[Deferenz]

I’ve just had a 3hr session listening mostly to Pink Floyd on Tidal MQA. The staging, layering, positioning, depth and detail on the SP3K is on another level to what I’ve been used to. The black background is quite noticeable too. I’m finding this Dap really musical which pleases me because I was initially worried that the AK sound would be a bit too clinical for my liking. Nothing for me to worry about in that respect though. So far so good and I’m really enjoying getting to know the SP3K.

 

[raydenray]

I’ve just had a 3hr session listening mostly to Pink Floyd on Tidal MQA. The staging, layering, positioning, depth and detail on the SP3K is on another level to what I’ve been used to. The black background is quite noticeable too. I’m finding this Dap really musical which pleases me because I was initially worried that the AK sound would be a bit too clinical for my liking. Nothing for me to worry about in that respect though. So far so good and I’m really enjoying getting to know the SP3K.

Nice! Can't wait to receive mine! Do you have a Cayin C9 or something like it? Wondering how they pair together.

 

[Deferenz]

Nice! Can't wait to receive mine! Do you have a Cayin C9 or something like it? Wondering how they pair together.

No I don’t have a C9. I just use IEMs straight from the Dap. At the moment I’ve only used the VE Phonix but I’ll pair the SP3K with my other IEMs soon.

 

[arftech]

Nice! Can't wait to receive mine! Do you have a Cayin C9 or something like it? Wondering how they pair together.

That C9 would introduce tubes to the SP3K and I wonder how the two would pair?

 

[vonBaron]

I will get my SP3000 next week. For those who use TIDAL, understand that unfortunately, this is not a high level of sound performance at all. Please take a look at this video to understand why.

I work full-time in audio for over 24 years now. As a music addict, I listen to much new music which comes out on Friday each week. The quality in general regarding recordings is getting worse every single year. I have auditioned also a lot for MQA, and most of those recordings are rather limited. You can hear it in the fact that there is often distortion. They abuse the word 'Master', often are those recordings even laughable.

When you want to stream Qobus is by far the best, but I know it is still not everywhere available. As I mentioned earlier, buying music and playing it directly is far superior to any kind of streaming. In my world (Tru-Fi world which stands for True Fidelity and consists of all aspects/parameters that sound possesses) streaming is just for little children. I am a born perfectionist and only believe in superiority. Everything that is less than the best has no meaning or purpose in each single price range. I own over 35000 euros in music which most I bought in the last 9 years, I bought for over 2500 euros of new music every single year.

What are the headphones people use over here for the SP3000 and why do they prefer these?

Yep, now when i buy Qobuz account for eBay (sadly it's not available in my country) i almost forgot about Tidal. The same albums on Qubuz sound just better and they are really hires compare to Tidal MQA.

 

[Nails]

++ for qobuz. I have tidal as well but rarely use it as I feel that qobuz hi rez is significantly better sq

 

[ahossam]

I have abandoned Tidal long time ago since I found Qobuz, mainly because I hate MQA.

 

[cheznous]

Nice! Can't wait to receive mine! Do you have a Cayin C9 or something like it? Wondering how they pair together.

I have the Cayin C9. Loved it with the SP2000. I don’t need it with SP3000 with my Odins but use it when listening with my Utopias. It’s still great bit of kit.

 

[cheznous]

That C9 would introduce tubes to the SP3K and I wonder how the two would pair?

Good. But don’t need for IEM in all honesty.

 

[findthereal4]

Had a listen using Spanish Harlem on SP2000 and SP3000. The main differences are:

1. SP3000 sound was far closer to the ears. This included both the vocals and the 3 note low bassy instrument that is played throughout the song.
2. SP2000 had a more realistic separation between vocals and other instruments.
3. The vocals of 2000 was similar in closeness than the one on the sp3000.
4. Overall, everything extended more on the sp3000. This could be due to the closer sound tuning.

 

[bussola]

Had a listen using Spanish Harlem on SP2000 and SP3000. The main differences are:

1. SP3000 sound was far closer to the ears. This included both the vocals and the 3 note low bassy instrument that is played throughout the song.
2. SP2000 had a more realistic separation between vocals and other instruments.
3. The vocals of 2000 was similar in closeness than the one on the sp3000.
4. Overall, everything extended more on the sp3000. This could be due to the closer sound tuning.

What do you mean by closer? Also, what is extending more on the sp3000? what does that mean?

 

[subguy812]

What do you mean by closer? Also, what is extending more on the sp3000? what does that mean?

Maybe he means more forward in it's presentation

 

[hAbIrAbI]

Is there a way to lock the buttons and volume wheel when the screen is off? I want to use the SP3000 on the go while it is in one of my pockets. Right now I’m having the issue that when I’m putting the DAP into the pocket often one of the buttons or the volume wheel will trigger. With the buttons that’s at the very least annoying. But with the volume wheel that could potentially be a bit dangerous for your ears. Luckily it has only been annoying so far. And fairly annoying to be honest. Definitely something I’d like to see in a future firmware upgrade.

 

[uncle b]

Is there a way to lock the buttons and volume wheel when the screen is off? I want to use the SP3000 on the go while it is in one of my pockets. Right now I’m having the issue that when I’m putting the DAP into the pocket often one of the buttons or the volume wheel will trigger. With the buttons that’s at the very least annoying. But with the volume wheel that could potentially be a bit dangerous for your ears. Luckily it has only been annoying so far. And fairly annoying to be honest. Definitely something I’d like to see in a future firmware upgrade.

If I recall, most if not all A&K players have a “volume lock” option on the top pull-down menu.

 

[Bobby72]

Yep, now when i buy Qobuz account for eBay (sadly it's not available in my country) i almost forgot about Tidal. The same albums on Qubuz sound just better and they are really hires compare to Tidal MQA.

I understand the limitations of those who do not have the option to use Qobus. I do teach all my clients to buy music. Most of my clients stream music by Qobus and use a modified Lumin L1 music server.

The problem regarding Tidal is that it is no real Hi-Res. People will say; "I can read on my streamer that it is Hi-Res". It is not about what you can read, but it is all about what it does regarding the signal it sends.

The most significant difference between Qobus and Tidal is that Qobus has more dynamics, better layering, and more resolution. Due to the fact that it is True Hi-Res audio.

But.......it is still a compressed signal that is played from drives that are far away from you. When you play a song that you bought, the data is a lot larger compared to streaming the same song at the same bit rate. And again the difference is huge regarding better dynamics, more layering, and more resolution. It makes the music experience a lot more intense and emotional.

I bought many albums on Qobus even at 16-bit 44.1 kHz. I had done many CD-rips of which the quality was good. But albums which I bought on Qobus were a lot more open and dynamic. There are even clear differences when you buy an album of an artist at the same bit rate between HD Tracks and Qobus. Again the Qubus album has more dynamics, better layering, and more resolution.

When I have received both my SP3000 and the Odin, I will do a test between Qobus streaming and the same songs I have bought and put on my new SP3000.