EMM Labs DA2 Digital-To-Analog Converter (DAC) $25,000 Review
August 25, 2018 § Leave a comment
“To my ears, it was the treble that the DA2 was able to reproduce that stood out during this particular listening session and that too was the finest I’ve ever heard from a digital source. No, this SACD of course didn’t have a 20 kHz ceiling imposed by the Nyquist frequency that prevents the treble of “normal” CDs of having any ultrasonic extension, but I’ve heard this through many other DSD capable DACs in the past. Although, this time it was different, because the treble didn’t sound like it was being reproduced from an SACD file, it sounded like it was simply being reproduced. Period. And of course, the audible frequencies were reproduced with the utmost in realism and extension, and all the other things us audiophiles like to talk about in the high-end when we hear the best components, such as the ultimate soundstage, imaging, transient response, etc., but now all these things hardly mattered, as the DA2 became an invisible component simply doing its job. I’ve dreamed of the day when digital would sound as good as was promised back in the day. It’s here. Finally.
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EMM Labs DA2 Reference DAC and PRE Stereo Preamplifier Review
July 30, 2018 § Leave a comment
“Ed Meitner and Emm Labs are legendary in both professional and consumer high end audio. One doesn’t become legendary without providing legendary products and experiences to customers for decades. That’s what EMM Labs has done and continues to do with its flagship DA2 and PRE. The world’s first 16xDSD signal processing along with a handful of other propriety features and legendary sound quality put the DA2 DAC on the top of the EMM Labs mountain and in a class with only a couple components in all of HiFi. Sonically the DA2 has a transparency and a soundstage that delivers on the promise of high end audio. Reproducing music with all its warts when warts are present and in all its glory for those rare recordings that really shine. The DA2 and PRE are in rarefied air no doubt at $25,000 a piece, but the best of anything is never inexpensive. ”
Playback Designs MPD-8 Dream DAC (US$22,000)
July 28, 2018 § Leave a comment
“One feature that is very important to many users is the MPD-8’s digitally driven analog volume control. Using the balanced outputs, I connected the MPD-8 directly to my Ayre Acoustics MX-R Twenty monoblocks. The MPD-8’s analog volume control did not seem to color the sound or detract from the overall quality of sound obtained from the DAC. The remote allowed me to control the volume easily and precisely. Comparing the MPD-8’s analog volume control with my Ayre Acoustics KX-R Twenty preamp resulted in sonic differences that were small, but perceptible. While I favored the overall sound of the Ayre preamp when included in the playback chain, I could easily live with the MPD-8’s direct connection to my power amps.”
