I spent a lot of 2025 downsizing my main rig. Not for any financial reason, but more because I became a bit disillusioned with the whole chase. Bigger, pricier, heavier boxes, endless swapping… it gets tiring after a while and I just burned out on it.
So out went my main digital front end, a dCS Rossini Player/DAC with external Clock, along with several power amps, preamps, and my ProAc D40R speakers. I’ve kept the analogue side intact for now, but digitally I wanted something simpler, more compact, and frankly, less fussy.
A couple of weeks ago I picked up the Eversolo DMP-A10. It’s an all-in-one preamp, DAC, streamer, and system hub with a few tricks up its sleeve. Since then I’ve been living with it daily, using either my Voxativ Zeth speakers or a pair of vintage Spica TC-50s, powered by my trusty Veloce Audio Saetta hybrid battery monoblocks.
Enter the Legacy Audio Calibre XD
Mid-week a new pair of Legacy Audio Calibre XD speakers arrived. These are three-way bookshelf speakers that can be run fully active, or switched so only the bass/mid section is active while an external amp drives highs. Clever stuff, and ideal for experimenting with modern bass management and active crossovers. Thanks Legacy for giving me a bit of a deal on closeouts. This is actually the first pair of new speakers I’ve owned since the 80’s. (1980’s that is).
They’re still breaking in, but even after just 24 hours they’re already reminding me of what I heard at Capital Audiofest a couple of years back. Big sound for a stand-mount, good depth… The highs are clear without being edgy, and the midrange has that solid, anchored presence I like. Bass is decent for a monitor, but not truly deep, which is where my pair of REL Carbon Specials step in. They’re still lacking some weight and body, but I’m hoping that will improve with more play time and also placement/positioning.
Using the DMP-A10: Source Direct vs Active Preamp
I’ve tried “source direct” or digital volume control plenty of times over the years. The only time it genuinely worked for me was with the dCS Rossini Player/DAC. Even things like Lumin’s Leedh processing, which plenty of people rave about, never really gelled with the gear I’ve owned. There’s a video I hacked together on that topic here.
The Eversolo DMP-A10 has a proper analogue preamp stage, and thankfully it works very well. It also has three sets of outputs, one of which can be configured specifically for subwoofers. I’m currently running balanced XLR out into the Calibre XD speakers, and RCA from the sub outputs into the LFE inputs on my REL Carbon Specials.
Going in on the LFE to the subs bypasses the sub’s internal XO and allows me to use the crossover, gain, and phase control inside the Eversolo, which sounds better and is more user-friendly and controllable than the REL’s, which always involved me clambering around the back of the subs to change anything.
The DMP-A10 also includes EQ and room correction tools, though I haven’t explored those yet. For now I’m just enjoying how well the bass management works straight out of the box.
System Layout
For clarity, here’s how everything is strapped together at the moment:
- Analogue sources into RCA inputs (turntable phono stage and OPPO Blu-ray player)
- Music library via USB hard drive plugged directly into the DMP-A10
- Occasional streaming from Tidal over Ethernet
- XLR outputs to the Legacy Calibre XD speakers (fully active mode)
- RCA sub outputs to REL Carbon Special LFE inputs
I could also stream from Amazon Music and a few other services, but Tidal generally sounds the best of the bunch, aside from local files on the drive.
One of the nicest quality-of-life improvements has been adjusting subwoofer gain directly from the Eversolo app. Last night I was blasting Dire Straits’ first album and it needed a touch more low-end weight. Previously that would have meant crawling behind each sub half-pissed, guessing pot positions by feel, and then trudging back to the chair to see if it helped. Now it takes about three seconds via the Eversolo App. Honestly, I hate REL for their primitive UX — but I also love how their subs sound.
Eversolo DMP-A10 with Legacy Audio Calibre XD
Tubes in the Mix
A week or so ago I picked up a Linear Tube Audio ZOTL40 Reference power amp, so I’m using the third set of outputs on the Eversolo to feed it, letting the ZOTL40 handle the highs while the Calibre XD’s internal amps take care of mids and bass. (And the Sub out to the RELs).
