EMM Labs DA2

Mike said:
As you are all aware, I spend a lot of time and money to go to shows like Munich, like Axpona and RMAF and I also spend a lot of time testing and evaluating a variety of potential products for the store on a seemingly constant basis. I’ve enjoyed sharing some of these journeys with you.

But it’s amazing to me how lazy some dealers are. It’s amazing to me how many just copy me rather than do the travel and the work themselves. Unfortunately, I’m going to have to be more guarded about what I’m evaluating or considering in the future.


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That sucks. I think I know exactly who you’re referring to ...
 
Every tree has a bad apple. You are one of the good guys Mike. We appreciate your candor and honesty.
 
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Yes EMMlabs is wonderfull. I'm lucky enough my dealer has some great EMMlabs gear. No way in hell that I can ever afford EMMlabs (or Meitner)
 

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Phishphan said:
Would love to hear the amps, but they're way outside my audio budget.


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Yes, "effortless" performance from these amps is great, have listened many afternoons to this system, never failed to impress.
 
Not sure if my post was confusing, but I am adding EMMLabs. Starting with a DV2 which already has the latest and greatest upgrade. The DA2 will get this upgrade this summer.


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Interesting, congrats Mike. What will the MA2 upgrade pertain?


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My upgrade was just finished, and is shipping back later this week.

There’s a major USB upgrade, but also “The entire analog chain has been redesigned improving transparency and definition, especially in low frequency response which I believe will put your jaw on the floor almost instantly. The V2 also has a new FPGA design, new modulators, new digital filters and a more efficient signal path. In the menu you can now designate the output voltage for better pairing with different preamps. And finally, the DA2 V2 is now MQA certified over USB input and core decoding over EMM Link when paired with the NS1 Network Streamer.”

That’s direct from Amadeus Meitner


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Phishphan said:
My upgrade was just finished, and is shipping back later this week.

There’s a major USB upgrade, but also “The entire analog chain has been redesigned improving transparency and definition, especially in low frequency response which I believe will put your jaw on the floor almost instantly. The V2 also has a new FPGA design, new modulators, new digital filters and a more efficient signal path. In the menu you can now designate the output voltage for better pairing with different preamps. And finally, the DA2 V2 is now MQA certified over USB input and core decoding over EMM Link when paired with the NS1 Network Streamer.”

That’s direct from Amadeus Meitner


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I can attest, the upgrade is significant. Looking forward to your impressions.


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I started my journey into audio at a young age. Tinkering with my first Aiwa stereo to get the most out of it, then progressed into the best audio equipment I could find for my first few cars. I’ve progressed through the years trying to build the best home audio system I could. I’ve had a plethora of DACs built on more chips than a bag of Doritos. DACs costing a few thousand dollars to cost-no-object equipment that costs more than a 7 series BMW. Ladders, AKM, Sabre, Burr-Brown, a handful of proprietary designs..you name it, I’ve had it come through my system. Yet none of them provided the perfection I sought. It wasn’t until the introduction of the EMM Labs DA2 In to my system that I knew my search had ended. The DA2 is exceedingly transparent, without the hint of coloration. A perfect balance of frequencies from top-to-bottom. I was utterly blown away with the drum kit on Medeski, Martin, & Wood’s “Last Chance To Dance Trance (Perhaps).” The crack of the snare, the decay of the bell on the ride cymbal, the thud of the kick drum.. all made be feel like I was sitting at my own drum kit. Listening to this DAC is a surreal experience for any true audiophile. With the V2 upgrade they’ve improved what I thought couldn’t be improved. Get ready to hear every-last-detail of your source material, good or bad. I’ve found myself re-listening to songs and albums I’ve heard hundreds of times, yet finding myself shocked that I never heard “that part” of the song before. This is as close to real world reproduction as I have ever heard. Don’t let anyone tell you that it isn’t possible for an analog sound out of digital equipment. Anyone saying that hasn’t heard the the EMM Labs DA2 V2. Pair it with the NS1, and PRE prepare for an even more incredible experience
 
