[The jedi Baritone]

I’ve been posting about some bluetooth problems in the Shure BT2 thread (https://www.head-fi.org/posts/15193055/) and would like to know if any Cube owners are using this bluetooth device with their Cube. I’m not sure which device is causing the problem, but the connection is really bad and virtually useless with the Cube. Connection with my iPhone 8+ seems to be rock solid, but its not aptX HD. I’m already on the second Shure unit as I returned the first suspecting it was faulty but still have the same problems. Some have suggested trying to connect to the Cube without using aptX HD to see if it helps and I think it would at least confirm the problem is the HD connection but it could be the strength of the Cube bluetooth signal too I guess.
I’ve tried resetting the Shure device many times and it seems to help but a lot and not for long anyway. I’ve done the Cube upgrade 1.14CM a couple of hours ago and was hoping that might help, but it made no difference unfortunately.

If you have a case on your Cube both WiFi and Bluetooth signals are much weaker, could it be this the problem?

 

[The jedi Baritone]

Yesterday I spent around 3 hours listening 5 melodies to compare Kann Cube and SP2000.I used many different IEMS : UE Live( mine);Campfire Polaris,Andromeda,Solaris,;Astell And Kern Diana;VE Erlkönig; Both Cube and SP 2000 are amazing but we already know this.

I couldn’t say the SP2000 is better and if, the difference is minimal far away from the price difference, in matter of sound not more then 200 dollars worth.. maybe would be greater with big size cans but then even there the Cube has more power so I don’t see how the SP 2000 can match it..

I find the soundstage great on both Daps and very close, in fact I had the sensation that on some music one had bigger soundstage and on other melody the other( strange actually) but again almost unnoticeable.

The sound difference is in the fact that SP 2000 might be a tiny bit cristal clear and definitely warmer but we talk about small differences and in the same time I find Cube to be more natural sounding and more less forgiving in recording quality and even less distortion on higher volume ,so in the end actually is also a matter of pairing .Campfires all matches better with the sound of SP 2000 ( minimal although) and for me Live,Erlkönig,Diana are better paired with Cube( especially the UE live.

The big money differences are though in the beauty and even in the speed of the processor I think.
There SP 2000 is a class if not 2 more interesting ,more beautiful then the Cube,but then worth it 2000 dollars more?
I even think that A and K could have implemented better the ESS chips( by all means they are not bad implemented)I have the feeling that they didn’t wanna make the Cube the best Dap but in the same time they could have, nevertheless is still an amazing achievement and my favorite toy .

I am not an expert and these are my 2 cents in the matter so don’t shoot me .

Speaking of IEMS my favorite are UE Live ,the natural sound they have is for me unbeatable,
I tried to understand why many like so much the Andromeda’s and I understand they are more vibrantly sounding, when listening to classical music all the instruments have a touch of more metal spark in the sound, trumpets sound shinier then usually, actually all the brass instruments and the chords are not so warm as they are on live listening, and I know I sing at least 150 times a year with orchestra’s in rehearsals, concerts ,shows. I can understand the more resolution in the sound is a quality for pop, rock, blues , jazz music. But I cannot listen any vocal with andromeda, most of the voices are too metallic.
Same with Solaris even a higher class then Andrò but the same signature.,
Actually I think people that have Andromeda or Solaris would go to a live concert (pop,Jazz,rock,classical) and after listening to it would believe it didn’t sound as good as And or Solaris do and that is because I feel they create a fake resolution, a strange distortion in making (analytical) the sound more impressive.

I enjoyed Diana even if they are not in the same class as UE Live, and was surprised to find VE Erlkönig so good ( not when thinking at the price though)
I thought the only IEM to beat the UE Live but then just by some hundred of dollars and not by 2500 which is the price difference.
They had more resolution and a perfect balance from very low to very high, amazing middle,natural but enjoyable ( not a quality of Andro or Solaris)
Worth 4700 Swiss Francs? (they cost in Switzerland so much ) I don’t think so though.

I am a beginner but a musician.
I don’t know the terminology so well and my English is not that good so I excuse myself in advance.

 

[jmills8]

Yesterday I spent around 3 hours listening 5 melodies to compare Kann Cube and SP2000.I used many different IEMS : UE Live( mine);Campfire Polaris,Andromeda,Solaris,;Astell And Kern Diana;VE Erlkönig; Both Cube and SP 2000 are amazing but we already know this.

I couldn’t say the SP2000 is better and if, the difference is minimal far away from the price difference, in matter of sound not more then 200 dollars worth.. maybe would be greater with big size cans but then even there the Cube has more power so I don’t see how the SP 2000 can match it..

I find the soundstage great on both Daps and very close, in fact I had the sensation that on some music one had bigger soundstage and on other melody the other( strange actually) but again almost unnoticeable.

The sound difference is in the fact that SP 2000 might be a tiny bit cristal clear and definitely warmer but we talk about small differences and in the same time I find Cube to be more natural sounding and more less forgiving in recording quality and even less distortion on higher volume ,so in the end actually is also a matter of pairing .Campfires all matches better with the sound of SP 2000 ( minimal although) and for me Live,Erlkönig,Diana are better paired with Cube( especially the UE live.

