Eversolo DMP-A8 vs iPhone plugged directly to integrated amp - why no difference?
I just got the Eversolo DMP-A8. Setup was very easy. Plugged it in and started playing some tracks and was not blown away. Admittedly, my system is nice to me but not high-end by any means. Primaluna Prologue integrated amp and Audio Note AZ3 speakers. Was previously streaming through a sonos port and using the Cambridge DacMagic. Always sounded fine to me as an amateur but had been curious to step things up a notch in my digital music.
Since I wasn't entirely sure if the Eversolo was doing all that it should (and the sonos and Cambridge are in storage so couldn't compare - been away for a while) I went ahead and plugged my iPhone into the amp through RCA adapter and there is literally no difference. I tried so many songs, with the A8 reading highest quality stream on Tidal, and I switched back and forth between the two with practically no difference in same songs. Even if the A8 doesn't have the greatest DAC on earth, shouldn't it still be night and day between that and an iPhone plugged directly into the amp with no DAC at all? Now I'm really curious to get the Sonos and DacMagic out of storage and see if that sounds any different at all.
I may not have the most trained ears on earth but surely there must be something I'm doing wrong in setup or connection, no? For what it's worth I added some IsoAcoustics GAIA III speaker feet and the difference in sound after that is immediately apparent. I know it's comparing apples to strawberries but my ears are hearing that difference and yet zero with an almost $2000 streamer/DAC compared to an iPhone plugged direct??
Is it possible the Primaluna and Audio Notes aren't good enough to feature the difference??? I'm open to any possibility.
Can just as easily go back to the cheaper set up and get back my $2k? But would like to make sure I'm hearing this thing as it's meant to be heard if it's a user error.
Appreciate any thoughts anyone has.
Apple engineers figured out a long time ago how to use the iPhone as a fine streamer. It does not have a good internal DAC as we all know and connecting it to an external DAC can make a significant difference in sound quality. Its single USB-C or Lightning port can serve two-way digital transmission, while other brands' streamers still struggle. By using the proper adapters and power supply, I can energize an external storage device like an SSD to access local music. The music is clean and transparent compared to using the same setup with an iFi Zen and a low-noise PSU. Additionally, iPhone apps function much more smoothly due to the iPhone's higher computing power and memory. You will likely see more and more high-end streamers pursuing the same trend. Trust your ears. Don't let others' poor experiences with the iPhone deter you. Everyone's mileage may vary, but what's most important is that you've found what works for you. That's a good thing. I still use other streamers like iFi or WiiM because every time I wire my iPhone to the DAC and amp/preamp, I lose the portability of the iPhone, and the adapters/PSU for external devices can be cumbersome. Nonetheless, there's no doubt that the iPhone is a fine streamer. |
@lanx0003 Yeah there sure is doubt. I know what I heard and when I ran my iPhone with an upgraded lightning to USB adapter from LavriCables into my DAC and it sounded worse than even using my cheap Oppo as a CD transport. The Zen Stream with their iPowerX power supply and using the same USB cable as I did with my iPhone sounded significantly better than both the iPhone and the Oppo and it wasn’t close. Common sense would tell you a multipurpose, noisy phone should not sound nearly as good as a purpose-built streamer, and it sure did not in my direct comparison. |
and this switching back and forth, was it done from a listening chair or were you standing by the component rack evaluating the difference? I don’t even think iPhone is capable of outputting hi-res audio. I think it downsamples everything to 16/44. So there’s something wrong with your evaluation process or the Eversolo is a complete hype and rip off. I’m not familiar with the Eversolo so anything is possible… |
