Eversolo DMP-A6 Streamer Review

[Purité Audio]

Oh I wish it was that easy

I have hundreds of albums ripped to .ape+.cue and .wv formats - Roon can't seem to be bothered with supporting them, despite requests from users.

Foobar is also waaay more flexible in terms of DSP - from plugins and VST integration to such minor stuff like mix level adjustment for the convolution filters (no way to adjust that in Roon - a workaround appeared only recently, with the autoeq.app site - but it's still more cumbersome as you generate a new file each time you tweak the filter).

And yes, I've been having connectivity issues in Roon too

I really only keep Roon to apply DSP to Tidal, it's terrible VFM in my use case (I don't need a 24/7/365 music server, I don't need multiroom etc.). So if they introduced a DMP-A6 with a robust DSP (PEQ and adjustable convolver as a minimum) then I'd save myself some serious headache and $$$ on Roon subscription

I know it's a specific scenario, but I was trying to give the user above some insight on why no DSP can be frustrating to some.

Yes EQ could have been included in the ‘master’ version rather than the fatuous boutique components, I did suggest it to them.
Keith

 

[Moderate Dionysianism]

Wow... hearing that Roon doesn't support APE or WV makes my ears bleed...
Anyway, with a free tool like ffmpeg, from the command line you can convert those "offending" files to flac:

ffmpeg -i <filename.ape> <filename.flac>
ffmpeg -i <filename.wv> <filename.flac>

Then, in the relevant .cue file, just replace the extension in the FILE entrie(s), from .ape / .wv to .flac; the cue only contains information about minutes, seconds and frames, and is kind of file-agnostic, so you'll be ok.

Thanks! I'm aware that there are converter tools available (Foobar itself can transcode too). But Roon doesn't support CUE sheets either (despite users having suggested it back in 2015 lol), so I'd need to split and tag that all of that first, then convert... All in all the devs over there seem to be prioiritizing the library and multiple endpoints over DSP and other features impacting SQ - probably makes more business sense, as they sell the Nucleus servers too.

Enough about Roon tho, I don't want to derail this review thread.

 

[XanderzDad]

Ok, I will try again: how do you play lossless/flac radios or any other radio stream not available in Tune-In with the Eversolo DMP-A6

You can use the pre-installed Radio Paradise app for their lossless channels

 

[GiBo61]

You can use the pre-installed Radio Paradise app for their lossless channels

Thera are tens of other lossless radio - besides Radio Paradise - that are not in Tune In. Is there a way to listen to them?

 

[Nutul]

Thanks! I'm aware that there are converter tools available (Foobar itself can transcode too). But Roon doesn't support CUE sheets either (despite users having suggested it back in 2015 lol), so I'd need to split and tag that all of that first, then convert... All in all the devs over there seem to be prioiritizing the library and multiple endpoints over DSP and other features impacting SQ - probably makes more business sense, as they sell the Nucleus servers too.

Enough about Roon tho, I don't want to derail this review thread.

Well, the allmighty Roon cannot play native monkeyaudio, nor wavpack, in 2023.
Also, in 2023, Roon cannot cope with cue files.

And they ask your money for, basically, routing the audio they can (lazily) handle among your devices.
There are also other things I'd expect a paid software of the caliper of Roon capable of doing.
Ah, for a well maintained library, correctly tagged, you (I mean the user) are enough.

If I were a Roon user, I'd well got pissed.

P.S.
If you need I can give you also scripts (Linux / Mac) to batch-split entire-CD flacs + cue to the corresponding single-track flacs.

 

[yllanos]

Thera are tens of other lossless radio - besides Radio Paradise - that are not in Tune In

Such as?

 

[Anderlfs]

What advantage does such a device offer over a Smartphone-Otg-Dac setup, considering only listening to Qobuz and a few FLAC files? Has anyone ever measured this simple setup? Perhaps a more robust power supply or dedicated audio firmware could make a difference? By the way, does this DMP-A6 use a switched power supply internally? Sorry to bother, I accept links as answers.

 

[GiBo61]

Such as?

Such as those in this list. For example I often listen to Naim Jazz Radio.

 

[Stuj]

Such as those in this list. For example I often listen to Naim Jazz Radio.

