DAP discussion thread

Yeah, this has become like the Cowon house sig, that you need to use BBE to boost the rolled off bass.

It's really a pity that AMS never made higher end platforms that SanDisk could have built off on. The Clip Zip/Fuze/etc is brilliant for the price.

 

Apparently Cayin has a Shanling m1 competitor coming soon. The Cayin n3 looks very interesting.

 

Ended up ordering the AK Jr. Seems like clearly the best sound < 300. For me (good sound + small size) > (good battery + small size). Plus I had the Shozy Alien as my regular DAP for a while so I'm not too fussy about UI. Folder mode looks like the way to overcome some of the lag with the Jr.

Still waiting on good sound + small size + good battery + not insane price.

 

Just a little feedback on the Jr:

Not as warm and thick as I was expecting (positive) - not as warm as the ZX2
Tighter bass than GO 450 - reigns in a little of the FW01s bloat.
Not as good micro-details as the GO450 or ZX2
Not as spacious as either too
Punchy, dynamic sound
So far UI is slow but works as intended - it's predictable so you (I) can get used to it
Size is perfect
Strange that AK has blown the roof off the DAP market and also makes a great budget DAP option (got it at $280).

 

@Stuff Jones Jr is the best sounding DAP under $300 (new). A&K doesn't really make value product - Jr price fall is because of they gave up on Jr (the latest FW was from Nov 2015) and decided to start building its replacement AK70.

 

True but I think it would actually be reasonable at the MSRP of 499 given it's unique SQ-size combo.

Anyone get the USB DAC function to work on Win10?

 

Sony A17 is still the champ of SQ-size combo. In fact, it's too small for my palm. SQ isn't much behind.

Heard problems of DAC functionality on Win10. It definitely won't work on USB3. Some says it needs Win7. I'm on MacOS and the DAC never had any problem.

 

I have not tried Sony DAP yet and isn't newer version, SONY Walkman A series NW-A35 is better than A17? I found that it is cheaper than A17 on Amazon.. I guess that it is because newer model has smaller internal storage than A17... If ths SQ is similar then A35 maybe better choice between the two?

 

I have consistently crashed iriver post AK DAPs within minutes of use. Their older ones like H120 sure are coded to a higher standard.

 

One of the reason I like the Sony A17 so much. Rock solid firmware. I have been contemplating upgrading to the ZX2, but that starts to get a bit to large for me. The ZX100 could be a good alternative, but not that many indicators how much of an improvement it is over the A17 SQ wise.

 

Though of course, that runs a crusty old Android 4.xx, which is both the best and worst thing about it. The WM1* run a much tighter embedded OS which is less flexible, but way more predictable- I guess whether than's a positive or a negative depends on the specific user.

(..I'm quite enjoying the WM1A in "direct source" mode. Less keen on all the processing options.)

 

Hi,I dont have NW-A17 on hand but have a NW-A25 to compare,I guess I can give some food for thought.

I have seek a DAP for a long time since the battery life of my iphone6s isnt last long enough for me,
I go to sony store for audtioning A25(on sale because new generation is released)and A35.
I didnt find A35 is superior in SQ,but totally otherwise,A35 sound a bit dull and not as engaging when compare to A25 although it has more power due to its spec(A35 is bassier,mid-suck out a bit,and have glared treble compare to A25,but A35 leads in dynamics/soundstage),so I finally pick up A25.
Use Massdrop RE-00 and Westone um 30 pro for auditioning,same result,so that's it.

Hope this helps.

 

Thanks. That was helpful indeed. I will skip A35... Now i am considering to go either A25 or AK Jr. Not sure how sound differ between the two. If I guess, AK Jr wins in terms of sound quality but lose on battery life and UI comparing with A25.

 

I have to say, I would totally buy a ZX2 or WM1A now if it was in that Sony Green/Blue colour.

 

If I remember correctly, AK JR output Z is 2ohm same as ZX100/ ZX2. Shanling M1 is 0.1ohm. For Andro, Is M1 ouput Z too low so it can be very bassy?

 

Thank you. I actually like bassier sound sig so might like it. I will give a go M1.

 

Man the AK Jr takes about half as long to charge as it can play on one charge. Why don't DAPs get quick charge or whatever it's called? If you're going to have lousy battery life, at least charge quickly.

 

@Stuff Jones told you, the battery life is painful. Btw, try to use higher wattage chargers.

 

Yeah, you were right but I couldn't resist the siren call of sound quality. Been charging it out of my laptop so far - I'll dig up a charger.