[twister6]

Do you know how they work differently? I only became aware of the PW one yesterday when someone posted it on another thread.

Since Michael said he has an adapter arriving now, I'm sure he is referring to their "Thor hammer" short right angled 4.4mm to 2.5mm adapter, not a similar 2.5/3.5mm ddhifi is working on now as well. Thus, the difference will be connecting L+/R+/L-/R- from 4.4mm to 2.5mm without a ground. What this new EA and PWA adapters have is a more advanced design with additional separate 3.5mm connector just for the ground. So, audio signal diff pairs are connected to 2.5mm plug and ground goes to 3.5mm plug, plus there is internal shielding/isolation.

I actually have EA new adapter arriving today, depending on when DHL going to drop it off, so looking forward to test it.

Now, regarding the price and the discussion generated in EA announcement thread linked from the front page, yes, there are many different adapters. As someone mentioned in that thread, you can buy $9 pigtail 4.4mm to 2.5mm adapter which going to "adapt" 4.4mm terminated cable to 2.5mm headphone jack. But that is the same as saying, you can buy $15k car and $115k car, the same functionality of a metal "box" on 4 wheel which can take you from point A to point B Yes, you can use either one to arrive to your destination but ride comfort and performance will be different And people who buy $15k car will think those who pay extra $100k are nuts and wasting their money. I'm not trying to justify the price or know the exact cost of material to justify the difference (especially since I already have been asked about EA vs PWA adapters), but when you are buying $9 adapter, by common sense it will probably cost half of that to make using 50 cent jack/plugs and cheap pieces of wire and lead solder. Versus something more high end using Pentaconn brand jacks and PSquare custom 2.5mm and 3.5mm plugs, along with custom housing, etc.

Regardless of what you believe in, we have a lot of options to choose from when it comes to audio gear and accessories, varying in performance and price. If you have 4.4mm cables and want to use it with your 2.5mm source, you can buy something cheap ($9 adapter) to get you to your destination. And if you spent $1k-$2k on your cable and $3.5k on your DAP, you have an option to buy premium component/design adapter priced up to $200 which could squeeze out maybe another 1% of performance by cutting EMI interference or quieting some background noise. It's all about options and what you can afford.

 

[mvvRAZ]

Since Michael said he has an adapter arriving now, I'm sure he is referring to their "Thor hammer" short right angled 4.4mm to 2.5mm adapter, not a similar 2.5/3.5mm ddhifi is working on now as well. Thus, the difference will be connecting L+/R+/L-/R- from 4.4mm to 2.5mm without a ground. What this new EA and PWA adapters have is a more advanced design with additional separate 3.5mm connector just for the ground. So, audio signal diff pairs are connected to 2.5mm plug and ground goes to 3.5mm plug, plus there is internal shielding/isolation.

I actually have EA new adapter arriving today, depending on when DHL going to drop it off, so looking forward to test it.

Now, regarding the price and the discussion generated in EA announcement thread linked from the front page, yes, there are many different adapters. As someone mentioned in that thread, you can buy $9 pigtail 4.4mm to 2.5mm adapter which going to "adapt" 4.4mm terminated cable to 2.5mm headphone jack. But that is the same as saying, you can buy $15k car and $115k car, the same functionality of a metal "box" on 4 wheel which can take you from point A to point B Yes, you can use either one to arrive to your destination but ride comfort and performance will be different And people who buy $15k car will think those who pay extra $100k are nuts and wasting their money. I'm not trying to justify the price or know the exact cost of material to justify the difference (especially since I already have been asked about EA vs PWA adapters), but when you are buying $9 adapter, by common sense it will probably cost half of that to make using 50 cent jack/plugs and cheap pieces of wire and lead solder. Versus something more high end using Pentaconn brand jacks and PSquare custom 2.5mm and 3.5mm plugs, along with custom housing, etc.

Regardless of what you believe in, we have a lot of options to choose from when it comes to audio gear and accessories, varying in performance and price. If you have 4.4mm cables and want to use it with your 2.5mm source, you can buy something cheap ($9 adapter) to get you to your destination. And if you spent $1k-$2k on your cable and $3.5k on your DAP, you have an option to buy premium component/design adapter priced up to $200 which could squeeze out maybe another 1% of performance by cutting EMI interference or quieting some background noise. It's all about options and what you can afford.

Yes that

Or

And hear me out here

It looks fancy A F - no joke I bought my AK SR25 just to buy that adapter

 

[twister6]

Yes that

Or

And hear me out here

It looks fancy A F - no joke I bought my AK SR25 just to buy that adapter

SR25 is actually a very good DAP when you use 2.5mm output; I covered it in my review and it is night'n'day compared to SR15 for the same price.

 

[mvvRAZ]

SR25 is actually a very good DAP when you use 2.5mm output; I covered it in my review and it is night'n'day compared to SR15 for the same price.

