII (tube mode) (XLR)>Kii Three BXT Bedroom: SBTouch to Cambridge Soundworks Desktop Setup. Living Room/Kitchen: Ropieee (RPi3b+ with touchscreen) + Schiit Modi3E to a pair of Morel Hogtalare. All absolute statements about audio are false Link to comment
The Computer Audiophile Posted January 23, 2020 Author Share Posted January 23, 2020 23 minutes ago, firedog said: Wow, impressive write up. If you say it equals or beats anything you've heard, that's saying something. Would love to hear one of these. It would be interesting if someone compared it to his 2 least expensive DACs and described the difference. Thanks firedog. Yeah, this DAC is really something special. I've loved EMM DACs since I first heard the DAC 2X many years ago. The DV2 is on another level though. I think getting rid of the preamp requirement is a great thing for EMM. I wish the company had a Meitner Audio branded DAC with volume control because I must admit the price for the DV2 is quite steep. EMM Labs 1 Founder of Audiophile Style | My Audio Systems Link to comment
Popular Post AudioDoctor Posted January 23, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted January 23, 2020 Chris, I really like how your new listening room has come together, it looks great, I bet it sounds great as well! Jeff_N, The Computer Audiophile, Account Closed and 1 other 3 1 No electron left behind. Link to comment
manisandher Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 Chris, my understanding is that the DV2 is MQA-compatible. It'd be great to get Ed's views on MQA, and why he's decided to include it in the DV2. Is it just to give owners choice, or is it because he feels it has sonic merits? Mani. EMM Labs 1 Main: SOtM sMS-200 -> Okto dac8PRO -> 6x Neurochrome 286 mono amps -> Tune Audio Anima horns + 2x Rotel RB-1590 amps -> 4 subs Home Office: SOtM sMS-200 -> MOTU UltraLite-mk5 -> 6x Neurochrome 286 mono amps -> Impulse H2 speakers Vinyl: Technics SP10 / London (Decca) Reference -> Trafomatic Luna -> RME ADI-2 Pro Link to comment
The Computer Audiophile Posted January 23, 2020 Author Share Posted January 23, 2020 2 minutes ago, manisandher said: Chris, my understanding is that the DV2 is MQA-compatible. It'd be great to get Ed's views on MQA, and why he's decided to include it in the DV2. Is it just to give owners choice, or is it because he feels it has sonic merits? Mani. It's in this interview. EMM Labs 1 Founder of Audiophile Style | My Audio Systems Link to comment
manisandher Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 4 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said: It's in this interview. Ah, missed that. Will take a look at it. Thanks. Mani. Main: SOtM sMS-200 -> Okto dac8PRO -> 6x Neurochrome 286 mono amps -> Tune Audio Anima horns + 2x Rotel RB-1590 amps -> 4 subs Home Office: SOtM sMS-200 -> MOTU UltraLite-mk5 -> 6x Neurochrome 286 mono amps -> Impulse H2 speakers Vinyl: Technics SP10 / London (Decca) Reference -> Trafomatic Luna -> RME ADI-2 Pro Link to comment
rando Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 What is suspending the granite slabs off the carpet? Unrelated, a warning your wife was out of town would've almost certainly avoided your prized fruit being bruised. Link to comment
The Computer Audiophile Posted January 23, 2020 Author Share Posted January 23, 2020 4 minutes ago, rando said: What is suspending the granite slabs off the carpet? High end Everbilt carpet sliders. $5.78 for four. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-3-1-2-in-Beige-Reusable-Round-Furniture-Sliders-for-Carpet-4-Pack-804284/306229456 Solstice380 1 Founder of Audiophile Style | My Audio Systems Link to comment
rando Posted January 23, 2020 Share Posted January 23, 2020 1 hour ago, The Computer Audiophile said: High end Everbilt carpet sliders. $5.78 for four. Expected a link to somewhere you had digitally print "Audiophile Style" on them for you. Next time. The Computer Audiophile 1 Link to comment
Popular Post input username here Posted January 24, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted January 24, 2020 Great review Chris. And I've always had a very soft spot for EMM Labs DACs--my first truly reference DAC was from EMM Labs... but herein lies a problem. In the review, you said that the DV2 is "the first digital to analog converter from EMM to include built-in volume control." This is not true however. My EMM LABs, DAC, the DCC2, also had a volume control. (Here's a link to the DCC2 brochure from EMM Labs.) Unlike the DV2, the DCC2's volume control was analog--based, I believe on their Switchman preamp technology). In fact, using an analog volume control/pre circuitry allowed the DCC2 to have pure analog inputs too. Anyway, thanks for the review Chris, and thanks too for making me think back to my DCC2, which I still remember very fondly. Meitner did--and does--make some very special gear. And while $30k is an insane amount of cash of any audio equipment, when you compare it to, say, the MSB Select /Reference DACs or the dcs Vivaldi stack today (or as I did against the dcs Elgar stack back then), I always thought that EMM Labs actually delivered very good (SoTA) value for the money. The Computer Audiophile and EMM Labs 1 1 Roon --> ultraRendu/Uptone LPS-1 --> Kii CONTROL --> Kii THREE active speakers (everything on Black Ravioli bases and footers) Link to comment
