I would like to know the approximate transaction price of buying a new DV2i in the United States, Canada or other regions? Is there any discount from the official quotation?thanks！
Emm labs DA2 v2 upgrade
- Thread starter awsmone
- Start date
Hi Jackey, it will be better if you let us know specifically where you are currently residing.
Why don't you contact the local EMM Labs dealer in China or Hong Kong and negotiate a good deal from them?
I'd like to know the situation of other regions so that we can negotiate the price better.
Just got back from the SouthWest Audio Fest 2025 - Dallas, on Sunday.
Lots of fun rooms to hear some great music.
Had to go to the EMM Labs Room, since I am selling their products now.
Had a long chat with both Amadeus Meitner and John McGurk of AudioShield Distribution, about my new DV2i and how much improved it is over the former DV2.
Really nice guys and fun to exchange opinions about our audio passion!
(My lust is to obtain those new MTRX2 mono amps.)
Lots of fun rooms to hear some great music.
Had to go to the EMM Labs Room, since I am selling their products now.
Had a long chat with both Amadeus Meitner and John McGurk of AudioShield Distribution, about my new DV2i and how much improved it is over the former DV2.
Really nice guys and fun to exchange opinions about our audio passion!
(My lust is to obtain those new MTRX2 mono amps.)
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Hi Guys,
Today is my second listening session since I had my DV2 upgraded to V3 (I didn't acquire the DV2i because I don't stream). The DAC has about 100 hours of running-in. I gave the Live from the Cliburn album a relisten (Yunchan Lim Live from the Cliburn, Liszt's Transcendental Etudes, Steinway & Sons CD).
The "high definition" performance and sound of the Transcendental Etudes by Yunchan Lim were so good that I listened to the entire album (12 tracks) at one go! I could clearly and easily hear the Steinway & Sons Model D Concert Grand Piano's soundboard, its attack, sustain, decay and release, its richness, warmth and sonority as well as the tonal string vibrations. Dynamics were stunning. Everything here sounded so right!
Today is my second listening session since I had my DV2 upgraded to V3 (I didn't acquire the DV2i because I don't stream). The DAC has about 100 hours of running-in. I gave the Live from the Cliburn album a relisten (Yunchan Lim Live from the Cliburn, Liszt's Transcendental Etudes, Steinway & Sons CD).
The "high definition" performance and sound of the Transcendental Etudes by Yunchan Lim were so good that I listened to the entire album (12 tracks) at one go! I could clearly and easily hear the Steinway & Sons Model D Concert Grand Piano's soundboard, its attack, sustain, decay and release, its richness, warmth and sonority as well as the tonal string vibrations. Dynamics were stunning. Everything here sounded so right!
Still a long way to go till you hear it in its full glory. Enjoy the journey…..
Can you share how much improved your new DV2i is over the former DV2？and your opinion about its preamp function(volume control).Thanks a lot.
The 2 most notable improvements were the imaging and bass quality.
When I spoke with Amadeus Meitner last week at the SW AudioFest, he said the imaging dramatically improved because they redesigned the DAC to have significantly higher frequency bandwidth range.
My MBL101E speakers have always imaged well, but good Lord, this new DV2i unit has pushed my system to spooky regions of imaging.
And don't get me started on the articulated bass quality improvement.
Granted I have (2) REL212 subwoofers aiding in the bass, but the slam and tightness of bass notes is a huge improvement over the DV2.
Good Luck!
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Hi Guys,
Today is my third listening session. The V3 has about 200 hours of running-in. The album used for the listening session was Life and Breath, Choral Works by Rene Clausen (Kansas City Chorale/Charles Bruffy, Chandos CHSA 5105 SACD). The performance/recording is state of the art.
The choir and the acoustical space sounded eerily real! Vowel timbre was spot-on. The vocal tone was not pressed or strident. Articulations and dynamics were great! The two sounds - the sound of a singer voice and the sound of the choir as a whole were excellently reproduced. Spacing between and among the singers sounded true to life. The reproduction of the venue acoustic/reverberation was natural. The listening experience was completely immersive!
