[AlfeedE]

3.5 is Not balanced

 

[johnnyroma]

Isn't there a 3.5 balanced and another 3.5 unbalanced?

 

[johnnyroma]

3.5 is Not balanced

Sorry, yes I was being an idiot, the 4.4 is the other balanced....

 

[KalsEars]

Hey Friends, just picked up the SP300 and the Odyssey IEMs and wow! They are both incredible. I don't have a lot of experience playing with EQ, and I'm not wild about the in house EQ settings for the Odysseys. Anyone else EQing this pairing? I'd love to hear what y'all are enjoying.

 

[IgeNeLL]

This weekend I had a chance to compare the SP3000 Cu with the SS version. I sold my black SP3000 and upgraded to a Copper LE a couple weeks ago and I’ve been absolutely loving it. I suspected there were some minor sound sifferences from the SS version, however I couldn’t say for certain because I hadn’t heard them together to perform an A/B test.

Thankfully I’ve now got the opportunity to do so using a friends SS unit and I can confirm that my suspicions were true, they do indeed sound marginally different. I asked my wife to help me with blind testing and I could pick out the SS and Cu quite easily, so the differences are certainly there as far as I’m concerned, however I wouldn’t say that one or the other sounds better per se. Just a matter of taste and preference. That said, now that I’ve heard both and compared them, I’m tempted to buy another SS for myself because I can see situations where I might prefer one over the other. RIP wallet

SS has a slightly cooler tonality, and a more pronounced mid-bass emphasis. Vocals and mids sound a touch more revealing and treble has a little more upper treble emphasis.

Cu has a deeper sub bass extension and a generally fuller lower end, with lusher mids and a slightly heavier note weight. Treble still is very airy and well extended, but has a slightly more textured feel to it at the expense of a small amount of clarity and detail retrieval.

For my tastes and preferences, I think Cu works a little better for me. I mostly use an UM Multiverse Mentor which already has a mid-bassy bass response and can use the extra sub bass emphasis to balance it out. It also has a strong mid and upper treble response that can get a bit fatiguing if used with the wrong source, and I find Cu does a slightly better job at taming those highs and bringing a more natural tone to the overall sound.

The traditional approach off cooper version is going on.
On Sp2k the different is noticeable even between
- SS and Onyx Black.
- SS and Cooper.

On the Sp3000, the different between Silver and Black is minor. Cooper is the first one to change the sound taste.

 

[phiemon]

The traditional approach off cooper version is going on.
On Sp2k the different is noticeable even between
- SS and Onyx Black.
- SS and Cooper.

On the Sp3000, the different between Silver and Black is minor. Cooper is the first one to change the sound taste.

I would be VERY interested in what A&K (@JasonNYC) has to say here: are there really such tonal differences between the colors of the SP3000 (or SP2000) in this sense?

 

[bussola]

Yo, pretty interesting, can you explain the difference between silver and black sp3k?

The traditional approach off cooper version is going on.
On Sp2k the different is noticeable even between
- SS and Onyx Black.
- SS and Cooper.

On the Sp3000, the different between Silver and Black is minor. Cooper is the first one to change the sound taste.

.

 

[Tanalasta]

Can you really hear the Copper being warmer ... and the Steel being cooler?

I plug my Copper A&K 2k into a Cayin C9 so God knows ...

I would be interested in seeing whether the SP3K is going to sound superior an the SP2K + C9. The Cayin adds the 4.4mm and associated amp stage.
I haven't been able to justify the purchase to the SP3k yet. That said, I readily hear a difference between using a silver v copper nterconnect between the SP2k -> C9.

 

[ScornDefeat]

I'm in the market for a DAP and oscillating between SP3K and the DX320 Max Ti.

Is there any difference in internals between the SP3K SS and SP3K Copper? I am reading the parts list and it seems like the same internals. Trying to see if I'm missing something, thanks!

 

[Tanalasta]

Audition both / all.

The difference is very much in the ear of the beholder. And best to do so before being clouded by us fanatics ... before it devolves into a cable/material debate. Some people discern a difference. Some do not. Few have done a proper blinded trial. with identical equipment and just a single variable. For all I know, it could be unit to unit variation. There evidence is poor. But you only need n=1 really. You're the one listening to it.