The Computer Audiophile Posted January 24, 2020 Author Share Posted January 24, 2020 1 hour ago, input username here said: Great review Chris. And I've always had a very soft spot for EMM Labs DACs--my first truly reference DAC was from EMM Labs... but herein lies a problem. In the review, you said that the DV2 is "the first digital to analog converter from EMM to include built-in volume control." This is not true however. My EMM LABs, DAC, the DCC2, also had a volume control. (Here's a link to the DCC2 brochure from EMM Labs.) Unlike the DV2, the DCC2's volume control was analog--based, I believe on their Switchman preamp technology). In fact, using an analog volume control/pre circuitry allowed the DCC2 to have pure analog inputs too. Anyway, thanks for the review Chris, and thanks too for making me think back to my DCC2, which I still remember very fondly. Meitner did--and does--make some very special gear. And while $30k is an insane amount of cash of any audio equipment, when you compare it to, say, the MSB Select /Reference DACs or the dcs Vivaldi stack today (or as I did against the dcs Elgar stack back then), I always thought that EMM Labs actually delivered very good (SoTA) value for the money. Thanks so much for the correction and info! Founder of Audiophile Style | My Audio Systems Link to comment
Popular Post Andy Yuen Posted January 24, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted January 24, 2020 Hi Chris, I shall say it again - This is your best write-up! No need to read between the line! Thank you so much. EMM Labs and Matias 1 1 Link to comment
The Computer Audiophile Posted January 24, 2020 Author Share Posted January 24, 2020 Just now, Andy Yuen said: Hi Chris, I shall say it again - This is your best write-up! No need to read between the line! Thank you so much. Thank you Andy, that means a lot to me. I do my best to write in a straight forward way and say what I mean. You guys give me your time, by reading the site, it's on me to give you something back. Founder of Audiophile Style | My Audio Systems Link to comment
ted_b Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 Chris, Thanks for this review. I loved my MA-1 for years. And as you know I love DSD implementations. Question: do you have any fave or well-learned recordings in both DSD and PCM and compared them into the DV2? IOW, how well does the DV2 internally upsample PCM to 16xDSD vs great PCM dacs you've had? Do the DSD recordings win over their PCM counterparts (realize this is oversimplified cuz there are VERY few samples of native PCM and natve DSD coming from same recording/mastering..maybe analog tape to digital is bigger pool)? The Norah Jones DSD and PCM boxsets are a good example, as they use different mastering engineers but get to a similar place. My Holo dac sounded better with the PCM set at 384 than even the DSD at DSD512. First world hair splitting I know. EMM Labs 1 "We're all bozos on this bus"....F.T. My JRIver tutorial videos Actual JRIver tutorial MP4 video links My eleven yr old SACD Ripping Guide for PS3 (needs updating but still works) US Technical Advisor, NativeDSD.com Link to comment
The Computer Audiophile Posted January 24, 2020 Author Share Posted January 24, 2020 3 minutes ago, ted_b said: Chris, Thanks for this review. I loved my MA-1 for years. And as you know I love DSD implementations. Question: do you have any fave or well-learned recordings in both DSD and PCM and compared them into the DV2? IOW, how well does the DV2 internally upsample PCM to 16xDSD vs great PCM dacs you've had? Do the DSD recordings win over their PCM counterparts (realize this is oversimplified cuz there are VERY few samples of native PCM and natve DSD coming from same recording/mastering..maybe analog tape to digital is bigger pool)? The Norah Jones DSD and PCM boxsets are a good example, as they use different mastering engineers but get to a similar place. My Holo dac sounded better with the PCM set at 384 than even the DSD at DSD512. First world hair splitting I know. Hi Ted - This is something I haven't tried with the DV2. As you say, it's really hard to get an to comparison. You were early on the MA-1 train and I fully understand why. It's a great DAC for reasonable money. EMM Labs 1 Founder of Audiophile Style | My Audio Systems Link to comment
ted_b Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 I dropbox'd you some comparison albums for some fun with it. "We're all bozos on this bus"....F.T. My JRIver tutorial videos Actual JRIver tutorial MP4 video links My eleven yr old SACD Ripping Guide for PS3 (needs updating but still works) US Technical Advisor, NativeDSD.com Link to comment
EMM Labs Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 1 hour ago, ted_b said: Chris, Thanks for this review. I loved my MA-1 for years. And as you know I love DSD implementations. Question: do you have any fave or well-learned recordings in both DSD and PCM and compared them into the DV2? IOW, how well does the DV2 internally upsample PCM to 16xDSD vs great PCM dacs you've had? Do the DSD recordings win over their PCM counterparts (realize this is oversimplified cuz there are VERY few samples of native PCM and natve DSD coming from same recording/mastering..maybe analog tape to digital is bigger pool)? The Norah Jones DSD and PCM boxsets are a good example, as they use different mastering engineers but get to a similar place. My Holo dac sounded better with the PCM set at 384 than even the DSD at DSD512. First world hair splitting I know. Hey Ted, We can’t thank you enough for the long-lasting support. We’re very happy to hear you’re enjoying the MA1 V2. If there’s ever anything we can help you with, please don’t hesitate to let us know. All the best. -Ed & the EMM Labs team. Link to comment
