[dnun8086]

Anyone fancy a balanced review and some stunning impressions please follow the link and enjoy one of the quotes. 
 
"The last time I remember being this happy with recorded sound was when I reviewed the Astell&Kern AK240 ($2499). And even though it costs $1300 more, the AK240 is probably the best comparison for the AR-M2. The A&K fits better in the hand, and has digital and analog outputs through the same jack (the AR-M2 has only analog), but I found the sound of the AR-M2 more appealing due to its completely natural high-frequency reproduction."
 
http://www.soundstagexperience.com/index.php/736
 
Subjective but does anyone think the A&K is getting a bit too pricy £3,500 for the whole package player and amp? I know what it offers but an M3 with 128GB installed, a stable 256GB SD driver, Class A headphone amp, line out similar to the first gen Meridian Explorer(Optical eh eh), File management improvement, Updated U.I including smooth Gapless playback(cross fade perhaps), balanced output, removeable battery, Fast charge, gain switch and use of the inbuilt DAC are we set with a timeless product? Maybe even an OTG bluetooth adaptor for those who need it. Price the M3 at £1,600 and tell me what would truly beat it. 
 
Any more ideas for the next M3 even though I must say just got my M2 back from Iceland, yes I was stupid enough to leave it on the flight back! Thank goodness for FedEx next day delivery after a 2 month wait from whoever Icelandair decided to ship with which came to the U.K paid £20 just for it to be returned and me to have to sort it out myself using FedEX. Anyway point being I missed this thing there isn't another unit I get this level of quality with for streaming and Hi Res files I missed her so much plugged in my Sabres and hours of listening have taking me away again. I love sound! 
 
Rant over hope somone can be arsed to read that really interested to hear back?! 

 

[krismusic]

Anyone fancy a balanced review and some stunning impressions please follow the link and enjoy one of the quotes. 

"The last time I remember being this happy with recorded sound was when I reviewed the Astell&Kern AK240 ($2499). And even though it costs $1300 more, the AK240 is probably the best comparison for the AR-M2. The A&K fits better in the hand, and has digital and analog outputs through the same jack (the AR-M2 has only analog), but I found the sound of the AR-M2 more appealing due to its completely natural high-frequency reproduction."

http://www.soundstagexperience.com/index.php/736

Subjective but does anyone think the A&K is getting a bit too pricy £3,500 for the whole package player and amp? I know what it offers but an M3 with 128GB installed, a stable 256GB SD driver, Class A headphone amp, line out similar to the first gen Meridian Explorer(Optical eh eh), File management improvement, Updated U.I including smooth Gapless playback(cross fade perhaps), balanced output, removeable battery, Fast charge, gain switch and use of the inbuilt DAC are we set with a timeless product? Maybe even an OTG bluetooth adaptor for those who need it. Price the M3 at £1,600 and tell me what would truly beat it. 

Any more ideas for the next M3 even though I must say just got my M2 back from Iceland, yes I was stupid enough to leave it on the flight back! Thank goodness for FedEx next day delivery after a 2 month wait from whoever Icelandair decided to ship with which came to the U.K paid £20 just for it to be returned and me to have to sort it out myself using FedEX. Anyway point being I missed this thing there isn't another unit I get this level of quality with for streaming and Hi Res files I missed her so much plugged in my Sabres and hours of listening have taking me away again. I love sound! 

Rant over hope somone can be arsed to read that really interested to hear back?! 

M3 sounds very tempting but over £1k I pretty much have to bow out reluctantly.

 

[majas350]

  Hey Bud,
 
Sorry I was trying to get a response from technical support but no luck. Have you fixed the issue yet? Sounds like you need a fresh install could be something picked up through the browser or a very rare one off glitch, 
 
Link the unit to your computer and wipe the old firmware off, reinstall and try again. Also weird trick that has been working is running the battery completely dead then after a full re charge things have been good to go. 
 
Let me know how you get on! 

Hi!
 
Thanks for the help. Question:
 
"Link the unit to your computer and wipe the old firmware off, reinstall and try again"
 
How I can do that with my bricked AR-M2. Because when I connect the unit to the PC nothing happens. It only shows charging. Can you please let me know how to do it?
 
Thanks!

 

[dnun8086]

M3 sounds very tempting but over £1k I pretty much have to bow out reluctantly.

Hey it was a concept I wasn't suggesting this would be an actual product ignoring the made up price point any thoughts on the added specs?

 

[krismusic]

Hey it was a concept I wasn't suggesting this would be an actual product ignoring the made up price point any thoughts on the added specs?

Sure. I realised that. Or at most I thought this might be in development.
The switchable gain would be a major feature. I would own the M2 if it had this.
What I really want to see is a DAP that is optimised for streaming, storing content offline.
Personally I am not interested in hi res.
Streaming services are the way forward IMHO.

