Emm Labs DV2 versus Tambaqui

I'm borrowing a friend's Mola Mola Tambaqui in a couple weeks, can let you know my impressions if you're interested.

I've heard the DV2 but never had it at home. I did have their entry-level Meitner MA3 at home and thought it was very enjoyable. 

@lalitk is correct -- if you're interested in super high-end hifi, WBF is by far the best resource I've encountered. A lot of experienced users there, and it tends to be friendlier...

If you want to change your perspective on chip DACs, you may want to hear the Ideon Absolute DAC. Of course it's not definitive, but Alan Sircom of Hifi+ has reviewed the Merging DAC (positively), the EMM Labs DV2 (VERY positively) and the Ideon Absolute DAC (best he's heard). Even if it's outside your budget (it's certainly outside mine), it's fun and enlightening to hear what's possible.

So I received the Mola Mola Tambaqui, this is Day Two in my system. I am sure it will improve over time.

For reference, the other DACs I’ve heard at home are totaldac (my reference), the latest Weiss, latest Meitner, and the Sonnet Morpheus.

The Mola Mola strikes me as a cross between Weiss and Meither. Like Weiss, it gives you a clear and raw view into the recording, tremendously good resolution. Unlike the Weiss and more like the Meitner, there is a touch of fluidity to the sound, which for me increases the engagement factor and eliminates the fatigue factor. Nothing clinical or mechanical here. There is also a great sense of force and pace with the Tambaqui, it really throws music into the room. Maybe that’s the 6V output, it’s nice that you can select lower voltages as well (which I haven’t tried yet).

These very early impressions are using the Tambaqui’s internal Roon endpoint. I will be trying it with the Grimm MU1 as well (a popular combination), which should be quite a step forward (but raises the cost vs. value issue).

@lalitk thank you! I have long admired your contributions to this forum, as they are based on direct experience. I have also found that folks with wonderful systems (like yourself) are more open minded about what’s possible in hifi (less bias), which makes for more productive conversations!

@arafiq well said. I had the Weiss in my system twice, separated by many months. What’s interesting is that the first time around, I heard it with budget speakers but fairly honest cabling. The second time, much better speakers but lower resolving cabling. It was a more impressive DAC the first time around! The second time around, I needed to switch cabling to hear it at its best. Point being, sometimes folks make hasty judgments on the quality of electronics (this DAC blows this other DAC out of the water and it’s way cheaper!!!) when it’s really a synergy problem they’re experiencing (they didn’t hear what the component was truly capable of).

@fleschler

I’m not sure how this thread devolved into a discussion of DACs unrelated to the OP’s question -- that’s how these discussions always seem to go..."expensive" DACs (i.e., more expensive than whatever the poster likes) are the new "snake oil" I suppose.

According to Herb’s column in Stereophile, some of the tech for the Tambaqui was discovered in 2004 and production began in 2013. My long-term reference/snake oil is totaldac, and the basic ideas there have been in use since at least 2010, refined here and there over time. I guess that can be good or bad, depending on your perspective. Perhaps you’re assuming that new digital must be better than old digital. My view is "Don’t Mess Up a Good Thing".

@laoman You've put together a great list. I like all three of those brands. I have not heard the Pasithea, but I did take the Morpheus for a spin. I'd expect the Pasithea to be (even) quieter and more resolving than the Morpheus. 

On the Mola Mola, I've been using an inexpensive ($100 range) XLR interconnect. The DAC only has XLR analogue outputs, but a pair of nice XLR-RCA adapters are included. I have a pair of honest RCA interconnects, so at some point I'll try the Mola Mola with those and the included adapters.

What system (amps / speakers) will you be slotting the new DAC into?

@laoman Your amp has some similar design principles as mine, but I'm not familiar with the speakers. Hopefully you can home audition from a dealer. If that's not a possibility, if you can buy these on the used market, you can effectively do an extended home audition without incurring too much expense.

In the $15k plus category, keep an eye on Nagra. Their successor to the Nagra Classic DAC will include streaming capability. Koch of Playback is on their digital design team. The analog stage is designed by the Nagra brain trust. Beautiful form factor if that matters to you and it will have that slightly warm and musical DSD sound if that appeals to you. I use their tube DAC which doesn’t have streaming and is quite a bit more expensive.

If the insightful and meaty analog quality of an MSB is also of interest, consider totaldac as well. It’s sold direct without dealer markup. If you configure it properly (PM me if you’re interested - the website is confusing to say the least), it’s killer and quite a bit cheaper than MSB even at the highest levels. Built in Roon endpoint is an option. But even their entry model is quite good. I have one.

I'm not sure if this thread has discussed source synergy yet (I don't have the stamina to re-read it). The EMM DV2 doesn't have an internal source, whereas the Tambaqui does have an internal Roon streaming board.

The obvious streaming source for the DV2 would be the EMM NS1 streamer, connected via EMM's proprietary Optilink (which supposedly minimizes jitter). I do have an NS1 on the way, but I don't have an EMM Dac to try out that particular combination. 

For streaming, the Roon board in the Tambaqui sounds good (better to my ears than the separate $3000 streamer I had on hand). Since Bruno Putzeys is/was connected to both Mola Mola and Grimm, a lot of folks pair the Tambaqui with the Grimm MU1 server (Roon core + endpoint + reclocker + upsampler). The Grimm is a special piece. I've had it at home and will try it again. But of course it's nearly the same price as the Tambaqui itself. For me at least, it's one of those money-no-object kind of components -- something for a very ambitious system.