EMM Labs Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 1 hour ago, Andy Yuen said: Hi Chris, I shall say it again - This is your best write-up! No need to read between the line! Thank you so much. Thank you Andy! -Ed Link to comment
yahooboy Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 20 hours ago, manisandher said: Chris, my understanding is that the DV2 is MQA-compatible. It'd be great to get Ed's views on MQA, and why he's decided to include it in the DV2. Is it just to give owners choice, or is it because he feels it has sonic merits? Mani. Well, not even glancing in that direction. Until MQA is not included Link to comment
Popular Post EMM Labs Posted January 24, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted January 24, 2020 7 minutes ago, yahooboy said: Well, not even glancing in that direction. Until MQA is not included 21 hours ago, manisandher said: Chris, my understanding is that the DV2 is MQA-compatible. It'd be great to get Ed's views on MQA, and why he's decided to include it in the DV2. Is it just to give owners choice, or is it because he feels it has sonic merits? Mani. We included MQA support in the DV2 to satisfy market demand for it. Hard stop. IF customers want to listen to MQA material - the DV2 supports that material with MQA's filters. That said, when non-MQA material is passed through the DV2 the MQA filters are bypassed completely. We hope this answers your questions or concerns. -Ed & the EMM Labs team. shp, manisandher, Albrecht and 3 others 3 2 1 Link to comment
yahooboy Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 Just now, EMM Labs said: We included MQA support in the DV2 to satisfy market demand for it. Hard stop. IF customers want to listen to MQA material - the DV2 supports that material with MQA's filters. That said, when non-MQA material is passed through the DV2 the MQA filters are bypassed completely. We hope this answers your questions or concerns. -Ed & the EMM Labs team. The way I see it, including MQA in Your products equals endorsement. Anyone that endorses a fake product will not get a purchase from me. I mean why would I give money to someone that sell a product that includes a scam ? Link to comment
Popular Post EMM Labs Posted January 24, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted January 24, 2020 23 minutes ago, yahooboy said: The way I see it, including MQA in Your products equals endorsement. Anyone that endorses a fake product will not get a purchase from me. I mean why would I give money to someone that sell a product that includes a scam ? Our M.O. is quite clear: to give all of our customers a state-of-the-art audio experience regardless of their preferred format, music genre or hair colour. We just ask that you choose between black and silver finishes. We also respect the saying "different strokes for different folks" and therefore we respect your decision. -EMM Labs PeterG, shp, Solstice380 and 1 other 1 2 1 Link to comment
Popular Post manisandher Posted January 24, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted January 24, 2020 19 minutes ago, yahooboy said: The way I see it, including MQA in Your products equals endorsement. Anyone that endorses a fake product will not get a purchase from me. I mean why would I give money to someone that sell a product that includes a scam ? I used to own a Pacific Microsonics Model Two - the only ADC with HDCD capability. Many people considered HDCD to be a scam (it's often referenced when talking about MQA). I never felt the need to use any of its HDCD processing myself, and certainly didn't buy it for that reason. But it would have been ridiculous of me to refuse "even glancing in the direction" one of the best ADCs ever made because I didn't like some of its functions... functions that I wasn't even being forced to use. YMMV. (FWIW, I have an MQA-capable DAC in my office system. When I'm streaming from Tidal, I tend go for the redbook version rather than the MQA - most MQA sounds a bit too 'dead' to my ears.) Mani. Pure Vinyl Club and audiobomber 2 Main: SOtM sMS-200 -> Okto dac8PRO -> 6x Neurochrome 286 mono amps -> Tune Audio Anima horns + 2x Rotel RB-1590 amps -> 4 subs Home Office: SOtM sMS-200 -> MOTU UltraLite-mk5 -> 6x Neurochrome 286 mono amps -> Impulse H2 speakers Vinyl: Technics SP10 / London (Decca) Reference -> Trafomatic Luna -> RME ADI-2 Pro Link to comment
Popular Post EMM Labs Posted January 24, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted January 24, 2020 17 minutes ago, manisandher said: I used to own a Pacific Microsonics Model Two - the only ADC with HDCD capability. Many people considered HDCD to be a scam (it's often referenced when talking about MQA). I never felt the need to use any of its HDCD processing myself, and certainly didn't buy it for that reason. But it would have been ridiculous of me to refuse "even glancing in the direction" one of the best ADCs ever made because I didn't like some of its functions... functions that I wasn't even being forced to use. YMMV. (FWIW, I have an MQA-capable DAC in my office system. When I'm streaming from Tidal, I tend go for the redbook version rather than the MQA - most MQA sounds a bit too 'dead' to my ears.) Mani. As a matter of principle, we did not want to force MQA or it's filters on our customers. If they like it and use it, great! Otherwise, two clicks in Tidal and the DV2 continues to operate using EMM's MDAT2 conversion only, no MQA. -EMM Labs Team shp, manisandher, Account Closed and 1 other 2 2 Link to comment
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