A&K top end DAP's are exactly that. Top end. And deserve the very best to shine. A&K are known for a more neutral presentation. Whether that works for you is... again personal.

 

[JasonNYC]

I would be VERY interested in what A&K (@JasonNYC) has to say here: are there really such tonal differences between the colors of the SP3000 (or SP2000) in this sense?

There are tonal differences between the Stainless Steel and Copper. Both the Stainless Steel and Black are stainless steel body, the black is just stainless steel with a PVD coating. no tonal differences between both SS versions.

The tonal differences between SS and Cu comes from the fact that AK uses the entire body of the player for grounding. The different metals affect the grounding differently. Most people will confirm that the Cu tends to have a warmer tone than the SS.

For me personally, and not an official AK statement. I do find sound differences when listening to the same tracks via SS and Cu. For some tracks, it is more pronounced, for others, slight differences or no difference at all. Also depends on the headphones/IEMs I am using.

I did have a discussion with one of the guys who regularly reviews our players. He is a sound engineer and has worked on a number of popular artist albums. I asked him to listen to both the SS and Cu at AXPONA and he also said he hears the difference between the two and does feel the Cu was warmer.

I suggest that if you can, demo both in person using your headphones/IEMs and with your music. You may find one better than the other.

 

[JasonNYC]

I'm in the market for a DAP and oscillating between SP3K and the DX320 Max Ti.

Is there any difference in internals between the SP3K SS and SP3K Copper? I am reading the parts list and it seems like the same internals. Trying to see if I'm missing something, thanks!

Same internals. Only difference is the body material - Stainless Steel vs the Copper.

 

[jlingo]

HI I just bought sp3000 and AK PA10 yesterday.
I have been experiencing problem transferring Files From MacBook Pro. The SP3000 could erratically restart itself.

All my listening session I always paired my sp3000 with AK PA10.

Also when listening to SP3000 at home, I usually connect the SP3000 to the charger at the same time. And SP3000 often freezes and erratically restart itself.

Upon waking up the device by double tapping while listening to music and charging simultaneously. It often results in freezing and restarting.

I already reset to factory default twice, but it still did not solve the problem. Already latest firmware : 1.18cm
Any other advice? What made AK restarted itself? No streaming downloaded nor used.

Sp3000 without amp also crashed restarted Itself while charging it.
I have tried using the sp3000 without charging it and it never crashed.

Sp3000 also crashed after initialize media scan while plugged charging.

Thank you in advance.

Solution: already went back to the store to swap with a new one. I was able to replicate the crash at the store.

 

[phiemon]

HI I just bought sp3000 and AK PA10 yesterday.
I have been experiencing problem transferring Files From MacBook Pro. The SP3000 could erratically restart itself.

All my listening session I always paired my sp3000 with AK PA10.

Also when listening to SP3000 at home, I usually connect the SP3000 to the charger at the same time. And SP3000 often freezes and erratically restart itself.

Upon waking up the device by double tapping while listening to music and charging simultaneously. It often results in freezing and restarting.

I already reset to factory default twice, but it still did not solve the problem. Already latest firmware : 1.18cm
Any other advice? What made AK restarted itself? No streaming downloaded nor used.

Sp3000 without amp also crashed restarted Itself while charging it.
I have tried using the sp3000 without charging it and it never crashed.

Sp3000 also crashed after initialize media scan while plugged charging.

Thank you in advance.

I have no idea about it, but: is the power supply really ok? Have you checked it?

I noticed that the SP3000 charges on the PC with the stock cable, but when I use it with another USB-C cable the charging is not strong enough so the battery discharges. So I only use the stock cable.

 

[jlingo]

I have no idea about it, but: is the power supply really ok? Have you checked it?

I noticed that the SP3000 charges on the PC with the stock cable, but when I use it with another USB-C cable the charging is not strong enough so the battery discharges. So I only use the stock cable.

Thanks. Already able to replicate the incident with different power bricks and cables.
So the store was kind enough to let me swap with a new SP3000.