Beyerdynamic A200P High-End Portable DAC

[can'dnut]

Just ordered the one you linked to and another similar one on Amazon (was tempted to pull the trigger on the T70p's as the price just dropped to $444, but decided that was a bit too impulsive). Will let you know if I have any luck with these mini-USB adapters.

 

[can'dnut]

Hi All,
Tried a couple 30-pin to micro USB adapters in an attempt to get an older Apple device to mate with the A200p. They both came from Amazon -- a neXplug and a Lenmark (that said Made For iPod/iPhone/iPad on the box.) Tried them both with an early gen iTouch, 2 Classic 160s of different vintage, a 6th gen Nano, an iPhone 4S and a 3rd gen iPad. No dice. I also tried the 7th gen Nano with the lightening connector again, and guess what? It still doesn't work. :mad:

Oh well. . . . .looks like I'll just have to be patient for Beyer to get the 30-pin situation worked out.

Has anybody heard the A200p with the T70p or the NAD? Just wondering.


Cheers,
Mark

 

[thomascrown]

Hello! I've just ordered mine, looking forward to receiving it, I'll use it with my shure 840 and it will replace my computer crappy output.

 

[SallyMae]

I'm not surprised by your finding; Astell and Kern have attracted some fairly lukewarm press.
The iPhone 5 is highly underrated, especially by so-called 'audiophiles'. Look at what Jim Rockwell has to say about it...

 

[Q Mass]

Has anyone tried the beyerdynamic A 200 p with an Android device?

 

[thomascrown]

  Has anyone tried the beyerdynamic A 200 p with an Android device?

Just received mine, still charging, I will try it with my nexus 5 and my note 2 as well. At the moment is connected to my computer (linux) and works pretty well, for sure an improvement in terms of sq compared to the installed audio chip. More clarity and improved soundstage.

 

[thomascrown]

 
Just received mine, still charging, I will try it with my nexus 5 and my note 2 as well. At the moment is connected to my computer (linux) and works pretty well, for sure an improvement in terms of sq compared to the installed audio chip. More clarity and improved soundstage.

I made a quick test on my nexus 5 and it's not working, the audio comes out from the speakers and checking the compatibilty list, the google phone isn't included... maybe using some custom rom... (btw here's the list: http://europe.beyerdynamic.com/shop/a-200-p-eu.html). I've just noticed that I can hear some random crackling noise while playing from the pc, but I'm not sure if it's the dac or the pc.

 

[DanBa]

The stock Google ]Nexus 5 doesn't have a native USB audio feature.
You should test using the USB Audio Player PRO app which includes its own USB audio soft-driver.
There is a free trial version.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/595071/android-phones-and-usb-dacs/4245#post_10319960
http://www.head-fi.org/t/595071/android-phones-and-usb-dacs/4410
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B3XYy1FuzDUea3U3aTJ1RkpQdW8/edit?pli=1

 

[thomascrown]

Thank you for the links I'll take a look at them! I've tried the a200p with the note 2 and it works perfectly (same with my Mac book, even the buttons can remote the laptop) in terms of sound improvement,using a pair of cheap in ears, it's not that far from the phone output. It's an improvement for sure, sound is much less distorted at higher volumes and there are really a lot of steps to increase or decrease the volume, overall I'm satisfied but I'd have preferred a longer connection cable.

 

[MacedonianHero]

Well, I just picked one up locally (brand new) and on sale for $249.99. Using it with my iPhone and so far I'm very impressed with the sound from this little unit. Tonight I'll pair it with my NAD HP50, B&O H6, Monster DNA On Ears and Monster DNA Pro Over Ears and report back. 
 
The one very impressive thing is the size of it. Now this is portable!

 

[MacedonianHero]

Well, a bit busy tonight, but I was able to try it out with my B&O H6s. These are the least efficient of the portable closed headphones I've had, but with the A200P, they sound fantastic with plenty of headroom. The sound goes from a 2-D image on my iPhone to a full 3 dimensional presentation and better dynamics all around. More to come...

 

[mr.khali]

I have been waiting for a "real" portable amp.  The thought of carrying around something the size of my phone was not appealing at all. Keep the impressions coming!  Where did you pick up yours MH?

 

[twister6]

I'm surprised nobody made a comment about the volume wheel.  I just got A200P last night and only tested it for 5min.  Not ready for early impressions, but found the volume wheel to be not easy to turn with a thumb.  I guess the unit is brand new, looks like a few drops of oil came out from underneath and made it more slippery.  I remember HiFiGuy mentioned in his unboxing about using stick on tabs or something like that (I didn't look into included accessories yet) to make it easier to spin the volume?  What is your experience or tricks for that?

 

[thomascrown]

  I'm surprised nobody made a comment about the volume wheel.  I just got A200P last night and only tested it for 5min.  Not ready for early impressions, but found the volume wheel to be not easy to turn with a thumb.  I guess the unit is brand new, looks like a few drops of oil came out from underneath and made it more slippery.  I remember HiFiGuy mentioned in his unboxing about using stick on tabs or something like that (I didn't look into included accessories yet) to make it easier to spin the volume?  What is your experience or tricks for that?

Hi, I agree, the volume wheel isn't the most brilliant design ever, but once you apply the sticker you can find in the box, you can easily forget about this flaw.  

 

[zeddun]

Of all my headphones I've tried with the A200p (Beyerdynamic T5p, Beyerdynamic T51p and Westone ES2) in my opinion my T51p seem to mate the best with the A200p. I find the bass tightens up a little and the sound becomes more balanced vs listening directly from my iPad. In both scenarios I am using Home Sharing to listen to ALAC files stored on my Mac Mini. I did not try my LCD-2s with the A200p as I figured the A200p wouldn't be able to drive them adequately. I also note that movies have more depth and sound more dynamic with the A200p too compared to listening to them directly from my iPad. Overall I do like this little amp despite the quibbles I have with it (no iPod classic compatibility out of the box and its use of proprietary cables).