My way from Wiim Ultra through Eversolo T8 to Eversolo DMP-A6 Gen2 - is this viable ?

[Vortex]

Hi all,

thinking of a capable streamer and 'head' for my stereo system, consisting of a Topping D30Pro and a Audiophonics-made Hypex after it (via XLR).
I insist on keeping these, I simply LOVE this combo, such a nice sound.

Now after some years with Raspberry Pi-s, currently a Pi4 with raspotify installed, I'm aiming to step up a level (both in design - WAF and functionality) and pull the trigger...

First I thought the Wiim Ultra would be THE WAY. But then hey.. I just made a nice conversation with my dear AI friend who informed me about the existence of the Eversolo T8.
And then the whole brand. Wow. Seems great and I don't strive to multi-room with Wiim anyway (however I've installed Wiim Amp Pro-s and Amp Ultras for my parents and sister, a very nice stable ecosystem with great sound).

But you know.. I like to "tweak" and I don't need the built-in DAC of the Wiim Ultra anyway so hey, there is Eversolo's T8 then.
Well, as I look at the pricing, I won't save any dollars by omitting a DAC with the T8 lol.. But still, a VERY capable thing.

Except 2 things:
- no eARC input for my tv
- no Optical IN for my old beloved Mitsubishi M-C5100 CD player (a keeper too)

So the question to you all is what could you recommend from the Eversolo Product line to have a T8-like 'something' with aforementioned capabilities, preserving all the goodies of a T8 ?

Looking at the DMP-A6 Gen2, would that be a proper candidate ? (I still don't need the DAC but *meh* ... - same 'issue' as with the Wiim Ultra streamer).

The DMP-A6 Gen2 seems like a T8 on digital input steroids, right ? (Which I so desperately need).




Now compared to a Wiim candidate, some differences I was told by those large language models at OpenAI - sorry for that:

Feature / Aspect	WiiM Ultra	Eversolo DMP-A6 Gen 2
Product philosophy	Smart streaming hub	Audiophile media platform
Multiroom maturity	Excellent	Moderate / improving
App polish	Excellent	Very good
Audio synchronization	Very good	Good
Ecosystem size	Large	Smaller but growing fast
Streaming service integration	Excellent	Very good
HDMI ARC	Yes	Yes
Local library handling	Moderate	Excellent
NAS integration	Basic but solid	Advanced
NFS support	Limited/basic focus	Native and robust
Large library handling (100k+ tracks)	Can become limiting	Much better suited
Metadata management	Basic	Advanced
Artwork handling	Good	Excellent
Search performance on huge libraries	Moderate	Strong
SACD ISO playback	Limited / inconsistent	Excellent
DSF/DFF support	Good	Excellent
USB DAC output workflow	Good	Excellent
External DAC integration	Good	Excellent
USB Audio implementation	Consumer-grade good	Enthusiast-grade
CD ripping support	No	Yes (with external USB drive)
External USB optical drive support	Very limited	Supported
DSP / PEQ	Good	Excellent
Room correction	Good	Excellent / evolving
FIR filter support	Limited/basic	More advanced
Internal DAC quality	Good	Excellent
Internal DAC bypass viability	Yes	Yes
Pure transport usage	Yes	Yes
Balanced analog outputs	No	Yes
Internal storage support	No	Yes (M.2 SSD)
Library indexing architecture	Lightweight	Full media-database approach
UI responsiveness with large libraries	Good for casual use	Much better at scale
Build quality	Very good	Excellent
Display quality	Good	Excellent
Tweaker / enthusiast friendliness	Moderate	High
Simplicity / family friendliness	Excellent	Good
Firmware update cadence	Active	Active and improving
Community size	Huge	Smaller but enthusiast-heavy
Value for money	Outstanding	Good
Future-proof feeling	Very strong	Very strong
Best suited for	Streaming-centric mixed-use systems	High-end local-library systems
Ideal user profile	“I want a polished all-rounder”	“I want a serious digital audio centerpiece”

With a large collection of music on my ZFS-based NAS + NFS + all kind of files + Spotify + TV (via HDMI ARC) + old CD player (via Opt IN)
and
still routing everything through a DSP engine inside
and
keeping my amazing Topping D30Pro + Hypex combo
.
.
I strongly lean towards the Eversolo DMP-A6 Gen2.

Q1: How about you ?

Q2: shall I be worried of firmware issues, bugs, small community / low community activity .. ?

Q3: wanted to hook my vinyl player onto the Wiim via analog stereo IN (RCA). With the Eversolo, USB-IN is still a viable option (provided the record player has a good/excellent internal ADC implementation) or I simply use a MiniDSP Adept via USB for a classic pure-analog record player

 

[GroeneLeeuw]

I own the Gen1 DMP-A6 and love it!
The Gen2 adds HDMI in which many people like and use.
With the Gen2 there were problems with the power supply failure but that has been resolved as far as I know.

