The sound
Contents
There are actually two stories in this one. Because the influence of a power supply and the Ethernet connection are not negligible in this test. We basically test products ‘as is’, but that is difficult in this case. This is because we clearly see that the potential of the product is much greater than we hear with the standard adapter. Something to look at as Wattson Audio. We’ve already had contact about this. And they take this feedback very seriously. So there’s a good chance that another adapter will be added in a future revision.
Great
By default, the streamers play just fine. A matter of ‘there is nothing wrong’. The Emerson Digital is just a tad less refined than the Ambre. A bit more sharpness in the s-sounds. Typical for a product where the jitter is probably a bit higher than desired. And our reasoning is that the power supply is not stable or ‘clean’ enough, which in turn affects the clock.
The Emerson Analog is a tricky one, because when compared to our Bluesound Node2 it’s just difficult to point out a ‘winner’. It’s really a matter of leapfrog. With one track we hear almost no difference and with the other we do. In the end we do hear some difference in favor of the Emerson (especially with piano pieces), but it’s really not big enough to justify the price difference. And if we don’t really hear this clearly on our reference system, then on a system with less resolution it’s definitely an issue. In short: this is where the price / quality seriously gets into trouble. (Sorry Wattson Audio…)
Tweaking and solving
Now it’s time for some tweaking. Yes… we did take our time! We especially focus on the Emerson Analog, because in our opinion it is the most sensitive one for tweaks. First the cables. We change a standard CAT5e for a solid, shielded CAT6a. Wow! That’s definitely audible. A little less sharpness, more looseness and more space in the image. Top tip: this streamer is sensitive to Ethernet cables. Then with fiber converters: another step! Now we’re talking. Next in line: the power supply.
The Sbooster BOTW version 2 is a big, clearly audible step. More calmness, more space (sometimes even meters!), less grain and more control. It is now really more pleasant to listen to: less distractions, more music. We especially heard this on the album Amelie. There the piano really sounds more like a piano and the whole thing just makes more sense.
That’s not strange when we look at the standard power supply and this 300 euro Sbooster. Of course there are other brands and types that will work as well. And we don’t ask Wattson Audio to provide this 300 euro power supply as the stock one, but this proves that the standard adapter really is a limiting factor. A kind of a limiter on the quality.
The playback
How does it sound with the tweaks in the end? Very nice! The Digital gets to the level of the Ambre. Even better maybe! Very impressive, because the Ambre plays via I2S and the Emerson via AES. So in fact the Ambre has the advantage here. In short: the Emerson Digital is a very decent, high quality streaming bridge.
The Analogue does eventually pass the Bluesound in terms of spaciousness (as previously reported, you can gain a few meters in some tracks), control, resolution – especially audible with for example piano pieces – and calmness or authority.
Also the bass is a bit more powerful and a bit easier to follow. And that is of course important and contributes significantly to the experience we have in the end: is it a nice tune or are you really going to sit down and listen? The Emerson Analog eventually makes you sit down. And that’s an achievement for a device that is so compact and so simplistic.
However, we find it difficult to be superstitious here, because the Bluesound should not be a candidate with 549 euros. And it is with the standard power supply. The Emerson with tweaks can cost up to 2000 euro. And yes: then it just passes the Node2 easily in terms of musicality. But what about streamers of 2000 euros? A Lumin D2 for example. That will really be a photo finish we think. More a matter of taste. But the ‘bigger’ guys have built in more services and they offer an app for Android… tricky.
Digital and Analog
I’m sure you’ve already read that we don’t have much to say about the Digital. With a nice power supply it really is a nice source and a good partner for a solid dac. The Ambre can throw a punch, but the Emerson offers more versitality in the form of UPnP, so Roon is not needed. (Same goes for the Analog of course…). There are not many affordable, good bridges. So Emerson has an interesting product here which is definitely worth considering.
But the Emerson Analog did not directly convince us. Here the competition is a bit more complicated. Bluesound has the best proposition in the entry-level market. Towards 2000 euro the playing field starts again and there we see for example Lumin and Auralic. Tough guys.