Phishphan said:
I started my journey into audio at a young age. Tinkering with my first Aiwa stereo to get the most out of it, then progressed into the best audio equipment I could find for my first few cars. I’ve progressed through the years trying to build the best home audio system I could. I’ve had a plethora of DACs built on more chips than a bag of Doritos. DACs costing a few thousand dollars to cost-no-object equipment that costs more than a 7 series BMW. Ladders, AKM, Sabre, Burr-Brown, a handful of proprietary designs..you name it, I’ve had it come through my system. Yet none of them provided the perfection I sought. It wasn’t until the introduction of the EMM Labs DA2 In to my system that I knew my search had ended. The DA2 is exceedingly transparent, without the hint of coloration. A perfect balance of frequencies from top-to-bottom. I was utterly blown away with the drum kit on Medeski, Martin, & Wood’s “Last Chance To Dance Trance (Perhaps).” The crack of the snare, the decay of the bell on the ride cymbal, the thud of the kick drum.. all made be feel like I was sitting at my own drum kit. Listening to this DAC is a surreal experience for any true audiophile. With the V2 upgrade they’ve improved what I thought couldn’t be improved. Get ready to hear every-last-detail of your source material, good or bad. I’ve found myself re-listening to songs and albums I’ve heard hundreds of times, yet finding myself shocked that I never heard “that part” of the song before. This is as close to real world reproduction as I have ever heard. Don’t let anyone tell you that it isn’t possible for an analog sound out of digital equipment. Anyone saying that hasn’t heard the the EMM Labs DA2 V2. Pair it with the NS1, and PRE prepare for an even more incredible experience
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Hi Phisphan,

Thank you so much for sharing. My DA2 to V2 is almost done. Can't wait to hear the improvements you mentioned!
 
Mike, you are so right on with your comments re no bad reviews and folks focussing on one or two slightly negative points. If I get something in to review that I can't get into, it goes back to the manufacturer. Just because I didn't vibe with it, doesn't automatically mean it's a bad product, so writing something negative doesn't help anyone.
 
Mcsnare said:
Mike, you are so right on with your comments re no bad reviews and folks focussing on one or two slightly negative points. If I get something in to review that I can't get into, it goes back to the manufacturer. Just because I didn't vibe with it, doesn't automatically mean it's a bad product, so writing something negative doesn't help anyone.
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Dave, I’m wondering though if this isn’t a slippery slope. Can you imagine ANY other industry acting like this? Cars, appliances, apparel, etc. This is why we are seeing the rise of Vloggers and other types of sites like pay sites giving reviews with a different angle.


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Mike said:
Dave, I’m wondering though if this isn’t a slippery slope. Can you imagine ANY other industry acting like this? Cars, appliances, apparel, etc. This is why we are seeing the rise of Vloggers and other types of sites like pay sites giving reviews with a different angle.
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I kind of think the slope has already slipped. That's part of the reason I encouraged everyone who listened to the DAC I designed to write what they thought, even if they didn't like it or liked something else better. Negative reviews can help potential customers figure out if a product is really right for them, just as much as positive reviews (e.g. your recent review of the Tesla braking system). Especially in such a subjective market.

Of course, negative reviews are more beneficial to an unknown brand or product, than to something well known (New Coke?), but I still think it's the honest way to approach things, and research seems to find customers agree (Google search returns many results if anyone is curious). The only exception would be if there's some fatal flaw in your product, like a safety issue or a serious technical issue, but in that case it probably is better overall if no one buys your product.
 
Mcsnare said:
Mike,
I get what you're saying yet hifi gear is so subjective. In a perfect world, how do you think it should be reviewed? I'm legit asking, not being argumentative.
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Hi Dave - first, want to say how glad I am that you’re here. I look forward to meeting you at the Florida Audio Expo.

Second, I’m a fan of the reviewers, but I know first hand how careful they have to be. In my opinion, we should be all comfortable enough to see reviews which point out all pro’s, con’s and known comparisons. No candy coating. No tip toeing. Build, features and sound are all compared with an open Kimono. No finishing a Luke warm review with “if you’re in the market for a DAC costing $5000, you should check ABC DAC out.” No, it should read: “I can’t recommend this DAC. It didn’t handle DSD well, it doesn’t have MQA, sonically it was quite thin and bright. There are better DAC’s for less such as X, Y and Z.” Whatever. Just an example. When I reviewed the Lumin A1, I gave an honest fair review pointing out the pro’s and con’s. This was long before I was a dealer.

