With over 30 Nuprime-X systems sold in Taiwan, we’re pleased to highlight this Fusion 8D and H16 processor review by PaPa Dan—a well-known Taiwanese audio blogger and Nuprime-X customer. He explores its sound quality and how it brings AES/EBU and AoIP together in his home theater.
Read PaPa Dan’s full English review
AES/EBU or AoIP? With Fusion 8D, PaPa Dan gets both.
What happens when a dedicated multichannel DAC brings audiophile analog design into two different digital theater systems? In his Fusion 8D review, PaPa Dan Audio/Video Lab explores exactly that: keeping his established AES/EBU theater while adding an Audio over IP system, with both using Dirac Live ART room correction.
His starting point is separation. Let the processor handle decoding and room correction, then give digital-to-analog conversion its own dedicated hardware. For PaPa Dan, the appeal of Fusion 8D is not simply eight DAC channels. It is the complete analog signal chain, paired with flexible digital connections and a modular platform that can evolve with the theater.
Warmth, detail and immersion
How does it sound? He spent more than two weeks repeatedly comparing Fusion 8D with his Okto DAC8 PRO using the original La La Land disc on a Magnetar ULTIMA player through StormAudio. Each DAC system was measured independently, with the same ART settings. Both also fed the Barefoot MM12 center speaker, making the comparison especially relevant to dialogue, vocals and the front soundstage.
In the scene where the four girls sing and dance, he describes clearer physical cues to the performers: lips, mouth shapes, resonance and throat. His words:
“The sound breaks free of the speakers and is more three-dimensional, as if the singers were performing right in front of the screen.”
PaPa Dan Audio/Video Lab
The distinction is warmth with resolution. Compared with the Okto’s sharp, precise presentation, he writes that “the Fusion 8D sounds “warmer” without any compromise in detail, and its dynamic swings are more pronounced.”
His examples go beyond vocals: the pool-party splash feels bigger and more physical, the Los Angeles night air has more heat and thickness, and the trumpet solo carries a fuller brass texture. In the piano scene, the presentation draws him deeper into the film’s emotional “What if…” moment. These are the reviewer’s listening impressions in his system, and they explain why immersion is such a strong theme throughout the article.
Two systems, one flexible DAC platform.
The supplied diagrams show the actual review setups. In the AES/EBU theater, the Magnetar ULTIMA sends HDMI to StormAudio MK2 for decoding and Dirac Live ART. Its AES/EBU card sends the front left/right channels to a NuPrime EVO DAC-2 and 16 channels to two Fusion 8D units. Other channels use the MK2’s internal DACs. The result is a 9.6.4.7, 26-channel layout, with 30 channels in use because the front wides and left/right surrounds are bi-amped.
The EVO DAC-2 feeds the Analog Domain Artemis power amplifier. A Fusion 8D output goes directly to the Barefoot MM12 active center speaker; the other outputs feed the multichannel amplifiers. This is a practical example of external conversion working alongside the processor’s own analog outputs.
The AoIP system
The AoIP theater takes another route. NuprimeX H16 handles Atmos decoding, while a Mac mini runs Dirac Live Processor with ART through a VST3 plug-in. Two Fusion 8D units provide D/A conversion. All AoIP devices connect through a NuPrime SW-9X network switch in a star topology, carrying digital audio and the network reference clock.
Front left/right retain their separate chain: NuprimeX F22D converts AoIP to AES/EBU, feeding the EVO DAC-2 and Analog Domain Artemis. The Fusion units handle the remaining analog outputs, including the active center. This system uses a 7.3.4, 14-channel layout, with 16 channels actually in use because the left/right surrounds remain bi-amped.
With the appropriate optional input cards installed, a turn of Fusion 8D’s front-panel knob switches between AES/EBU and AoIP. PaPa Dan can keep both theaters without giving up his established AES-based system.
Direct sound with tangible power
What changes in the AoIP listening experience? He describes a more direct presentation, with the raw excitement of a studio master tape. Deep bass vocals, improvised multichannel jazz drums and pipe organ all reveal weight, texture and a strong physical presence:
“the NuprimeX H16 + Fusion 8D AoIP combination was extremely solid and tangible, with surprising power and rich detail!”
PaPa Dan Audio/Video Lab
ART is supplied by the connected processor or computer; it is not built into Fusion 8D. The reviewer also notes that the initial AoIP and VST3 setup takes effort. The payoff, for him, is flexible processing and a system that is compelling to listen to.
What makes Fusion 8D distinctive?
The architecture image traces the full path for each channel: digital input, DAC, optocoupler I/V conversion and analog volume, output buffer, then true balanced XLR to the power amplifiers. Four ESS9038K2M DAC chips operate in dual-mono configuration for eight independent conversion channels. The design emphasizes channel independence rather than simply counting DAC chips.
NSL-4562 optocouplers participate in I/V conversion and analog gain control. Volume is adjusted on the analog side, a design choice the article connects with preserving low-level musical information at quieter listening levels. Burr-Brown OPA134UA buffers complete the output stage, with true balanced XLR outputs up to 8 Vrms.
Control, digital and analog circuits have separate power sections. Together, these choices explain PaPa Dan’s central point: Fusion 8D treats the analog side of a digital theater as a complete design, from conversion through the output stage and power supply.
A modular platform that can grow
The Fusion-X platform adds five expansion slots, including a dedicated AoIP slot, on a 64-channel digital and analog I/O bus. The article describes options for AES67 / Dante AoIP, AES3 / AES-EBU multichannel input, streaming and an external-clock-related upgrade. These are expansion possibilities, not a claim that every module is included with the base DAC.
How Fusion 8D fits into multichannel audio
The review also puts Fusion 8D beside three different approaches to multichannel conversion. It describes Okto DAC8 PRO as a focused eight-channel design emphasizing low distortion and resolution; RME M-32 Pro II as a professional 32-channel converter for large production systems; and Merging Hapi as a flexible studio and recording platform. PaPa Dan’s interest in Fusion 8D is its combination of home-theater usability, dedicated analog design and modular connectivity.
PaPa Dan’s takeaway
His takeaway: enthusiasts building a theater around separate DACs and professional digital transport can keep AES/EBU, explore AoIP and expand their system step by step. For PaPa Dan, that flexibility comes with the warmth, tangible dynamics and immersion he values. Fusion 8D has now joined the multichannel DAC lineup at PaPa Dan Audio/Video Lab.
Quotes and listening impressions are from PaPa Dan Audio/Video Lab’s review dated October 5, 2026. AES and AoIP cards are optional; configuration and results depend on the connected equipment.
Read the full review · Explore Fusion 8D · Original NuPrime Facebook post