HI-Fi Game Changers for 2024?

[Jasonovich]

One thing I didn’t notice - Eversolo A6 doesn’t have a headphone socket, so it’s not everything to everyone. They managed to put one on their DAC at half the price of the A6, so why not on the A6? Seems odd.

Weird that. Yes Z8 has it, useful feature and good quality headamp amplication.
I don't use, I prefer to have my headphones plugged into the balanced XLR output on the Singxer class A headamp.

 

[davidf]

I bet they’re creaming themselves over on ASRe.

 

[Stuart83]

Yes the first part I concur, it's using highly customised Android OS shell so it isn't anything new, the Rose I believe had thrown the first dice.
Yeah absolutely why stop there, an integrated amp with the same interface would be very cool.

I think you can have your cake and eat it.
Sound Quality should always be the focus but amps have always been the same, an array of buttons with switches and sometimes comes with a remote.
Millenniums probably want everything to be seemless like their phones, less of a ritual more of a function.

I'm happy with a volume and anciliry knob.
I prefer the focus to be what comes out of the speakers 😄

 

[plastic penguin]

“Wonderfully crafted”? Thanks very much.

Cambridge are known for two reasons - firstly, they took the name of a brand that’s been around since the glory days of HiFi. Secondly, they’re sold primarily through the most well known HiFi retailer in the U.K.

Odd how Asian countries seem to love British HiFi, whatever that entails nowadays. Maybe they like it because of its British roots, but is built in their own country….

Arcam started out as 'A&R Cambridge'. My old Alpha7R still wears the name badge on the rear.

 

[plastic penguin]

He also did a good number on cables.
Oh darn, I mentioned the C word. Sorry sorry I take it back 😉

Go and stand on the naughty step!

 

[daveh75]

I think the implementation of the AK chips is a good move and this should attract buyers. AK ar a well established brand and are going to be around for a while.

Who cares?!

Obsessing over a chip manufacturer is up there with cable EDITED FOR LANGUAGE.

Also, there's nothing wrong with a big display. Cyrus could take a leaf out of Eversolo's book and stop using the tiny calculator style screens. The Cyrus Stream XR looks like a 1990s car radio, compared to Eversolo's offerings.

Aside from being pointless. I don't sit in front of my system, a large touch screen is useless from the other side of the room, sat on the sofa.

Give me a app or web interface anyday.

I sense a very dismissive vibe in this thread and it's not warranted in my opinion.

It balances out the totally unwarranted hype of a product you and the OP have neither seen nor heard.

And forums are for discussion, they're not supposed to be echo chambers.

The thought of paying up to £40000 for a Linn system, is absurd and I think Eversolo are making a statement.

I think paying nearly 2k for a streamer is absurd, especially when it offers nothing over something costing a couple of hundred

New kids on the block to ruffle a few feathers, especially those of the well established UK brands. IF it's better and cheaper, why would you waste money on another product, just because you are familiar with the brand?

You can say the same about Wiim, only they're offering products at a fraction of the price.

I think competition is a good thing and it will make companies try a little harder and maybe release something which could be a game changer and make people sit up and take notice.

Streaming is mature, there are no "game changers" just iteration... and a lot of hype, It would seem.

 

[12th Monkey]

Who cares?!

Obsessing over a chip manufacturer is up there with cable EDITED FOR LANGUAGE.




Aside from being pointless. I don't sit in front of my system, a large touch screen is useless from the other side of the room, sat on the sofa.

Give me a app or web interface anyday.




It balances out the totally unwarranted hype of a product you and the OP have neither seen nor heard.

And forums are for discussion, they're not supposed to be echo chambers.



I think paying nearly 2k for a streamer is absurd, especially when it offers nothing over something costing a couple of hundred



You can say the same about Wiim, only they're offering products at a fraction of the price.



Streaming is mature, there are no "game changers" just iteration... and a lot of hype, It would seem.

Please mind your language, as per forum rules.

 

[podknocker]

IAG? Rotel has nothing to do with IAG. And its size is partly because its Class AB based, with plenty of space inside to avoid overheating.

My point was that people are being dismissive of ChiFi kit, where IAG is exactly that and people buy it by the truck load.

The Rotel does need a large case to keep it cool, so why not go for a cool, powerful and efficient Class D amp?

 

[davidf]

My point was that people are being dismissive of ChiFi kit, where IAG is exactly that and people buy it by the truck load.

