[mightyKyn]

I'm sure that TT2MSC is better, especially with a power hungry cans like LCD4Z. To me, choice is simple because I want a portable player. SP2K it is.

different USE CASE man.

 

[mightyKyn]

Thought I'd chime in here. I've owned the Cube, WM1Z, Hugo2, SP1000, and SP1000M, and current home setup is iDSD Pro + Formula S amp. I'd like to upgrade from the iDSD but that's another story.

I recently traded out the WM1Z and also the SP1000 in anticipation of the SP2000. The WM1Z has a lot of DSP options as per usual with Sony stuff. It also sounds overly warm and smooth to me, and, well, processed, even with all of the DSP bypassed. Everything sounds upsampled by default. I prefer the higher clarity and transparency that A&K brings to the table, and the layering.

I'd say the Cube is good for its price point but not great. The SP1000M is about 15-20% better, and the SP1000 is even better than the SP1000M. Main differences are resolution, soundstage width, high-end extension, separation, layering, mids, and lower-mids. So, most aspects. The Cube has a thicker and warmer sound and handles bass pretty well which is not a surprise given its power but it lacks a bit of texture. I can see why its building a following, its just very far from reference. I just took some heat on the Cube thread for saying this but oh well. The Hugo2, in my opinion, is a bit sterile like most Chord products and the overall user experience is clunky. It does have good separation in my opinion but I prefer the sound of my IEMs driven directly from the SP1000M or SP1000 than the Hugo2. But the Hugo2 is not really meant to directly compete with these devices.

saying the sp1000 is 20 to 30% better is a huge stretch of the imagination as I have heard from MANY on the forum that Cube is quite a bit better than than the 1000.

hearing will be believin on the 2000... however i do not expect the delta to be anywhere near 20%

 

[mt-hifidelity]

saying the sp1000 is 20 to 30% better is a huge stretch of the imagination as I have heard from MANY on the forum that Cube is quite a bit better than than the 1000.

hearing will be believin on the 2000... however i do not expect the delta to be anywhere near 20%

Keep in mind that recent buyers of the Cube may want to defend their choices or have buyer's remorse if they are confronted with others saying the Cube is merely good and not great. Saying that other devices do certain things better should not be controversial. This comes up on most threads on this forum. Can someone truly say whether the sq of one dap versus another is 20% better, or 19%, or 5% or whatever? Its hard to quantify, but is definitely possible to compare the attributes. But as we know, not everyone will perceive the same delta of difference.
That said, as others have pointed out, an experienced Head-fier is generally able to qualify their statements. And I stand by mine. For example, I did not have to go back and forth doing A/B comparisons between the devices to determine that the Cube does not have the same sq as the other devices. It was apparent from the get-go. What IS debatable is how much that difference in SQ is perceptible to you, based on the hp's you're using, and whether you care about that difference. Finally...keep in mind that a 15-20% difference means that its also 80-85% the same. For a dap that is literally less than half the cost of the SP2000, that's pretty darn good!

 

[szore]

Keep in mind that recent buyers of the Cube may want to defend their choices or have buyer's remorse if they are confronted with others saying the Cube is merely good and not great. Saying that other devices do certain things better should not be controversial. This comes up on most threads on this forum. Can someone truly say whether the sq of one dap versus another is 20% better, or 19%, or 5% or whatever? Its hard to quantify, but is definitely possible to compare the attributes. But as we know, not everyone can perceive the same delta of difference.
That said, as others have pointed out, an experienced Head-fier is generally able to qualify their statements. And I stand by mine. For example, I did not have to go back and forth doing A/B comparisons between the devices to determine that the Cube does not have the same sq as the other devices. It was apparent from the get-go. What IS debatable is how much that difference in SQ is perceptible to you, based on the hp's you're using, and whether you care about that difference. Finally...keep in mind that a 15-20% difference means that its also 80-85% the same. For a dap that is literally less than half the cost of the SP2000, that's pretty darn good!

I agree: When I upgraded to the se100 over the sr15, the improvement was instantly apparent.

 

[mt-hifidelity]

...The plot thickens. It seems more and more I am just going to "have" to buy the 2000...

I haven't demo'd it yet but starting to feel the same! I really really liked the SP1000cu and if the SP2K is even a moderate improvement and evolution, I'm hooked.

 

[jmills8]

...The plot thickens. It seems more and more I am just going to "have" to buy the 2000...

Obvious you will.

 

[raelamb]

Obvious you will.