I just watched a review of the Porsche Boxster 25 and the reviewer said “I hate the interior. No, no. It just doesn’t work.” And made some jokes.

There are numerous examples of car reviews. Just watch old Top Gear. I can’t speak about watches, dishwashers, coffee makers, lawn mowers or things like that, but the car industry is a good example.


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Mike said:
Hi Dave - first, want to say how glad I am that you’re here. I look forward to meeting you at the Florida Audio Expo.

Second, I’m a fan of the reviewers, but I know first hand how careful they have to be. In my opinion, we should be all comfortable enough to see reviews which point out all pro’s, con’s and known comparisons. No candy coating. No tip toeing. Build, features and sound are all compared with an open Kimono. No finishing a Luke warm review with “if you’re in the market for a DAC costing $5000, you should check ABC DAC out.” No, it should read: “I can’t recommend this DAC. It didn’t handle DSD well, it doesn’t have MQA, sonically it was quite thin and bright. There are better DAC’s for less such as X, Y and Z.” Whatever. Just an example. When I reviewed the Lumin A1, I gave an honest fair review pointing out the pro’s and con’s. This was long before I was a dealer.

I just watched a review of the Porsche Boxster 25 and the reviewer said “I hate the interior. No, no. It just doesn’t work.” And made some jokes.

There are numerous examples of car reviews. Just watch old Top Gear. I can’t speak about watches, dishwashers, coffee makers, lawn mowers or things like that, but the car industry is a good example.


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Thanks, Mike.
Yeah, Florida will be fun! Let's hang.
As far as the review situation, I agree that it would be fun to see more no-punches-pulled reviews. But there is an inherent problem that doesn't have anything to do with politics and conflicts of interest.
What if in the case of a speaker, my room just doesn't like it? Or with electronics, the system synergy is way off? Or what if my preferences of what I like to hear is very different from someone else? What about being so locked into the way my reference system sounds, there is very little psychological room to embrace a different sounding, but high performing piece of gear? It's tricky.
I am always honest in my pieces and don't overly sugar coat, but since I make sure to only write about stuff that I think sounds good, I can totally see how it might come off as the same ole rave.
As I said, I've sent several things back that I thought were poor sounding or had poorly designed operating features - with my feedback to the manufacturer. I've also reviewed things that are highly regarded by many folks - but that I had a harder time with, although if you read closely I'm clear about the issues I had.
I feel like hifi reviews are SO subjective it falls in more of a wine review category as opposed to cars or other stuff.
My main focus is to talk in an entertaining way and tell a story about how a piece of gear sounded to ME, in the hope that someone in the market for that kind of product is inspired to make an effort to hear it for themselves.
 
Mcsnare said:
What if in the case of a speaker, my room just doesn't like it? Or with electronics, the system synergy is way off? Or what if my preferences of what I like to hear is very different from someone else? What about being so locked into the way my reference system sounds, there is very little psychological room to embrace a different sounding, but high performing piece of gear?
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When researching something one needs to read multiple reviews, the reviewer needs to clearly articulate why they hold the opinion they have and in what environment, and one also needs to get a feel for how to interpret and how much to trust the reviewer. That's why people go to Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic, and the top reviewers featured on those platforms explain and compare so the reader knows why, and can also decide if that matters to them and in what way.

As an example, one of the negative reviews of Schindler's List complains about how good and evil is not clearly presented to the viewer. So, okay, I get some idea of how much to value that reviewer's opinion and what he was personally looking for, and also what sort of movie Schindler's List is going to be.

The room should theoretically have the same general impact for all the gear you review, and your room can be described just like the associated equipment is listed. If a reviewer is writing about a pair of flagship speakers and driving them with a 20-year-old tube amplifier running the original tubes, then that's the context in which the reader needs to interpret "there was mid-range warmth and some lack of detail".

This is already how I read reviews from certain people in the audio review industry. It's also why I sometimes ignore parts of reviews that I know cannot be accurate, knowing how other equipment must compare and our current state of technology.
 
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