The Rotel does need a large case to keep it cool, so why not go for a cool, powerful and efficient Class D amp?

I don’t see it as the same. Both may be made in China, but much of IAG’s products will be designed in the U.K., rather than through the mindset of the Chinese, where we end up with products like Eversolo, SMSL etc etc, which end up getting made in OEM factories.

Rotel have produced Class D amplifiers in the last, I myself owned a five-channel Class D amp of theirs some time ago. They seem to have left it behind for some reason, presumably the reason/reasons why some manufacturers aren’t interested - whoch could be a number of reasons.

 

[Jasonovich]

Arcam started out as 'A&R Cambridge'. My old Alpha7R still wears the name badge on the rear.

Then it became an acronym. Does it still work your Alpha7R?

 

[manicm]

£1900 EverSolo DMP-A8 like most Chifi equipment will be worthless in a few years , with no service , support or spares Spend the extra for Rotel / Marantz / Denon etc

Rotel's RAS-5000 is a versatile integrated amplifier with streaming smarts and HDMI ARC

A new powerful stereo streaming amp ready for hi-res music, as well as movies and TV

www.whathifi.com

View attachment 5564

Until you've owned a piece I don't think you can make a blanket statement like that about chifi.

Because there's one big distributor in my region I can categorically tell you the service for Denon and a whole lot more is just crap.

I have my little Wiim Mini and it's as good as new.

BTW I don't see many buyers for this new Rotel.

 

[manicm]

I believe both HEOS and SONOS are built on Linux.

Some companies, like Audiolab are ditching DTS PlayFi and many BluOS machines might disappear, if the updates start to cause problems. I think Audiolab now use a Linux variant with the 9000N and you can bet your bottom dollar, Linux and its derivatives are not going away any time soon. Let's hope more companies start using Linux based streaming apps. Because it's open source software, licensing is not really an issue.

BluOS is not going anywhere, doesn't the 9000 use it?

 

[manicm]

It might be worth emailing Eversolo and asking about a possible Master Edition and if they could make a matching, full width Class D amp to go with the streamer. They might consider both options if they get loads of emails from many potential customers, namely WHF forum members. You never know.

This month WiiM are launching a class D amplified version of the Pro Plus. About 60w I think.

 

[jjbomber]

One thing I didn’t notice - Eversolo A6 doesn’t have a headphone socket, so it’s not everything to everyone. They managed to put one on their DAC at half the price of the A6, so why not on the A6? Seems odd.

It's a streamer, not an amplifier!

 

[daytona600]

70years old this month £900 + £900 for speakers or the Eversolo

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gw206nHOb8

 

[Jasonovich]

Until you've owned a piece I don't think you can make a blanket statement like that about chifi.

Because there's one big distributor in my region I can categorically tell you the service for Denon and a whole lot more is just crap.

I have my little Wiim Mini and it's as good as new.

BTW I don't see many buyers for this new Rotel.

I think you need to look at from a brand by brand basis.
My original DAC was Topping E30 and I got excellent customer support from the Chinese manufacturer.
When my DAC cooked after mains voltage spike, Topping had arranged for the product to be returned for repair.
Always good to check the manufacturers warranty or ethos in relation to the customer.

 

[Jasonovich]

70years old this month £900 + £900 for speakers or the Eversolo

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gw206nHOb8

Whichever ever puts the cream in your coffee 😏

 

[plastic penguin]

Then it became an acronym. Does it still work your Alpha7R?

It did the last time I tried it, that was about 2 years ago (approx), the only that didn't work was the remote.

 

[davidf]

It's a streamer, not an amplifier!

The new Audiolab 9000N streamer seems to get a load of flack for not having digital inputs, to which my argument is that it’s a streamer, not a DAC, but apparently it’s a major oversight and some huge let down.

Although, doesn’t need to be an amplifier to offer a headphone output - the Node has one.

 

[podknocker]

I don’t see it as the same. Both may be made in China, but much of IAG’s products will be designed in the U.K., rather than through the mindset of the Chinese, where we end up with products like Eversolo, SMSL etc etc, which end up getting made in OEM factories.

Rotel have produced Class D amplifiers in the last, I myself owned a five-channel Class D amp of theirs some time ago. They seem to have left it behind for some reason, presumably the reason/reasons why some manufacturers aren’t interested - whoch could be a number of reasons.

