Article: EMM Labs DV2 DAC Review

[yahooboy]

1 hour ago, EMM Labs said:

 

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

 

Well I needed to know when the last possible version without MQA was available, so I could stop updating before MQA infested my system.

 

I have written extensively with Damien regarding the inclusion of MQA.

 

I have not bought the latter versions 3.x for precisely that reason. (Did the same with ROON as well as TIDAL)

 

I don't want to support MQA therefore I don't support companies that support MQA !

My little contribution to putting MQA out of business

 

 

[PeterG]

Where do I go to lodge a complaint?  I've spent the past 6 months trying to summon the nerve to drop $20K on a Berkeley, and now you've moved the bar!  FOMO! 😱

[EMM Labs]

1 hour ago, PeterG said:

Where do I go to lodge a complaint?  I've spent the past 6 months trying to summon the nerve to drop $20K on a Berkeley, and now you've moved the bar!  FOMO! 😱

 

Let us know how we can help you relieve the FOMO 😉

[PeterG]

Hi Chris,

 

On a more serious note, I see the DV2 did not earn a place on the CASH List.  Please let us know why.  I hope it is not because you are phasing out the list--in a land where just about everything is very good and very expensive, it is extremely helpful to have a short list of extraordinary products at all price points.

 

Thanks

[The Computer Audiophile]

1 hour ago, PeterG said:

Hi Chris,

 

On a more serious note, I see the DV2 did not earn a place on the CASH List.  Please let us know why.  I hope it is not because you are phasing out the list--in a land where just about everything is very good and very expensive, it is extremely helpful to have a short list of extraordinary products at all price points.

 

Thanks

Hi Peter - I'm revamping the CASH List. The DV2 is definitely on the new list!

[Andy Yuen]

Thank you Andy!

 

-Ed

 

Hi Ed.

 

I didn't notice your post to me until now. I really appreciate that little note! Thank you! By the way, I am still enjoying your creation, the DA2. The honeymoon period is not over yet! 

[EMM Labs]

34 minutes ago, Andy Yuen said:

Thank you Andy!

 

-Ed

 

Hi Ed.

 

I didn't notice your post to me until now. I really appreciate that little note! Thank you! By the way, I am still enjoying your creation, the DA2. The honeymoon period is not over yet! 

We are very happy to hear that Andy! We’re very proud of the DA2‘s performance. It may get even better soon 😉 

 

Wishing you the very best. Let us know if we can help you with anything.
 

-Ed & the EMM Labs team

[EMM Labs]

1 hour ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

Hi Peter - I'm revamping the CASH List. The DV2 is definitely on the new list!

We are humbled to hear that Chris. Thank you for your kind support. 
 

-Ed

[Andy Yuen]

16 hours ago, EMM Labs said:

We are very happy to hear that Andy! We’re very proud of the DA2‘s performance. It may get even better soon 😉 

 

Wishing you the very best. Let us know if we can help you with anything.
 

-Ed & the EMM Labs team

 

Hi Ed.

 

You should rightly be proud of the DA2's performance. I am. For example, I love to play certain SACDs to friends who came to listen to my sound system, and watch their reaction! I am referring to SACDs like the RCA Living Stereo SACD Brass & Percussion Morton Gould, tract 2 - Gould: Parade (for percussion) and harmonia mundi usa Tarik O'Regan Acallam na Senorach: an Irish Colloquy, National Chamber Choir of Ireland, Steward French, guitar, Paul Hillier, conductor, tract 1 - Prologue to Part One. These recordings sounded like the real thing on my sound system, which consists of  EMM Labs SACD transport, DA2, EMM Labs Pre, Constellation Audio Centaur, Magico M2, Magico Q-Sub 15, Ansuz Diamond cables, Ansuz DTC resonance control footers under all equipment, and Critical Mass System Maxxum rack and amp. stands.

 

I look forward to the up-coming upgrades to my DA2! Let me know when it is ready. Thank you.

[EMM Labs]

13 hours ago, Andy Yuen said:

 

Hi Ed.

