Hi everyone! Just wondering if I can get some advice regarding this matter. I am currently using a Shure se846 paired with RMCE TW1 bluetooth adapter. I am thinking of going back to a wired setup to get more sound quality back. I can either get the new Astell & Kern HC2 usb dac + buy a mmcx 4mm cable (both $600 together) or get a second hand Astell & Kern sr25 A&norma for $600 and just use the stock cable of the se846. Any thoughts on this? Thank you!
Hi peppertorres,
It will only be an opinion. I received the AK HC2 last week. And I had the SR25 last year for a few months.
I am very happy with the AK HC2. This is the best usb c dongle I've had so far (ibasso DC01 and DC02, PAW S1, Xduoo link bal 2 and some others):
- excellent build quality
- very quiet, no hiss even with sensitive headphones
- high power
- excellent layering of instruments, and faithful reproduction of their location
- very good bass
- very nice mediums
- very present and detailed highs, without ever being aggressive
- good resolution
- wide and deep soundstage
- no interference with phone or wifi (unlike PAW S1)
- does not heat up (unlike the Ibasso DC01 and DC02)
- low phone battery consumption
- also good connected to PC, Android smartphone or iphone (lightning adapter is provided)
- an application for Android allows you to adjust the volume when the HC2 is used with an application that does not have a specific driver
A few downsides though:
- the cable is not removable
- no USB adapter included
- less musical than my Sony DAPs.
The SR25 is a good DAP if you don't plan to use it for streaming, because its WiFi connectivity is deplorable as soon as you move more than a meter away from the router. The 2.5mm output of the SR25 is much better than the 3.5mm output. Moreover, the closed and locked Android of the SR25 does not allow to install many applications (UAPP for example does not work).
In my opinion, the quality of the 4.4mm output of the HC2 is slightly superior to the 2.5mm output of the SR25 (especially for bass, height and stage depth). But with the balanced outputs, the sound is still pretty close, as far as I remember the SR25.
If you are not using a streaming service, the SR25 may be a decent option. On the other hand, if you subscribe to a streaming service, prefer the HC2 because the apps will work better on your phone than on the SR25, and the wifi will be much more efficient.
I sold my SR25 pretty quickly, as I realized it was a bad choice for streaming. In this case, I still preferred to use the BT Receiver function of the ZX300 or WM1A in LDAC with my Android phone. But I must admit that my Sony N3 and IER-M7 headphones sound better with the AK HC2, because they need a lot of power for a good reproduction.
The AK HC2 will now be dedicated to my streaming listening.
