[minatophase3]

Does anyone have one of these?  I have read several great reviews but would prefer to hear from actual users of the device.  I am thinking about downsizing a bit and having a streamer/dac/preamp in one unit is attractive. 

Very interested to hear about sound quality and what other streamers/dacs people that have A8 have used before.

Thanks,
Tim

[newzooreview]

Yes, I have this paired with the new Hypex Nilai stereo amp. I run it using Roon via an Ethernet connection to the DMP-A8.

It works exceptionally well with Roon. I can adjust the A8's volume from the Roon app on phone or computer, hearing the relays click in the attenuator as I do that. The DMP-A8 is Roon Ready, so everything plays a native resolution (up to DSP 256 and PCM 192, 99.5% of my files). My files are on a NUC on the same network

I have not bothered using it with the built-in app/player. It is simply a Roon endpoint for me. I have not found other apps to be anywhere near as convenient or enjoyable to use as Roon.

I think having the DAC directly integrated with the streaming input is a big advantage. There is no potential degradation through additional cables and digital boxes. The internal DAC sounds exceptionally good to me. I like it better than my former Benchmark DAC3, and I don't find any degradation compared to my former Holo May KTE DAC. The internal DAC on the A8 is very detailed and natural with excellent bass and soundstage. Transients on acoustic instruments are portrayed very naturally.

I use a vibration isolation platform under the A8 and have it powered from a Puritan AC filter with a Puritan Ultimate power cable. Power and vibration can affect DAC performance, so I thought I should note that the A8 is paired with AC and a platform costing as much as it does.

I can wholeheartedly recommend it as a Roon endpoint and do not have an interest in getting a separate pre-amp, streaming box, or DAC.

[zybar]

I purchased one in December of 2023 due to all the great reviews, but never used it as I changed my system config and run Roon directly into my speakers Dutch and Dutch 8C's) via Ethernet.

You can check with the person who bough it (ebag4).  I think he has been very happy with it.

George

[minatophase3]

@newzooreview - excellent information, thank  you for sharing.  I do not use Roon but it is compatible with Tidal Connect so that would be fine with me.  I currently have a 4 box setup:

Accuphase E-380 integrated (using only as pre-amp)
Coda S5.5 stereo amp
Holo Audio Spring 3 KTE DAC
Lumin T2 streamer connected to DAC via an excellent Happa Audio silver BNC

My thought would be to replace the Accuphase, Holo and Lumin with the A8 and use the money for a speaker upgrade.  I don't mind taking a side step or even a very slight step backward in sound quality, but I cannot take a big step backward.  No sense in getting better speakers if they are being fed an inferior signal. 

I may need to purchase the A8 and see how it stacks up.

[minatophase3]

I purchased one in December of 2023 due to all the great reviews, but never used it as I changed my system config and run Roon directly into my speakers Dutch and Dutch 8C's) via Ethernet.

You can check with the person who bough it (ebag4).  I think he has been very happy with it.

George

I heard the Dutch & Dutch 8C's at Pacific Audio Fest last year and was blown away at how good they sounded, really made me rethink my audio setup. 

[newzooreview]

The Holo Spring 3 is available with a pre-amp module that is identical in design principle to the one in the A8: "Fully discrete and balanced relay controlled volume control."

Could Tim at Kitsune add the preamp module into the Spring 3 for you? I would definitely go that route rather than get the A8 just to use it as a pre-amp.

I would also not that 1) the A8 does benefit from burn-in and 2) it sounds better left on (like most DACs). It does not sound its best just turned on from standby.

[minatophase3]

The Holo Spring 3 is available with a pre-amp module that is identical in design principle to the one in the A8: "Fully discrete and balanced relay controlled volume control."

Could Tim at Kitsune add the preamp module into the Spring 3 for you? I would definitely go that route rather than get the A8 just to use it as a pre-amp.

I never thought about having the preamp module added the the Spring.  I knew you could buy it that way.  Will have to reach out to them and see if it is possible.

If I got the A8 I would use it as a preamp, dac and streamer and sell the Accuphase, Lumin and Holo dac.

[newzooreview]

Ahhh, ok.

