[shotgunshane]

Lol let's not bring LH and their Wave into the discussion, some of their backers and fans are surely a touchy bunch over on the wave thread

You should give the PAW Gold and Hifiman 901 a good listen if you haven't. I prefer both on SQ （901 with certain amp boards) over Mojo. Without considering price, maybe the AK380 also. But mojo is cheaper and smaller than all of them. Kudos to Rob adn John. Gotta also give Hifiman credit tho for the 901 to last thru AK100/120/100mk2/240/100ii/120ii/380/320 and still manage to hold its own.

I got to audition the Paw Gold for a couple of weeks. Very nice sounding player with plenty of balls. Strangely can't play random across its entire library. I'm a random listener and when right song hits the right mood, it'll prompt me to listen to the whole album. I have no idea dap makers make it so hard to listen this way. I liked the programmable button feature. That's a feature all dap makers should invest in.

At any rate, I prefer the mojo. The mojo midrange is pretty awesome in my book.

 

[rocketnick7]

I owned the iBasso DX80 for a few days. Paired it with my FIDUE A83 and found the sound to be pretty good. However, the Cirrus Logic DAC did make long listening sessions a little fatiguing with a slightly harsh treble. Surprisingly I found my Nexus 5X using PowerAmp a more pleasing listen although it did not have the power that the DX80 did.
 
Recently was in NJ and had a chance to go and audition the Calyx M. Reached for my wallet as soon as I heard it. It is a very musical DAP and sounds perfect with the A83. It's an unfair comparison considering the price point but the DX80 immediately went back. The iBasso is great value considering everything that you get for the price. The Calyx, other than its poor battery life, has pretty much nailed it as an end-game portable DAP. Fantastic build, gorgeous screen, a very functional UI and a beautiful warm, musical sound signature. I also heard it with the Audeze LCD XC and the HiFiMAN Edition X. The Calyx could drive them both just fine. The Calyx M + the LCD XC have a heavenly synergy.
 
If anyone gets an opportunity, they must give it a listen.

 

[x RELIC x]

Then you are talking about a screenless DAP like a Tera?  Might be more portable but not optimal for the ever expanding libraries users seem to be carrying around these days, right?

In an interview John said it will have a small screen.

 

[kkcc]

The Calyx M + the LCD XC have a heavenly synergy.

If anyone gets an opportunity, they must give it a listen.

I was quite impressed by Calyx M sound when first listened to one of the prototype. The smootha and musical sig is very attractive. The screen and UI were also absolutely the best at that time. I kept waiting for them to sort out the battery and other nagging issue or release a successor or mk2 but it never came. I would still be very much interested a newer version of it that support streaming apps but they do seem to have missed a window where they are the only big screen DAP in the game.

 

[Currawong]

I would hope that Calyx come up with a revised version of the M which is smaller and more efficient, as well as better-sounding. While the firmware upgrades had it catching up sonically with the AK240 (IMO anyway) I don't feel, say, that the X5II is far behind, if behind at all, except in headphone driving ability (and UI, of course).

 

[ken6217]

  I would hope that Calyx come up with a revised version of the M which is smaller and more efficient, as well as better-sounding. While the firmware upgrades had it catching up sonically with the AK240 (IMO anyway) I don't feel, say, that the X5II is far behind, if behind at all, except in headphone driving ability (and UI, of course).

For me personally I think the M sounds better than any of the AK offerings as well as Hifiman, and Mojo combination. It's the only Saber 9018 DAC that doesn't sound like a Sabre 9018 DAC.

 

[doctorjazz]

I owned the iBasso DX80 for a few days. Paired it with my FIDUE A83 and found the sound to be pretty good. However, the Cirrus Logic DAC did make long listening sessions a little fatiguing with a slightly harsh treble. Surprisingly I found my Nexus 5X using PowerAmp a more pleasing listen although it did not have the power that the DX80 did.

Recently was in NJ and had a chance to go and audition the Calyx M. Reached for my wallet as soon as I heard it. It is a very musical DAP and sounds perfect with the A83. It's an unfair comparison considering the price point but the DX80 immediately went back. The iBasso is great value considering everything that you get for the price. The Calyx, other than its poor battery life, has pretty much nailed it as an end-game portable DAP. Fantastic build, gorgeous screen, a very functional UI and a beautiful warm, musical sound signature. I also heard it with the Audeze LCD XC and the HiFiMAN Edition X. The Calyx could drive them both just fine. The Calyx M + the LCD XC have a heavenly synergy.

If anyone gets an opportunity, they must give it a listen.

Where did you go to audition in New Jersey?

 

[ken6217]

Call Care Audio in Edison, NJ. Sunil is a great guy.

 

[ostewart]

The Bit Opus #1 needs to be added to this list, would be great to hear how it fares against the competition

 

[rocketnick7]

Where did you go to audition in New Jersey?

 

 
Call Care Audio in Edison, NJ. Sunil is a great guy.

Yup. When I went Sunil was away. His wife Sangeeta was very helpful.

 

[rocketnick7]

  I would hope that Calyx come up with a revised version of the M which is smaller and more efficient, as well as better-sounding. While the firmware upgrades had it catching up sonically with the AK240 (IMO anyway) I don't feel, say, that the X5II is far behind, if behind at all, except in headphone driving ability (and UI, of course).

Although I haven't heard the X5II I found the Calyx M to be quite far ahead of the iBasso DX80. I've seen that a lot of people prefer the DX80 to Fiio's new offerings outside of the X7. But yes, sound is very personal and subjective.

 

[nofarewell]

Hi All,

If you had to go for the most dynamic / analog sounded dap with the biggest soundstage, which one would you choose?

 

[flinkenick]

Dynamic + analogue = maybe former 901? That's hoping you don't care about UI.
 
The Cowon P1 has often been referred to as analogue, it is on the dark and warmer side of neutral, with smooth treble and a slight decay that gives it an analogue sound. For price/value that would be my first recommendation. Depending on your budget the Plenue S. It has the same tonality and a very spacious stage, more so than the 901S and P1.

 

[nofarewell]

Thanks for this
I am considering an upgrade from my Sony NW-ZX100 which was OK, it had a nice soundstage, great capacity and a more than satisfactory response on all frequencies (not to mention, the UI was OK, but this is not the most important aspect.). I like Sony's approach on bass, their versatility and solutions. As I am less like a "basshead" than I was before, it has less significance now as organic sound and wider soundstage is more important, but still not the last point.  Basically I would like an upgrade as it had a nice warm overall tone. I thought about Hifiman as I have heard nice things about it and it seems a very decent player. The Paw Gold is pricey for me and maybe it is not that better from a HM-901. Should I go for the HM-901 then? And the older model?

 

[nofarewell]

Oo and sorry one more: The Sony lacked power. I would like a strong DAP with loads of spare driving power. Though I guess this is not a big issue with premium daps.