Dorpo DMP-A1: network music player with DAC, preamplifier and headphone amplifier
The DMP-A1 brings four functions together in one unit: network streamer, digital-to-analogue converter, preamplifier and headphone amplifier. It plays music stored locally or on a NAS, music from streaming services and music sent from a phone, tablet or computer.
The processor is a 64-bit quad-core Cortex-A55, with 4 GB of DDR4 memory and 64 GB of eMMC storage. Conversion is handled by the ESS ES9039S Pro chip, the audio interface is a third-generation XMOS XU316 and the clock relies on two crystal oscillators, at 45.1584 and 49.152 MHz. The power supply is twofold: linear for the analogue circuits, low-noise switching for the digital ones, with metal shielding. The chassis is CNC-machined aluminium alloy; the front carries a 5-inch 1080p LCD touch display and the volume knob with a light ring in customisable colours. The system is FunplayUI running on Android 12.
Key features
- ESS ES9039S Pro DAC and an entirely balanced analogue circuit, from the converter to the outputs
- From the USB port: native DSD512, 768 kHz/32-bit PCM and complete MQA decoding
- Optical and coaxial inputs: 192 kHz/24-bit PCM and DSD64 as DoP
- 4.2 Vrms XLR output with an A-weighted signal-to-noise ratio of 127 dB; 2.5 Vrms RCA output with 122 dB
- Headphone amplifier with a 4.4 mm balanced output and a 6.35 mm single-ended one, two gain levels, for loads between 16 and 300 ohms
- M.2 NVMe 2280 slot reachable from outside with no tools, for one SSD as large as 8 TB (not supplied)
- Bluetooth 5.4 with a Qualcomm QCC5181 module, 96 kHz/24-bit at most
- Dimensions 290 x 200 x 78 mm, in the order given by Dorpo; net weight 3.4 kg
Connections
The digital inputs are optical, coaxial and HDMI ARC, plus the USB audio port. On the output side there are balanced XLR and RCA analogue connections, which can be selected independently, optical, coaxial and USB digital outputs and an HDMI socket with 4K video, which repeats the interface on a large screen. The set is completed by two rear USB 3.0 ports and one front USB 2.0, Gigabit networking, two-band Wi-Fi 6 and a trigger input and output on 3.5 mm jacks.
Streaming and control
The dp Music Player handles FLAC, WAV, APE, DSF, DFF, SACD ISO, DTS and MQA and sorts the library by artist, album, genre and sampling format. Among music services Dorpo names Qobuz, Tidal, Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Amazon and Highresaudio, installed and added over time with firmware updates as certification progresses. From mobile devices music arrives through Spotify Connect, Qobuz Connect, AirPlay, DLNA and Bluetooth; Roon Ready is planned for a future firmware update. Control is from the touch screen, from the aluminium alloy infrared remote and from the dp SmartController app, for iOS and Android.
