[Currawong]

Sirs,

Do you have more thoughts for the REI.
Was wondering if its a good contender for the ADR/DFR

 
I only have a prototype. Once I get a hold of the final version, I'll write about it. 

 

[pinoyman]

I only have a prototype. Once I get a hold of the final version, I'll write about it. 

Thanks sir!

 

[gees]

@Currawong Any possibility you could aggregate your impressions of all the daps you tested so far in one place? 

 

[eargasam]

Have you guys tried the cayin n6 or the cowon p1 curious on where they would land on this list.

 

[music4mhell]

Please add some impressions of Opus #11 !

 

[jmills8]

Please add some impressions of Opus #11 !

Dap?

 

[music4mhell]

 

Please add some impressions of Opus #11 !

Dap?

It's an USB Dac/Amp with battery and also not so expensive

 

[SP Wild]

Only found this on your link just now, only realised you had this link logging onto a PC to post youtube videos, I normally just log on a cheap android tablet or phone.
 
I was wondering what you thought of the Mojo.  I read your review just now and thought yes, you are right.  When I first heard it, I quickly decided that the uppermidrange digititus has merely been moved down to not be annoying.  But the more I shoot it out with the Reference 7 dac, the more it becomes apparent that the reason it might not have the full tone and soundstage of the Ref 7 is more to do with a shade lite sub bass response due to not having a monster power supply.
 
The Mojo is slightly more detailed, and pinpoint imaging and separation is slightly better than my Ref 7.  This is a shocker looking at the price difference, size difference and weight difference.  Absolutely no digital harshness at all.
 
I didn't want to jump on the bandwagon...but this Mojo is a shocker, I'm content to hear that you feel it is that good also because I don't really have much experience with portables at all.
 
Thanks for this monster effort.

 

[Currawong]

  Only found this on your link just now, only realised you had this link logging onto a PC to post youtube videos, I normally just log on a cheap android tablet or phone.
 
I was wondering what you thought of the Mojo.  I read your review just now and thought yes, you are right.  When I first heard it, I quickly decided that the uppermidrange digititus has merely been moved down to not be annoying.  But the more I shoot it out with the Reference 7 dac, the more it becomes apparent that the reason it might not have the full tone and soundstage of the Ref 7 is more to do with a shade lite sub bass response due to not having a monster power supply.
 
The Mojo is slightly more detailed, and pinpoint imaging and separation is slightly better than my Ref 7.  This is a shocker looking at the price difference, size difference and weight difference.  Absolutely no digital harshness at all.
 
I didn't want to jump on the bandwagon...but this Mojo is a shocker, I'm content to hear that you feel it is that good also because I don't really have much experience with portables at all.
 
Thanks for this monster effort.

Probably because it has been a while since I owned a Reference 7 and DAC tech has moved on in the years since then. Indeed if we were to compare, what you can get now with the Mojo is amazing compared to what was available when the Reference 7 was the flagship Audio-gd DAC. 

 

[AnakChan]

Giving this thread a little bump: Battle of the Coppers
 

AK380 Copper with Copper amp & Sony NW-WM1Z
 
This isn't new as there has been a few other comparisons however I thought I'd put in my thoughts about these two. Both of these are high end DAPs where there's been a lot of love 'n hate relationships with either.
 
The AK380Cu is just over a year old whilst the NW-WM1Z has just past 3 months old. My Ak380Cu probably has surpassed over 1000 hrs whilst the WM1Z is at 315hrs.
 
Bottom line is that sonically speaking I don't think one could go wrong with either. Both are excellent players and it's primarily a matter of tonal preferences and other non-sonic preferences.
 
In terms of sounds, the AK380Cu sounds a little lighter on the feet, a tad more air in the trebles, and an overall slightly more referency sound. The WM1Z OTOH has a little bit more warmth and body in the lower end and some what more analogue tube-ish by comparison. The WM1Z has a little more 3Dish to the sound. I wouldn't say one has more resolution than the other and in terms of soundstage wise, both seem similarly wide. I could (and probably will?) live with both depending on what I'm listening to and/or what my mood is

For non-sonic preferences the pros and con's are somewhat more obvious with the AK380Cu+amp has a little more power than the WM1Z even in balanced. the AKC380Cu also has a faster GUI for scrolling and searching for tracks, and has WiFi for Tidal streaming (although no offline mode). The AK380Cu also uses a more standard microUSB for charging and data transfer and the AK380Cu without the piggyback amp is slimmer and lighter. The AK380Cu also doesn't differentiate between balanced and SE in terms of DSD support and has a powerful SE output too.
 
The disadvantages of the AK380Cu is the dreaded Android File Transfer, shorter battery life, tarnishing of the copper, a heavier DAP+amp package compared to the WM1Z.

The NW-WM1Z OTOH has a much longer battery life (despite being only 1 point, it's big plus), a more normal drag/drop file transfer method, cheaper than the AK380Cu.
 