 

You should rightly be proud of the DA2's performance. I am. For example, I love to play certain SACDs to friends who came to listen to my sound system, and watch their reaction! I am referring to SACDs like the RCA Living Stereo SACD Brass & Percussion Morton Gould, tract 2 - Gould: Parade (for percussion) and harmonia mundi usa Tarik O'Regan Acallam na Senorach: an Irish Colloquy, National Chamber Choir of Ireland, Steward French, guitar, Paul Hillier, conductor, tract 1 - Prologue to Part One. These recordings sounded like the real thing on my sound system, which consists of  EMM Labs SACD transport, DA2, EMM Labs Pre, Constellation Audio Centaur, Magico M2, Magico Q-Sub 15, Ansuz Diamond cables, Ansuz DTC resonance control footers under all equipment, and Critical Mass System Maxxum rack and amp. stands.

 

I look forward to the up-coming upgrades to my DA2! Let me know when it is ready. Thank you.

Thank you Andy. Sounds like a fantastic system you have. Thank you for sharing it with the people around you and spreading the good word. 
 

We will keep everyone updated via our website and social media of course, and I’ll send you a DM when more news is announced. 
 

All the best,

 

-Ed & EMM Labs

[Albrecht]

On 1/23/2020 at 10:32 AM, The Computer Audiophile said:

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. 

+1 @firedog  Great write up Chris.

Can you make any comparisons between the DV2 and the APL that you reviewed and really liked last summer/fall?

 

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

22 minutes ago, Albrecht said:

+1 @firedog  Great write up Chris.

Can you make any comparisons between the DV2 and the APL that you reviewed and really liked last summer/fall?

 

 

The EMM DV2 and APL are very very very different sounding DACs. Both great Though. I’d rather live with the DV2 long term, but I know members of this community who are the opposite. The APL is more colored toward an analog / vinyl sound compared to the DV2. 

[shp]

When I saw the headline on the home page I immediately thought to myself, "I wonder which is better: EMM, TotalDAC, DCS, or Berkeley."  (I'll never be able to hear any of them.)

 

You answered it in the first line.

 

When I sold hi-fi in the 80's, I tried to bring in Meitner.  I've always loved his stuff.

 

 

[Jud]

Wondering about the volume control. In possibly misunderstanding the review I thought it was described as being done to the bitstream in DSD format, but I didn't think that was possible. Curious to know more, though of course if it's proprietary it's proprietary.

[EMM Labs]

On 1/28/2020 at 5:40 PM, shp said:

When I saw the headline on the home page I immediately thought to myself, "I wonder which is better: EMM, TotalDAC, DCS, or Berkeley."  (I'll never be able to hear any of them.)

 

You answered it in the first line.

 

When I sold hi-fi in the 80's, I tried to bring in Meitner.  I've always loved his stuff.

 

 

 

Thank you for the nice words 🙏🏼

 

If there is ever anything we can help you with, like hearing the DV2 for yourself, please don't hesitate to let us know.

 

-EMM Labs

 

[EMM Labs]

On 1/29/2020 at 9:08 AM, Jud said:

Wondering about the volume control. In possibly misunderstanding the review I thought it was described as being done to the bitstream in DSD format, but I didn't think that was possible. Curious to know more, though of course if it's proprietary it's proprietary.

 

Hi Jud, 

 

Thanks for your question. There are some things that we can reveal, and some we cannot.

 

The DV2 Volume Control, or more broadly, our DAC audio level control method for PCM (multi-bit audio), never changes or attenuates the original input signal. Therefore, we do not create re-quantization errors, even at lowest volume settings. The resolution of the original signal is always maintained. Audio level changes are done much keeping in the DAC's signal chain, and this process is coupled with our single-bit conversion system.

 

The DSD signals have their own, separate signal path, and their handling is still different.

 

We hope that this helps 😊

 

-Mariusz Pawlicki & Amadeus Meitner of EMM Labs

[matthias]

@EMM Labs

Will EMM Labs be exhibitor at HIGH END Munich this year?

