teknorob23
Member of the Trade: Network Acoustics
The DX200 is a stand out player for hitting above its price tag, especially with the certain amp modules. I have been listening to the Se100 for about a week now since giving 200 hours of burn in and while i no longer have my DX200/amp4 to directly compare, i would say that SQ-wise the signature is different and i like it a lot. It's stage feels slightly wider and more or less as deep, theres spades of well resolved detailed and it lets the original file shine in a nice analogue-way, with only little bit of welcome colour in terms of extra extension at the top, but It doesn't quite have the dynamism, 3D'ness or weight of the Dx200/amp4' presentation.
Against the WM1A (un-mod'd) the SE100 is a clear winner in UI, SQ and charging/playtime ratio (2 hours charge for 10 hours play Vs 6 or 7 hours for 20+ hours play). To my ears the sony sounds wide, but shallow, detailed but slightly overly precise and digital and lacks any weight or punch in the bass. I had the premium plus K Modification made, which was pretty transformative, instantly shedding the digital glare, adding resolved, deep and punchy bass, the mids thicken up drastically as does the lower treble which reduce the sense of airiness only slightly but to the benefit of the sound as whole. It's K-Mod'd signature couldn't sound more different compared to the SE100 mainly due to the thickness/ body of the presentation all the way through the frequency range, which brings me to its downside, (which i must add is purely personal issue and due to an annoying wear-and-tear induced sensitivity i have around the 6-7K mark particularly in my left ear), that means i struggle with forward upper mids/ lower treble resonating with thick mid bass. This sadly made the K-Mod'd Sony a fatiguing listen for me and not one i could live with. For context the EE Phantom, which to date is the best iem i've heard, was the first to highlight this problem which as i say is specific to the condition of my hearing, and had to go back to EE, because i just couldnt listen to it long term.
As you say the SE100 wins hands down in terms of usability and is the first DAP i've owned that doesnt make my heart sink every time i put down my iphone to pick it up. The UI is so snappy and the tidal interface is quicker than any i've experienced and while it cant compete with the SP1000 on SQ, it definitely feels snappier to use. The SQ is way more than adequate and as i've discovered in brief but hectic journey through DAP ownership, my priorities are contradictory to what i thought they were. I initially believed it was all about the SQ, but for me a DAP, is portable solution to replace iphone/DFred and my listening environments are rarely perfect as i'm using it for travel (which i do a lot of), so as long as the sound is really good, then the UI and battery/charging is as high in my priority list. If this wasnt the case then i'd probably go with the DX200/Amp4 for SQ alone, but i found everything else about it exhausting and irritating. I'm lucky to have a Hugo2 for my home listening, which is head and shoulders above every DAP i've heard so its very much horses for courses and the SE100 is for the moment the best DAP that i've used for High-end portable listening..... For the record it sound stunning in combination as transport with Hugo2 DAC and has quickly become my preferred option for home listening.
Sorry that got a bit out of hand length-wise and these are only my opinions based on coming from a life in 2-channel with less than a year listening to decent IEMs and DAPs, so my frames of reference are much smaller than a lot of you more experienced guys, so please take my comments with suitable amount of sodium chloride
