Emm labs DA2 v2 upgrade

[Yuen A.]

Hi folks

The following is my partial Super SACD list (based on what I heard thru the DA2):

Vivaldi, The 4 Seasons, Richard Tognetti, Australian Chamber Orchestra, BIS -2103 SACD

Freddy Kempf, piano, Mussorgsky Pictures from an Exhibition, BIS SACD-1580

Jacintha Autumn Leaves, Groove Note SACD

Sibelius Symphonies 2 & 7, Thomas Sondergard, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Linn Records SACD

Antonio Vivaldi, La Stravaganza, Rachel Podger, Arte Dei Suonatori, Channel Classics SACD

Wagner Parsifal an Orchestra Quest, etc. Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Neeme Jarvi, Chandos SACD

Tarik O'Regan, Acallam na Senorach: an Irish Colloquy, National Chamber Choir of Ireland, Stewart French, guitar, Paul Hillier, harmonia mundi usa SACD (esp. the Prologue to Part One - the drums and acoustic guitar -astonishing real)

Dances with Wolves, Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, Music composed and conducted by John Barry, Epic/Sony Music SACD (track 5 -17)

Heifetz Concertos Sibelius / Prokofiev, RCA Living Stereo SACD

Retrospect Trio, Henry Purcell Twelve Sonatas in Three Parts, Linn Records SACD

Johannes Brahms, Clarinet Trio in A minor Op. 114 Clarinet Quintet in B minor Op. 115, Opus 3 SACD

Beethoven String Quartet in C minor, Op. 18, No. 4, Fry Street Quartet, IsoMike SACD

Mitsuko Uchida, Mark Steinberg, Mozart Sonatas for piano and violin, Philips SACD

Vaughan Williams, A Sea Symphony, Robert Spano, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Telarc SACD

Volodos in Vienna Live from the Musikverein Wien, Sony Music SACD

Berlioz, Symphonie Fantastique, Robin Ticciati, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Linn Records SACD

R. Strauss, Ein Heldenleben, Manfred Honeck, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Exton SACD

Rimsky-Korsakov, Sheherazade, Op. 35, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Peter Oundjian, Chandos SACD

Max Bruch, Scottish Fantasy for Violin and Orchestra, Ning Feng, violin, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Yang Yang conductor, Channel Classics SACD

Lang Lang (piano) Live at Carnegie Hall, DG SACD

George Gershwin, Piano Concerto in F, Jon Nakamatsu, piano, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Jeff Tyzik, conductor, harmonia mundi usa SACD

Ning Feng, violin, Hello to Mr. Paganini, Thomas Hoppe, piano, Channel of China SACD

Tchaikovsky Symphony no. 2 in C minor, op. 17, Russian National Orchestra, Mikhail Pletnev, conductor, PentaTone SACD

Neeme Jarvi conducts Saint-Saens, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Chandos SACD

Julian Bream, Popular Classics for Spanish Guitar, RCA Living Stereo SACD

Stravinsky, L'oiseau de feu, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Mariss Jansons, conductor, RCO Live SACD

Yundi Li, Chopin Scherzi / Impromptus, DG SACD

Musorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Mariss Jansons, conductor, RCO Live SACD

Dvorak Symphony No. 7, Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, Yakov Kreizberg, conductor, PentaTone SACD

Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 3, Symphony No. 5, Mariinsky Orchestra, Denis Matsuev, piano, Valery Gergiev, conductor, Mariinsky SACD

Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Ivan Fischer, conductor, Channel Classics SACD

Beethoven String Trios, Op. 9, Nos 1-3, Trio Zimmermann, BIS-SACD-1857

Revisions, Steven Isserlis (cello), plays arrangements of works by Debussy, Prokofiev, Bloch, Ravel, Tapiola Sinfonietta, BIS-SACD- 1782

Vadim Gluzman (violin), Barber, Bernstein, Bloch, Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra, John Neschling, conductor, BIS-SACD- 1662

Tchaikovsky & Grieg, Piano Concertos, Denis Kozhukhin, piano, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, PentaTone SACD

Mahler Symphony No. 5, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Mariss Jansons, conductor, RCO Live SACD

Mahler Symphony No. 2, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Ivan Fisher, conductor, Channel Classics SACD

Knut Nystedt, Immortal Bach, Ensemble 96, 2L SACD

Benjamin Britten, Simple Symphony, Op. 4, Trondheim Solistene, 2L SACD

Kalevi Aho Symphony No. 12, Lahti Symphony Orchestra, John Storgards (esp. The Shamans - the drums!), BIS -SACD-1676

 

[lowviz_mcc]

Hi Folks,

I just received my DA2 and started the burn-in process.

Sorry to ask a dumb question: how do I check the firmware version on my DA2. I've looked everywhere and I just couldn't find it mentioned in the user manual or the on-screen menu doesn't have such option as well. Hopefully I have the latest firmware install.