It's an interesting comparison. Your existing setup is excellent with (my guessing) the pre-amp being a weaker element.

I think shorter digital and analog signal paths and designing all elements to work together could offer an advantage for the A8, but you have a very good digital transport and DAC.

If you go the A8 you could stream Tidal via Ethernet. It will turn off WiFi when connected via Ethernet, so the RF noise from WiFi is gone from the system.

In every case that I've compared Ethernet to WiFi, the Ethernet has sounded best. It's definitely worth using Ethernet with the A8.

[minatophase3]

Ahhh, ok.

It's an interesting comparison. Your existing setup is excellent with (my guessing) the pre-amp being a weaker element.

I think shorter digital and analog signal paths and designing all elements to work together could offer an advantage for the A8, but you have a very good digital transport and DAC.

If you go the A8 you could stream Tidal via Ethernet. It will turn off WiFi when connected via Ethernet, so the RF noise from WiFi is gone from the system.

In every case that I've compared Ethernet to WiFi, the Ethernet has sounded best. It's definitely worth using Ethernet with the A8.

Agree 100% on Ethernet vs wifi.  And yes I think my preamp while pretty good is probably the weakest point in my system.

[newzooreview]

I'll be curious to hear how it goes if you give the A8 a try.

[JackD]

According to Tim's website the preamp module on the Spring 3 is only installable by the factory. It can not be added by him or in the field.

[minatophase3]

I'll be curious to hear how it goes if you give the A8 a try.

If I decide to give the A8 a try will definitely post my thoughts.

[Carlman]

I'm planning to build a system around the A8..
1 analog in from my phono pre,
1 digital in for CD transport,
Internal streamer for the 80% of music I listen to from my hard drive or a streaming service. 
Output to a nice amp I have in mind.
Speakers -> undecided small towers.  (Maybe Elac Vela's?)

The A8 replaces a DAC, PC and preamp for me.  I sold my big system (and am still selling some parts) when I moved out of my house with dedicated room.
Now I'm living in a condo and waiting for the right house to present itself.  So, in the meantime, I'm building my future system and I want it smaller than the last one... it will not get a dedicated room (not full time anyway).

There is a chance I'll get the A8 before I move, so I'll report back if it happens. 

The only major con I see going this route is the changing interface of the streamer.  I'll get used to it and they'll do an upgrade and bam, there goes my home button.. or the search feature is buried.. or they change how the local files are accessed... That stuff drives me crazy.  It's not an Eversolo thing, it's an EVERYthing problem.. my phone, my car, etc.  My audio PC with Foobar never changed.  Everything works like it did 15 years ago.  I just wanted a better remote and the ability to use Amazon/Quboz/etc. in addition to my local collection.  So, here we are... is it worth it?  We'll see.

[newzooreview]

Agreed. The built-in interface on most devices is poor, whether Blue Node, Eversolo, Naim, WiiM, or other. Price doesn't seem to matter. The Auralic interface was 10x worse than WiiM.

I paid the lifetime fee for Roon (which was $500 at the time) and have had one, very good interface for local files and streaming services for years now. It was worth it. It's much better than any other that I've tried.

You might look into the Ascend Acoustics speakers. I have the Sierra LX, and they sound exceptionally good. Ascend designs all of their speakers with a Klippel NFS which is a state of the art. They sound natural with a great timbre and soundstage.

I use the Nilai amp to provide as much power as needed. Amazingly natural sounding amp--very nice for piano and violin and other acoustic music due to the very well-preserved decay. I ordered mine from VTV, assembled and with WBT binding posts added.

Have fun with the new setup.

[Carlman]

Thanks, Newzoo.. Ascend Acoustics is on my list to try if I can find them.  I think their ELX towers would fit the bill.  They seem like they'd fit my tastes from what I've read, and have some of the characteristics I like about a ribbon tweeter setup.  I have time so just a matter of finding them and getting in front of them.  But to be honest, I'm not as picky (or critical) as I once was. 

I pulled the trigger on an Eversolo A8 yesterday, so it should be shipped soon.  Jim and Daniel at Vinyl Sound USA have been great to deal with so far, for me anyway.. I like the personal touch of talking to a person who knows hifi.  Definitely a better experience than just 'add to cart'. 