The adapter I was sent was the wrong one unfortunately, so I’ve only been using it with a pigtail and the 3.5 (except when I tried the Odin). I’m looking forward to receiving the AKA adapter in order to properly listen to it.

The UI has improved loads however compared to the AK SR15, the battery is amazing and I love how small and portable and light it is

 

[Deferenz]

Since Michael said he has an adapter arriving now, I'm sure he is referring to their "Thor hammer" short right angled 4.4mm to 2.5mm adapter, not a similar 2.5/3.5mm ddhifi is working on now as well. Thus, the difference will be connecting L+/R+/L-/R- from 4.4mm to 2.5mm without a ground. What this new EA and PWA adapters have is a more advanced design with additional separate 3.5mm connector just for the ground. So, audio signal diff pairs are connected to 2.5mm plug and ground goes to 3.5mm plug, plus there is internal shielding/isolation.

I actually have EA new adapter arriving today, depending on when DHL going to drop it off, so looking forward to test it.

Now, regarding the price and the discussion generated in EA announcement thread linked from the front page, yes, there are many different adapters. As someone mentioned in that thread, you can buy $9 pigtail 4.4mm to 2.5mm adapter which going to "adapt" 4.4mm terminated cable to 2.5mm headphone jack. But that is the same as saying, you can buy $15k car and $115k car, the same functionality of a metal "box" on 4 wheel which can take you from point A to point B Yes, you can use either one to arrive to your destination but ride comfort and performance will be different And people who buy $15k car will think those who pay extra $100k are nuts and wasting their money. I'm not trying to justify the price or know the exact cost of material to justify the difference (especially since I already have been asked about EA vs PWA adapters), but when you are buying $9 adapter, by common sense it will probably cost half of that to make using 50 cent jack/plugs and cheap pieces of wire and lead solder. Versus something more high end using Pentaconn brand jacks and PSquare custom 2.5mm and 3.5mm plugs, along with custom housing, etc.

Regardless of what you believe in, we have a lot of options to choose from when it comes to audio gear and accessories, varying in performance and price. If you have 4.4mm cables and want to use it with your 2.5mm source, you can buy something cheap ($9 adapter) to get you to your destination. And if you spent $1k-$2k on your cable and $3.5k on your DAP, you have an option to buy premium component/design adapter priced up to $200 which could squeeze out maybe another 1% of performance by cutting EMI interference or quieting some background noise. It's all about options and what you can afford.

That is a 5 Star explanation

 

[Nick Chia]

Since Michael said he has an adapter arriving now, I'm sure he is referring to their "Thor hammer" short right angled 4.4mm to 2.5mm adapter, not a similar 2.5/3.5mm ddhifi is working on now as well. Thus, the difference will be connecting L+/R+/L-/R- from 4.4mm to 2.5mm without a ground. What this new EA and PWA adapters have is a more advanced design with additional separate 3.5mm connector just for the ground. So, audio signal diff pairs are connected to 2.5mm plug and ground goes to 3.5mm plug, plus there is internal shielding/isolation.

I actually have EA new adapter arriving today, depending on when DHL going to drop it off, so looking forward to test it.

Now, regarding the price and the discussion generated in EA announcement thread linked from the front page, yes, there are many different adapters. As someone mentioned in that thread, you can buy $9 pigtail 4.4mm to 2.5mm adapter which going to "adapt" 4.4mm terminated cable to 2.5mm headphone jack. But that is the same as saying, you can buy $15k car and $115k car, the same functionality of a metal "box" on 4 wheel which can take you from point A to point B Yes, you can use either one to arrive to your destination but ride comfort and performance will be different And people who buy $15k car will think those who pay extra $100k are nuts and wasting their money. I'm not trying to justify the price or know the exact cost of material to justify the difference (especially since I already have been asked about EA vs PWA adapters), but when you are buying $9 adapter, by common sense it will probably cost half of that to make using 50 cent jack/plugs and cheap pieces of wire and lead solder. Versus something more high end using Pentaconn brand jacks and PSquare custom 2.5mm and 3.5mm plugs, along with custom housing, etc.

Regardless of what you believe in, we have a lot of options to choose from when it comes to audio gear and accessories, varying in performance and price. If you have 4.4mm cables and want to use it with your 2.5mm source, you can buy something cheap ($9 adapter) to get you to your destination. And if you spent $1k-$2k on your cable and $3.5k on your DAP, you have an option to buy premium component/design adapter priced up to $200 which could squeeze out maybe another 1% of performance by cutting EMI interference or quieting some background noise. It's all about options and what you can afford.

Couldn't agree more as an EA staff

But a brand new entry-level car in Singapore costs between SGD 80-100k though (off-topic)

 

[twister6]

Here is some audio gear p@rn for you:

 

[Binsterrrrr]

Since Michael said he has an adapter arriving now, I'm sure he is referring to their "Thor hammer" short right angled 4.4mm to 2.5mm adapter, not a similar 2.5/3.5mm ddhifi is working on now as well. Thus, the difference will be connecting L+/R+/L-/R- from 4.4mm to 2.5mm without a ground. What this new EA and PWA adapters have is a more advanced design with additional separate 3.5mm connector just for the ground. So, audio signal diff pairs are connected to 2.5mm plug and ground goes to 3.5mm plug, plus there is internal shielding/isolation.

