I just bought one of these. While I never tried the original and can't say how the latest version compares to it, I was very impressed with what I heard.
It's my first dedicated streamer. (I had been using my old iPad mini 2, connected to a Loxjie D40 by USB and an Emotiva preamp up to this point on my stereo system and an Android TV with a Roku Ultra and a Sony 4k DVD player and a Loxjie D60, going into active Genelec speakers and a subwoofer on my video system.)
Though I found the DMP-A6 Gen 2's UI a bit quirky and unnecessarily complicated, the way it handles streaming from Amazon Music Unlimited was beyond my expectations. The fidelity is the best I have heard thus far and it supports gapless playback (which is infuriatingly absent from the Amazon Music apps on my Roku Ultra and Android TV).
The packaging was a bit over-the-top, but I appreciated the inclusion of a double CD collection with two classical recordings (Vivaldi's and Piazzolla's pieces, both titled "The Four Seasons"). First, because I still collect, play, and appreciate physical media (especially when it is as well recorded as this one) and secondly, because it makes a bold promise about the quality of the hardware and what to expect. It screams "This device is going to be good enough to do justice to classical recordings" and the DMP-A6 did not disappoint. It handles the ESS Sabre chip better than any DAC that I have heard so far, with restraint and good taste. IMHO, these chips tend to be a little intense on the top end, but the DMP-A6 does a very good job of taming them. It can deliver remarkably high and incisive transients, but never overdoes it. You hear them briefly, where you expect them, like on the high pizzicatto notes of a solo violin or the fret noise on a guitar, not just shoved in everywhere. Moreover, they are beautifully balanced by suprisingly resonant, rounded and deep bass notes that, like the treble, are never overdone. (To my ears, it obviates the need for a subwoofer on this system, which I had intended to purchase.)
As for the mid-range, well, that's the real star of the show. The mids are very detailed and varried. The other DACs I have used seemed to be trying to add depth to the sound by dialing down the volume on some instruments (or range of frequencies) but not others. This doesn't work for me. It just makes me feel like I want to raise the volume on them because they are way too soft and make many of my recordings sound unbalanced. (Especially if I own and am very familiar with the original anlog versions.) I never get that feeling with the DMP-A6 Gen 2. (And, if I ever do, it has an EQ section to explore.)
My overall impression is that, while no device is perfect (at least in my price range) this one seems to have been designed and built with good taste by people who really know and care about music.
It's my first dedicated streamer. (I had been using my old iPad mini 2, connected to a Loxjie D40 by USB and an Emotiva preamp up to this point on my stereo system and an Android TV with a Roku Ultra and a Sony 4k DVD player and a Loxjie D60, going into active Genelec speakers and a subwoofer on my video system.)
Though I found the DMP-A6 Gen 2's UI a bit quirky and unnecessarily complicated, the way it handles streaming from Amazon Music Unlimited was beyond my expectations. The fidelity is the best I have heard thus far and it supports gapless playback (which is infuriatingly absent from the Amazon Music apps on my Roku Ultra and Android TV).
The packaging was a bit over-the-top, but I appreciated the inclusion of a double CD collection with two classical recordings (Vivaldi's and Piazzolla's pieces, both titled "The Four Seasons"). First, because I still collect, play, and appreciate physical media (especially when it is as well recorded as this one) and secondly, because it makes a bold promise about the quality of the hardware and what to expect. It screams "This device is going to be good enough to do justice to classical recordings" and the DMP-A6 did not disappoint. It handles the ESS Sabre chip better than any DAC that I have heard so far, with restraint and good taste. IMHO, these chips tend to be a little intense on the top end, but the DMP-A6 does a very good job of taming them. It can deliver remarkably high and incisive transients, but never overdoes it. You hear them briefly, where you expect them, like on the high pizzicatto notes of a solo violin or the fret noise on a guitar, not just shoved in everywhere. Moreover, they are beautifully balanced by suprisingly resonant, rounded and deep bass notes that, like the treble, are never overdone. (To my ears, it obviates the need for a subwoofer on this system, which I had intended to purchase.)
As for the mid-range, well, that's the real star of the show. The mids are very detailed and varried. The other DACs I have used seemed to be trying to add depth to the sound by dialing down the volume on some instruments (or range of frequencies) but not others. This doesn't work for me. It just makes me feel like I want to raise the volume on them because they are way too soft and make many of my recordings sound unbalanced. (Especially if I own and am very familiar with the original anlog versions.) I never get that feeling with the DMP-A6 Gen 2. (And, if I ever do, it has an EQ section to explore.)
My overall impression is that, while no device is perfect (at least in my price range) this one seems to have been designed and built with good taste by people who really know and care about music.
Last edited:
