Kiats
Headphoneus Supremus
Which is a pity. Another opportunity missed. Am surprised it was released under the TOTL range.
DAPpower
1000+ Head-Fier
I guess only die hard Astell & Kern fans will understand why they must buy Astell&Kern DAPs from this point forward.
I'll stick with my iBasso DX300 until the DX300 MAX or FiiO M17 shows up.
I'll stick with my iBasso DX300 until the DX300 MAX or FiiO M17 shows up.
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Really ? I thought that look small!!! Considering all the techs cramped into it. Is it using NUtubes ?
Kiats
Headphoneus Supremus
Well, at least with Roon Ready status, the AKs with it still make some sense to me. But I still listen to them as a digital source for streaming and have them on USB DAC out to the LP6. Or LO to something like the Cayin C9.
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I am not a fan but I gotta say that I am impressed with the build and design overall….though, I don’t much like the sharp corners , just like SP2K….they are sharp enough to even injure you at the right conditions
Well it isn’t no SP1000m is it…
korvin12
500+ Head-Fier
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Makes me more determined to wait for SP3K!!!
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Will take 4 more years until SP3K-T
Hopefully not, Ibasso and Fiio do not rest on their laurels... Fiio even upgraded the CPU + RAM of M11 and Ibasso was not content with DX300 so like apple it has to have a Max version. or maybe a Pro Max next?
If the sp2kt has the same specs as the sp2k but with tubes = for less price than a sp2k. Why would anyone buy an sp2k going forward? Unless I'm not understanding something about the specs.
bluestorm1992
Headphoneus Supremus
The dac chips seem a lot worse.
Edit: at the time where 1K DAPs are using ESS9038 pro, it just seems odd to have that kind of chip in the AK flagship lineup.
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Well, i would not judge it just by dacs.
Look what ibasso achieved with some crappy cirrus dacs...
Look what ibasso achieved with some crappy cirrus dacs...
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The only Max and Pro I am waiting for atm will be Covid-19 Max variants or Pro variants or both
The Cirrus in Ibasso DX300 is one of those top tier from Cirrus themselves. Also, if we are going to compare here, does SP2KT sport 2 batteries and dedicated supplies ?
The ESS9038PRO is notoriously power-hungry and not optimized for portable battery powered devices. AK was the first to use it in a portable player with the single DAC SE100. Other manufactures then followed. Again, the first dual-DAC ESS9038PRO DAP was the AK KANN CUBE, as it has a much bigger battery than most DAPs. Before the SE100, the ESS9038PRO was only used in plug-in audio products.
For a quad-DAC player, the ESS9038PRO would need a significant amount of power.
The ESS ES9068AS is the flagship DAC in their audiophile line optimized for portable devices, so while not a ESS9038PRO, it is still one of ESS' flagship DACs.
bluestorm1992
Headphoneus Supremus
Thanks Jason. I was about to mention the power supply issue. A user posted above asking why AK couldn’t do flagship chips like 9038 pro here, and the power supply was the answer.
To me it is a compromise here and sort of explains why it is priced cheaper. When making a “trimmed down” version of the flagship dap (which in fact comes out with more features like the tube amp), some compromises have to be made.
To me it is a compromise here and sort of explains why it is priced cheaper. When making a “trimmed down” version of the flagship dap (which in fact comes out with more features like the tube amp), some compromises have to be made.
