Eversolo, can I do better?

You are saying you don't need a DAC.

It sounds to me like you would be wasting money.

Yes. This Innuous Zenith Mk2 on TMR

Thank you.

Eversolo support is non existent.  You must roll back FW when there is a bug.   Then you will wait months and still no fix.   Real POS company if there's a problem,  they expect the dealer to carry out warranty.   I asked them for an RMA for a unit with a USB problem and they ignored my request.   You can do a lot better .

Innuos Zenith MK3 sounds a little better than A8 but I'm not a fan of either devices software. 

Yes.  Any Auralic Aries, new or up the chain used.  As they are coming out soon with their 3.0 series, used deals are readily available on the Aries G2.1 and even G2.2.  Aries G1.1  are well under 2k

Anyone spending $3700 on the A10 is wasting their money if they expect the level of support Innuos, Aurender, and Auralic provide.    There is NO support , over the air updates are the only "support"   and if they are bad you're screwed 

They can't even properly support their entry level unit.   Each FW has a bug and after 3 FW they still have not corrected a known issue.  

They are all based on the Android 11 OS which was End of Life Jan 2024.   No more security patches....  What does that mean for network security? 

Most of the better streamers use a custom Linux OS.      

As others note, why blow a good chunk of your money buying a streamer/DAC that has had a good portion of the money used to create and voice their DAC when you don't need one assuming you have an external DAC that is likely better than any in most $2K streamer/DACs?  

Look to find a streamer that yeah, might have a "convenience DAC" but not one they blew the budget on. Get one where they spent more on the streaming end. Hence, the Innuos or Aries devices would seem to be the better bang for your bucks and use case scenario. 

Any while it is substantially cheaper than your budget, I'd at least audition the new Bluesound Node N132 at $549.  With its better power supply and such, it might surprise you as a streamer and you get the better than decent Blue OS to boot.  Good luck.

 

+1 audiophile1

If you want an Aurlic Aries G series I recommend the G2.2. Earlier models (G2.1 and G2) do not have as good a sound quality. I owned an Aries G2. There was a significant improvement in sound quality with the G2.2.

Here's a left field one for you. Buy a wiiM ultra. I have and it's great, it works, it's very easy to use and set up. There are regular, meaningful updates. I use mine into my Chord Hugo TT, I am very happy with it.

Here in the UK there are some great discounted black Friday deals. I would guess that there are some in the US as well. It's down to £250, worth a try?

+1 pgk188 on the wiim, esp. since you don't need a dac. you can certainly pay a lot more and get better, but i'm not sure whether the differences would be cost-effective. i have the wiim ultra as well as the cheaper wiim pro and am pleased with both.

It’s very hard for me to give a company a chance when I read about poor customer service from my fellow audiophiles. I put customer service as a very large determinant when I buy gear.  Therefore Eversolo could sound heavenly and I would still pass. I use Bluesound and HiFi Rose now.