Thanks in advance.

Regards,
Michael

 

[Yuen A.]

Hi Folks,

I just received my DA2 and started the burn-in process.

Sorry to ask a dumb question: how do I check the firmware version on my DA2. I've looked everywhere and I just couldn't find it mentioned in the user manual or the on-screen menu doesn't have such option as well. Hopefully I have the latest firmware install.

Thanks in advance.

Regards,
Michael

Hi Michael

You can e-mail to the factory, providing your DA2 serial numbers, or you can ask your dealer to do it for you. The DA2 requires a long burn-in period. I 'cooked' it for about 500 hrs (24/7)

 

[lowviz_mcc]

Hi Yuen,

Thanks for your prompt reply. I emailed this same question last week to support at EMM Labs (without providing my serial no.) but I've yet to receive any replies whatsoever. Anyway, is there a way to check the current firmware version?

 

[Yuen A.]

Hi Yuen,

Thanks for your prompt reply. I emailed this same question last week to support at EMM Labs (without providing my serial no.) but I've yet to receive any replies whatsoever. Anyway, is there a way to check the current firmware version?

Hi Michael

You need to provide them with the serial no. in order for them to provide you the information. You should also check with your dealer whether the new V2 firmware was downloaded into your DA2.

 

[lowviz_mcc]

Dear Yuen,

Thanks for the tip. I just got a reply from EMM Labs that my DA2 indeed has the latest V2 firmware installed.

On the subject of burn-in, is it safe to have the DA2 turned on 24/7? Would doing so affect the lifespan of the display and DA2 itself in the long run?

Thank you so much.

 

[Yuen A.]

Dear Yuen,

Thanks for the tip. I just got a reply from EMM Labs that my DA2 indeed has the latest V2 firmware installed.

On the subject of burn-in, is it safe to have the DA2 turned on 24/7? Would doing so affect the lifespan of the display and DA2 itself in the long run?

Thank you so much.

Hi Michael

1. We, audiophiles, have been doing it for years with no negative effect. 2. Use a cheap CD/DVD player to do it (on repeat). You don't need to "on" the pre-amp. and amp.

 

[lowviz_mcc]

Hi Yuen,

Thanks. I'll start to slow cook my DA2.

 

[Yuen A.]

Hi Folks

You might be interested in these:

EndBeginning, New York polyphony, Bis-SACD-1949 (Heavenly vocal music, and ambience from the church fully captured in the recording)

Northern Lights, Choral Works by Ola Gjeilo, by the Phoenix Chorale (Chandos 5100 SACD)

par.ti.ta, bach - ysaye - auerbach, Vadim Gluzman, violin (BIS-SACD-1972)

Bethoven Piano Concerto no. 3, Violin Concerto (version for piano), Olli Mustonen, piano and conductor, Tapiola Sinfonietta (Ondine SACD)

America, mastered for this SACD by Steve Hoffman (audio fidelity sacd)

MA on SA, Selections from the MA 2006 catalog (M A Recordings SACD) (Esp. track 4)

 

[jeromelang]

Thanks.

The DAC2X V2 has been pretty much stable these days. I don't hear any more changes(i think), and it may have been because i have been more focussed on reaquainting myself with my music collection rather than listening too critically. While i hadn't run an optical disc player on repeat to run the dac in, i have tend to keep it powered up for days on end these days.

The only times when i powered it down is just prior to playing a disc. And that don't take more than 20 secs.

As was mentioned earlier in this thread, i find sound so greatly improved with the refreshing procedure that i am compelled to do it each time prior to playing any disc.

Of course that is a very troublesome ritual to have to undertake. But as i said the sound quality is heightened to such an extend that there is simply no way for me to listen through more than a couple of tracks without dropping whatever i am doing at that moment to refresh the transport/dac and cue up the disc to play again.

There is a couple of complications doing the refreshing procedure with an esoteric-manufactuted transport, and with a transport/dac combi vs a single-box integrated player like a sony scd-1 (the very player that first revealed to me this industry-prevalent problem).

First, the esoteric transports (throughout most of their hi end line) have a slightly retarded response to the touch of fingers on their control buttons. If the buttons are pressed too fast, the esoteric players/transports would not register the commands. If the buttons were pressed too slowly, then "playback memory" would be already be "registered" before the disc plays - affecting sound quality. So the speed at which the buttons are pressed on esoteric machines have to be just right. The sony scd-1 only need 1 speed. The fastest.

Secondly, with a transport and dac combination, the dac must always be powered up last. The dac must always "see" an incoming stream only once.