Disadvantages of the NW-WM1Z would be the slower interface, the bigger disparity between balanced and SE (such as power output, support native DSD in balanced mode only, dramatic soundstage difference), the proprietary WM-Port, and the lack of WiFi.                 

 

[Jess70]

When I was first starting with Head-Fi, many considered the Altman Terra Player the best sounding, if not the most usable, DAP.

I am curious how the Terra player compares to the new TOTL DAPs.

I am not looking to buy one, just curious how things have developed.

 

[jamato8]

  Giving this thread a little bump: Battle of the Coppers
 
For non-sonic preferences the pros and con's are somewhat more obvious with the AK380Cu+amp has a little more power than the WM1Z even in balanced. the AKC380Cu also has a faster GUI for scrolling and searching for tracks, and has WiFi for Tidal streaming (although no offline mode). The AK380Cu also uses a more standard microUSB for charging and data transfer and the AK380Cu without the piggyback amp is slimmer and lighter. The AK380Cu also doesn't differentiate between balanced and SE in terms of DSD support and has a powerful SE output too.
 
The disadvantages of the AK380Cu is the dreaded Android File Transfer, shorter battery life, tarnishing of the copper, a heavier DAP+amp package compared to the WM1Z.

The NW-WM1Z OTOH has a much longer battery life (despite being only 1 point, it's big plus), a more normal drag/drop file transfer method, cheaper than the AK380Cu.
 
Disadvantages of the NW-WM1Z would be the slower interface, the bigger disparity between balanced and SE (such as power output, support native DSD in balanced mode only, dramatic soundstage difference), the proprietary WM-Port, and the lack of WiFi.                 

Great comparison. When you say that the 380 has a little more power than the 1Z, is that with the amp module for the 380Cu? I had never thought about having to polish an amp. So you have to get a good copper polish. Does the Cu come with that? :^) I have found it odd that the DSD was only supported in balanced mode. 

 

[Mimouille]

When I was first starting with Head-Fi, many considered the Altman Terra Player the best sounding, if not the most usable, DAP.

I am curious how the Terra player compares to the new TOTL DAPs.

I am not looking to buy one, just curious how things have developed.

The Tera still holds up, but it sounds less detailed than some of the top DAPs. The main issue is the Tera's pickyness with pairing. Most of my iems don't work with it.

  Great comparison. When you say that the 380 has a little more power than the 1Z, is that with the amp module for the 380Cu? I had never thought about having to polish an amp. So you have to get a good copper polish. Does the Cu come with that? :^) I have found it odd that the DSD was only supported in balanced mode. 

 
Yes the CU is only more powerful with the amp (vs. WM1Z balanced). From what users say, if you keep it in a case, you really don't need to polish often.

 

[Jess70]

The Tera still holds up, but it sounds less detailed than some of the top DAPs. The main issue is the Tera's pickyness with pairing. Most of my iems don't work with it.

Thanks for the reply and feedback.

 

[AnakChan]

  Great comparison. When you say that the 380 has a little more power than the 1Z, is that with the amp module for the 380Cu? I had never thought about having to polish an amp. So you have to get a good copper polish. Does the Cu come with that? :^) I have found it odd that the DSD was only supported in balanced mode. 

 
Originally Posted by Mimouille /img/forum/go_quote.gif  
Yes the CU is only more powerful with the amp (vs. WM1Z balanced). From what users say, if you keep it in a case, you really don't need to polish often.

 
Yes per Mim too. 380Cu+amp has more power than 1Z. 380Cu alone less power than 1Z. I have to say I hardly ever bother polishing my amp. The patina doesn't bother me. In fact if I were creative, would love  to find someone who'd engrave around my Cu and let it tarnish naturally.
 
About the DSD, this would be one of the shortcomings of the 1Z IMHO. Per Sony site (http://www.sony.com/electronics/walkman/nw-wm1z near the bottom note on Native DSD)  :-
"2. Native DSD playback is only achievable with a balanced connection. For unbalanced connections DSD playback will be PCM."
 
And power differences in balanced vs SE, I feel the push is a little too hard on the balance and adoption of the 4.4mm. Personally it's not too big of a deal with me 'cos 4.4mm plugs are easily accessible here in Tokyo - I even bought a 4.4mm female socket so that I can build my own 4.4mm -> 2.5mm TRRS or 4.4mm -> 3.5mm SE so that I can reuse my same cables on other DAPs. But until 4.4mm is adopted globally, it's locking one down to one setup.
 
Even the newer DX200 went for the 2.5mm TRRS standard. Whilst I'm not an advocate of 2.5mm TRRS, iRiver had the headstart of over 2 years to push for it. Some of us had seen the prototype of the 4.4mm balanced 2 yrs ago (but we couldn't talk about it then naturally).