[boromcom]

Some of the statements in the review are questionable to say the least…

“The HiBy RS8 comes with a brushed metal finish and weighs in at 584 grams which is much heavier than the SP3000.

This is due to the RS8’s casing which is made of pure titanium.”

Titanium is way lighter than stainless steel. has the reviewer ever tried titanium watches vs ss ones? The difference in weight is due uniquely to the battery size, which in the rs8 is more than double.

“Although the DAP can power IEMs with ease, it did require a higher-than-normal volume/decibel setting to achieve the same result as compared to other DAPs in the same price range”

As if the number telling you were you’re at was reliable in a digital volume control. It’s out of 150 (purely arbitrary scale) but no clue wether it’s linear, logarithm or whatever… measure the power if you can. If you can’t… you’re just letting your mouth breathe. What does “higher than normal” mean anyway!?!?



I find it interesting how all the reviews that I have read are criticising somehow the sound on the basis of quite esoteric parameters and are ignoring the one and only fault of this amazing dap: the bugginess (not the limitations) of the software.

I don’t agree much with “higher than normal volume”. For me about 50-55 for Odyssey, Mentor.

 

[damascato]

I don’t agree much with “higher than normal volume”. For me about 50-55 for Odyssey, Mentor.

What's "normal volume" ayway ehehe

 

[cladane]

According to the roon community ARC forum: There is no plans for roon remote but ARC (bit perfect) is in the works.

Hi,

Yes, I read this announcement also and it is great news since this kind of high level company specialized in music software can enhance the musical experience with such a good device like the SP3000. Keep in mind that ARC is dependent of the quality of the home Internet access.
The AK app isn’t enough mature.
AK could also look at Audirvana team since Damien Plisson is preparing a version for Android (Samsung mobiles) with a proprietary driver.

Claude.

 

[NYanakiev]

What a poor, poor joke of a review. Embarrassing

 

[Utah dude]

What a poor, poor joke of a review. Embarrassing

I was surprised by the review myself. I guess different people have different aspects that are important to them. For me, the SP3000 is fantastic. It seems to bring out the best in any IEM I have hooked up to it. For most IEMs the volume is between 45-60 out of 150 (found the criticism of having to turn it to a high volume number a little odd, as there is not a national standard on the scale or anything like that). The user interface is snappy and I love the Roon / Roon ARC functionality. When I am using the SP3000 at home I almost always use Roon to control it, since I am often on my computer or phone when listen to music and it makes it so simple an convenient with roon to control the music. When I am away from home, ARC is fantastic And when I am on a plane, the local music is what I go to. So many options. I personally enjoy the heft of the player, but can see that some would like a lighter smaller device. I wonder if at some point there will be an SP3000m, as they did with the SP1000.
However, I do appreciate reading about different takes on things (hardware or music), as it often brings up interesting points and just shows hoe different the perception of different people can be.

 

[pdL389]

What a poor, poor joke of a review. Embarrassing

I disagree. Although the review did not capture all aspects of the DAP, the reviewer yet accurately described the points he had chosen to highlight.

 

[emdeevee]

I was surprised by the review myself. I guess different people have different aspects that are important to them. For me, the SP3000 is fantastic. It seems to bring out the best in any IEM I have hooked up to it. For most IEMs the volume is between 45-60 out of 150 (found the criticism of having to turn it to a high volume number a little odd, as there is not a national standard on the scale or anything like that). The user interface is snappy and I love the Roon / Roon ARC functionality. When I am using the SP3000 at home I almost always use Roon to control it, since I am often on my computer or phone when listen to music and it makes it so simple an convenient with roon to control the music. When I am away from home, ARC is fantastic And when I am on a plane, the local music is what I go to. So many options. I personally enjoy the heft of the player, but can see that some would like a lighter smaller device. I wonder if at some point there will be an SP3000m, as they did with the SP1000.
However, I do appreciate reading about different takes on things (hardware or music), as it often brings up interesting points and just shows hoe different the perception of different people can be.