Thanks

 

Matt

[EMM Labs]

13 minutes ago, matthias said:

@EMM Labs

Will EMM Labs be exhibitor at HIGH END Munich this year?

Thanks

 

Matt

 

Hi Matt,

 

We wouldn't miss it. High End Munich is one of our favourite events of the year as its a chance to catch up with customers, distributors and music lovers from all over the world at a fantastic show. It's fitting that Munich is where Ed Meitner, our founder, was born as well! We will be exhibiting in the F wing at the MOC alongside fantastic partners.

 

We may also have a product release ready for Munich this year... Stay tuned 😉

 

See you there!

 

-Amadeus Meitner & EMM Labs

[Pale Rider]

Chris's review is timely. I just this past week placed an order for Rossini+Clock, but the comments about internal-vs.-external clocking got me to thinking and researching. So, I'm getting a demo of the DV2 scheduled for next month.

[Pale Rider]

On 1/30/2020 at 1:29 PM, EMM Labs said:

We may also have a product release ready for Munich this year... Stay tuned 😉

 

Talk about teasing the animals!

[The Computer Audiophile]

41 minutes ago, Pale Rider said:

Chris's review is timely. I just this past week placed an order for Rossini+Clock, but the comments about internal-vs.-external clocking got me to thinking and researching. So, I'm getting a demo of the DV2 scheduled for next month.

Great to read you will have a chance to compare the two solutions. Different solutions to the same playback issues, and different sound qualities. 

 

A good person to talk to is @miguelito. He had EMM and switched to a Rossini + Clock. It was the right move for him. Perhaps his reasoning may help you decide one way or the other. 

[Pale Rider]

19 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

Great to read you will have a chance to compare the two solutions. Different solutions to the same playback issues, and different sound qualities. 

 

A good person to talk to is @miguelito. He had EMM and switched to a Rossini + Clock. It was the right move for him. Perhaps his reasoning may help you decide one way or the other. 

Thanks Chris. I have reached out to him. In the meantime, I have another question or two of EMM or anyone with experience. I am a network audio guy, and generally don't care for USB solutions, but I'll follow the best SQ wherever it leads. Right now, I have a Roon Nucleus+ feeding my various systems. The EMM DV2 does not of course have a direct network input, and I noticed you solved this aspect with a Sonore Rendu Optical. Makes sense. I plan to test an EMM NS1. Any thoughts on whether to use the NS1 with direct access to my NAS using mConnect [ugh, my last experienced with mConnect was really awful], or just to use the Necleus+ and the NS1 [two "streamers"?]. Second involves MQA, and I don't want to start anything here, but I thought I would ask about this note in the NS1 manual and whether it will change in the near future: "

0. *When playing MQA® through the NS1 coupled with MQA®-enabled DAC, the NS1 will output MQA® Core decoded signal. The MQA®-enabled DAC will display the original sample rate of the MQA® stream. In case of the DV2 DAC, the Optilink input currently cannot fully render MQA® streams beyond the Core decoding of 24bit, 96kHz.

[EMM Labs]

2 hours ago, Pale Rider said:

Chris's review is timely. I just this past week placed an order for Rossini+Clock, but the comments about internal-vs.-external clocking got me to thinking and researching. So, I'm getting a demo of the DV2 scheduled for next month.

Hi Pale Rider, 

 

We are humbled to hear that you have decided to audition the DV2. We believe that you will be very happy with the performance and functionality  please let us know directly if you have any questions during the audition period, we are happy to help!

 

1 hour ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

Great to read you will have a chance to compare the two solutions. Different solutions to the same playback issues, and different sound qualities. 

 

A good person to talk to is @miguelito. He had EMM and switched to a Rossini + Clock. It was the right move for him. Perhaps his reasoning may help you decide one way or the other. 