I use Custom Radio App and enter the url in from there

 

[Nutul]

What advantage does such a device offer over a Smartphone-Otg-Dac setup, considering only listening to Qobuz and a few FLAC files?

Probably little to nothing, if that's all you do; depending on the phone and the DAC, of course.

By the way, does this DMP-A6 use a switched power supply internally? Sorry to bother, I accept links as answers.

Yes it does, a very lo-noise one according to Eversolo and the measurements shown in the review.

 

[auronthas]

Lately Vinshine Audio shared their unbox video on DMP A6, interesting to watch the subsequent video(s) ...

Any thought before the next video?

 

[Purité Audio]

It looks like he has managed it!
Next I suppose will be the ‘insert power cable’ video.
Keith

 

[auronthas]

It looks like he has managed it!
Next I suppose will be the ‘insert power cable’ video.
Keith

then A/B test between A6 vs ARCE

 

[Flavio]

I have been going through this thread for quite some time but could not find a definitive answer to the question if the volume control is lossless or not?
I intend to use the Eversole as a preamp using the XLR outputs connected to powered speakers.

 

[ahofer]

I have been going through this thread for quite some time but could not find a definitive answer to the question if the volume control is lossless or not?
I intend to use the Eversole as a preamp using the XLR outputs connected to powered speakers.

The volume control is digital. You can also set the unit to upsample by default, which should allay any fears about "lossy" digital volume, although that seems like a non-problem to me.

(at least that is what AI says, hope they didn't invent it):

The Eversolo DMP-A6's volume control is digital. It uses a 32-bit digital attenuator to control the volume level in the digital domain. This means that the audio signal is not converted to analog until it reaches the final output stage, which helps to preserve sound quality.
...
Yes, the Eversolo DMP-A6 can upsample prior to volume control.

To enable this feature, go to Settings > Audio Engine and set Upsampling to on. You can then choose from a variety of upsampling rates, including 192kHz, 384kHz, and DSD512.

When upsampling is enabled, the DMP-A6 will convert the incoming audio signal to the selected upsampling rate before applying the volume control. This can help to improve the sound quality of your music, especially if you are using high-quality headphones or speakers.

That last sentence is, of course, dubious at best.

 

[Snoopy]

Well, the allmighty Roon cannot play native monkeyaudio, nor wavpack, in 2023.
Also, in 2023, Roon cannot cope with cue files.

It's just a bit annoying really. But anyways , if I rip my own files why not just rip them as flac files with a cue file?

Never understood the need for ape and wavpack containers.

Super easy to extract cue files. Takes seconds.

 

[Purité Audio]

then A/B test between A6 vs ARCE

If the ‘Arce’ ( can’t help but find that rather unfortunate nomenclature) has bit perfect output , through the same dac they will be identical.
Keith

 

[ahofer]

Well, the allmighty Roon cannot play native monkeyaudio, nor wavpack, in 2023.
Also, in 2023, Roon cannot cope with cue files.

And they ask your money for, basically, routing the audio they can (lazily) handle among your devices.
There are also other things I'd expect a paid software of the caliper of Roon capable of doing.
Ah, for a well maintained library, correctly tagged, you (I mean the user) are enough.

If I were a Roon user, I'd well got pissed.

P.S.
If you need I can give you also scripts (Linux / Mac) to batch-split entire-CD flacs + cue to the corresponding single-track flacs.

I'm..not pissed. I use Roon across many devices, I enjoy the extra information Roon brings in without physically re-tagging my library, which was already perfectly tagged on import (including multiple classical genres). Searching across name spelling variations, applying DSP, remote volume control, integration of streaming (although I would like to see Idagio added), nice, bug-free app, it's all pretty good from my point of view.

 

[mittelp]

Ich verwende die Custom Radio App und gebe dort die URL ein

I use Custom Radio App and enter the url in from there

But the custom app isn't exactly user-friendly, I can't add any favorites, it just shuts down without a message.

 

[mittelp]

But the custom app isn't exactly user-friendly, I can't add any favorites, it just shuts down without a message.

I had probably loaded the wrong app (Custom Radio) the correct one is: "CustomRadioPlayer" and it works very well via URL.