It's weird that he discusses the volume in that manner. I have to turn different IEMs and my over ears all to different volumes. Some are far more sensitive and others, like my UM Indigos need higher volume. If he's trying to make the point that the player doesn't have multiple gain settings like others, understood, but anyone who has plugged in more than one headphone knows the volume to drive them varies, sometimes substantially.

 

[damascato]

It's weird that he discusses the volume in that manner. I have to turn different IEMs and my over ears all to different volumes. Some are far more sensitive and others, like my UM Indigos need higher volume. If he's trying to make the point that the player doesn't have multiple gain settings like others, understood, but anyone who has plugged in more than one headphone knows the volume to drive them varies, sometimes substantially.

He just has a very superficial idea of how the volume works.

To be honest I've never heard of a DAP from midrange up which could not drive any IEM properly, without maxing out the volume. So his "above average" comment about volume was absolute BS, just doesn't make any sense at all.

The problem with not having gain control exists only if you're dealing with super sensitive IEMs and the unit having a high noise floor, which can be minimised with a low gain setting. This is obviously not the case with the SP3000.

If we are talking about lack of power for demanding full sized planars, then it's a completely different story, as most DAPs (including the SP3000) don't have enough sheer juice to drive them to their best.

 

[korvin12]

At the end of the day, different DAPs cater to different people's need. Let's enjoy music to our fullest & ignore all the critics

 

[NYanakiev]

My comments on the Headfonics review were deleted. Along with the majority of the other views on there.

Hurray for censorship!

 

[maceto]

My comments on the Headfonics review were deleted. Along with the majority of the other views on there.

Hurray for censorship!

What was it? Make sure to do it here and link to the review so google can track it

 

[NYanakiev]

Just commented on it being a bit of a perplexing review with factual errors (like the soc used) and zero mention of the SP3K's excellent Roon endpoint functionality and Roon ARC.

I also thought the review was poorly written and argumented.

 

[Swisstoni]

Just commented on it being a bit of a perplexing review with factual errors (like the soc used) and zero mention of the SP3K's excellent Roon endpoint functionality and Roon ARC.

I also thought the review was poorly written and argumented.

However, the "innovation of Astell & Kern to come up with separating the analogue and digital circuits" is brilliant. I'm so surprised no DAP manufacturer has come up with it before !!!

 

[rocketron]

This does seem a strange review.
I wonder and it’s not the first time this thought has entered my head.

If the review states at the beginning it’s a loaner or free if it has any bearing on the out come ?

I mean who wouldn’t like a free £3000+ dap from a manufacturer?

Maybe they received free daps in the past and this one is only a loaner?

There can’t be many people that can afford all the top daps and sell on the ones they don’t like.

I would imagine lots of people use reviews like this in a aid of purchasing.

The view of the amplifier side does seem odd?
Maybe that’s why AK have launched a portable amp that could pair with the SP3000?
The amp has adjustable gain as well as current .

As for taking down comments in the comments section ?
The only course of action left is not to read that site.
There loss in the long term.

I don’t own or have not even heard a AK Sp3000.
I just find it fascinating how much technology and research it put into daps like these.

 

[Mentanalyste]

Thanks, I miss read the reviews !!!

Honestly the 665 version is enough in terms of performance.

The higher processors offer mainly evolutions on the graphic performance (more graphic processors) and on AI processors. Evolutions that are not essential in a DAP. You add costs to the processors for functions that will not be used.

Choosing a processor superior to the 665 would be of two kinds:
- To use the AI processors for their DAR algorithms
- To use the last WIFI evolutions (more than wifi 5) ==> useful !

So the hardware, with the 665, has a minor impact on the performance for the DAP. Of course a faster processor helps.

The true improvement, for the performances, are at the software and at several levels:
1. At the level of the dedicated OS. Clean up everything that is not necessary and keep the minimum necessary for the DAP apps
2. At the level of the AK player, very integrated with the hardware
3. A powerful multitasking environment to run third party applications: Qobuz, Apple Music, etc...