[seanwee]

With my recent headphone jack issue I may be in the market for a new device. Hard to pass up the $299 on a new N5ii.

For those of you who are able to demo a number of devices. Is the N5ii still the best choice at the $300 level?

In terms of sound quality, the N5ii is the uncontested best at the $300 level. At the $400 level, there is the only the Opus 1S as its sole worthy competitor.

To get something that sounds better, the minimum you have to spend is $500 for the DX150 and even then it's a small step up, but of course the DX150 is very upgradable.

Edit: I forgot to mention that this is only including new Daps. Who knows, you may be able to find a used AK240 for $500 if you look hard enough

 

[gazzington]

I agree the dx150 sounds better but this is cheaper and more portable, plus it sounds really nice

In terms of sound quality, the N5ii is the uncontested best at the $300 level. At the $400 level, there is the only the Opus 1S as its sole worthy competitor.

To get something that sounds better, the minimum you have to spend is $500 for the DX150 and even then it's a small step up, but of course the DX150 is very upgradable.

Edit: I forgot to mention that this is only including new Daps. Who knows, you may be able to find a used AK240 for $500 if you look hard enough

 

[maira]

From $369 to $499? That's $130, about 30% increase from original price.

A dealer in Europe has on for pre-order. Selling at 549 Euro... .

I agree the dx150 sounds better but this is cheaper and more portable, plus it sounds really nice

Cheaper? Not anymore (N5iiS version)

 

[twister6]

Just posted my N5iiS review with a comparison N5ii. Enjoy the read here.

 

[ngs428]

Can I get those new N5iis headphone jacks in my N5ii... Yeah, they needed an upgrade.

 

[ForgotPants]

This has probably been asked before, but is there a last.fm scrobbler that works with the default player on the N5ii?

 

[dsrk]

Just posted my N5iiS review with a comparison N5ii. Enjoy the read here.

Excellent review as ever. For a person who likes little weight in the low end which suits better DX150 or n5iis?

 

[twister6]

Excellent review as ever. For a person who likes little weight in the low end which suits better DX150 or n5iis?

They both have a similar low end response, though if you are comparing N5iiS to DX150 with a stock AMP6, N5iiS bass is a little tighter and faster. If you want more bass, DX150 with AMP8 has a serious bass slam. Just keep in mind you will have to buy AMP8 and it's 4.4mm only module without Line Out.

 

[dsrk]

They both have a similar low end response, though if you are comparing N5iiS to DX150 with a stock AMP6, N5iiS bass is a little tighter and faster. If you want more bass, DX150 with AMP8 has a serious bass slam. Just keep in mind you will have to buy AMP8 and it's 4.4mm only module without Line Out.

Awesome, thanks. I use Sennheiser Momentum on the go and I keep on adjusting the bass because of their brighter signature. DX150 with AMP8 is on top of my list but N5iis form factor and dual SD card slots are hard to resist

 

[twister6]

Awesome, thanks. I use Sennheiser Momentum on the go and I keep on adjusting the bass because of their brighter signature. DX150 with AMP8 is on top of my list but N5iis form factor and dual SD card slots are hard to resist

They both have a similar weight, but you are right, form factor is quiet different. I think I mentioned this in my original N5ii review, inside of its leather case N5ii/N5iiS looks very similar to AK120ii, and in general it's a very compact DAP with lots of internal storage.

Another thing I want to add, something I wasn't aware of since I don't use Tidal or full Spotify, but apparently related to off-line storage, it's a big deal to double from 32GB to 64GB, one of the main intentions behind that change.

 

[Andykong]

Can I get those new N5iis headphone jacks in my N5ii... Yeah, they needed an upgrade.

The new headphone jack comes with different installation mount, we can't install the new jack on the old N5ii board, and we can't fit the new N5iiS board into the N5ii chassis as well.

 

[Andykong]

This has probably been asked before, but is there a last.fm scrobbler that works with the default player on the N5ii?

Someone did mentioned u sing LastFm scrobbler but I am not familiar with this feature, check out the post to see if this tell you something about your operation requirement:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cay...al-audio-player.862763/page-134#post-14144755

 

[Andykong]

Just posted my N5iiS review with a comparison N5ii. Enjoy the read here.

Spoiler

Excellent review as usual. We must thank Alex for completing this review within such a short notice, its always interesting to read a review when the product is still read hot and highly expected by customers.

As confirmed by Alex, the N5iiS shared the same audio signature with N5ii with minor improvement only, so there is not an upgrade to current N5ii users unless you have a special preference on a better screen or offline streaming requirements. All previous N5ii review will remain applicable especially on the audio performance and earphone matching sections.

 

[ngs428]

The new headphone jack comes with different installation mount, we can't install the new jack on the old N5ii board, and we can't fit the new N5iiS board into the N5ii chassis as well.

Thanks for the reply Andy. It wasn’t a serious request. Just saw that the new model has an upgraded jack and mine just broke.

 

[Andykong]

A dealer in Europe has on for pre-order. Selling at 549 Euro... .


Cheaper? Not anymore (N5iiS version)

Right now there are two dealers in Europe carry N5iiS right now:

AdvancedMP3, UK
Son-video, France

I'll provide more information when we ship out N5iiS to new locations in Europe.