The DMP-A8 Master Gen 2 is a feature-rich digital player with built-in CD ripping capabilities. To evaluate its ripping performance, SOOMAL tested it with several original CDs, including Fleetwood Mac’s Greatest Hits, Modern Talking’s Back for Good, and Faye Wong’s Sky XRCD. All discs used in the test were in good condition, with only minor surface scratches.
*The following test results are excerpted and adapted from SOOMAL’s review.
“Different ripping methods should not automatically be assumed to produce identical audio results.”
For comparison, SOOMAL used EAC on a computer with a CD drive supporting offset correction and C2 error detection. The first track, Rhiannon, from Fleetwood Mac’s Greatest Hits was selected for detailed comparison.
The DMP-A8 Master Gen 2 offers several ripping strategies, including Standard, Safety Priority, and Speed Priority. For this test, SOOMAL selected Safety Priority, which takes longer but prioritizes ripping accuracy. The player also supports automatic offset correction, FLAC lossless compression, and ripping reports—features that make its workflow comparable to dedicated PC software such as Exact Audio Copy (EAC).
Track Duration
The DMP-A8 Master Gen 2 and EAC produced files with exactly the same duration: 4:11.573 for Rhiannon. Other tracks tested also showed identical durations.
Level and Frequency Analysis
Different CD ripping methods may introduce very subtle differences in level. To identify any variation, we performed a frequency analysis of both samples and overlaid their curves. If the curves do not completely overlap, it indicates a difference in level.
In this test, the two curves completely overlap, showing no measurable difference in level between the two samples.
Phase Analysis
SOOMAL then compared the phase characteristics of the two samples at a randomly selected point in time, T.
The samples were analyzed at the same point to generate two phase analysis plots, which were then overlaid for comparison. If the two plots completely overlapped, it would indicate that the samples were nearly identical. The two plots completely overlapped.
Spectrograms
SOOMAL also compared the corresponding spectrograms of the two samples to determine whether any differences were present. The two spectrograms were first overlaid, followed by a “Difference” overlay analysis. If the resulting image showed colored artifacts, it would indicate differences between the two samples. The resulting image was completely black, indicating no detectable difference between the two samples.
Based on these tests, SOOMAL concluded that the DMP-A8 Master Gen 2’s CD ripping performance is comparable to EAC, while offering a more streamlined operation.
The CD ripping function also works together with the player’s CD metadata retrieval features. Track names can be automatically assigned before ripping, album artwork can be saved after the process, and users can store the ripped files locally in FLAC format. These files can then be played through the player’s digital playback functions, with SOOMAL reporting no audible difference compared with CD playback.
*Source: SOOMAL, Eversolo DMP-A8 Master Gen 2 CD Playback Function Test Report.