Eversolo DMP-A8 Balanced Streamer/DAC Review

[Ajax]

Here is an example (described):
My system for casual listening consists of:
Windows 11 laptop, about $350
Topping D10 balanced, about $150
Pair active JBL monitors (just some cheap speakers)
The laptop and DAC are located on a low table in between the speakers. There are no other audio components involved.

What I like about this system is:
stable, almost never have to reboot for OS updates
zero, zilch, nada pops or other non-musical noises during sample rate changes, power up/down, etc.
Turns on and off very quickly
Wife can operate it without a problem
Volume control is via two dedicated keys above the mail keyboard and is easy to use
I can play any source I desire, which for me is either streamed from internet or local files on disk
WASAPI playback is used to bypass the Windows mixer for HQ content, for native format rendering. Otherwise WinDoze uses 48kHz (meh).
DAC has a nice and easy-to-read display of the current playback sample rate.

I use this system like this:
The only equipment that is powered up/down are the active speakers.
The lid of the laptop is simply opened or closed to start/stop using it. I never power it off.
The DAC is USB bus powered, has very good performance, and is 100% trouble free
The system is ready for playback in about 10 seconds.

This makes for a simple "household" compatible audio system that we use as a daily driver. The weak link is the speakers but after a recent move they were something that I could set up quickly. A better pair of speakers and amps with auto on/off functionality would improve the sound and make the system even easier to use.

I am a DIYer, and before the move I had a system based around a USB audio interface (ADC+DACs) with additional components connected e.g digital sources, etc. This was controlled by a laptop running Ubuntu and software that I wrote that acts as an input select and preamp and performs DSP processing. The software was also used to stream PCM audio over my home WiFi system to other computer-based active loudspeakers I built that were located in different rooms in my home.

All of this is made possible by building the playback system around a computer and using software to do what is/was traditionally done via a stack of audio components.

Hi Charlie,

For about 10 years my home office system was very similar in principle to yours. I hooked my old mac mini (which I used for work) via USB to a Benchmark DAC 1 feeding a pair of ADAM A7 active speakers.

The beauty of the Benchmark DACs is they have both balanced and RCA out so you can play the main speakers full range (using balanced) and complement them with a pair of subs (using RCA) crossed over at say 60 Hz, or whatever works in your room. My pair of old second hand 12" Velodyne ($200 each) worked great. An excellent second hand DAC2 can be had for US$800.

If you don't need a sub then any of the inexpensive Topping or SMSL DACs with USB in are fine. You could feed a pair of inexpensive Adam TV5 monitors (US$400) that Amir reviewed and liked a lot.

Adam T5V Review (Studio Monitor)

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Adam T5V Powered Speaker. It was kindly purchased new by a member and drop shipped to me. The T5V costs US $200 each. Much like the rest of Adam speakers, the T5V has a serious look to it: Back panel shows good connectivity and usual...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Assuming your computer has other duties and therefore effectively "free", you can purchase an excellent home office system comprising just DAC and active speakers for US$600.

IME a computer based system is extremely flexible, inexpensive and can sound great.

 

[staticV3]

Perhaps try some modern music, I don’t believe Billy Eilish has been filtered.

I don't have to believe it, I know the Billie Eilish songs use high-pass filters. Just look at the “Normalized average spectrum” window and you can see the dive at different point depending on at what frequency they applied the filters in the songs.

Out of curiosity, here's Billie Eilish's full discography, played back via Spotify:


As expected, nothing much below 30Hz.

The one exception is "Bittersuite", which nicely reached into subbass.

 

[restorer-john]

How long does this unit take to startup from off and be ready to play?
If you pull the power plug and plug it back in, in a few days, does it remember the last set volume control or does it default to a preset level?

So you need to buy an internal SSD as well I see.

It looks like an awesome piece of gear, although you'd have to be prepared for it to become obsolete in not many years, as it will get marooned with Android updates/app updates. Realistically, how many years would we expect? 5 maybe if you're really lucky.

