Maybe they could have and maybe they did not for whatever reason. If it doesn't have Atmos then don't buy it costing Eversolo a possible customer.
Not to buy it is really hard, because it´s a great device and I´ve been waiting for an Atmos capable version of the A6 since version 1 came out. But I won´t buy it. I don´t want to have to switch from one device to another one, just to find out, wether a track is stereo or Atmos, let´s say on Amazon Music. The A6 probably won´t even tell you, if a track is Atmos, independent of the fact that it cannot play it anyway. So I would have to go to my Fire TV Cube first, just to find that out. And even then it´s very annoying, because many albums have some tracks in Atmos, some in stereo. So I would either have to listen to the entire album on the Fire TV Cube, which would be frustrating, if I had an Eversolo A6, or switch between Eversolo and Fire TV Cube even within an album. Very frustrating situation.
Wonder if that ARC HDMI input will also allow us to directly connect a universal disc player for DSD SACD without an extractor. Also wonder if they’re correcting the DSD issue currently plaguing the A6…
Have never used HDMI ARC but highly doubt getting DSD from SACD playback due to copy protection. What DSD issue are you referring to? I play stereo and multichannel rips seeing DSD64 on the display of the DMP-A6 and my Marantz SA-KI Ruby (with stereo). No issues at all but that is using the DMP-A6 as a transport. For stereo it's USB out to the SA-KI Ruby and for multichannel it's HDMI out to an Emotiva XMC-1 processor.
Yea, I don't think you're right on that. Yes it means Audio Return Channel because it's an HDMI output that ALSO allows sound input (audio return). It's used to connect a sound system to, usually, a TV with perhaps an antenna for OTA broadcasts or built-in streaming apps. It allows 2-way transmission - both sound from the TV to the audio system (returning sound to the hifi from the tv) AND passing video/sound through to the TV from other sources. In receivers you can generally plug any source into them you want (including DVD, CD, SACD, etc.).
There's apparently a known issue with DoP. This forum won't allow me to post a link to another post in the forum, but you can find more details in the DMP-A6 thread titled "SACD playback from Oppo 103" if you're interested.
I may investigate a little further, but IME the HDMI input and HDMI (e)ARC are meant for different purposes (and also wired differently). In many threads I've been reading that you cannot do what you want. In case of a DVD player, for instance, you should connect it to the TV via one of its HDMI inputs, and then get the audio back to your audio equipment via one (usually only one...) of the HDMI-ARC outputs of the TV.
If this is a "known flaw" why are others not having an issue when playing DSD files with the DMP-A6? My case is different as I'm not using the ESS DACs in the DMP-A6. I do not believe HDMI ARC will process DSD. I just did a quick Google search and it stated as much. I'm familiar with that thread (linked below) as I've posted in it several times. That OP that started that thread is having issues when using an HDMI Extractor. By all indications that's what's causing the "crackling" issue he is having. http://forum.zidoo.tv/index.php?threads/sacd-playback-from-oppo-103.98139/#post-242623
✨ Key Features of the DMP-A6 Gen 2: (on Facebook) • Fully balanced circuit architecture for pure, low-distortion audio output. • HDMI ARC support for seamless integration with home theater systems. • HDMI multi-channel support, including DSD Native and up to 5.1-channel output. • Wake-on-LAN (WOL) for remote control anytime, anywhere. • XMOS XU316 audio interface for effortless decoding of high-resolution audio sources. • Dual ES9038Q2M DAC chips with master-level tuning, ensuring precise reproduction of every musical detail. • Proprietary EOS audio engine to unlock the full potential of sound quality. • Ultra-low-noise (40uV) linear power supply for crystal-clear audio. • Advanced app control for intuitive and convenient music management. • HDMI ARC and Trigger for synchronized on/off with connected devices. • Integrated support for major music platforms and third-party apps with high-resolution direct output.
I don't know how Eversolo has theirs configured, but I have an Anthem PrePro with eARC, a TV with streaming apps connected through that, and other devices connected to the PrePro via HDMI inputs. It works as I described. It definitely can act as an input. It would appear (from another post) that it doesn't do DSD, though.
If you look to the end of the thread you'll find a newer post from someone who's been doing their homework. TL/DR: 1) It's a know issue with the default DAC chip settings 2) It's fixable with a firmware update which... 3) Other manufacturers have already implemented a fix for and 4) Eversolo knows about it, has acknowledged the issue, but doesn't consider correcting the defect a priority. If you look elsewhere on the internet you'll find numerous descriptions of people using extractors with DoP with non-Eversolo products working just fine. I have tried a couple of the ones people report success with and with both have the same pops and crackles that have been reported previously when passing DoP to the A6. I suspect you're not having issues because you're not using the native DAC in the A6. Best regards.
Hopefully Eversolo will implement a firmware fix for the issue. I'd be interested in which DAC manufacturers have implemented firmware updates for this issue. I'm not using an HDMI extractor as well.
It’s a known flaw in this ESS chip default settings, hence the “fix” by SMSL, Topping, and others in firmware updates. Granted, the issues the original poster in the other thread and I are having may not be related. My problem happens when a6 plays DSD from DoP via coaxial. It plays fine, reads DSD on screen, and sounds wonderful (compared to the same stream converted to PCM first), but is interrupted by occasional bursts of jarring loud white noise that corresponds to clock recovery oscillator adjustments on the transport side. This can fortunately easily be fixed by decreasing the sensitivity of the ESS DAC chip to clock stability in DSD mode. An audio engineer explained to me exactly how and where to find the fix in the settings for the chip and actually got in touch with Eversolo to walk them through it himself and they told him the issue has been taken care of. It has not. But, again, the original poster’s issue with DoP and my own may not be the same. But the fix for my issue has been well documented and indeed implemented by other manufactures who use this chip, and it might be the fix he needs, as well.
Like the new features in the DMP-A6 V2, but I see here one big problem: Every half year they will release new hardware and it will become more and more complex to release a new firmware for all of them or they will stop to support older hardware...
The other change with the Gen 2 is USB-B input in place of the USB-C input. Can one connect an external USB hard drive to the USB-B input?