The big money differences are though in the beauty and even in the speed of the processor I think.
There SP 2000 is a class if not 2 more interesting ,more beautiful then the Cube,but then worth it 2000 dollars more?
I even think that A and K could have implemented better the ESS chips( by all means they are not bad implemented)I have the feeling that they didn’t wanna make the Cube the best Dap but in the same time they could have, nevertheless is still an amazing achievement and my favorite toy .

I am not an expert and these are my 2 cents in the matter so don’t shoot me .

Speaking of IEMS my favorite are UE Live ,the natural sound they have is for me unbeatable,
I tried to understand why many like so much the Andromeda’s and I understand they are more vibrantly sounding, when listening to classical music all the instruments have a touch of more metal spark in the sound, trumpets sound shinier then usually, actually all the brass instruments and the chords are not so warm as they are on live listening, and I know I sing at least 150 times a year with orchestra’s in rehearsals, concerts ,shows. I can understand the more resolution in the sound is a quality for pop, rock, blues , jazz music. But I cannot listen any vocal with andromeda, most of the voices are too metallic.
Same with Solaris even a higher class then Andrò but the same signature.,
Actually I think people that have Andromeda or Solaris would go to a live concert (pop,Jazz,rock,classical) and after listening to it would believe it didn’t sound as good as And or Solaris do and that is because I feel they create a fake resolution, a strange distortion in making (analytical) the sound more impressive.

I enjoyed Diana even if they are not in the same class as UE Live, and was surprised to find VE Erlkönig so good ( not when thinking at the price though)
I thought the only IEM to beat the UE Live but then just by some hundred of dollars and not by 2500 which is the price difference.
They had more resolution and a perfect balance from very low to very high, amazing middle,natural but enjoyable ( not a quality of Andro or Solaris)
Worth 4700 Swiss Francs? (they cost in Switzerland so much ) I don’t think so though.

I am a beginner but a musician.
I don’t know the terminology so well and my English is not that good so I excuse myself in advance.

Huge fail for the sp2000

 

[KevP]

Will this DAP allow for offline Tidal playback, specifically for offline MQA master files?

Did you get a reply to this? I was about to pull the trigger on the Cube when I read an Amazon review that said it WON’T allow offline storage of Tidal MQA.

 

[KevP]

New firmware version 1.12 is available for KANN CUBE! New features include Car Mode and EQ Sync.

We found an issue in the initial retail firmware where OTA firmware updates were disabled. It was fixed before shipping, but we discovered a few units may have slipped out with the OTA update disabled. If you cannot update via OTA when connected via Wi-Fi, you will need firmware applied manually. Please visit our website for more info - https://www.astellnkern.com/eng/con...rd=&cg=&goods=SC35560&idx=1000109&page=1&no=6

If anyone has questions or an issue updating, please feel free to PM me.

Hi- are you able to answer the question as to whether the sideloaded Tidal app bypasses the hires restrictions that Android imposes, as is the case with Hiby, Fiio and iBasso? Thanks

 

[KevP]

Hi- are you able to answer the question as to whether the sideloaded Tidal app bypasses the hires restrictions that Android imposes, as is the case with Hiby, Fiio and iBasso? Thanks

I see firmware upgrade 1.14 was issued yesterday, 18 September. Very sketchy on what it fixes or provides. Anyone know?

 

[Newsee]

Yesterday I spent around 3 hours listening 5 melodies to compare Kann Cube and SP2000.I used many different IEMS : UE Live( mine);Campfire Polaris,Andromeda,Solaris,;Astell And Kern Diana;VE Erlkönig; Both Cube and SP 2000 are amazing but we already know this.

I couldn’t say the SP2000 is better and if, the difference is minimal far away from the price difference, in matter of sound not more then 200 dollars worth.. maybe would be greater with big size cans but then even there the Cube has more power so I don’t see how the SP 2000 can match it..

I find the soundstage great on both Daps and very close, in fact I had the sensation that on some music one had bigger soundstage and on other melody the other( strange actually) but again almost unnoticeable.

The sound difference is in the fact that SP 2000 might be a tiny bit cristal clear and definitely warmer but we talk about small differences and in the same time I find Cube to be more natural sounding and more less forgiving in recording quality and even less distortion on higher volume ,so in the end actually is also a matter of pairing .Campfires all matches better with the sound of SP 2000 ( minimal although) and for me Live,Erlkönig,Diana are better paired with Cube( especially the UE live.

The big money differences are though in the beauty and even in the speed of the processor I think.
There SP 2000 is a class if not 2 more interesting ,more beautiful then the Cube,but then worth it 2000 dollars more?
I even think that A and K could have implemented better the ESS chips( by all means they are not bad implemented)I have the feeling that they didn’t wanna make the Cube the best Dap but in the same time they could have, nevertheless is still an amazing achievement and my favorite toy .