I actually have EA new adapter arriving today, depending on when DHL going to drop it off, so looking forward to test it.

Now, regarding the price and the discussion generated in EA announcement thread linked from the front page, yes, there are many different adapters. As someone mentioned in that thread, you can buy $9 pigtail 4.4mm to 2.5mm adapter which going to "adapt" 4.4mm terminated cable to 2.5mm headphone jack. But that is the same as saying, you can buy $15k car and $115k car, the same functionality of a metal "box" on 4 wheel which can take you from point A to point B Yes, you can use either one to arrive to your destination but ride comfort and performance will be different And people who buy $15k car will think those who pay extra $100k are nuts and wasting their money. I'm not trying to justify the price or know the exact cost of material to justify the difference (especially since I already have been asked about EA vs PWA adapters), but when you are buying $9 adapter, by common sense it will probably cost half of that to make using 50 cent jack/plugs and cheap pieces of wire and lead solder. Versus something more high end using Pentaconn brand jacks and PSquare custom 2.5mm and 3.5mm plugs, along with custom housing, etc.

Regardless of what you believe in, we have a lot of options to choose from when it comes to audio gear and accessories, varying in performance and price. If you have 4.4mm cables and want to use it with your 2.5mm source, you can buy something cheap ($9 adapter) to get you to your destination. And if you spent $1k-$2k on your cable and $3.5k on your DAP, you have an option to buy premium component/design adapter priced up to $200 which could squeeze out maybe another 1% of performance by cutting EMI interference or quieting some background noise. It's all about options and what you can afford.

Finally an expert who explained it so nicely HAHA. I have been trying to do that in my past few posts but doesn't come across as clearly as this. Having OPTIONS is key here. Its always nice to know that there is an option to get something like this should I need it one day

 

[twister6]

Finally an expert who explained it so nicely HAHA. I have been trying to do that in my past few posts but doesn't come across as clearly as this. Having OPTIONS is key here. Its always nice to know that there is an option to get something like this should I need it one day

And speaking of options, this is going to be a short impression.



Both follow the same design principle, signal (L+/R+/L-/R-) goes through 2.5mm TRRS plug and GND goes through 3.5mm TRS plug, thus all 5 contacts of Pentaconn TRRRS female jack are connected. The size is similar as well. Peter's PWA "box" has a more straight forward exterior design, while SY's AKA design has "artistic" lines, aligned more with angled facets of A&K DAPs. Another difference, AKA uses PSquared plugs (Palladium and Platinum plated, custom plugs by Oyaide). I assume both use genuine Pentaconn socket, at least EA has it mentioned in their product description.

I have done blind tests with non-PSquared vs PSquared plugs of the same cables in the past. You can believe in whatever you want to, but I was always consistently able to tell them apart due to wider soundstage of PSquared. Maybe it is due to conductivity or resistance difference of the material that affects sound perception, but I can only share with you what I'm hearing without going into voodoo science explanation

The bottom line, between these two in multiple blind tests using the same DAP (SR25 and SP2000 SS), the same pair of IEMs, playing the same song with every other setting being the same where the only variable is the adapter, I can consistently hear a wider soundstage and blacker background using AKA adapter. Both do a great job adapting 4.4mm terminated cable to use with A&K DAPs, and you do have to consider price difference with PWA being cheaper, but in terms of sound performance, I hear AKA having the improvement. That's how I hear it.

 

[Nick Chia]

Based on the amount of orders for the AKA adapters so far, I must say that I am quite surprised by the number of AK DAP users out there (there are a lot!)

 

[mvvRAZ]

Based on the amount of orders for the AKA adapters so far, I must say that I am quite surprised by the number of AK DAP users out there (there are a lot!)

2.5 is the yoga pants of the audio world - you really wouldn't want to see a grown man wearing it

 

[Nick Chia]

2.5 is the yoga pants of the audio world - you really wouldn't want to see a grown man wearing it

Hey, brands like Lululemon are doing well though

 

[mvvRAZ]

Hey, brands like Lululemon are doing well though

They sure are hahah - maybe you guys could make an adapter to convert yoga pants to regular trousers too! I'd be down for that

 

[Nick Chia]

They sure are hahah - maybe you guys could make an adapter to convert yoga pants to regular trousers too! I'd be down for that

Am not so sure about this.

I don't think my boss (Suyang) has any ambitious plans to enter into the apparel industry at this moment.

Guess we'll just stick to cables, IEMs and adapters for the time being

 

[GiullianSN]

Based on the amount of orders for the AKA adapters so far, I must say that I am quite surprised by the number of AK DAP users out there (there are a lot!)

Imagine how many haven't ordered (yet).