Today is my third listening session. The V3 has about 200 hours of running-in. The album used for the listening session was Life and Breath, Choral Works by Rene Clausen (Kansas City Chorale/Charles Bruffy, Chandos CHSA 5105 SACD). The performance/recording is state of the art.
The choir and the acoustical space sounded eerily real! Vowel timbre was spot-on. The vocal tone was not pressed or strident. Articulations and dynamics were great! The two sounds - the sound of a singer voice and the sound of the choir as a whole were excellently reproduced. Spacing between and among the singers sounded true to life. The reproduction of the venue acoustic/reverberation was natural. The listening experience was completely immersive!
Totally love how all of us with upgraded DA2's have similar experiences. I too didn't go for the "i" update as I stream from local files with a custom built solution that leverages Diretta Host and Target and a custom built realtime linux kernel. Sonically, I do not feel there is anything to improve.
If EMM happens to be reading these threads, I would love to see a USB input to EMMLink output device. Not a network endpoint, but a USB endpoint, so that it could be connected to streamer / server of choise then EMMLink to the DAC. Similar to how the Playback Designs USB-X4 works. That way a user is not ring-fenced to any streaming protocol. I have run 2x 75 foot of AT&T MM fibre from my server room to my music room inside my walls to accomodate such a thing... I would buy an EMM device like that in a heart beat!
Another review of the DV2i by Phil Gold for Soundstage Ultra. He previously reviewed the DV2 V2 & Meitner MA3.
https://www.soundstageultra.com/ind...1267-emm-labs-dv2i-streaming-dac-preamplifier
Most detailed set of measurements to date too.
https://www.soundstagenetwork.com/i...bs-dv2i-dac-measurements&catid=434&Itemid=577
https://www.soundstageultra.com/ind...1267-emm-labs-dv2i-streaming-dac-preamplifier
Most detailed set of measurements to date too.
https://www.soundstagenetwork.com/i...bs-dv2i-dac-measurements&catid=434&Itemid=577
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Today is my fourth listening session. The upgraded DAC has about 270 hours of running-in. The album used for this listening session was Haochen Zhang, Beethoven Hammerklavier Sonata and Liszt Sonata in B minor (BIS 2781 SACD). Gramophone says: "Zhang's ear for polyphonic interplay is sufficiently remarkable as to make you feel you have never heard some passages properly played before."
The Steinway D has never sounded so rich, so weighty and so nuance before (via my sound system)! The V3 is able to reproduce the maximum dynamic range and sustain of the Model D grand piano.
Phil Gold concludes: "So, who is the EMM DV2i for? Anyone blessed with deep pockets who possesses a quality system and a desire for the closest thing to a live concert-hall sound right at home. In his review of the DV2 for SoundStage! Ultra in 2020, Aron Garecht wrote that it set a new standard for what can be expected from a world-class DAC. The new DV2i is a major leap forward over the DV2.
Products as significant as this do not come along often. It’s a milestone, not only within the world of digital audio, but for audio in general. With high-quality recordings, it rivals even live music. You’ll find mention of the DV2i in my future reviews, as my new reference DAC."
. . . Phil Gold
Technical data taken from Soundstage Ultra regarding the DV2i digital volume control:
FFT spectrum – 1kHz (digital input, 24/96 data at -80dBFS)
This is not a test we typically do, but because the DV2i has an onboard volume control, we wanted to show if there were differences between lowering the signal level of the analyzer versus using the volume control at its lowest level (-80dBFS). Shown above is the fast Fourier transform (FFT) for a 1kHz input sinewave stimulus, measured at the balanced output into 200k ohm for the coaxial digital input, sampled at 24/961 at -80dBFS with the volume set to maximum but with the analyzer’s signal level reduced to output the correct level. We see the signal peak at the correct amplitude, and essentially no signal harmonics or noise peaks.