 

[dnun8086]

Sure. I realised that. Or at most I thought this might be in development.
The switchable gain would be a major feature. I would own the M2 if it had this.
What I really want to see is a DAP that is optimised for streaming, storing content offline.
Personally I am not interested in hi res.
Streaming services are the way forward IMHO.

Ha maybe in the future but not after a release of the M20 I know side stepping but worth it for other ends of the market.
 
Must say if the gain switch is a big deal I am speaking to their developers and there might just be a hack for this but I will report back when I have more info. 
 
Hey don't we all well I am probably only speaking for a few of us but still it's one of the reasons why I love the M2 so much I can stream on Tidal for the bits I don't have or can't buy in Hi Res and still get killer sound out of it! I like Hi Res but I have heard the difference my biggest gripe is I don't always buy albums(don't kill me because I told the truth!) but tend to want just one or two songs in Hi Res 24 bit also most of the music I actually listen to or hear isn't available in that quality yet so it makes it very niche and a pain in the ass.
 
Don't get me wrong ripping Ed Sheeran's Album X at Hi Res makes a damn good sight of difference but if I wanted any of Eminem's stuff I'd have to use Tidal close as I am going to get so enter the M2 round of applause I no longer am suffering the output of my iphone 6. 

 

[majas350]

  Hey Bud,
 
Sorry I was trying to get a response from technical support but no luck. Have you fixed the issue yet? Sounds like you need a fresh install could be something picked up through the browser or a very rare one off glitch, 
 
Link the unit to your computer and wipe the old firmware off, reinstall and try again. Also weird trick that has been working is running the battery completely dead then after a full re charge things have been good to go. 
 
Let me know how you get on! 

Any help friend in how to do it?
 
Please!

 

[AR-Voice]

Comments from noted reviewer Michael Mercer on Occupy Hi-Fi
 
"A most-welcome surprising stunner has been Acoustic Research's AR-M2 DAP. It's large, beautiful screen (responsive), sturdy and sleek build, and its powerfully musical headphone amp make this DAP the one I'd buy if I could afford it right now. This would be the DAP I'd take with me if I only had room for one on a trip. It streams TIDAL, Spotify, and Amazon Prime Music, plus handles hi-rez files. It's got a smooth volume knob that makes dialing the sound-in a breeze, and a straight-forward dedicated 3.5mm line-out for use as a player anywhere. I didn't even know AR was in the DAP game. But they've produced a magnificent package in the AR-M2."
 

 

[Dillan]

The m2 certainly looks beautiful. I should listen to it soon

 

[dnun8086]

The m2 certainly looks beautiful. I should listen to it soon

Yeah you should willing to review it? 

 

[Hp3esr]

Hi, this is my first post in that section. I have been using my AR-M2 for 2 weeks now and I really enjoy the music produced by this DAP used with a Audeze LCD-X. I just have a question about its autonomy. It appears to be about 6 hours on mine (without DSD) before AR-M2 displays a battery warning (around 15% charge). As it seems to be a rather short autonomy (should be around 8 to 9 hours) I had a look in the details given by Android. "Tablet idle" is always around 65 to 70% which seems to be very important especially since I switch it off after each listening session. Would you have an explanation?
 
Thanks, Bruno

 

[dnun8086]

  Hi, this is my first post in that section. I have been using my AR-M2 for 2 weeks now and I really enjoy the music produced by this DAP used with a Audeze LCD-X. I just have a question about its autonomy. It appears to be about 6 hours on mine (without DSD) before AR-M2 displays a battery warning (around 15% charge). As it seems to be a rather short autonomy (should be around 8 to 9 hours) I had a look in the details given by Android. "Tablet idle" is always around 65 to 70% which seems to be very important especially since I switch it off after each listening session. Would you have an explanation?
 
Thanks, Bruno

Just to say as my account is under investigation I won't be posting any information under this account until I hear back I am a stickler for the rules and because I work closely with the company I do not want to get into trouble so bare with me as me and the Head Fi admin team iron things out. Just to say you can post any enquires straight to AR and they should get back to you. 

 

[Dillan]

Yeah you should willing to review it? 

Yes if I were sent a device I would be happy to review it.

 

[dnun8086]

Yes if I were sent a device I would be happy to review it.

PM me your email and address and we can try work something out. 

 

[dnun8086]

Been awhile since I sat down with an M2 properly just whacked on some Nirvana, Smells Like Teen Spirit oh my gosh how I have missed this. You know when the audio is so good you could almost cry it is that feeling right now! 
 
I dare anyone of go two months without listening to one properly then pick it up again.