This configuration took quite a bit of work to get right, but it’s proven quite rewarding. The first and most predictable issue was matching the gain. The XLR out from the Eversolo into the Speaker/Amp active input is about 6dB higher than using the RCA out into the ZOTL40. So I had to find a way to attenuate the output to the active section on the Calibres. I looked far and wide, sent emails to everyone I could think of, and when I had enough people clambering around trying to find a solution for me, I sent an email to Ed at Legacy Audio. “Oh, yeah, we’ve got a box for that…” said Ed.
So a few days later a little attenuator box arrived and it sits neatly in between the XLR out on the Eversolo and the input to the speakers. I now have the gain matched nicely and can assess what contribution the ZOTL40 makes to the system, over and above simply running the Calibres fully active.
In a nutshell, it’s a subtle but mostly worthwhile improvement having the tube amp on the AMT ribbons. A little more smoothness, a touch more dimensionality, more presence, and more depth to the soundstageSoundstage - The overall size and shape of the musical “space” a system creates, including width, depth, and height.. The downside is that I now have to go through a more elaborate power up/down ritual, being wary to switch off the speakers before powering down the LTA ZOTL40, and remembering to power up the ZOTL before switching on the speakers. It’s a notch up sonically, but a step pack from the practical/simplicity I was looking for. Of course I don’t have to use the ZOTL every time I want to listen to tunes. Simply switching the button on each speaker sends it back into full-range mode where the internal amp powers everything.
How Does the Eversolo DMP-A10 Actually Sound?
Short answer: pretty good.
Before the Legacy speakers arrived, I ran the Eversolo as a streaming DAC/pre into the Voxativ Zeth and Spica TC-50s, using my Veloce Audio Saetta amps. Sonically it reminded me a lot of my old PS Audio DirectStream Junior setup fed by a Lumin U1 Mini. Clean, articulate, reasonably detailed, and nicely balanced. But, it does sometimes feel like theirs a slight ‘veil’ over the music, a slight loss of ultimate transparencyTransparent / Transparency - A clear view into the recording space, no opaqueness, just openness and clarity..
It isn’t warm or romantic like my old Holo Audio May KTE DAC, but it also never sounds thin or harsh. There’s a slightly “modern” tilt to it that works well across genres. The Eversolo DMP-A10 also has filters that actual do shape the sound a little. So you can tailor things a touch more to any personal preference in real-time from the app. I diddled around with various filter settings trying to shift the veil but to no avail…I guess it’s basically what happens when you go from a $40K digital player to a $4K digital player without any medication to help handle the transition.
The streaming side deserves special mention. I’ve owned streamers that dropped connections, froze mid-playlist, or needed constant rebooting. The Eversolo has been rock solid. I can start a playlist, close the app, leave the house, and come back ten hours later to find it still playing away happily. Brilliant for burning in speakers, and even better for general sanity.
Let’s be realistic: the Eversolo isn’t a dCS Rossini with external Clock. Of course it isn’t. That combo retailed for roughly ten times the price of the DMP-A10. The Rossini delivered more depth, refinement, transparency, and sheer realism. But was it ten times better? That’s a harder question, and one I cover in another one of my crappy videos – the law of diminishing returns in high-end audio.
Basic Specs (Highlights)
- Fully balanced analogue preamp stage
- Built-in high-resolution DAC (PCM and DSD support)
- Integrated streamer with local library playback via USB
- Dedicated subwoofer outputs with crossover, gain, and phase control
- Optional EQ and room correction
- Multiple analogue and digital inputs
- Balanced XLR and single-ended RCA outputs
Final Thoughts and Impressions and Coming Soon…
As a system hub, the Eversolo DMP-A10 has been a revelation. It simplifies the rack, cleans up cabling, adds proper bass management, and sounds comfortably in the league of separates I used to own that cost more (but not the ones costing 10x more).
If you’re curious about modern all-in-one digital front ends and wondering how far things have come, the Eversolo is well worth a serious look.
Subscribe to the blog for updates — more to come soon.
CAH Feb 2026
USED BUYING TIPS – These were scarce on the used markets despite being popular on the usual discussion forums. In the last month or so (March 2026) I’ve started to see more and more appear on US Audiomart, and even a couple on Audiogon. Used prices I’ve seen have been in the range of $2500 to $3200. So reckon on about $3K or slightly under for a clean unit. Make sure all the accessories are available, along with packaging. It also comes with a nice metal remote, so make sure that’s included with the sale.
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