[zeddun]

I agree that the battery life is the main downside of the M but I use the M mostly at home or in my car so the battery life hasn't become a major issue for me.  I agree with Malcuso that I like the driving power of the M and that it is certainly one of the better sounding DAPs on the market.  Plus for folks with large music collections the M can hold close to 1 TB of music with the right card configuration which many other DAPs can't do.

 

[Jap]

Thanks Zeddan and Malcuso. I already re-evaluated my earlier response based on what Currawong said and agreed the trade-off of short battery life to great power is worth it. I own a couple of dated but great high-powered portable headphone amps, the Phil Larocco Portable Reference II (Mk 2) and the Triad Audio L3, and both have relative short battery lives but deliver enough power to drive many headphones that would normally require home amps. Given my musical tastes, the extra power is worth it for great sound, so it would behoove me to investigate external battery packs or employ wall power outlets more often. In a pinch, I can always carry one of my portable amps along as I sometimes do if the sound requires a power boost.

 

[thelittlefella]

I use that combination daily (even though I have a lot of other decent IEMs, including FAD PFVIIIs and Xs (not really daily use' IEMs) FAD Heaven VIIs and Sennheiser IE80s. I'd say the Calyx M gives a slightly warm sound, but it works really well with the AKG3003is with the neutral filter.  If you find the combo overwarm though you can switch to the treble-boost filter.  I haven't even tried that filter though to be honest, nor the bass boost, because the sound with the neutral filter is stunning IMHO. Bass goes down really low but feels natural, as do the mids and highs.  Clarity is unbelievable. The combo just wins on all fronts for my money.  The only downside is that you will need the M-Jack for this combo, which makes it just that little bit more unwieldy (and my M-Jack looked bent right out of the box, so I'm always afraid it will bend further in my coat pocket).  Also, the stock tips that come with the 3003s can be a little firm, so you might need to switch those (FAD tips work well). Cheers.

 

[Kiats]

Ah... That gives me the inspiration to dig up my 3003s for a listen with the Calyx M

 

[zeddun]

Has anyone tried either versions of Dita the Answer (standard and truth edition with upgraded cable) with the M.  If so did you like the pairing and was the M jack required?

 

[audionewbi]

  Has anyone tried either versions of Dita the Answer (standard and truth edition with upgraded cable) with the M.  If so did you like the pairing and was the M jack required?

No it is not needed. 

 

[zeddun]

No it is not needed. 

Thanks! Did you like the synergy between the M and Dita?

 

[audionewbi]

Thanks! Did you like the synergy between the M and Dita?

it is very pleasant, if I am not mistaken the ceo of calyx uses a dita truth for his calyx M.

 

[SashimiWu]

Is the 4-5 hour playtime still there with a mix of MP3 and FLAC files?  Also has there been any new firmware for the Calyx in the recent weeks?

 

[chawya22]

  Is the 4-5 hour playtime still there with a mix of MP3 and FLAC files?  Also has there been any new firmware for the Calyx in the recent weeks?

4-5 hours is about as good as it gets, if that long. There hasn't been a FW update since 11/2014. I sent an email to the Korean Support address and listed some of the things that I thought should be addressed. They replied a month later and said they would have their software developers look into my requests but the tone of the email, didn't sound too promising. 

 

[SashimiWu]

 
4-5 hours is about as good as it gets, if that long. There hasn't been a FW update since 11/2014. I sent an email to the Korean Support address and listed some of the things that I thought should be addressed. They replied a month later and said they would have their software developers look into my requests but the tone of the email didn't sound too promising. 

 
A bit disappointing.  It seems like it would be a complete DAP if it had not awful battery life.  Really curious to see how it sounds but not willing to pay the money for something that seems to have lost all support from Calyx.

 

[chawya22]

   
A bit disappointing.  It seems like it would be a complete DAP if it had not awful battery life.  Really curious to see how it sounds but not willing to pay the money for something that seems to have lost all support from Calyx.

The benefits almost outweigh the negatives, with the SQ being one of the best I've heard. I even like the striped down OS because I find it very intuitive. The big concern, as you've already stated, is support. My brain is not so numb, because of this hobby, that a $1000+ DAP is a cheap item. Either the next FW update is taking so long, because it's going to crush the competition or Caylx feels the M is a done deal. Who Knows!

 

[SashimiWu]

 
The benefits almost outweigh the negatives, with the SQ being one of the best I've heard. I even like the striped down OS because I find it very intuitive. The big concern, as you've already stated, is support. My brain is not so numb, because of this hobby, that a $1000+ DAP is a cheap item. Either the next FW update is taking so long, because it's going to crush the competition or Caylx feels the M is a done deal. Who Knows!

 
It seems that everyone who has tried the Calyx M has loved its sound quality and signature which is why its so compelling.  Just not sure if I can drop the money on something that won't even last me a whole round-trip of a commute to work.

 

[chawya22]

   
It seems that everyone who has tried the Calyx M has loved its sound quality and signature which is why its so compelling.  Just not sure if I can drop the money on something that won't even last me a whole round-trip of a commute to work.

You may have noticed that many of the owners in this thread bought external battery packs, as a work around. I use one. The reality is, IMHO, because of the design of the M, you're not going to get competitive battery life but if Calyx added standard battery conserving settings to the OS, you could maybe eke out a little more life than it has now. It's still an exemplary DAP, sound wise.

 

[chawya22]

   
It seems that everyone who has tried the Calyx M has loved its sound quality and signature which is why its so compelling.  Just not sure if I can drop the money on something that won't even last me a whole round-trip of a commute to work.

Speaking of the sound, for me what I love, is that the M can sound sonically large without being excessively loud. You don't have to ruin your hearing in order to be enveloped by the sound. I guess that's part of the Class A magic.