 

[amirm]

How long does this unit take to startup from off and be ready to play?

I didn't time it but I say in the order of 10 seconds. Definitely faster than a computer and then app starting.

 

[amirm]

For people worrying about longevity of supported app, avoid using them! This is why I advocate for "push streaming" such as how Roon works. The streamer then becomes a simple endpoint. As long as that protocol remains the same, the device will not be obsoleted. In contrast, using the local app relies on that app being around ("pull streaming"). This is why I waited to review the DMP-A8 until it had Roon support.

 

[EJ3]

For people worrying about longevity of supported app, avoid using them! This is why I advocate for "push streaming" such as how Roon works. The streamer then becomes a simple endpoint. As long as that protocol remains the same, the device will not be obsoleted. In contrast, using the local app relies on that app being around ("pull streaming"). This is why I waited to review the DMP-A8 until it had Roon support.

I have changed my mind about it due to it being "pull steaming" (even though I am not very likely to stream at all, I may change my mind further down the road).
It just seemed that it had the potential to be a one box solution, no computer needed in the system.

 

[restorer-john]

For people worrying about longevity of supported app, avoid using them!

You can pretty operate the entire thing via the front panel touchscreen, can't you? Plugged into a network/wifi and an onboard SSD would make it pretty much a one-box solution (plus power amp obviously) wouldn't it?

 

[Gyosa1]

FWIW , I have a Yamaha wxc-50 in use in a bedroom system- Yamaha hasn’t updated the firmware in YEARS - and they’re still being manufactured and sold by Yamaha today…

End result , it functions fine but won’t do Tidal hi-rez FLAC - and probably never will - unless they do a FW update - which I doubt.

Bk

 

[pderousse]

Looks really awesome. I’d like to see it with a crossover. Most people have a sub, and many have a mid-bass - that would be a grownup (mid-high-end) preamp.

 

[amirm]

You can pretty operate the entire thing via the front panel touchscreen, can't you? Plugged into a network/wifi and an onboard SSD would make it pretty much a one-box solution (plus power amp obviously) wouldn't it?

It would for stored content. But for streaming, you need a different solution.

 

[PenguinMusic]

Wish It had an on par headphone amplifier included...
I assume using the RCA or balanced outputs will not do :-(

 

[KellenVancouver]

You can pretty operate the entire thing via the front panel touchscreen, can't you? Plugged into a network/wifi and an onboard SSD would make it pretty much a one-box solution (plus power amp obviously) wouldn't it?

Yes, pretty much all. In my case, I can activate Qobuz streaming just by touching one "Q" button on the home screen. Easy. I can then go through my Qobuz playlists and control each playlist/song from the touch screen. Again, easy. Same for internet radio, push one button on the home screen and there you are (have it defaulting to TLIS in Slovakia). Takes a few more touches to reach Arc input for TV, or other inputs for CD or what have you, but again all pretty simple from the front panel touchscreen. I haven't yet loaded music onto the SSD, but A8 formatted it from the front panel touch screen just fine (not sure what others use, but I installed a Crucial P3 Plus 4TB PCIe Gen4 3D NAND NVMe M.2; note that is a gen 4 and the A8 only supports up to gen 3, but confirmed with Eversolo that gen 4 still works fine and indeed it seems to). While the plasticky remote control is a bit non-intuitive and takes some gleaning from the manual to figure out, the front panel touch screen is much more intuitive and does all I need (so far) including full control of streaming. Easy peasy.

 

[Yorkshire Mouth]

Just checking but did you read parts 1 & 2 <https://archimago.blogspot.com/2024/05/part-i-high-end-dac-blind-listening.html> <https://archimago.blogspot.com/2024/05/high-end-dac-blind-listening-results.html>?

I agree that the tests aren't perfect but I feel that they are still useful.

Around half of participants either chose the dongle or couldn’t tell a difference.

