[Colhd]

I am considering one of the above DAPs. They all cost about the same in the UK so no real difference there. Is it a case of choose the feature set that fits me best or does one sound better than the other?
My only history with DAPs is Apple and I am trying to avoid amps and DACs if I can. Headphones are currently Beyerdynamic t51p but intend getting a CIEM (something like Harmony 8 Pro).
Thanks,
Col

 

[maeschba]

I tested these three because of their similar price and bought the Calyx M for it's sound. The P1 has more features like EQ and AB-repeat and the AK100II has WiFi. The headphone I used for testing/listening is a Grado SR-225i.

 

[Colhd]

Good to know.  How do you find the GUI on the Calyx M?  Is it fairly smooth as the software has been updated?

 

[maeschba]

The UI is smooth enough for me. I can live with the fact that in Library view, the cover thumbnails are not all cached in memory and that some albums show the default Calyx logo while scrolling and loading. The Jukebox view is certainly nice to make your own playlists but I don't use that feature.

There seams to be another UI issue in the firmware 0.96. When the device awakes after the display has been turned off for a longer time, there is a noisy pixelated vertical line visible on the displays left side. It's gone after a shutdown and restart.

For me, the M is the perfect player to have all my music, redbook and hi-res on a device that I can carry with me and that sounds spectacular... but as it is Calyx's first such device, it's still a bit in a beta stage. Cowons and AK's players are probably more mature by now, but the P1 and the AK100II did not sound that much better than the X3 and the NWZ-F886 I already had.

 

[mr-duke]

The UI is smooth enough for me. I can live with the fact that in Library view, the cover thumbnails are not all cached in memory and that some albums show the default Calyx logo while scrolling and loading. The Jukebox view is certainly nice to make your own playlists but I don't use that feature.

There seams to be another UI issue in the firmware 0.96. When the device awakes after the display has been turned off for a longer time, there is a noisy pixelated vertical line visible on the displays left side. It's gone after a shutdown and restart.

For me, the M is the perfect player to have all my music, redbook and hi-res on a device that I can carry with me and that sounds spectacular... but as it is Calyx's first such device, it's still a bit in a beta stage. Cowons and AK's players are probably more mature by now, but the P1 and the AK100II did not sound that much better than the X3 and the NWZ-F886 I already had.

Hi.
 
 
When you said you tested these P1 and AK100II and they don't sound much better than NWZ-F886, then it is maybee wise to buy a Sony NWZ- A15 or A17 for a much cheaper price or the ZX1. 
 
Can you make a little more in deep comparison betwen these Calyx vs P1 vs Ak100 in sound department.
AK100II is quite expensive, and yet they dont sound much better than NWZ-F886 and X3.. Interesting.

 

[maeschba]

  When you said you tested these P1 and AK100II and they don't sound much better than NWZ-F886, then it is maybee wise to buy a Sony NWZ- A15 or A17 for a much cheaper price or the ZX1. 
 
Can you make a little more in deep comparison betwen these Calyx vs P1 vs Ak100 in sound department.
AK100II is quite expensive, and yet they dont sound much better than NWZ-F886 and X3.. Interesting.

I tried to volume match the P1, the AK100II and the Calyx M while listening, to compare them on similar volume. Then I changed the volume on each player in both directions. The Calyx M had to my ears the fullest sound at all volumes. It doesn't only get louder when you turn the volume up, it gets bigger. This was not the case for me with the other two player (or the X3 and the Sony).
I would buy the P1 for its features and the AK100II for its looks, but I bought the M for its sound. Sorry, I'm lacking audiophile vocabulary and can't get more in-depth. It's not that I think the P1 or the AK100II don't sound better than cheaper players but for me, they didn't sound THAT better.

 

[maeschba]

... perhaps I was unfair to not use the P1's JetEffect. You could probably make this player sound the way you want for each and every track but I don't want to fiddle with EQ.

 

[mr-duke]

  I tried to volume match the P1, the AK100II and the Calyx M while listening, to compare them on similar volume. Then I changed the volume on each player in both directions. The Calyx M had to my ears the fullest sound at all volumes. It doesn't only get louder when you turn the volume up, it gets bigger. This was not the case for me with the other two player (or the X3 and the Sony).
I would buy the P1 for its features and the AK100II for its looks, but I bought the M for its sound. Sorry, I'm lacking audiophile vocabulary and can't get more in-depth. It's not that I think the P1 or the AK100II don't sound better than cheaper players but for me, they didn't sound THAT better.

 
 
Hi again,, Thanks for the reply
 
As you have tested all 3 daps volume, did you find them powerfull enought do drive full zise headphone like Philips Fidelio X2 for example? We are not talking about hifiman He-6 this hard to drive headphones. I looking for dap that are futureproof and make sure it can drive my next cans too.
 
I am buying Oppo Pm-2 do you think it have enought power for PM-2 and still get headroom, i dont want to buy a dap that running out of power when pairing with full size headphone, i know PM-2 is quite effiency for mobile use, but still, it is hard when you cant try them before buying

 

[maeschba]

 
I am buying Oppo Pm-2 do you think it have enought power for PM-2 and still get headroom, i dont want to buy a dap that running out of power when pairing with full size headphone, i know PM-2 is quite effiency for mobile use, but still, it is hard when you cant try them before buying

As I said, I used a Grado SR225 for testing and I use this headphone for listening at home. The M has three impedance matching settings: 7-16 ohms, 16-24 ohms, and 24- ohms. The P1 has two different settings: earphone and headphone. I didn't notice anything headphone settings on the AK100II.
 
I test for you right now the M with my AKG K271 MkII 55 ohms full size headphone I normally use for recording. The volume is set rather loud in my opinion at around 40-45%. As far as I remember, I pushed the volume while testing with the SR225 to around 60% on the M and to around 70-80% on the other two. The high frequencies of the Miles Davis' trumpet became unpleasent on the P1 (default EQ settings). The biggest problem with demanding full size headphones on the M could be an even shorter battery life. Unfortunately I can't comment on the headphones you mentioned.

 

[Colhd]

Thanks for all the replies.