[Tsukuyomi]

That is not mean at all Completely legitimate question - the Utopia is extremely easy to drive......so, I just hooked up my Senn HD650's, and I'm happy to report that - IMO - they drive these headphones perfectly fine. Now - I'm at 132/150 with a high res file - Sasha's 'Refracted Live', and the Norma is giving the HD650's a workout - especially with the low bass. Again....I'd be completely satisfied with this sound - others may contradict this vehemently - just relaying my experience.

The player is warm.....not any more than the FiiO at times. It certainly doesn't bother me or freak me out.

What bit rate is the song Sashas refracted live? i noticed on my FiiO if i play any 24bit files for around 30ish minutes it starts to warm up a tiny bit. on my FiiO X5 Gen 3 my volume is usually 45 - 50 on 16bit files. and on 24 bit files depending on the genre it can be 55 - 65 or 70 even. (you know what im talking about as a fellow fiio x5 III owner )

132 is quite high for an A&K DAP isnt it? :S

 

[JasonNYC]

Thank you very much for this reply - that is exactly what I was hoping for - if I get a card before someone else does, I'll let you all know the result.

Formatting cards - do you recommend doing that in the device? I use Mac exclusively for managing my music, so my hope is that I'll be able to write to the card with no difficulty connected via USB.

Formatting the card in the player itself is easiest. I would recommend after formatting to take the card out of the player and use an external card reader to load the card, it would be a lot quicker than loading the card while it is in the player and the player connected to the Mac via USB.

Once you transfer files to the card and put into the device, the player will scan and index it. I recommend after adding a large amount of files via internal or external memory to do a manual media scan. The player will do an auto scan and will do multiple over a period of time after detecting new files, but forcing a manual scan will build the database quicker and save time in the long run. To do a manual scan, settings, system reset, initialize manual scan. I personally feel the manual scan is worth it, but not necessary. It will take about 10 - 15 minutes max (usually a lot less), depending on how many files are in internal and external memory.

 

[Afghan Vet]

The Sasha track that is playing right now is 24bit, 44.1khz, AIFF 155MB file. I've been playing this album for about 30 minutes with the HD650's, and it is only warmish......and I turned down the volume to a very comfortable listening level - 117 / 150 - so to me, no worries about headroom.

 

[Afghan Vet]

Formatting the card in the player itself is easiest. I would recommend after formatting to take the card out of the player and use an external card reader to load the card, it would be a lot quicker than loading the card while it is in the player and the player connected to the Mac via USB.

Once you transfer files to the card and put into the device, the player will scan and index it. I recommend after adding a large amount of files via internal or external memory to do a manual media scan. The player will do an auto scan and will do multiple over a period of time after detecting new files, but forcing a manual scan will build the database quicker and save time in the long run. To do a manual scan, settings, system reset, initialize manual scan. I personally feel the manual scan is worth it, but not necessary. It will take about 10 - 15 minutes max (usually a lot less), depending on how many files are in internal and external memory.

That is hugely helpful! I greatly appreciate this thorough instruction......I am already experiencing a difference between A&K and FiiO (not meant to be too harsh of a critique of FiiO, but answers like this and especially in such a timely manner, were very few and far between).

 

[JasonNYC]

Our newsletter will be going out in about 15 minutes or so about the Black Friday/Cyber Monday specials. Here are the deals specific for 2-days only - Black Friday, 11/23 and Cyber Monday 11/26:

15% off the following players:

SP1000 (Black/Stainless Steel, Copper)
SE100
SR15

The SP1000M is not included in the BFCM promo. Pricing is valid from midnight ET on Black Friday, 11/23 and ends at 11:59 PM ET. Promo will be available again on Cyber Monday, 11/26 from midnight ET to 11:59 pm ET. Deals are available for US/Canada residents at the Astell&Kern US E-Store at https://us.astellnkern.com and participating authorized dealers in the US and Canada.

Newsletter subscribers can save an extra 5% off on those three models using the promo code in the newsletter. Additional 5% off only valid for purchases from the Astell&Kern E-Store.

For more info and for the bundle deals going on now through 12/28, check out our promo page at https://us.astellnkern.com/blogs/news/ak-2018-holiday-promotions​

 

[Afghan Vet]

Well.....Crap! I bought just one day too early......I knew I should have had a little more patience.......I don't even want to calculate how much that would have been........interesting that my retailer didn't tell me to wait one more day........

I have a log in on the A&K page, but I didn't get a newsletter or see where one can sign up for a newsletter.

 

[mmu16]

FWIW the SR15 pairs really well with the Sennheiser IE800's. Mids are lush and highs are crystal clear. Bass slam is immense. Drake's God's plan at 44.1 with volume at lvl 100 made my ears ring!

