Oh no! Please tell me stickers are not the newest trend.
I agree with others here as well as some reviewers, as I have witnessed it myself in my own system. Different streamers running their digital output into one common stand-alone DAC do in fact sound different.
So clearly it has to do with more than just one ābit perfectā streamer vs another ābit perfectā streamer. There are other variables involved between streamers that make them sound different being fed into the same DAC.
And speaking of higher-end streamers, I too was recently ready to pull the trigger on either a HiFi Rose RS150B or Lumin T3 as part of a multi-stage upgrade to my system. But as it is, life happened and I had to divert those funds to other more important things thanks to a recent thunderstorm, which left me with nowhere near the funds left for my system upgrades, hence why I ordered the A6 Master Edition instead.
On the plus side, the A6 is supposed to be a rather substantial performance upgrade to my current Cambridge CXN V2 that I just purchased a couple months ago. To add to that, the A6 control app is said to be a HUGE upgrade to the Cambridge StreamMagic app, which I donāt find that hard to believe at all as that alone is the major drawback of the CXN V2.
Okay, I am tired of testing this. But only because I really, really, really miss my BACCH.
To sum it up, this unit might be all that anyone needs as a streamer. I will test it with its DAC, using balanced Stealth cables per Chops request.
Then I will put it back in its package and store it in the big warehouse, right next to the Arc of the Covenant. Like the Arc, it is a fine treasure.
*note: I cannot guess as to how many years in the future this, or any other piece of audio gear will be supported with upgrades. Be very careful!
If how many years a product will be supported or offered upgrades is your guideline for buying you may be in the wrong hobby.
I totally agree but people are sensitive to spending $900 and change so I have to warn them.
At this moment I am listening to the DMP-A6 via its internal DAC connected to my Gryphon Commander preamp via Stealth Sakra V17 LE balanced cables. I am using the Roon Endpoint function. Soon Iāll do DSD256 with its internal player. It sounds really nice. Damn this thing! Itās a keeper!
I am still using a fifteen cent power cable and stock fuses. No special feet, no BACCH, just very expensive interconnects. And no Ethernet cable, using Wi-Fi.
Update, I am listening to the DSD256 Nagra 70th Anniversary Collection Tape release. Through its internal DAC. The source is the 4TB internal M2 drive I added. (This added $226 to the cost of this device) It sounds wonderful. Damn this thing!
It looks like this in my phone.
I may buy a second one in case this one breaks.
Very nice Al. Thanks for the updates. Looks like I may need to find one of these gizmos and add it onto āThe Estateā. Lol.
time to askā¦DAC comparison between DMP and DSD?
DAC comparison between DMP-A6 and Gryphon Ethos DAC.
They were not the same, but the DMP-A6 was very good.
Eversolo single box versus PSA mk2 and streamer of choice ā who dares to post those results here??
Officially changed my order to the standard edition today. Planning on applying the savings to my cable upgrade fund.
I gotta be honest. I donāt see dac to dac being equal. Digital can be very much diminishing returns imho. So I would not be surprised in a āit held its ownā kind of thing - but we people are weird about such thingsā¦. The small differences.
It is a pleasant experience listening to the A6 with itās internal DAC. At my lake place it will replace my Euphony PTS server/endpoint, its Keces P8 power supply, a Chord Qutest DAC, and various power cables and USB cable. I read one review where it was compared to the roughly $2000 Chord Qutest DAC and the reviewer found them interchangeable. I doubt the Internal DAC is the equal of an MK2. But I believe the A6 crushes the Holo Red and perhaps the AirLens. Time will tell.
I am guessing it wonāt be a long wait before someone who owns an MK2 buys an A6. I am looking forward to that.
Somebody send me their A6 and Iāll compare it to the Red.
This is pretty impressive for the non masters edition.
They are two different types of devices with two different purposes and not in competition with each other in the marketplace. No more than a Signature Rendu and a Lumin T3 are direct competitors.
Gotta admit. Iām fairly geeked about this. By all accounts this seems like a better sounding alternative than my current setup / has a better interface / includes my streaming service w my laptop library / could relegate most of my external hard drives as backups/ and looks cool doing it.
I believe the A6 can do anything the Red can do. I do not believe the inverse is true.
I have the red as my main streamer. I should be getting A6 in June amd it will be interesting to see if there is a difference
And I agree with you and the same is true of the Sig. Rendu and any other pure streaming transport. Like Brian I have the Red and will have the A6 in June. Donāt know where the AirLens is supposed to fit in this discussion since it still doesnāt exist.
I never thought the A6 would ever be comparable to these streamers way back when I started this thread. To say Iām impressed is a understatement. I thought there would be a price to pay in the SQ department to get this level of performance in the user interface at this price point. Iām overjoyed and I can hardly wait to get mine.