goodvibes
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2009
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OK guys, I need to make a decision so help me out here. I have the the AK120 and I am seriously considering a move to the DX90.
I appreciate I will lose out on storage and battery life, but as I understand it there will be a little improvement in SQ which is what it is all about at the end of the day.
Would the general consensus be that this is a good move?
I'm also curious about DSD playback. My AK120 plays DSD but it eats the battery like nobody's business and makes the device incredibly sluggish whilst doing so. What is DSD playback like on the DX90?
Also Sorensiim, I know you have been using the PB2 with the DX90. I have been thinking about getting a portable balanced amp and I was just wondering whether you would recommend this pairing, or is the improvement negligible?
Cheers
The AK120 still navigates and handles 24/192 files a bit better. I need to restart a song every so often on my dx90 though I don't plan on using 24/192 all that often here. I don't ever recall the AK120 getting caught out. The sound difference could easily fall into the preference range. I personally prefer both to the X5. You should probably expect the DX90 to comparably eat battery on DSD playback because it's also converting on the fly, just like the AK120. I'm very happy with my DX90 purchase but was happy with my AK120 when I had it as well. From memory of the AK120 which I haven't now had for over a month, I suspect the DX90 is a bit more neutral and has slightly better contrast. The AK120 had a nice sweetness about it that is probably not as correct overall. I certainly never missed any differences when comparing files or res on the AK120. If you already have the AK120, I'd make sure to hear and use a DX90 before making a switch. I'd be very interested in your thoughts on an A/B.