 

[armstrj2]

I'm exactly in the same position, based on what you've mentioned here. do you have headphones other than the utopias and A6ts? i dont wanna be mean but the Utopias are super easy to drive and very efficient. i've seen people run them on mobile phones and smaller portable amps perfectly. I never use IEMs so i can't comment on A6ts.

i'd be using it mostly with my DT1990 Pro, H6 Gen 2, P7 and in the near future audeze LCD2C(classic).

would there be power issues? :S

also since its new for you, notice any heating ? i hear it has some heating throttle for the first few days.

Hey, I have tried my LCD2C with the SR15 but I don't think they are a good match. It feels like they need a high gain option which the SR15 doesn't have. Even at near full volume they still sound flat to me no matter what the music source. I have a set of Audeze iSine20s which sound spectacluar with the SR15 though so I'm delighted with that.

I have had no issues with heat. The unit was warn after doing a firmware update initally and transferring some files but after that it has been perfect.

 

[deafmonkey]

Can people comment on the battery life? I auditioned one for about 5 hours in store and it dropped from somewhere in the 70s, to 9% in less than 5 hours. I used a combination of offline playback and online streaming through Tidal, 3.5mm output. While I really like this DAP, I cannot accept this battery life. I want a player to at least survive most of the way through 1 direct flight between the the west coast and Beijing (10-11 hours). Maybe I'll keep my Sony A35 around as a backup DAP on long trips since I'll always have a backpack with me.

 

[mrhizzo]

Can people comment on the battery life? I auditioned one for about 5 hours in store and it dropped from somewhere in the 70s, to 9% in less than 5 hours. I used a combination of offline playback and online streaming through Tidal, 3.5mm output. While I really like this DAP, I cannot accept this battery life. I want a player to at least survive most of the way through 1 direct flight between the the west coast and Beijing (10-11 hours). Maybe I'll keep my Sony A35 around as a backup DAP on long trips since I'll always have a backpack with me.

I don't think it's realistic expect more than this if you are using Tidal in high resolution AND online.
For offline use only, I think you could reach 8h, maybe 9h without problem.

 

[deafmonkey]

I don't think it's realistic expect more than this if you are using Tidal in high resolution AND online.
For offline use only, I think you could reach 8h, maybe 9h without problem.

That's true. I think I'll go back and listen to only offline mode tmrw. See what kind of results I can get.

 

[carps]

Anyone try a 512 card in the Norma yet?

I'm using 400gb farmatted on exFAT and so far it can recognize the card

 

[diver110]

Well.....Crap! I bought just one day too early......I knew I should have had a little more patience.......I don't even want to calculate how much that would have been........interesting that my retailer didn't tell me to wait one more day........

I have a log in on the A&K page, but I didn't get a newsletter or see where one can sign up for a newsletter.

If it makes you feel any better, you are not alone. Though buying it through Amazon, as I did, makes a potential return easier—that is worth something...

 

[diver110]

Can people comment on the battery life? I auditioned one for about 5 hours in store and it dropped from somewhere in the 70s, to 9% in less than 5 hours. I used a combination of offline playback and online streaming through Tidal, 3.5mm output. While I really like this DAP, I cannot accept this battery life. I want a player to at least survive most of the way through 1 direct flight between the the west coast and Beijing (10-11 hours). Maybe I'll keep my Sony A35 around as a backup DAP on long trips since I'll always have a backpack with me.

I have not had mine long, but for pure streaming, my experience aligns with yours—around 5 hours. As others have noted, you will do much better if playing off the hard drive.

 

[GiullianSN]

Our newsletter will be going out in about 15 minutes or so about the Black Friday/Cyber Monday specials. Here are the deals specific for 2-days only - Black Friday, 11/23 and Cyber Monday 11/26:

15% off the following players:

SP1000 (Black/Stainless Steel, Copper)
SE100
SR15

The SP1000M is not included in the BFCM promo. Pricing is valid from midnight ET on Black Friday, 11/23 and ends at 11:59 PM ET. Promo will be available again on Cyber Monday, 11/26 from midnight ET to 11:59 pm ET. Deals are available for US/Canada residents at the Astell&Kern US E-Store at https://us.astellnkern.com and participating authorized dealers in the US and Canada.

Newsletter subscribers can save an extra 5% off on those three models using the promo code in the newsletter. Additional 5% off only valid for purchases from the Astell&Kern E-Store.

For more info and for the bundle deals going on now through 12/28, check out our promo page at https://us.astellnkern.com/blogs/news/ak-2018-holiday-promotions​

Hey Guys, will that discount be cascaded to your official re-sellers around the globe? I am almost pushing the trigger on one, but would prefer buy from a local store in Australia (addicted to audio)