ELAC Discovery Series WiFi Streaming Integrated Amp (Ds-A101-G)

Easy to operate and full of features. I'm using this with a pair of ELAC Uni-Fi 2.0 UB52s and it works great. It's hooked-up to my TV with the optical cable. I also stream music using Spotify Connect. I wanted to get a compact integrated system as my first foray into hi-fi audio and am happy to report that the Discovery system exceeded my expectations.I do notice that the sound is a lot quieter when using the Optical input from the TV versus streaming from Spotify directly on the Discovery. I have to really crank up the output volume to get the same level of sound. But potentially there is some setting which I haven't found yet. It's only been 3 days since taking it out of the box.The wifi setup was fairly straightforward. I couldn't seem to get it to connect to my 5Ghz channel, ony the 2.4GHz. So I'm not sure if the Discovery is WiFi 6 enabled? Again, could be user error on my part. Bluetooth setup was easy too.I haven't really tried to push the system yet. I've only had the volume at 45% (partly due to landlord constraints), but it drives the UB52s just fine.The app that comes with the Discovery is fairly intuitive and acts as a fully functional remote.Overall, I'm really impressed with the Discovery and would recommend to anyone looking for a system that's easy to use, encompasses a wide range of connectivity options, and is powerful enough to drive some quality speakers.

After constantly fooling with my iFi Room end point, this is a real joy. Just works immediately and has not failed once. Pretty decent sound also for a bedroom unit.

didn't work unsupported by manufacturer

this is my first sound system. never owned one before. i upgraded from what i thought was a nice sounding Riverwood Acoustics bluetooth speaker. man! what an upgrade. bought the fluance xl8s and bic RTR-EV1200 based on reviews. bought the elac DS-A101-G because i mostly stream music from tidal from my iphone via bluetooth. i will also connect an LG 65inch tv via toslink cable so i can enjoy perhaps theatre-like dolby sound. i would rate this four stars only if not for what i think is an excellent sounding amp. the elac app is glitchy. got it configured the first time i opened and ran the app. i connected the speakers and subwoofer first before first opening and running the elac DS-A101-G app. now i can not go back to re-configure it anymore.anyway, i bought it coz it seamed to have all the amp features i needed and coz of brand reputation. i am not disappointed with the sound. im not an audiophile. but i think this really sounds perfect! i think i can enjoy listening to music for hours and not get listening fatigue. enough juice to power the fluance xl8s and with a sub out to connect the bic RTR-EV1200.this is maybe the last sound system i will ever buy. i think im in heaven.update: found a hack, sort of. so the elac app on my iphone won’t let me go into configuration mode, even if i deleted and re-intalled the app.turns out, i installed the app on my ipad and voila - i can access the app’s configuration mode.so five stars for an excellent sounding Elac DS-A101-G!

I really wanted to like this amplifier, which I purchased in addition to the new Andrew Johnson-designed Elac Debut Reference bookshelf speakers. I heard this exact setup at RMAF and was really impressed. It has all the streaming options you could want and looks really good. Where I'm using it (not my main listening area, but in the kitchen), I can't fit a full-sized receiver and I was glad to be able to find a high-quality unit that would fit. I got it working over bluetooth, optical, analog, Spotify and DLNA (from a NAS server) - pretty straightforward to get them all working. App works fine on Android (didn't try iOS).But...it has internal thermal management problems.In my day, I've blown the odd output fuse or triggered the output protection circuitry. It happens - the volume is too loud or some dynamic passage occurs. And having connected many different amplifiers to many different speakers over the years, it's pretty easy to tell when the amp (or speakers, for that matter) is operating beyond its intended power range. In some cases, this means the amplifier clips, which is a pretty obvious audible thing. So you turn down the volume and go on. Maybe you have to cycle the power to reset the protection circuit.But this amp doesn't blow a fuse or trigger a dynamic protection circuit when it's working too hard. Instead it goes into a mode where the speaker outputs are turned off, though in some cases the networking channels are still functional and pass-throughs (like the sub) are still working. If you stop the streaming input ** and wait an hour or so ** it cools off and then works fine again. No way for me to know for sure, but it seems like a thermal issue inside the unit.While such an operation might be appealing to prevent damage to the unit, there's no way to know that the volume is too high until it's too late. And then the party's over for an hour.First amp I got I assumed it had a problem, so I was able to get the local stereo shop that sold it to me to replace it with a new unit. I ran the new amp overnight at low volume and then for 8 hours at high volume with a pair of Paradigm Atom speakers, connected. No problems, sounded good, kept on trucking.Connecting the Elac Debut reference speakers was a different matter. They sounded good, but I just couldn't keep the system playing for a long time at any listenable volume. Tried putting some strips of wood under the amp's feet to raise the amp and improve the airflow (air flow openings are on the bottom and sides, not top). No love. Let it cool off, and tried to play just a single album at a somewhat loud volume level of 65 on the display (whatever that means) and only got half way through it. Everything sounds just fine, no stress or strain anywhere - certainly no clipping - then silence.The Elac speakers are less sensitive (86db) than the Atoms (~90db for the older version I have). And their nominal impedance (6 ohms) is lower than the Atom, (8 ohms). Perhaps one or the other or both caused the amp to work harder with the Elac speakers and generate more heat internally. Or maybe there is some other interaction beyond this. Regardless, the combination is essentially unreliable if you want to play music for the entire evening.I had a nice arrangement setup where I was going to try and do an A-B-C comparison with two other amp-speaker systems, but I never was able to keep the Elac pair going long enough (with whatever other things were going on in the room) to really do a clean comparison. But when it was working it certainly sounded very good.I have a much less expensive little amp (1/4 the size) with essentially the same continuous power specs - 2x40W at 8ohms, 2x80W at 4 ohms. It drives the Elac Debut Reference speakers all day at any reasonable volume - no issue, no overheat, no clipping and no shut down. Can't say whether it sounds different than the Elac amp, but it doesn't have the same streaming options.I'm surprised - I assumed the pair would work well together since they were demo'ing at the show. Power numbers (for an amp or speaker) are notoriously imprecise in the real world, so not clear that looking at the specifications would have really indicated that there should be a problem.So if you have sensitive speakers and/or plan to always play at a low volume - and you need the streaming options that this device provides - this could be the amp for you. But I like the Elac speakers so I'm going to have to look for an alternate amp.It has an Auto Blend and Room Correction capability to balance the way the sub-woofer is driven, but there's no documentation I could find on this. I could get part way through the setup with the app, but was never able to get it to complete successfully. Didn't really work too hard on this due to the above problem.

Great amp but needs a software fix to make the app more useable

Works good on 4 ohm speaker