I insisted my dealer take my money in May so I could be first in line

 

[szore]

saying the sp1000 is 20 to 30% better is a huge stretch of the imagination as I have heard from MANY on the forum that Cube is quite a bit better than than the 1000.

hearing will be believin on the 2000... however i do not expect the delta to be anywhere near 20%

I find it hard to believe the cube is better than the 1000, but I have not heard the cube. I have great expectations for the 2000. I was leaning towards the copper, but now I am thinking ss. I can't wait for it to be released I demo them myself.

 

[fire2368]

I find it hard to believe the cube is better than the 1000, but I have not heard the cube. I have great expectations for the 2000. I was leaning towards the copper, but now I am thinking ss. I can't wait for it to be released I demo them myself.

Imho they sound very different. The cube had a much more forward presentation, especially in the mids. So i could hear better micro details because of the positioning of it. The sp1000 wins in z depth and width, and had a much more organic sound to if, enjoyed it much more. Since I'm looking for a unit to travel with and i am listening through iems, the sp1000 gave me the out of head experience and I enjoyed the music much more. The separation and imaging was better in the sp1000 imo.

The cube definitely has more power and I could be hearing more details and things due to the cubes amp section.

 

[Jalo]

If you have more full size headphones than iems, I will go for the Cube that is because of the sensitivity is much lower with full-size headphones that the slightly harsh sound signature of the Cube will not show up and also because of the great amp section, it is made perfect for full-size headphones. But if you have more iems then the SP2000 is perfect for them. Iems in general is more sensitive and revealing and particularly with SP2000 it is such a clean and smooth sound it is sensitive and will reveal anything upstream so looking forward to hear it again.

 

[JasonNYC]

Two upcoming opportunities to demo the SP2000 in the US before the release date on 9/16:

1. Tomorrow, Saturday, August 24th, the SP2000 will be available for demos at The Audio Video Boutique in Las Vegas as part of their "Meet the Maker" Listening Lounge event from 3 - 7 pm PT.
2. Rocky Mountain Audio Fest - Friday, September 6 - Sunday, September 8th at the Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center in Denver, CO

 

[Tumyum]

Two upcoming opportunities to demo the SP2000 in the US before the release date on 9/16:

1. Tomorrow, Saturday, August 24th, the SP2000 will be available for demos at The Audio Video Boutique in Las Vegas as part of their "Meet the Maker" Listening Lounge event from 3 - 7 pm PT.
2. Rocky Mountain Audio Fest - Friday, September 6 - Sunday, September 8th at the Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center in Denver, CO

Awesome Jason. I didn't know about this store until you mentioned and I lived in Vegas like forever. I'll definitely be there to test out the sp2k ss vs cu tomorrow, and decide which one I should order and give my 2 cent here. The owner thanked you for the announcement.

Anyone has suggestion I should ask the a&k engineer regarding to the build, etc.?

Also this store got senn he1 and other electrostatic gears for me to play. Another bonus. I kept missing playing around with these gears at the last 2 socal canjam. This is like a mini canjam in Vegas.

 

[szore]

Awesome Jason. I didn't know about this store until you mentioned and I lived in Vegas like forever. I'll definitely be there to test out the sp2k ss vs cu tomorrow, and decide which one I should order and give my 2 cent here. The owner thanked you for the announcement.

Anyone has suggestion I should ask the a&k engineer regarding to the build, etc.?

Also this store got senn he1 and other electrostatic gears for me to play. Another bonus. I kept missing playing around with these gears at the last 2 socal canjam. This is like a mini canjam in Vegas.

Really looking forward to your impressions!

 

[mightyKyn]

no impressions.

this thing must be overrated as hell

 

[Jalo]

no impressions.

this thing must be overrated as hell

Well, my friend Tumyum (posted above) did go to the event and listened. We actually did audition at SoCal Can Jam also but only with the SS. After the Saturday event he told me on the phone that he thought the difference between SS and CU was very small, something on the order like 100% to 99% for SS in terms of treble sparkle, airiness and such. His impressions is similar to the last time in LA both very good. He thought the previous reports on this thread about the differences were somewhat exaggerated and that the two versions were very close in sound and he will be happy with either one. He did noticed that the SS model seemed to have much more scratches than the CU model.

In fact while he was at the event, he called me and passed the phone to the AK rep Owen and I talked with him for a couple of minutes. I asked if the SP2000 can act as a dac and if it has a digital out and he said yes to both. I was slightly concerned the fact that the SP2000 does not have the build in capability to add an additional amp in th future and he said that the SP2000 is built strictly as a portable device and as such any future expansion of amp is not in the design. My last question to him was whether AK has any development of any SP2000 variation in the work and he said that not for couple of years. So we’ll see.