I doubt the UK has any influence now over this massive IAG conglomerate. You can't say a Chinese brand such as Eversolo is worse than another Chinese brand, which used to be a UK brand, without using or listening to the component in question. I've owned several IAG products and they've fallen short in so many areas. The fact is, this DMP-A8 thingy is built to a high standard, has more features than most, if not all of the competition and is reasonably priced. If Audiolab or Luxman had released this device, there would be endless plaudits and gushing reviews, because people don't like change. They stick with what they know and fear any newcomers, or competition. I hope Eversolo carry on making great streamers and eventually Class D amplifiers and become an established and respected brand. The 'UK' ChiFi is overrated in my opinion and I do think the UK HIFI press are biased towards anything that's home grown because of this irrational and insular attitude. I don't know why ' through the mindset of the Chinese' would be an issue and I bet the Eversolo production line is as modern and exacting as the IAG production lines. The Eversolo DMP-A8 is better than anything else out there and should be given the chance it deserves.

 

[davidf]

I doubt the UK has any influence now over this massive IAG conglomerate. You can't say a Chinese brand such as Eversolo is worse than another Chinese brand, which used to be a UK brand, without using or listening to the component in question. I've owned several IAG products and they've fallen short in so many areas. The fact is, this DMP-A8 thingy is built to a high standard, has more features than most, if not all of the competition and is reasonably priced. If Audiolab or Luxman had released this device, there would be endless plaudits and gushing reviews, because people don't like change. They stick with what they know and fear any newcomers, or competition. I hope Eversolo carry on making great streamers and eventually Class D amplifiers and become an established and respected brand. The 'UK' ChiFi is overrated in my opinion and I do think the UK HIFI press are biased towards anything that's home grown because of this irrational and insular attitude. I don't know why ' through the mindset of the Chinese' would be an issue and I bet the Eversolo production line is as modern and exacting as the IAG production lines. The Eversolo DMP-A8 is better than anything else out there and should be given the chance it deserves.

There certainly are differences between Chinese brands. There are a great number of Chinese brands producing cheap tat which they sell to other countries via eBay/Amazon/AliExpress, with very little of it being CE certificated. There’s a whole host of companies that have their stuff made by OEM manufacturers, so it’s likely that a vast majority of stuff is made in the same factory.

There are many British brands who design their own stuff and have it made in their own factories in China, which are controlled by their staff, rather than left unmonitored in an OEM factory. This allows them to keep on top of QA and reduce the possibility of fakes - you only have to look at AliExpress at the brand names listed on there who wouldn’t actually sell on there themselves. One company blatantly sells products that (on the outside) look like exactly the brands they’re ripping off, like Luxman, MacIntosh, Quad etc, as well as some cable brands.

As for the Eversolo being “better than anything else out there”, I think that may be a bit of a stretch. Just having a load of features doesn’t make the best streamer in the world. The Bluesound Node does a hell of a lot, and if you red the specs, it does more than most people think, but it’s far from the best streamer in the world. The Node has already been compared by the British Audiophile to the cheaper Eversolo, and it’s “competitive” at best. I just think there’s lots of people out there that want a cheap product to shake up the market (as in “stick it to the man” sort of shake up), and just latch on to anything that looks halfway presentable with a bucketload of features on board. It’s just not going to happen under £1k nowadays.

There’s a streaming product coming to the U.K. soon which has been designed to sound the very best possible with streaming services like QOBUZ and TIDAL. It’s certainly not going to be cheap because of the software involved, but it should show what streaming can sound like if the problem is approached and dealt with properly. Some will probably dismiss it immediately based on price.

 

[jjbomber]

You can't say a Chinese brand such as Eversolo is worse than another Chinese brand, which used to be a UK brand ...

Aren't Eversolo part of Zidoo?

 

[Friesiansam]

Aren't Eversolo part of Zidoo?

Yes, this from their website; “Eversolo Audio Technology Co.,Ltd (Eversolo Audio) is invested by Zidoo Technology Co.,Ltd.”

 

[Stuart83]

One ifizen and and an android phone glued to the front ?

 

[nightanddaygamechangers]

Another review says the DAC is similar to, but bettered by, one with the same chips costing $700. It also said the pre-amp was similar to, but again bettered by, one costing $500. It also said that depending on your other system components, some may prefer the sound of the A6. It concluded that although a good all in one solution, it can be bettered with individual components for less money.

However it then discusses the built in DSP functionality, and how that is a probably the standout feature of this unit. A game changer? Only time will tell.