The New iRiver AK100: A High-End DAP - Page 84

Quote:

Originally Posted by nelamvr6 

 

 

I've never heard either, so I'm afraid I'll have to rely on the opinions of people who's taste I trust, at least at first anyway.

 

But I'm leaning toward the iBasso to begin with, being a big Android fan.

 

But I tend to agree with the opinion of many others here, that if the AK100 needs to be modded to simply be acceptable, that makes it a (far) inferior product.

 

But in the end, it's stellar sound that I'm after, so if, IF, the RWAK100 does best the DX100 I'll have to seriously consider my options.

 

And I guess we'll all have to wait and see just what HiFiMan ends up releasing...

AnakChan will have both in hand (DX100 and RAW AK100). I'll trust his opinion over many for that matter :).

Quote:

Originally Posted by nelamvr6 

 

 

I've never heard either, so I'm afraid I'll have to rely on the opinions of people who's taste I trust, at least at first anyway.

 

But I'm leaning toward the iBasso to begin with, being a big Android fan.

 

But I tend to agree with the opinion of many others here, that if the AK100 needs to be modded to simply be acceptable, that makes it a (far) inferior product.

 

But in the end, it's stellar sound that I'm after, so if, IF, the RWAK100 does best the DX100 I'll have to seriously consider my options.

 

And I guess we'll all have to wait and see just what HiFiMan ends up releasing...

all these high end daps have their shortcomings, none are perfect...at least the main issue with AK100 can (hopefully) be addressed...not the case with some of the other offerings...

for example, how you gonna shrink the ibasso and hifiman bricks...?...tough to extend battery life...? oh, what about the craptastic UI and software glitches....?

there are trade-offs and compromises....myself, if  the RWAK100 is 85% or more the SQ of the dx100, IMO it kills it for my wants...good, quick, intutive UI, hi-rez capacity, excellent size, build quality, and great SQ in ONE package...i'm tired of multi component bricks...

just my 3 cents...

Quote:

Originally Posted by lee730 

 

AnakChan will have both in hand (DX100 and RAW AK100). I'll trust his opinion over many for that matter :).

I'm really looking forward to hearing what he thinks!

Lee730, you ought to post photos of your DX100 with the T1 amp. I still wonder how did you manage to bring it them out.

Quote:

Originally Posted by uelover 

Lee730, you ought to post photos of your DX100 with the T1 amp. I still wonder how did you manage to bring it them out.

lol either by holding it or strapping it to my belt :). I could also fit in my side pocket as long as it is empty but its less combersome strapped to my side. Pretty much if it is in my side pocket I rather have it on shuffle so I can just leave it in there lol.

It doesn't look all that much bigger than your fat-looking wallet! 

Does the amp really add something to it? I thought part of the appeal of the DX100 was that you didn't need another amp. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Achmedisdead 

It doesn't look all that much bigger than your fat-looking wallet! 

Does the amp really add something to it? I thought part of the appeal of the DX100 was that you didn't need another amp. 

Of course it does. Otherwise I wouldn't bother using it :). Gives an even bigger sound stage, a more balanced and engaging sound. More transparency. Pretty much all 3 frequencies get a boost with the amp. Still not a requirement but I enjoy it enough to use it.

Oooo...tracking number from RWA received!! This is getting exciting esp when I didn't really get any X'mas presents this year ;-)!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by lee730 

lol either by holding it or strapping it to my belt :). I could also fit in my side pocket as long as it is empty but its less combersome strapped to my side. Pretty much if it is in my side pocket I rather have it on shuffle so I can just leave it in there lol.

 

 

 

 

 

LOL. Are you listening to music or VERY happy to see me.

Lee you did have a BIG BIG pocket.

Quote:

Originally Posted by icefalkon 

A buddy of mine on here posed this to me when I told him I was considering the iBasso or the RWAK...
Ok...but is the bulk of your music high enough quality to warrant such a purchase?
Hmmm....out of say...100GB of music....maybe 40GB is FLAC that I've converted to Apple Lossless...
But my current rig is a iPod Video...with the iMod and CF card mod...128GB...attached to a cMoy BB amp...the footprint of the units isn't that bad...but my question is...would the SQ of the RWAK be "that" much better...or is it more of an expensive lateral replacement?
Any thoughts?

If you're using earbuds, I'd say stick to your iPod :D. Jk Jk...I see your sig and see what you have. Although I'm not familiar with most despite owning 2 of them but a long while back.

It's funny that you ask this today 'cos when I met up with a couple of Tokyo Head-fiers today, we agreed that really it's the headphone/earphone that defines primary (or biggest) signature & quality, thereafter the DAC, then amp. The cables started to get somewhat blur (as to whether the ear/headphone cable vs backend ICs vs power cables, etc.).  Despite the topic being more about desktop setup, I think in part at least it's applicable to portable.

So my personal 2 yen worth is that if you have a pair of headphones that hasn't reached its full potential yet, then that's where the DAC, then/and amp come in to give that extra edge. On the other hand if the ear/headphones has already reached its full potential with your iPod video+cMoy BB amp setup, then going for a higher end DAP may see little rewards.

We did discuss about track quality too and we agreed that the difference between 256k lossy is probably the "best bang for buck" and for most of the tracks it's hard to tell the difference (or at least to satisfaction) in comparison to 16/44.1 lossless. I think I'd be even hard pressed to find 4 out of 100 of my best tracks to be able to tell if it was 256k lossy or lossless (but I do have 7214 tracks) and even for those I can tell a difference, I would have to listen pretty hard to tell the difference - in which case I'm no longer listening to music but just listening to detail and nitpicking. In other words, I'd still at least enjoy the music even at lossy. 128kBps on the other hand is a completely different matter.

Personally for me, I feel that the h/w component changes (DAC, Amp, cables) would make a bigger difference than 256kbps vs lossless.

This is just my personal beliefs which I've shared and agreed with some other Tokyo head-fiers.

P.S. no joke, earwax could potentially affect more than lossy vs lossless!