In all my 15 years grappling with this problem, i have yet to encounter a disc transport/digital file player that don't exhibit these problems. But lately I've discovered that a few non-computer based network streamers have this surprising habit of clearing out previous playback memory before playing subsequent tracks, and the resultant flow of musical ease has allowed me to be able to listen through an entire album without agitation.

For critical listening though, i still use discs.

Cheers.

 

[Yuen A.]

Hi Folks

A further addition to my super SACD list:

The Planets, The New Philharmonia Orchestra, by Sir Adrian Boult, conductor (Warner Classics, Warner Music Japan SACD)

Karajan Conducts Ravel (EMI Classics SACD)

Brahms Ein Deutsches Requiem, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Mariss Jansons, conductor (RCO SACD)

Beethoven Piano Sonatas, OP 57 'Appassionata', Angela Hewitt (piano) (Hyperion SACD)

Rachmaninoff Symphony No. 2, Paavo Jarvi, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (Telarc SACD)

Ravel Daphnis Et Chloe (Complete), Boston Symphony, Charles Munch, conductor (RCA Living Stereo SACD)

Le Sacre du printemps, Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor, Los Angeles Philharmonic (DG SACD)

Brahms Symphony No. 2, Sir John Barbirolli, conductor, Vienna Philharmonic (EMI/Esoteric SACD)

Franz von Suppe Overtures and Marches, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Neeme Jarvi, conductor (Chandos SACD)

Bruckner Symphony No. 4, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Manfred Honeck, conductor (Reference Recordings SACD)

 

[Yuen A.]

Hi Folks

A great new review by Chris Connaker of Computer Audiophile regarding the DA2. He said that the " The DAC's level of detail and presence in the soundstage was fantastic. The DA2 didn't seem to make errors of commission or omission, and fell directly in the middle of the Berkeley and dCS." He concluded: "legendary sound quality put the DA2 DAC on the top of the EMM Labs mountain and in a class with only a couple components in all of HiFi. Sonically the DA2 has a transparency and a soundstage that delivers on the promise of high end audio. Reproducing music with all its warts when warts are present and in all its glory for those rare recordings that really shine. The DA2 and PRE are in rarefied air no doubt at $25,000 a piece, but the best of anything is never inexpensive."

 

[marty]

Has anyone played with the AC power cable for their DA2? I'd be curious to learn what others are using. Every AC cable has a sonic signature. Have yo found any that are better than the stock Kimber cable provided with the unit?

 

[Yuen A.]

I have been using the Shunyata Sigma Digital AC power cable all this while. Much greater dynamics; better transients; instrumental timbre was improved, more presence; more musical; better soundstaging. The most obvious improvements (compared to the stock Kimber AC cable provided) will be its dynamics and presence.

 

[pdubya]

Can anyone describe what might be gained from moving from the DAC2Xv2 to the DA2v2?
Thanks

 

[George K]

Can anyone describe what might be gained from moving from the DAC2Xv2 to the DA2v2?
Thanks

It's like moving from a very good product with competition to an absolute top class product; belonging to the 1-3 best products available right now.

 

[analyzer]

Can anyone describe what might be gained from moving from the DAC2Xv2 to the DA2v2?
Thanks

There's a detailed report (in Italian language) very instructive. You can read actually only through the website of the Italian importer of EMMLabs. It's in the pdf format and the title is "A short and sad history of a massacre". The old DAC2X WAS the reference of the columnist, now the new DA2 is totally a winner without reserve.
my best
Marco

http://www.audioreference.it/index.php?page=news&id=371

 

[awsmone]

Has anyone played with the AC power cable for their DA2? I'd be curious to learn what others are using. Every AC cable has a sonic signature. Have yo found any that are better than the stock Kimber cable provided with the unit?

Been using oyaide black mamba totally happy not changed since then

 

[pdubya]

There's a detailed report (in Italian language) very instructive. You can read actually only through the website of the Italian importer of EMMLabs. It's in the pdf format and the title is "A short and sad history of a massacre". The old DAC2X WAS the reference of the columnist, now the new DA2 is totally a winner without reserve.
my best
Marco

http://www.audioreference.it/index.php?page=news&id=371

Marco
Thanks for the link. Translation was pretty amusing -- almost like reading off-kilter poetry -- but the gist was clear and there's little lost between "massacre" and "massacro".
Parker

 

[pdubya]

Has anyone played with the AC power cable for their DA2? I'd be curious to learn what others are using. Every AC cable has a sonic signature. Have yo found any that are better than the stock Kimber cable provided with the unit?

With the DAC2X, adding the Audience AU24SE pc (their top of the line at the time) was the the single most positive impact I've ever heard from a simple wire swap -- pretty much what Yuen describes -- improvement across the board. I will note, however, that I was also using the Audience power conditioner. Whether you go with Audience, Shunyata, etc. there's no doubt in my mind you can improve on the provided Kimber.