[DAPpower]

SP2000 sounds great but is on the heavy side, which is why I'm selling the player. I hope the SP3000 does lighten up a little.

 

[Niyologist]

4.4mm, Wi-Fi, and it costs $1,099!? Wow! This is on my wishlist.

 

[Mightygrey]

 

[liujun050612]

AK made the 3rd gen kann? Will they still release a sp2000m? I wish upgrade my ak70 mkii and see a se200 vs sp2000m comparison but new kann come out.

 

[Chimmy9278]

Would anyone think this a match for the SE200? Ignoring its power aspect, and considering sound wise? I will look into either of them as my potential purchase. Thanks for your opinion!

 

[Deferenz]

Would anyone think this a match for the SE200? Ignoring its power aspect, and considering sound wise? I will look into either of them as my potential purchase. Thanks for your opinion!

I would like to know this also.

 

[mwhals]

Would anyone think this a match for the SE200? Ignoring its power aspect, and considering sound wise? I will look into either of them as my potential purchase. Thanks for your opinion!

I would like to know this also.

+2

 

[xenoVa]

The problem of the KANN players is how big& heavy& bulky they are. The point of a DAP is its portability but you can't really carry this device to anywhere. Other DAPs are much more pocketable. For destkop usage they are better sounding dac-amps anyway.

And still not an open Android OS and only 64 GB of storage ?

In addition, Astell Kernn started releasing too many DAPs. This makes their lineup very complex and dilutes the value of each product. It has become really hard to keep track of their new releases. Now they are selling the outdated KANN Cube for $1499 and the new KANN Alpha for $1100 - I don't get it.

 

[hshock76]

Personally, I am pretty sure the Alpha will match the performance of the ESS output of the SE200 and provide better flexibility with significantly more power out of BAL - 12vrms vs 4 vrms. It will drive all IEMs efficiently and most Full Sizes.

The question you prob need to ask yourselves is whether you need the AKM output on the SE200. If you do not need that, then the answer is pretty straight forward.

 

[DAPpower]

It is also roughly the size of the original Kann, just a tiny bit bigger.
Still a bulky device but more portable than transportable in this case.

 

[GiullianSN]

I really like my SE100, but the size is something that bothers me. but seeing AK finally bringing 4.4 is a big step up. I hope to see that on an SP "m" version.

 

[PACSman]

I had the Kann Cube and gave up on it. I'm hoping great things with the Kann Alpha. Thoughts:
- I didn't like the Kann Cube ESS implementation. It sounded too brittle for me. I love the sound of the SP2000cu AK DAC. I like what I have read about the SE200 ESS and AK.
+ I loved the sound of the Kann Cube amplifier. It brought new life to my recordings and headphones. I hope the amp on the Kann Alpha also sounds great.
+ I thought the sharp bezels of the Kann Cube were dangerous and I was able to blunt the edges with a silicone case. I like the look of the Kann Alpha.
+ I like that the Kann Alpha will be smaller, lighter, and have longer battery life
+ I'm not on the 4.4mm bandwagon yet but I'm happy for all those who are getting what they want. If cell phones are getting rid of headphone jacks because there isn't room, I think 2.5mm connectors are quite relevant to future growth of our IEMs and smaller audio devices.
? Is the Bluetooth 5.0 bi-directional? I don't use Bluetooth headphones. Streaming from a phone or computer via the Bluetooth may be of interest. Now that I think of it, I might use a Bluetooth remote control for play, skip, etc.
- The WiFi implementation is only "802.11 b/g/n (2.4GHz)" on the Kann Cube and the Kann Alpha. I wished for better!
? What about side loading of ANY Android app? I want UAPP. Specifically speaking, the Kann Cube was a cluster of a few apps sometimes working and sometimes breaking when an updated was released. Maintaining the Kann Cube was the deal breaker for me. I was busy fixing things and I wasn't enjoying my music.
? Along with ANY Android app, I want SMB client. UPNP and DLNA are slow and reliable for me. Even A&K gave up on their UPNP / DLNA server software for the Kann Cube. SMB (FIle browse / play / copy over the wireless network) seems more reliable.

I look forward to more news about the Kann Alpha. I look forward to hands-on comparisons with the M15 and the DX220 Max (the M15 and DX220 Max may be built very different but I hear people say that they sound more similar than different). How about a sound comparison with to the Burson Conductor 3?

 

[Kiats]

Personally, I am pretty sure the Alpha will match the performance of the ESS output of the SE200 and provide better flexibility with significantly more power out of BAL - 12vrms vs 4 vrms. It will drive all IEMs efficiently and most Full Sizes.

The question you prob need to ask yourselves is whether you need the AKM output on the SE200. If you do not need that, then the answer is pretty straight forward.

Agreed. For me the SE200 offers the flexibility for when I travel for work. I then effectively have 2 DAPs in one. Of course, right now, it is going to be underutilised in that way. But this current situation will not last forever.

By the same token, if you are big fan only of AKM or ESS, then the raison d'être for the SE200 falls away.

 

[talan7]

Hope it does not sound like the Kann Cube...

How does the Kann cube sound? I was interested in getting it, now perhaps the Alpha

 

[fokta]

At last... always like Kann, Kann Cube sound sig.. 4.4 Pentaconn this will interesting