EMM Labs DAC2

The CDSAse is as good if not better than the separates. More natural in sound, with a smoother presentation. SACD is incredible and CD is just better than it was before. The one flaw that remains is a little dynamic softness and a slight smoothness in the bass that could use improvement. The differences are a little bit more than subtle having owned both. This is in comparison to the original separates, not the SE version. I would say that the new EMM separates is a different presentation and for some would be more detailed but for others would be considered over the line. I happen to like my the CDSAse the way it is. The newer models in comparison might be too forward for some. It really depends on the music and your system. You get more forward sound, but with it comes more bass, more highs and more detail. But there is a point where too much detail is not a good thing. There have been some very well written reviews that explain the EMM/Marantz/Esoteric soundcamps. I would say the new EMM equipment has moved over more to the Esoteric camp. I wouldn't mind having the money for both, but I don't.

Thanks Dgad!

Are you guys aware that there is a five gran upgrade to the CDSA SE that replaces the Analog pcb and places a clock onto the digital pcb that brings this player closer to the new 25K machine. With the mod it's called the CDSA-X. Crazy good

Rickron51

I loo am looking at the 'X' upgrade.

Emm tells me the entire analogue board is changed. There is another thread that talks about changing the fuse, IEC receptacle, silk pillows underneath, etc. I am not confident that changing the fuse will give the same results as an upgraded board, so I am going for the upgrade.

Bill

Rickron51, I replaced the fuse with the Furutech T2A green -- not the blue. Flashunlock recommended this to me. Doing the "X" upgrade will do a lot more than changing the fuse, I'm quite sure, although I have not heard it yet. I am assuming this from the testimonials I have read about it -- and from the $5000 price ticket for the "X" upgrade.

I have written about the silk cushion -- now replaced by SR MIGS -- and about other "tweaks". I have had a night-and-day improvement in my system recently by putting GG and SR ICs in series and by putting two SW1 Schumann resonance devices behind my Merlin TSM mmi monitors -- about 3 feet off the ground facing the nest of wires in the "well" behind my speakers.

I don't feel I need the "X" upgrade since the improvement in sound has been truly dramatic. IMHO there is sometimes more than one way to skin an audio cat. I'm not saying what I have done = the "X" upgrade because I have no way of knowing that. What I am saying is that these changes sound like a real upgrade to me.