kel77
500+ Head-Fier
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Tapping the album art will display lyrics. That's how the new UI works.
Astell & Kern SR15: A&norma Impressions & Reviews
- Thread starter pitch_black
- Start date
Thanks for replying, but I just saw this hands on video on YouTube:
Starting at 4:20, looks like it’s a bit different on the SR15 compared to large screen models SP1000 and SE100? On SR15, tapping the album art will show a hidden control panel, but I don’t see where I could access the Lyrics.
iridium7777
100+ Head-Fier
two quesitons:
1) how much battery life time can you get?
2) how would you compare the sound to wm1a if picked the same IEM?
1) how much battery life time can you get?
2) how would you compare the sound to wm1a if picked the same IEM?
Theyre really sticking with this angled screen then...
Any sq impressions guys?)
mrhizzo
500+ Head-Fier
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Jesus Christ, my SE100 looks like a television compared to the SR15.
I hate the size of these screens nowadaysl.
pitch_black
100+ Head-Fier
@Will Chiu
I can’t tell you if it’s better than the AK70 mkII because I didn’t own it. But I tried him once and i wasn’t impressed back then. But I’m impressed with the SR15 so far.
I can’t tell you if it’s better than the AK70 mkII because I didn’t own it. But I tried him once and i wasn’t impressed back then. But I’m impressed with the SR15 so far.
pitch_black
100+ Head-Fier
@iridium7777
1) I only twice emptied the SR15 so far I would say somewhere around 5-6 hours so far but with a lot of screen time at the moment.
2) I can’t tell you that 100% (anymore).
On the WM1A I used a different IEM (SE846) which I did sell already - as well the WM1A about a year ago. So it’s difficult to say. The SQ is for me at least very appealing together with the Polaris.
1) I only twice emptied the SR15 so far I would say somewhere around 5-6 hours so far but with a lot of screen time at the moment.
2) I can’t tell you that 100% (anymore).
On the WM1A I used a different IEM (SE846) which I did sell already - as well the WM1A about a year ago. So it’s difficult to say. The SQ is for me at least very appealing together with the Polaris.
schleppsound
New Head-Fier
Brand new - knows little - here to learn - first post
Hi people!
I have an SR15 - first digital audio player ever (I mean since my first Compaq MP3 portable and a squadron of iPods from my first iPod Mini in lime green to my last Classic and all in between) ... I love music and the idea of it sounding better somehow some way just appealed so .... what I have now is the SR15 and I use Beyerdynamic Amirons and a balanced cable. I considered a couple of others ... iBasso ... Hiby R6 ... and honestly almost went with the R6. What appealed to me though was using the AK CD Ripper MK II to rip my discs directly to the unit in FLAC format - so I got one of those too. Sadly the ripper does not work with the SR15 ... at least not yet - but according to the friendly folks at iRiver - the Global Team is working feverishly to fix the issue “this week” ... .... ...... irony at its finest! I did rip CDs to the unit eventually using dBPoweramp from my computer and just because I had spent the money on it - used the AK Ripper as an external drive. Call it rationalization if you like. The resulting files ripped from the computer are 16 bit 44.1khz - which I guess is normal for a CD?
The unit itself is very nice - fit, finish and build are excellent. The glass back with the cubes pattern is reeeeally cool - so cool in fact I dare not scratch and risk breaking it therefore I also purchased the red case from AK and completely hid that beautiful back from view. But I know it’s there. The interface is fine and since it’s my first “dap” I have nothing to compare it with - I don’t expect it to be an iPhone or iPad so I suppose it works just fine - not a huge fan of going back from my present album and scrolling from the beginning but that might be trivial. OK - so while waiting vainly for the ripper compatibility to arrive I got to know Tidal and (like the CDs I later ripped to the unit) found that not all recordings sound the same. Some are brilliant - others just “ok”. I can tell you that my old first generation B&W P5 ‘phones sound horrible when connected to the SR15. More horrible in fact than when connected normally to my iPhone (they sound good) or when connected to my iPhone with a Dragonfly Red in between (they sound better). The Amirons sound good when connected - and I purchased a balanced cable from them which I always use - not necessarily because I think it sounds better than the normal jack but because the cable is shorter - the standard Beyer cable is pretty lengthy. The Amirons sounded good when connected to the Dragonfly too ... and were a lot louder. One thing I’ve found about this player is that I seem to need the volume UP and by that I mean 130 out of a max 150 - maybe you guys can guide me here or maybe the Beyers are the wrong choice but they are only 250 ohms and even iPhone without Dragonfly seems to be louder than the SR15 ...
I may have been expecting more - at the time I ordered the player (I preordered it) I considered an MKII as well but not for long because the SR15 was the same price at that time and it made no sense to buy an outgoing model for the same money just to have it sooner. Reviews were and still are few and far between and it was a risk. My setup may not be ideal - and that would be great because that can be fixed with a better pairing of player and ‘phones because honestly I think I was expecting “more”. I was surprised by the Dragonfly Red as ungainly as that was with a usb camera adapter going from the phone to the Dragonfly to this ridiculously long cable to the Amirons ... newbies huh ... but it really sounded good and better than I expected - with both headphones. The SR15 ... I expected it to sound and be better than that and I’m not sure I can say that. HOWEVER - and I mentioned it earlier - it depends on the recording/music some things do sound fantastic - and others just ... don’t. Recording quality matters!