 

[Stuj]

@amirm will you be testing the new Zidoo UHD8000, Eversolos sister company when it is released? Assuming either they or some other members sends it in to you.

 

[GXAlan]

Voted “not terrible”

SOTA gear that is overpriced from legacy luxury brands is not terrible but many would prefer SOTA gear from many of these new upstarts.

In 2024, it’s pretty incredible that WiiM has beaten Topping, Eversolo, SMSL, etc. through the power of DSP. None of these stuff will beat a WiiM product with PEQ. If you don’t need PEQ, it will sound similar in blind testing. If you can benefit from PEQ, the WiiM will win.

 

[Stuj]

Voted “not terrible”

SOTA gear that is overpriced from legacy luxury brands is not terrible but many would prefer SOTA gear from many of these new upstarts.

In 2024, it’s pretty incredible that WiiM has beaten Topping, Eversolo, SMSL, etc. through the power of DSP. None of these stuff will beat a WiiM product with PEQ. If you don’t need PEQ, it will sound similar in blind testing. If you can benefit from PEQ, the WiiM will win.

Are you sure you’ve posted in the right thread ? This is Eversolo , one of those Upstarts as you say, certainly not a legacy luxury brand

 

[Robbo99999]

For people worrying about longevity of supported app, avoid using them! This is why I advocate for "push streaming" such as how Roon works. The streamer then becomes a simple endpoint. As long as that protocol remains the same, the device will not be obsoleted. In contrast, using the local app relies on that app being around ("pull streaming"). This is why I waited to review the DMP-A8 until it had Roon support.

But still that means the A8 has to remain compatible with the Roon App? I'm assuming the Roon App is actually stored & launched on the A8? So isn't it likely that over the years it's possible that the Roon App will no longer be compatible with this old hardware? I might have the wrong end of the stick, if so can you explain the connection diagram setup?

(If you mean by "push streaming" that you have Roon on a seperate PC for instance that you have hooked up to the A8, then I don't understand how the A8 remains useful in that situation because the idea of the A8 is to get rid of the PC as I see it.)

 

[JakeK]

I like the idea of this if I was to to go with Roon instead of Squeezebox. Then again if I'm using Roon, do I need PEQ in the player itself? Really though I would want it to support Squeezebox and have a larger touch screen before I would buy it. 6" is maybe OK for my fingers and eyes but in the pictures the screen looks a little small.

 

[JakeK]

(If you mean by "push streaming" that you have Roon on a seperate PC for instance that you have hooked up to the A8, then I don't understand how the A8 remains useful in that situation because the idea of the A8 is to get rid of the PC as I see it.)

Having both a PC with Roon as well as this all in one streamer and server would seem a bit pointless. Either one or the other for simplicity. For this money I would want it to do everything and not use a PC or NAS with it. It would also have to be able to stream to and sync with all my other streamers in the house. Definitely needs a bigger screen in that case although maybe I would be looking to control this and all my streamers from my chromebook instead. Tablets don't really cut it due to the lack of built in keyboards and phone screens are too small (for me).

Yeah. Completely talked myself out of wanting one of these now.

 

[Purité Audio]

Having both a PC with Roon as well as this all in one streamer and server would seem a bit pointless. Either one or the other for simplicity. For this money I would want it to do everything and not use a PC or NAS with it. It would also have to be able to stream to and sync with all my other streamers in the house. Definitely needs a bigger screen in that case although maybe I would be looking to control this and all my streamers from my chromebook instead. Tablets don't really cut it due to the lack of built in keyboards and phone screens are too small (for me).

Yeah. Completely talked myself out of wanting one of these now.

You don’t have to use a PC or NAS with it, you can simply add internal storage 4TB to the A-8, Wiim doesn’t ‘beat’ as streamers they sound identical, just ta question of features.
I use mine with Roon which is undoubtedly the best playback software I have used.
Keith