I am not an expert and these are my 2 cents in the matter so don’t shoot me .

Speaking of IEMS my favorite are UE Live ,the natural sound they have is for me unbeatable,
I tried to understand why many like so much the Andromeda’s and I understand they are more vibrantly sounding, when listening to classical music all the instruments have a touch of more metal spark in the sound, trumpets sound shinier then usually, actually all the brass instruments and the chords are not so warm as they are on live listening, and I know I sing at least 150 times a year with orchestra’s in rehearsals, concerts ,shows. I can understand the more resolution in the sound is a quality for pop, rock, blues , jazz music. But I cannot listen any vocal with andromeda, most of the voices are too metallic.
Same with Solaris even a higher class then Andrò but the same signature.,
Actually I think people that have Andromeda or Solaris would go to a live concert (pop,Jazz,rock,classical) and after listening to it would believe it didn’t sound as good as And or Solaris do and that is because I feel they create a fake resolution, a strange distortion in making (analytical) the sound more impressive.

I enjoyed Diana even if they are not in the same class as UE Live, and was surprised to find VE Erlkönig so good ( not when thinking at the price though)
I thought the only IEM to beat the UE Live but then just by some hundred of dollars and not by 2500 which is the price difference.
They had more resolution and a perfect balance from very low to very high, amazing middle,natural but enjoyable ( not a quality of Andro or Solaris)
Worth 4700 Swiss Francs? (they cost in Switzerland so much ) I don’t think so though.

I am a beginner but a musician.
I don’t know the terminology so well and my English is not that good so I excuse myself in advance.

Thank you for the nice comparison. Good to know that I do not have to be envy of the SP2000.

Have you eventually tried the LCDi4? That might fit to your use case: travelling a lot, listening in a calm and forgiving environment, same as for big open backs, but less weight and carry space needed.
I would like to know your opinion about Meze Rai Penta as well. For me it sounded very similar to Andromeda, but had some slight plus, that I could not identify.

 

[Nails]

If you have a case on your Cube both WiFi and Bluetooth signals are much weaker, could it be this the problem?[/

Yes, this seems to be the culprit, I was wondering about the case just before I read your post. Without the case I had good aptXHD connection at 8 metres line of sight, a huge improvement over the poor connection experience at about 500mm with the case. In comparison, the iPhone with plastic highly protective case, was giving a great (non hd) connection at about 18 metres (line of sight) today.
Its a bit disappointing that the beautiful case could affect this so much as I really don’t want to remove it each time I want to use the convenience of BT, makes it rather inconvenient. Maybe a different (plastic ugh) case might become available down the track that might help.
thanks for pointing this out jedi Baritone

 

[The jedi Baritone]

Thank you for the nice comparison. Good to know that I do not have to be envy of the SP2000.

Have you eventually tried the LCDi4? That might fit to your use case: travelling a lot, listening in a calm and forgiving environment, same as for big open backs, but less weight and carry space needed.
I would like to know your opinion about Meze Rai Penta as well. For me it sounded very similar to Andromeda, but had some slight plus, that I could not identify.

Yes I actually have them, as I have isine20 and the isine model for VR, I love the LCDi4 as I love LCD4Z for me the best headphones I heard as of yet ,a class over Empyrean ,Utopia ,HD800S( which I also poses) depending on the pairing, with Chord Dave they shine and as I said are a Class above many others, which is not the case with Hugo2 with Hugo they are quite on the same level with the rest,but I didn’t listen to Stax or Susvara.

As for Rai Penta they are really good headphones still no at the same level with Andro,the sound even more on the treble side, less bass less medium but not unpleasant, cristal clear though. Not my type of IEMS but they are really good.

 

[JasonNYC]

Did you get a reply to this? I was about to pull the trigger on the Cube when I read an Amazon review that said it WON’T allow offline storage of Tidal MQA.

The embedded Tidal app does not do offline mode. You can get offline mode, including Tidal Masters at full resolution using the Tidal Android app that is sideloaded via our OpenApp system.

 

[JasonNYC]

Hi- are you able to answer the question as to whether the sideloaded Tidal app bypasses the hires restrictions that Android imposes, as is the case with Hiby, Fiio and iBasso? Thanks

Yes, bypasses Android so you get the full resolution.

 

[CANiSLAYu]

Did you get a reply to this? I was about to pull the trigger on the Cube when I read an Amazon review that said it WON’T allow offline storage of Tidal MQA.

Yes you can use the side loaded app for Tidal offline. Functions exactly the same as the Android app. Can download to onboard storage or SD card.

Edit: D’oh Jason just beat me to it.

 

[KevP]

Yes you can use the side loaded app for Tidal offline. Functions exactly the same as the Android app. Can download to onboard storage or SD card.

Edit: D’oh Jason just beat me to it.

Many thanks to both you and Jason.

 

[KevP]

Many thanks to both you and Jason.

Many thanks Jason.

 

[wormcycle]

Yes, bypasses Android so you get the full resolution.

What about the Qobuz side loaded player on Cube, does it bypass Android as well?