 

[Kal Rubinson]

The Eversolo has limited but useful multichannel output ability.

 

[Redacted]

I think you are looking to get rubber-stamped by ASR for Eversolo! I'm sure they are great....

There are plenty of streamers out there; most of them don't require you to use their built-in DAC if you have your own. If you do use an external DAC & amp, all streamers are the same audio-wise, almost like a transport - they differentiate with software features, with better or worse UIs, which streaming platforms they support etc.

Here's another brand - good s/w & support, 60-day return if not happy. I don't have your budget, and maybe the price of the Eversolo is no big deal, but I can say I was very happy with my CA Evo 75, and its ease of use, extreme WAF rating and the fact that it integrates well with my TV (allowing me to use only the TV remote when watching - but they probably all do system on/off and volume now!)

https://www.cambridgeaudio.com/gbr/en/products/hi-fi/cx-series/cxn100-se

 

[dtaylo1066]

I went from a Tinkerboard running Volumio to the WiiM Ultra. So similar to you. The Ultra is a killer for the money.

IMHO you would gain nothing by using the Topping with the Ultra other than the XLR to your Hypex which, granted, is useful. I have DIY Hypex amps based on the UCD 180 modules, so I have to convert the Ultra's RCA out to XLR. If you get a streamer with XLR out, such as the Eversolo, I would ditch the Topping as the streamer's reviewed positively on ASR, such as the Eversolo models, have totally transparant DACs. The Topping would only add another piece to the chain in the department of reduncancies department. And require another set of connections. But it is not really an issue.

I find nothing lacking in the Ultra's DAC. Objectively or subjectively it is a stellar performer.

Given my 69-year-old-ears, I am partial to units with good EQ, and the Ultra provides that quite nicely, as I believe does the EverSolo.

You cannot beat the Ultra's price point. But if the cost delta is no issue for you, and you do not need an analog in for a Turntable or tape deck, then I would go with the Eversolo. It has more heft to its build. The Ultra is not built poorly, but Eversolo has more robust metal casing and connections.

 

[Redacted]

69-year-old ears? How old is the rest of you? I bet you're like me, I'm mostly 25...

 

[Redacted]

The Eversolo has limited but useful multichannel output ability.

What does it lack, exactly?

 

[Kal Rubinson]

What does it lack, exactly?

Output only via HDMI.

 

[Redacted]

Output only via HDMI.

Does that mean it has no toslink/coax/line level outputs?

 

[GroeneLeeuw]

Unless I´m confusing something, the A6 has HDMI out.

Eversolo DMP-A6 Gen 2 High-Fidelity Music Streamer

Eversolo，DMP-A6 Gen 2 ，High-Fidelity，Music Streamer

www.eversolo.com

 

[Kal Rubinson]

The Eversolo has limited but useful multichannel output ability.

What does it lack, exactly?

Output only via HDMI.

Does that mean it has no toslink/coax/line level outputs?

No! It means that it is limited in its multichannel output ability by the fact that it can only output multichannel via the HDMI output.
Of course, it has other outputs but they are all limited to stereo output.

 

[dtaylo1066]

69-year-old ears? How old is the rest of you? I bet you're like me, I'm mostly 25...

The same, but some parts work better, some worse. Kind of like a car at 100,000 miles. Ball joints may be fine, but struts are toast.

I forgot to take my hearing aids out when trout fishing last week. My right ear's very expensive hearing aid fell out due to getting caught in my glasses Croakies, and has bobbed its way from Eagle, Colorado, into Utah by now via the Colorado River. $400 deductible. One can get a nice audio system for the price of Phonek hearing aids.

 

[Redacted]

No! It means that it is limited in its multichannel output ability by the fact that it can only output multichannel via the HDMI output.
Of course, it has other outputs but they are all limited to stereo outp ut.

Obviosly it does have the usual stereo outputs (!), and that seems fine to me and probably many others with little interest in TV or the very niche multichannel audio that's available.

 

[Kal Rubinson]

Obviosly it does have the usual stereo outputs (!), and that seems fine to me and probably many others with little interest in TV or the very niche multichannel audio that's available.

Agreed.

 

[Vortex]

I went from a Tinkerboard running Volumio to the WiiM Ultra. So similar to you. The Ultra is a killer for the money.

IMHO you would gain nothing by using the Topping with the Ultra other than the XLR to your Hypex which, granted, is useful. I have DIY Hypex amps based on the UCD 180 modules, so I have to convert the Ultra's RCA out to XLR. If you get a streamer with XLR out, such as the Eversolo, I would ditch the Topping as the streamer's reviewed positively on ASR, such as the Eversolo models, have totally transparant DACs. The Topping would only add another piece to the chain in the department of reduncancies department. And require another set of connections. But it is not really an issue.

