[adityadubey]

For those of you that have recently purchased KANN ALPHA; with the Fiio M15, Hiby R8 and iBasso DX300 being all the rage lately why did you choose this DAP rather than one of those? Just curious.

I can only speak for myself and it would be a mix of factors. I was looking to get a portable playing solution which would sort out my mobile listening source needs for the near to middle future, while allowing me to play around with different headphones / iems. I've only recently started getting back into high-end audio and remember being tempted by Astell & Kern players many years ago when I was younger, so I suspect there's some brand value and recall which always helps.

The Hiby R8 and iBasso DX300 are both more expensive and I know we're already talking unreasonable sums for audio at this point, I was happy to get the player and a new pair of TIn P1s for the price (absolutely love the earphones and how they pair with the Kann alpha btw, have been listening almost non-stop for 8-10 hrs).
I also prefer the physical design of the Kann Alpha over the Fiio M15 even though it is more bulky. I am also not keen on having overtly fiddly UI or settings.
So all of that combined with the power, sound quality which is to be expected and the choice of 2.5mm, 4.4mm and the usual 3.5mm clinched it for me and now I sound like a shill.

 

[adityadubey]

I would recommend not using a PD compatible charger.

@JasonNYC how about this one? It says QC compatible but not PD anywhere. Or are those the same thing?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01HYXHHGK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Scubacrazy]

Hurrah ! Proud owner of an Alpha, and a set of FiiO FH7s.
Sounds amazing.
Anyway, stupid newbie question time. . . . I have bought and downloaded some albums, and have plenty of ripped CDs on my HDD of my PC. They are separated into artist, album etc etc.
Where do I put them when I connect the DAP to the PC? I have put a 256Gb card in the Alpha, but not sure where to put my ripped stuff in the player.
Sorry for the stupid question.

 

[newworld666]

I think anything put under a "Music" directory on a SD should be read on any daps ...
Usually mp3tags are read to sort files correctly.

 

[mikel]

@JasonNYC Did you already get a reply regarding the 4.4mm output and the grounding? Thanks

 

[Scubacrazy]

I think anything put under a "Music" directory on a SD should be read on any daps ...
Usually mp3tags are read to sort files correctly.

Thank you so much. I am a bit useless with transferring files, I am always afraid of putting a file in the wrong place and breaking something.
I will take a look at the sd card file layout.
Thanks again.

 

[Onik]

Is there any HQ 5 pole 4.4mm Male to 4.4mm Female Right Angle Adapter?

Edit: guess no ones interested in this adapter but I found this : https://m.aliexpress.com/item/40005...FSnOIs1eGrUfNg1612020550286&browser_id=&is_c=

 

[bland125]

Thank you so much. I am a bit useless with transferring files, I am always afraid of putting a file in the wrong place and breaking something.
I will take a look at the sd card file layout.
Thanks again.

Yeah, takes a bit of figuring out the first few times but the process is rather simple. My suggestions to you:

1. Format the SD card in the player first through the storage settings. So the player OS can use it optimally. This will also create the proper folder structure for the player.
2. When mass copying data on the SD card, take it out of the player and plug it in an SD card reader. The cards can get super hot on big data transfers.
3. When copying on smaller scale, just plug the player through USB and make sure to set the player in file transfer/storage mode.
4. Depending on the player, make sure the library gets updated after the process so the music player is picking up the changes. Its usually automatic but bugs happen.

Also not all music player app manage the folder structure, file names and tags the same so the results may vary depending on the organization level of your library. You can use the free mp3tag software to fix it all up, even do mass changes quite easily.

Make sure to use this forum if you find issues, its a great community here. Enjoy your Alpha!

 

[Scubacrazy]

Yeah, takes a bit of figuring out the first few times but the process is rather simple. My suggestions to you:

1. Format the SD card in the player first through the storage settings. So the player OS can use it optimally. This will also create the proper folder structure for the player.
2. When mass copying data on the SD card, take it out of the player and plug it in an SD card reader. The cards can get super hot on big data transfers.
3. When copying on smaller scale, just plug the player through USB and make sure to set the player in file transfer/storage mode.
4. Depending on the player, make sure the library gets updated after the process so the music player is picking up the changes. Its usually automatic but bugs happen.

Also not all music player app manage the folder structure, file names and tags the same so the results may vary depending on the organization level of your library. You can use the free mp3tag software to fix it all up, even do mass changes quite easily.

Make sure to use this forum if you find issues, its a great community here. Enjoy your Alpha!

Thank you for such a helpful reply.
Where exactly is thr format option? I go to >settings>system information and I can see the SD Card section, with 2 options, mount, or erase card.
No mention of formatting. should I format on the pc first? if so, I dont get the option of FAT32.
Sorry , forgive my ignorance.
Thank you

 

[JasonNYC]

@JasonNYC how about this one? It says QC compatible but not PD anywhere. Or are those the same thing?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01HYXHHGK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

That charger would work without issue.

 

[JasonNYC]

@JasonNYC Did you already get a reply regarding the 4.4mm output and the grounding? Thanks

Sorry, thank you for the reminder. I did receive a response from the head of the R&D team who said "Yes, the 4.4mm balanced output of the KANN ALPHA is internally grounded."

 

[JasonNYC]

Thank you for such a helpful reply.
Where exactly is thr format option? I go to >settings>system information and I can see the SD Card section, with 2 options, mount, or erase card.
No mention of formatting. should I format on the pc first? if so, I dont get the option of FAT32.
Sorry , forgive my ignorance.
Thank you

The Erase card option will format the card in the player. These two FAQs contain more info on microSD cards:

https://us.astellnkern.com/apps/hel...mmended-file-format-for-external-memory-cards

https://us.astellnkern.com/apps/help-center#hc-how-do-i-format-my-memory-card

 

[Scubacrazy]

The Erase card option will format the card in the player. These two FAQs contain more info on microSD cards:

https://us.astellnkern.com/apps/hel...mmended-file-format-for-external-memory-cards

https://us.astellnkern.com/apps/help-center#hc-how-do-i-format-my-memory-card

Again, thank you.
I did in fact use the erase function, but the player doesn't give any indication that any operation has been carried out. I just checked card on the Windows PC, and it says it is formatted in FAT32. So it definitely worked.

So, in summary, if I connect card/player to my PC, I just drag the contents of my HD folder and just drop it onto the SD card without setting up any folders etc?
Thanks for all the help, I do appreciate it.

 

[newworld666]

.

 

[newworld666]

Still no news of any new firmware ?
It looks amazing to take months to correct such issue concerning Wifi fixed and short automatic standby.
I think many are doing class actions to Apple and others for much less than this major issue !!! => though, they are some other software issues (Playlists/sorting/etc) with this Kann Alpha, but the Wifi really makes the Kann Alpha almost unusable as it is, and it's a major function of a 1100$ DAP.
.