[rontant]

  It is higher spec than current L5

 
Wow... so L5 is gonna be occupying the lowest tier of L&P products. I just hope the management has the business acumen as good as their technical ones. 

 

[philk34]

L&P seems pretty confidential, isn't it? Fact is that I did not see a lot of reviews and L&P looks confidential at the moment.
 
Perhaps, their strategy is to enter high-end niche with L5 and gradually step up. 
 
If you want to step down and attack mass market, you need to have solid bases (market shares, liquidities) that probably L&P does not have at the moment.

 

[r3n88]

Its ok to enter in the niche realm. Build your reputation with the most demanding customers is best experience.
Plus the upper bracket of this hobby is there to stay unlike with those just testing the waters.
@ john - should I sell this L5 now to guve way for the L5ii hahaha

 

[JohnYang]

Its ok to enter in the niche realm. Build your reputation with the most demanding customers is best experience.
Plus the upper bracket of this hobby is there to stay unlike with those just testing the waters.
@ john - should I sell this L5 now to guve way for the L5ii hahaha

 
The new product is at a higher level than the current L5, so if you are happy with the current L5, keep it. If you feel like it needs a little bit more power, of course, time to throw more money!

 
(SPOILER, THE NEW PRODUCT HAS WOOD)

 

[xuan87]

I'm more interested in the internals though... I have my fingers crossed for dual AKM4490 DACs and balanced out.

 

[JohnYang]

  I'm more interested in the internals though... I have my fingers crossed for dual AKM4490 DACs and balanced out.

 
There is a product called AK380 with exactly what u said, but it cost way more than AK240 =D

 

[xuan87]

   
There is a product called AK380 with exactly what u said, but it cost way more than AK240 =D

 
I was quite surprised that they moved to AKM chips.
 
But yes, it's way overpriced. 

 

[JohnYang]

   
I was quite surprised that they moved to AKM chips.
 
But yes, it's way overpriced. 

I guess they see the potential in the AKM chips.
However, upon your 4490x2 DAC idea, I don't think DAPs need that much DAC power. As you can see, many desktop DACs are using the same DAC chips as the ones from DAPs, and the desktop DACs sound MUCH better. So I don't think the DAC power is what DAPs are currently lacking right now.

 

[r3n88]

Why AK moved to AKM? Simple. Bec its the best DAC chip there is.

 

[Bellyworshipper]

Why AK moved to AKM? Simple. Bec its the best DAC chip there is.

I guess, AKM is the best DAC chip no more than AK models are the best DAPs Besides, we all know that ESS 9018 is the "best DAC chip in the world"

 

[JohnYang]

  I guess, AKM is the best DAC chip no more than AK models are the best DAPs Besides, we all know that ESS 9018 is the "best DAC chip in the world"

Sarcasm detected!
Well, there are great DACs and DAPs made that used AKM or ESS chips. I guess it all boils down to the circuit/power design!

 

[Bellyworshipper]

 
Sarcasm detected!
Well, there are great DACs and DAPs made that used AKM or ESS chips. I guess it all boils down to the circuit/power design!

Exactly so Jokes aside, again if to believe the specs posted in the table titled Other Comparative Features  (https://hifiduino.wordpress.com/2014/12/07/akm-verita-4490-dac/) AKM 4490 DAC decodes DSD with no internal conversion to PCM contrary to ESS 9018. If it means anything for us as end users at all, the AKM DAC should, in case, as you've noticed, the circuit design is made right, sound different to ESS when playing DSD.
Concerning the dual DAC design of a DAP: marketing tricks again-all the advantages, which manifest themselves mostly in higher SNR or THD, or whichever specific parameter measurements (sometimes higher crosstalk measurements are referred to also), of two DACs in parallel are eliminated by the amplifier circuitry. I think, designing the circuitry of a DAP in a way to enable the DAC to be supplied with higher voltage (which is in many cases more beneficial for achieving these infamous higher measurements) and establishing a bipolar power supply for the DAC part as well as for the amp part can bring more significant and, which is most important, audible improvements. Aune took that road with their forthcoming M2 DAP (if their specs are true), Luxury&Precision didn't bother themselves with it, at least I didn't see any indication of it in L5 specs (I might be wrong). Which design is better? Only our ears can help decide   

 

[Mython]

It's funny - in portable, desktop, and fullsize hi-fi, one so often sees diligent attempts to utterly minimise crosstalk, and yet I distinctly recall a 3rd-party product (called a 'Franken...' something or other, I think?) being sold to hi-fi enthusiasts during the mid-1990s, which deliberately introduced crosstalk to the output signal of hi-fi amplifiers, with the claim (iirc) that it improved the perceived naturalness of the soundstage/imaging, with fullsize loudspeakers, and, of course there are headphone-centric products, such as the SPL Phonitor amp, which have a crosstalk feature, too.
 
I'm not voting for minimising or increasing crosstalk, mind you - I'm merely, as an onlooker, observing the irony of the conflicting approaches.

 

[r3n88]

Ess9018 maybe but the ess9018k2m being better than the 4490eq. I highly doubt it.
I would wait for that day when a manufacturer uses the ESS9018 into a portable dap like the size of L5 with a very good amp section for an all in one solution. I would rejoice.

 

[rontant]

I just downloaded and tried this freeware called DriveSort that changes sort order of FAT32 disk files into alphetical order.  I thought I'd share this with you guys, the existing L5 users, to ease your suffering until L&P decides to fix the weird file sort order.  After downloading the freeware, connect your L5 to your computer and wait for the L5 drive to appear on your computer, just put your miniSD card into your computer, run the program, select the drive, sort, save, close program, and eject L5. , take out the card, and put it back to your L5. All done in less than a minute or two.
 

This is the screen shot of the freeware. The right pane shows my folders in the MiniSD card before the alphabetical sort was applied.
 
Link: http://www.anerty.net/software/file/DriveSort.php
 
 
Update:
1. Unfortunately, the utility only sort files/folders displayed on the right pane of its window. If you have unsorted subfolders/files, you will have to go into each individual folder to sort and save. 
2. You don't need to take out the card from L5. This utility works fine sorting files/folders with the card inside the L5.