If I can't live with the interface, I'll consider Roon.  I've used it at Audio Advice, seemed ok, but I didn't do anything but search for songs. I want the Eversolo app to work for me because I want it to be a full remote on my phone.. change inputs, update settings, whatever I can.  My goal is to keep it as simple as possible.  I already work in IT and don't want to work too hard at home to listen to music.  Plus I want it easy for others in my family to use.  I have a dedicated old phone as a remote that will stay in the room. 

I have a sale pending on my old dac.. I will miss it.  Hopefully I can sell the rest of my gear so I can do the ol' churn.. There's nothing wrong with what I have but I just wanted to change things up... one last itch to scratch in this hobby I guess.  I've been satisfied for 10 years. 

Anyway, exciting to venture into a new system. I'll report back how it all goes.

[Carlman]

So I got the A8 yesterday, got it setup in a few minutes. (walked through the initial setup and downloaded the latest firmware)...
I was excited to see how it worked.. so, I plugged it into the only 'system' I have, which is a set of active 2.1 'computer speakers' from Acoustic Energy.  It sounds good but is not high fidelity.
I'll get my Musical Fidelity X150 and a pair of Era Design 5's out of storage soon and hear it on that setup soon...

In a nutshell, it's really excellent.  It's heavy, has nice crisp clean lines/feel to it.. It just feels like a high quality piece of gear.  The volume knob clicks as you attenuate, which was a surprise. (to have a stepped attenuator).. Plus, the knob is big, lit, easy to find.  Pressing the knob pulls up the option brings up the power menu.. shut down, restart, etc.  It's basically a little audio PC with an app... with a nice DAC built-in.. and inputs.  And streaming. 

So far I've only got Amazon Unlimited HD setup, but the quality compared to my usual PC w/ SMSL DAC is leaps beyond, even on the modest setup I have on my desk.  It has a thick, rich and 3-D sound to it compared to what I'm used to.  It's a little 'much' for background listening.. I'd never get work done if I had this much musical information in front of me... Go To Sleep by Radiohead just keeps getting cranked higher and higher on the clicky volume control while I listen... So, in a nutshell, this piece deserves the praise and awards its gotten.  Is it to my taste?  I don't know... I've got so many more things to go..

For 1, finding a room, 2, getting the amplifier completed, picking up the speakers.. Oh, I decided on a pair of speakers.  It was between a new pair of Ascend Acoustics and several contenders.. but I was able to find a pair of JM Reynaud Cantabile jubilee's.  They're like new, in white, and the guy was willing to meet me half way on both price and driving/pickup.  They're front ported which I like also.  I don't know how they'll sound because I don't know what room they'll be in.  But building a little hifi system for myself is a helpful therapy for me right now.  I know I'll be in a small to mid sized room... even if the room is large, the listening area will be in a 6' to 9' triangle. So, I'm building the system for that.. Plus, that will work in my current little office. 

But anyway... The Eversolo A8 is a toe tapping dream machine for me.  My hunch about this being perfect for me was right. 
Really beautiful sound so far.  Glad technology has come this far so quickly.  I think it would give my Foobar/PC to LH DAC a run for its money. (But that system is all sold now, so I can't compare.)  It would've been fun...

Edit: Thanks to a new local friend, I've been able to experiment a lot more with this Streamer/DAP/DAC/Pre.  Lots to customize, lots to discover.  I didn't realize the extent of EQ and room correction available.  But it has it.. Also, allows you to mess with DAC filters.  (not very audible, but do have a 'feel' to them somehow) 
It really seems like the volume knob is the only limitation.  If I take it out, and run it to an integrated, the sound is full but with the volume knob used, it gets a little veiled.. not much, but just enough to notice on a temporary setup... so in a big system with everything dialed in, I expect this to be a bigger difference. 

Also, I've compared it to a tubed pre, and well, it's just not the same... I might just have to get a tube pre and bypass the volume knob to get the most out of the music.  Dang.  I was really hoping for an all in one.. but to no one's surprise, it can't do it all (to a very high level anyway)...