Overall - I’d like my player to sound better - it might mean ditching the Amirons for something else or making better rips - or ... something. I’d love the ripper compatibility to be a fact as well - - - oh and a word about battery life - I only drained it once and that was because I hadn’t shut it down just turned off the screen and I think it updated itself ... who knows? The supplied screen film protectors are “ok” and a nice add but were tricky at first with the case but a little maneuvering gets it done.
Overall - it seems built well but I’m not sold on how it sounds. Again - could be my setup - could be my files - but I am somewhere between it’s “decent” enough to “this is disappointing”. I’m willing to give it a shot if the mistakes are mine.
Hi people!
I have an SR15 - first digital audio player ever (I mean since my first Compaq MP3 portable and a squadron of iPods from my first iPod Mini in lime green to my last Classic and all in between) ... I love music and the idea of it sounding better somehow some way just appealed so .... what I have now is the SR15 and I use Beyerdynamic Amirons and a balanced cable. I considered a couple of others ... iBasso ... Hiby R6 ... and honestly almost went with the R6. What appealed to me though was using the AK CD Ripper MK II to rip my discs directly to the unit in FLAC format - so I got one of those too. Sadly the ripper does not work with the SR15 ... at least not yet - but according to the friendly folks at iRiver - the Global Team is working feverishly to fix the issue “this week” ... .... ...... irony at its finest! I did rip CDs to the unit eventually using dBPoweramp from my computer and just because I had spent the money on it - used the AK Ripper as an external drive. Call it rationalization if you like. The resulting files ripped from the computer are 16 bit 44.1khz - which I guess is normal for a CD?
The unit itself is very nice - fit, finish and build are excellent. The glass back with the cubes pattern is reeeeally cool - so cool in fact I dare not scratch and risk breaking it therefore I also purchased the red case from AK and completely hid that beautiful back from view. But I know it’s there. The interface is fine and since it’s my first “dap” I have nothing to compare it with - I don’t expect it to be an iPhone or iPad so I suppose it works just fine - not a huge fan of going back from my present album and scrolling from the beginning but that might be trivial. OK - so while waiting vainly for the ripper compatibility to arrive I got to know Tidal and (like the CDs I later ripped to the unit) found that not all recordings sound the same. Some are brilliant - others just “ok”. I can tell you that my old first generation B&W P5 ‘phones sound horrible when connected to the SR15. More horrible in fact than when connected normally to my iPhone (they sound good) or when connected to my iPhone with a Dragonfly Red in between (they sound better). The Amirons sound good when connected - and I purchased a balanced cable from them which I always use - not necessarily because I think it sounds better than the normal jack but because the cable is shorter - the standard Beyer cable is pretty lengthy. The Amirons sounded good when connected to the Dragonfly too ... and were a lot louder. One thing I’ve found about this player is that I seem to need the volume UP and by that I mean 130 out of a max 150 - maybe you guys can guide me here or maybe the Beyers are the wrong choice but they are only 250 ohms and even iPhone without Dragonfly seems to be louder than the SR15 ...
I may have been expecting more - at the time I ordered the player (I preordered it) I considered an MKII as well but not for long because the SR15 was the same price at that time and it made no sense to buy an outgoing model for the same money just to have it sooner. Reviews were and still are few and far between and it was a risk. My setup may not be ideal - and that would be great because that can be fixed with a better pairing of player and ‘phones because honestly I think I was expecting “more”. I was surprised by the Dragonfly Red as ungainly as that was with a usb camera adapter going from the phone to the Dragonfly to this ridiculously long cable to the Amirons ... newbies huh ... but it really sounded good and better than I expected - with both headphones. The SR15 ... I expected it to sound and be better than that and I’m not sure I can say that. HOWEVER - and I mentioned it earlier - it depends on the recording/music some things do sound fantastic - and others just ... don’t. Recording quality matters!
Overall - I’d like my player to sound better - it might mean ditching the Amirons for something else or making better rips - or ... something. I’d love the ripper compatibility to be a fact as well - - - oh and a word about battery life - I only drained it once and that was because I hadn’t shut it down just turned off the screen and I think it updated itself ... who knows? The supplied screen film protectors are “ok” and a nice add but were tricky at first with the case but a little maneuvering gets it done.
Overall - it seems built well but I’m not sold on how it sounds. Again - could be my setup - could be my files - but I am somewhere between it’s “decent” enough to “this is disappointing”. I’m willing to give it a shot if the mistakes are mine.
pitch_black
100+ Head-Fier
Innerfidelity SE100 & SR15 preview:
https://www.innerfidelity.com/content/astell-kern-sr15-and-se100-preview
https://www.innerfidelity.com/content/astell-kern-sr15-and-se100-preview
schleppsound
New Head-Fier
Thank you pitch_black - so from the review it sounds like I may need to use Android File Transfer for downloaded files of a better quality than the rips I get from CDs .... or .... lower impedance headphones or a combination thereof. *sigh* those Audeze headphones mean business price-wise even as refurbs. Well - it's a learning curve ..........
Drewminus
New Head-Fier
so far I’m enjoying my SR15, I’ve only used it with my campfire audio Jupiter’s and Cascade, both of which I thought sounded excellent, I’ll put up some more in depth thoughts at a later date and maybe see how it handles some Senns or Focals, but I tend to leave big cans for desktop amps.
Are you able to compare SQ to other DAPs?
Drewminus
New Head-Fier
I was planning on doing a comparison to the classic opus #1, I’ve also got a plenue D hanging around.
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