FFT spectrum – 1kHz (digital input, 24/96 data at 0dBFS with volume control set to -80dBFS, its lowest level)
This is not a test we typically do, but because the DV2i has an onboard volume control, we wanted to show if there were differences between lowering the signal level of the analyzer versus using the volume control. Shown above is the fast Fourier transform (FFT) for a 1kHz input sinewave stimulus, measured at the balanced output into 200k ohm for the coaxial digital input, sampled at 24/961 at 0dBFS with the volume set to minimum (-80dB). We see essentially the same FFT as above with the volume at maximum and the input signal at -80dBFS. This is good evidence for EmmLabs’s claims of a transparent digital volume control.
FFT spectrum – 1kHz (digital input, 24/96 data at -80dBFS)
This is not a test we typically do, but because the DV2i has an onboard volume control, we wanted to show if there were differences between lowering the signal level of the analyzer versus using the volume control at its lowest level (-80dBFS). Shown above is the fast Fourier transform (FFT) for a 1kHz input sinewave stimulus, measured at the balanced output into 200k ohm for the coaxial digital input, sampled at 24/961 at -80dBFS with the volume set to maximum but with the analyzer’s signal level reduced to output the correct level. We see the signal peak at the correct amplitude, and essentially no signal harmonics or noise peaks.
FFT spectrum – 1kHz (digital input, 24/96 data at 0dBFS with volume control set to -80dBFS, its lowest level)
This is not a test we typically do, but because the DV2i has an onboard volume control, we wanted to show if there were differences between lowering the signal level of the analyzer versus using the volume control. Shown above is the fast Fourier transform (FFT) for a 1kHz input sinewave stimulus, measured at the balanced output into 200k ohm for the coaxial digital input, sampled at 24/961 at 0dBFS with the volume set to minimum (-80dB). We see essentially the same FFT as above with the volume at maximum and the input signal at -80dBFS. This is good evidence for EmmLabs’s claims of a transparent digital volume control.
Hi Guys,
Today is my sixth listening session. The V3 has about 340 hours of running-in. The album used for the listening session was John Pickard, Mass In Troubled Times, BBC Singers/Martyn Brabbins, BIS 2651 SACD.
The reproduction of the choir, trumpet and organ of St. Jude-on-the-Hill, Hampstead, London, were one of the most realistic, if not the most realistic I have ever heard via my sound system. Listen especially to track 5-7 (Orion for trumpet and organ), track 10 (Tesserae for organ), and track 11-16 (Mass in Troubled Times). The direct sound, the early reflections and the sound that reverberates were effortlessly reproduced with stunning purity! Timbres were exactly correct.
Today is my sixth listening session. The V3 has about 340 hours of running-in. The album used for the listening session was John Pickard, Mass In Troubled Times, BBC Singers/Martyn Brabbins, BIS 2651 SACD.
The reproduction of the choir, trumpet and organ of St. Jude-on-the-Hill, Hampstead, London, were one of the most realistic, if not the most realistic I have ever heard via my sound system. Listen especially to track 5-7 (Orion for trumpet and organ), track 10 (Tesserae for organ), and track 11-16 (Mass in Troubled Times). The direct sound, the early reflections and the sound that reverberates were effortlessly reproduced with stunning purity! Timbres were exactly correct.
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Hi Andy, as previously suggested by Rexp earlier in this thread, instead of a music review of each SACD / test selection (each of which appears to be the best that you have heard), perhaps it may be more useful to provide a comparison of the changes from V2 to V3.
After all, we are trying to get at how the V3 sounds / performs, not how each SACD / music selection sounds.
Thanks.
After all, we are trying to get at how the V3 sounds / performs, not how each SACD / music selection sounds.
Thanks.
Since receiving the DV2i, I have admittedly ignored using the internal streamer and use my Taiko Extreme for streaming purposes.
This week I decided to switch and start using the DV2i streamer.
Gotta admit it sounds wonderful and so easy to access Qobuz through the Mcontrol app on my iPad and iPhone.
Seriously considering putting the Taiko Extreme on the used market.....
This week I decided to switch and start using the DV2i streamer.
Gotta admit it sounds wonderful and so easy to access Qobuz through the Mcontrol app on my iPad and iPhone.
Seriously considering putting the Taiko Extreme on the used market.....
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