Eversolo DMP-A8 Master Gen 2

My first encounter with this device took place last spring at the High End show in Vienna. On that occasion, theEversolo DMP-A8 Master Gen 2 was prominently displayed at theAsian company, showcasing a hyper-realistic animation on its 8-inch OLED display depicting a fireplace complete with a blazing, crackling fire, thus piquing the curiosity of those present and making it one of the main attractions at the booth. Personally, since my aesthetic sensibilities lean in the opposite direction, I deliberately—but guiltily—ignored this DAC/streamer/CD player, only to fortunately find it in the Test Room a few months later, thanks to the courtesy of the Italian importer, who helped me get past my initial hesitation due to aesthetic concerns.

DMP-A8 Master Gen 2:Technical and Commercial Overview

The device is highly multifunctional, as it combines four distinct functions within a single aircraft-grade aluminum chassis: a network streamer, a DAC, an analog preamplifier with resistive network (R2R) volume control, and finally a sophisticated digital signal processor (DSP) for room acoustic correction. Hence the title I chose for the video we posted on YouTube: “Is there anything this machine can’t do?”

When writing reviews of a product like this, you’re faced with a dilemma: should you write a smooth, fast-paced text that tries to convey the product’s character, or should you delve into the myriad of technical features that—now more than ever—constitute the very soul of the machine? As you read on, you’ll realize that this time I’ve chosen the second option, even though I know I won’t be able to cover every topic exhaustively. So, Before moving on to the in-depth technical review, it’s worth placing this product within the Eversolo catalog. Let’s start with the obvious observation that, as a “Gen 2” model, it follows the original 2023 DMP-A8—which, incidentally, remains in production at a more affordable price and which, in turn, was built on the excellent foundation of the DMP-A6. The version Master, This test model differs from the standard version in that it includes a CD-reading mechanism. Compared to the model from three years ago, the upgrades There have been numerous changes affecting virtually every aspect of the device: the most noticeable change is the display. Eversolo has upgraded from the original A8’s 6-inch touchscreen to a stunning 8.6-inch display, redesigning the interface to accommodate the larger size. It displays theartwork album art, various types of VU meters, and a spectrum analyzer—also available in several animated versions that track the musical signal’s waveform. Thanks to the touchscreen function, you can control all the many features of the DMP-A8 Gen 2 if you prefer not to use the excellent Eversolo Control app or the sleek rechargeable infrared remote control included in the package. In short, simply deciding how to “control” the DMP-A8 Master Gen 2 is no trivial matter.

The impressive capabilities of this machine require significant computing power, so the main SoC (System on Chip) processor) had to undergo the necessary upgrade, switching from a quad-core to a 64-bit octa-core processor with 8 gigabytes of DDR5 memory and 64 GB of eMMC flash memory for the operating system. The adoption of DDR5 memory (compared to the previous-generation DDR4 or the lower-tier A6 series) doubles the available data bandwidth, enabling exceptionally smooth interface performance and latency-free real-time management of audio buffers. The manufacturer claims that, thanks to this hardware, the device is capable of scanning and organizing a local library of 200,000 tracks in about two hours. This library can only be partially stored in the internal memory, which can—and indeed must—be expanded by inserting an SSD into the M.2 NVMe slot located at the bottom of the cabinet, thereby enabling storage of up to 8 terabytes—double the capacity of the original A8.

DAC Section: AK4191EQ and AK4499EX

The conversion section uses a dual-chip design (Velvet Sound) that employs an AK4191EQ for digital processing and an AK4499EX for conversion. The latter, in particular, is one of AKM’s flagship models, as well as one of the most expensive DAC chips currently on the market, typically used in DACs positioned above the A8’s class. If you’re wondering why this choice was made, the simple answer is that separating the processing and conversion stages is intended to minimize noise.

R2R Volume Control

We mentioned at the beginning that one of the functions of the Eversolo DMP-A8 Master Gen 2 is that of a preamplifier; this “role” is, in fact, confirmed by the presence of an analog line input on the rear panel. In this context, the inclusion of a volume control was to be expected; what is less obvious is “how” this control was implemented. One of its most distinctive features is, in fact, the R2R resistor-based volume control, whose introduction into the audio world is attributed to Mark Levinson several decades ago. Instead of adjusting the volume in the digital domain, the R2R ladder uses a network of precision resistors to attenuate the signal in the analog domain, with the advantage that the resolution and channel balance remain constant regardless of the knob’s position across all adjustment steps (in this case 120 in 0.5 dB steps), thereby preserving the signal-to-noise ratio and tonal balance even when listening at low volumes. It is worth noting that this type of volume control is typically found in high-end preamplifiers.

The Oscillator and the CD Player: Differences Between Standard Gen 2 and Master Gen 2

There is also a version of this product without a CD player, which costs €1,980.00. Both units use a synchronization system (Clocking) of high quality, but where the standard Gen 2 uses a Dual ultra-low-phase-noise clocks, The Master Gen 2 (the one with the CD player) uses a thermally controlled oscillator (OCXO) with 50 MHz PLL correction, which is designed to maintain the crystal oscillator at a constant temperature in order to minimize thermal fluctuations that could cause jitter. By eliminating this variable, the Master Gen 2’s OCXO keeps jitter below 50 femtoseconds. In addition, the Master Gen 2 also features a 10-megahertz external clock input with adaptive synchronization. Eversolo recently announced the C10 Precision Master Clock, which is designed to feed this input directly; when used with other Eversolo equipment, such as the T10 transport or the Z10 DAC, all three units can synchronize simultaneously to the same reference clock.

The Master Gen 2 is the first A8 model to include a built-in top-loading CD player with a magnetic stabilizing puck : This is certainly a convenient addition for playback, but it’s a game-changer for ripping a CD collection, since it eliminates the need for an external USB drive. The system performs lossless ripping to WAV or FLAC format, automatically and exceptionally effectively manages metadata and album art, detects duplicates, and saves files to a local drive or a network drive (SMB, NFS, and WebDAV protocols). As for playback, the built-in player sounds quite good, though it cannot compete in terms of sound quality with a high-end dedicated CD player. To me, it seemed perfect for users who have a CD collection they’re emotionally attached to but don’t want to add another component to their audio system.

Basically, a photo of me.