I find nothing lacking in the Ultra's DAC. Objectively or subjectively it is a stellar performer.

Given my 69-year-old-ears, I am partial to units with good EQ, and the Ultra provides that quite nicely, as I believe does the EverSolo.

You cannot beat the Ultra's price point. But if the cost delta is no issue for you, and you do not need an analog in for a Turntable or tape deck, then I would go with the Eversolo. It has more heft to its build. The Ultra is not built poorly, but Eversolo has more robust metal casing and connections.

Thanks for the comment.. well.. I compared the Wiim Amp Pro's and Amp Ultra's DAC with the Topping D30Pro.. nut sure what kind of magic Topping made here with 4x Cirrus chips I found it a tiny bit more lively with the Hypex than anything else before. Maybe just the psycho part of psychoacoustics and all placebo but then hey, I don't mind those short XLR cables and extras at all so despite having a capable DAC before, I really stick to the Topping. Such a lovely device. (Not sure why but the same is with my E30, 1st gen and still it plays sooo nice).

Anyway.. streamer = transport in my case and the capability of scanning/playing a media directory full of flacs, dsf and iso-s.. more than 100000.. where Volumio dies already .. is more important than anything else.

Community is other important thing.. a streamer today without developer support = useless brick tomorrow. Any of the streaming services can change API-s, protocols, whatsoever and if the streamer isn't kept up-to-date with a fw upgrade, that's a pain then.

 

[Redacted]

Anyone with a large number of tracks stored as (for example) FLACs rapidly finds out they are best 'fronted' by a DLNA server or a media player that pre-builds a library or database of the files

Sure, if you are playing local files from an SSD to a media player on the same PC, it's not necessarily needed. If however, your files are accessed from an SMB share, things can slow down if you try to cue up lots of files or a big playlist. The problem is that the media player will parse every file to extract the tags and cover art. This is why players like Foobar have the option to build a library.

A DLNA renderer or client if you will, is lightweight and fast, because all the work it needs to do has been done by the server. The server maintains a relational database of sorts, so that if you want to play tracks that have genre "hip hop", that's a simple database query that returns lists of files. Similarly if you want to play all Beatles for example, there's no running up and down folders. And the tags and art (in various display sizes) are just there in the database - no parsing needed by the client.

You can easily check the difference for yourself, between on-the-fly and pre-databased. Try FB2K on a PC with local files and playlists. Pick a playlist with say 100 entries. It loads and plays quickly, with all tags and art. Now try again with the files and playlists on NAS or share on the LAN. It's slow and my case limited to wire speed (1Gbps) for data transfer. Now access the same playlist from FB2K to a DLNA server in the NAS or (remote PC). It's fast - just the meta data from the DB and the audio file data being moved, no parsing by FB2K.

In my home setup, I have music files on my NAS and the Synology Media Server running (does the job, free, not fancy) and it serves my main streamer, several PCs, 3 TVs, 4 tablets of various sorts, and my phone. Quick, and no glitches. When my NAS is off, I have a subset of of the music files on a laptop, but I can also Universal Media Server (DLNA) on that PC, and serve all the music (or videos) on the PC to everything in the house. On my NAS, if I re-index all the media on it, it takes about an hour to complete! It runs a proper Intel CPU and fast RAM. Goes to show all the parsing needed to populated the database.

Nb - I have no interest in seeing lyrics or bio's of the band, just basic info and cover art is enough!

Bottom line is I have tried Volumio on one of my Linux PCs, but I forget why I gave up on it. Also Plex, Emby, Jellyfin and various others - all way too much bloatware and weird behaviour for me. Really though, DLNA servers can be simple and are free, so don't try to access big collections without one!

 

[Apesbrain]

Lyrion Music Server is also free and supported by Eversolo.

 

[Redacted]

Lyrion Music Server is also free and supported by Eversolo.

I'm not following - why would you need to run a server on the Eversolo?

 

[Apesbrain]

I'm not following - why would you need to run a server on the Eversolo?

No need if your library is on attached USB or on internal SSD. But, if you have a large music file collection there might be performance advantages to running a server on another PC or NAS on your network.

 

[Redacted]

No need if your library is on attached USB or on internal SSD. But, if you have a large music file collection there might be performance advantages to running a server on another PC or NAS on your network.

Umm I think I explained all that!. Maybe I was unclear.

Still, I'm curious why you say a Lyrion server can run on an Eversolo... Are you using the Eversolo not just for playback, but also to serve locally stored files to other playback devices on you LAN? OK, that's a thing, but I can't a use case for that capability.