 

Although we would encourage you to talk to Miguelito we do not believe this to be a valid comparison as Miguelito had the XDS1V2, now over 6 years old, which is now upgradable to V3 architecture, whereas the DV2 is our latest flagship DAC. A lot has changed since the days of the XDS1. We still regard it as a fantastic product and customers still revere them, especially with the V3 upgrade, but the advancements in both the digital and analog domain cannot be understated.

 

1 hour ago, Pale Rider said:

Thanks Chris. I have reached out to him. In the meantime, I have another question or two of EMM or anyone with experience. I am a network audio guy, and generally don't care for USB solutions, but I'll follow the best SQ wherever it leads. Right now, I have a Roon Nucleus+ feeding my various systems. The EMM DV2 does not of course have a direct network input, and I noticed you solved this aspect with a Sonore Rendu Optical. Makes sense. I plan to test an EMM NS1. Any thoughts on whether to use the NS1 with direct access to my NAS using mConnect [ugh, my last experienced with mConnect was really awful], or just to use the Necleus+ and the NS1 [two "streamers"?]. Second involves MQA, and I don't want to start anything here, but I thought I would ask about this note in the NS1 manual and whether it will change in the near future: "

0. *When playing MQA® through the NS1 coupled with MQA®-enabled DAC, the NS1 will output MQA® Core decoded signal. The MQA®-enabled DAC will display the original sample rate of the MQA® stream. In case of the DV2 DAC, the Optilink input currently cannot fully render MQA® streams beyond the Core decoding of 24bit, 96kHz.

The NS1 is a great complement to the DV2 working flawlessly as a Roon-ready endpoint. We have yet to try the Sonore line of products ourselves but we have a lot of trust in Chris’ evaluation. Roon is the standard that we recommend when using the NS1 connected via EMM Link. That said, whatever input you choose to use on the DV2 is entirely up to you. The USB input is the most versatile with DSD128, DXD and MQA support, it is also galvanically isolated. All other inputs support 44.1-192kHz and DSD64. The NS1 sends MQA Core decoded signal but as you pointed out, the DV2 currently supports full rendering of MQA over USB only. If you look at the history of upgrades available for our products, like the DA2 V2 upgrade that was recently announced (https://www.emmlabs.com/da2v2.php), I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of full MQA rendering on all inputs in addition to some other goodies in the future. This is a part of our ethos at EMM to never have a “closed box” product.

 

Please let us know if we can help you any further

 

-Amadeus Meitner & EMM Labs

[miguelito]

8 minutes ago, EMM Labs said:

Although we would encourage you to talk to Miguelito we do not believe this to be a valid comparison as Miguelito had the XDS1V2, now over 6 years old, which is now upgradable to V3 architecture, whereas the DV2 is our latest flagship DAC. A lot has changed since the days of the XDS1. We still regard it as a fantastic product and customers still revere them, especially with the V3 upgrade, but the advancements in both the digital and analog domain cannot be understated.

 

 

Since I have now been quoted twice, I will chip in.

 

Rossini vs XDS1v2 - Rossini is more detailed, more musical, and sounds more "like music" than the XDS1v2, which by comparison was metallic sounding. 

 

However, I think it's my responsibility to give full account of why I moved away from EMM Labs. In Feb 2017 I found a dropout bug in the XDS1v2. I sent a few example tracks to EMM Labs to show the issue - they could reproduce the bug. This bug was also present in the DA2 DAC. Over a few months they fixed the bug in the DA2 firmware - but never in the XDS1v2 firmware. I was told for ~8 months that the fix was coming, though I eventually figured out that they were never intending to produce a fix. In the spirit of getting past this debacle, I offered them to exchange my unit for one with the same retail price (a DA2 at the time) - and I said I was fine if it was a demo unit. They did not agree instead asking me to pay up a hefty amount for the exchange.   Money was not the issue to me, after all I ended up buying a dCS Rossini+Clock for $32k. It was having been lied to for so long that made me decide to never buy an EMM product ever again.

 

YMMV.

[miguelito]

I will also point out that both the product AND dCS customer service are stellar. When I pay this kind of money for a product, I expect this.