Totally agree with your review. This DAP sounds very nice but runs hot. I’m surprised that the green version has been discontinued though. It looks great and special.

Regarding the SP3K. I have A/B SP2000T against my Topping G5 using the notoriously difficult to drive E5000, and found a small but noticeable gap in detail retrieval, clarity, and sense of space. M6U is a bit better than G5 in terms of space but I don’t hear better detail retrieval, so perhaps the A&K TOTL DAP is still a bit more resolving. Still, I personally don’t fully like the sound of the SP2000T comparing to M6U. I guess diminishing return kicks in hard after M6U.

It makes me wonder how many IEMs I’ve rated poorly because of the M3U rather than the IEM itself

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I might have done the same when using my KA3

Nice review. In comparison the M7 is wider and more clinical. M6u has more bass and sounds more musical. M7 has a bit more sparkle in the treble but less bass and it sounds more spread out. Detail retrieval favors m7, but not by much. M7 weighs significantly more, so less portable. The green m6u is definitely more attractive.

I keep seeing in many reviews that it runs hot. On average, how long does it take it to noticeably heat up?

If I have it with the screen facing my body while it's in a pocket, It only takes 20 min or so before it feels uncomfortable on low gain. If I'm upscaling in poweramp, maybe 10-15 min and it starts getting rather uncomfortable.