EMM Labs
DA2i Stereo D/A Integrated Converter
The EMM Labs DA2i is Ed Meitner's latest-generation flagship integrated stereo D/A converter, built around a next-generation, proprietary, discrete Dual Differential 16xDSD/DSD1024 DAC and the second-generation Meitner Digital Audio Translator (MDAT2) signal-processing engine. It is a "straight" DAC with no volume control, pairing new Class-A analog output stages with a built-in network streamer supporting Roon, Tidal Connect, Spotify Connect, Qobuz, and Deezer.
MSRP
$35,000
Used market · Excellent
$22,750
MSRP to used market
From $35,000 at launch to $22,750 today.
Specifications
- Weight
- 16kg per EMM Labs official spec and Hi-Fi News; 17kg per Hi-Fi+
- Max DSD
- Internally renders at DSD1024; USB and Network inputs accept DSD64 and DSD128 (2xDSD); AES/COAX/TOSLINK accept DSD via DoP (up to DSD64)
- Dimensions
- 438 x 400 x 161mm
- Analog outputs
- Stereo XLR (balanced, 300Ω) and RCA (unbalanced, 150Ω); output levels High/Low 7.0/4.0V (XLR), 3.5/2.0V (RCA)
- Digital inputs
- EMM Optilink (proprietary optical link to EMM Labs transports), USB Audio (USB 2.0 Type B), Ethernet/network, AES/EBU (XLR), S/PDIF coax (RCA), TOSLINK optical
- DAC architecture
- Proprietary, discrete, Dual Differential 16xDSD/DSD1024 D/A converter (MDAC2), driven by 2nd-generation Meitner Digital Audio Translator (MDAT2) DSP; new Class-A analog output stage; MCLK3 asynchronous clock
- Headphone output
- None — the DA2i has no headphone amplifier or headphone jack (n.a. — not published in the fetched sources)
- Streaming support
- Roon Ready, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Qobuz, Deezer, vTuner internet radio, DLNA/UPnP, MQA decoding
- THD dynamic range
- Not published in the fetched sources — reviewers note the new Class-A output stage yields "much less THD" and improved measurements versus the prior DA2 (n.a. — not published in the fetched sources)
- Max PCM resolution
- 24-bit/192kHz across all digital inputs; USB and Network additionally support DXD at 352.8/384kHz
- Dimensions w x d x h
- 438 x 400 x 161mm
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