[tazzbass]

Can anyone suggest me a DAP under 700 USD with a Warm SQ and ability to install streaming apps like Deezer/Spotify? Well, l buy a DAP as soon as the covid19 situation ends.

Ill pair it up with my upcoming IMR PB ONE.
*This will be my 1st DAP. I dont wannabget disappointed with the Sound. Other compromises are withstandable*

 

[deafdoorknob]

When used as a usb dac, is there a setting to for the DAP not to draw power from the source ala Sony DAPs (enabling them to be used with iphones for example, as Apple Music is not supported)

 

[szore]

Sounds interesting. I had the SR15 for a while but to be completely honesty (just being honest, not trolling!) I found the sound to really be a surprise - in the wrong way. It sounded very thin, like the whole frequency spectrum was shifted upward and the bass and body on the lower mids just wasn't there. Every now and then it would play a good convincing bass note and I'd think "oh so you can make bass, why don't you do that all the time!". I saw the phrase Schrodinger's bass used in a review (for another product) and in my experience that phrase fitted perfectly with the SR15 - the bass was simultaneously there and not there.

Judging from that Japanese review maybe things have been improved on that front. The increase to higher res formats etc is all well and good but in general I'm with John Darko that higher than CD quality is a bit of a wash when most music still isn't available in anything higher than 16 bit 44.1 KHz anyway. Certainly almost my entire library is like that, so I'm more interested in how is sounds reproducing normal-quality tracks than hi-res.

The increase in size of a DAP would usually be a negative but I think in this case is probably a good thing - SR15 seemed just a bit too small, like an odd-size which was neither a M0/Plenue D-sized small DAP nor a larger phone-sized player either.

In all, it's great to see a big manufacturer focusing on lengthening playback times - the DAP world has been stuck around 8-12 hours as a typical battery life for years, so 20 hours is a welcome improvement.

So yeah, color me intrigued, but so far the only AK player I've owned was the SR15 and it really dampened my expectations of what the AK house sound might be. If the normal-res sound quality is improved with more bass and fullness on the SR25, with the better battery life, LDAC and slight increase in size I would be interested.

I had the sr15, left it on a bar in Manhattan...

 

[musicinmymind]

Can anyone suggest me a DAP under 700 USD with a Warm SQ and ability to install streaming apps like Deezer/Spotify? Well, l buy a DAP as soon as the covid19 situation ends.

Ill pair it up with my upcoming IMR PB ONE.
*This will be my 1st DAP. I dont wannabget disappointed with the Sound. Other compromises are withstandable*

Sony nw e507

 

[Hanesu]

Can anyone suggest me a DAP under 700 USD with a Warm SQ and ability to install streaming apps like Deezer/Spotify? Well, l buy a DAP as soon as the covid19 situation ends.

Ill pair it up with my upcoming IMR PB ONE.
*This will be my 1st DAP. I dont wannabget disappointed with the Sound. Other compromises are withstandable*

What about Astell & Kern SR25?

 

[DAPpower]

Oh man, and its going to be in silver finish.... DROOOL.

I love my Lotoo PAW 6000 (my favorite player atm) and I told myself I wouldn't buy anymore Astell&Kern products (sold my two SP1000M and Kann CUBE) but man this one looks really cool and the battery life and faster android 10 OS is looking really appealing to me. Now I would like to know about the SQ improvement over the SR15.

 

[tazzbass]

Sony nw e507

Are you talking about the Sony ZX507? I would have chosen it if it wasnt popular(*) for its below-par Battery.

 

[tazzbass]

What about Astell & Kern SR25?

This is where things get interesting. The features of SR25, especially the Battery and Interface caught my eyes. I have been surfing all over the internet for reviews related to SR25, or else predecessor SR15. But Iv read that, the sound signature seems thin and not warmish or engaging. By warm and engaging, I prefer a punchy and dynamic low end and smooth mids.
I will use the DAP very simply for one or two streaming apps, and the stock player playing FLACs.

 

[der luda]

Sounds interesting. I had the SR15 for a while but to be completely honesty (just being honest, not trolling!) I found the sound to really be a surprise - in the wrong way. It sounded very thin, like the whole frequency spectrum was shifted upward and the bass and body on the lower mids just wasn't there. Every now and then it would play a good convincing bass note and I'd think "oh so you can make bass, why don't you do that all the time!". I saw the phrase Schrodinger's bass used in a review (for another product) and in my experience that phrase fitted perfectly with the SR15 - the bass was simultaneously there and not there.

I know that, the same thing happened to me with the AK700. On the one hand incredible like the voices and instruments down to the last detail, colorful, stage ... beautifully played. Then the bass, reserved, often hardly available, dry .... and suddenly booming. Operating system was very good for me, enough power and good processing. Switch to the DX220, with the Ananda suddenly a bass, deep, crisp, precise ... and more body, warmth.

 

[sup27606]

This is where things get interesting. The features of SR25, especially the Battery and Interface caught my eyes. I have been surfing all over the internet for reviews related to SR25, or else predecessor SR15. But Iv read that, the sound signature seems thin and not warmish or engaging. By warm and engaging, I prefer a punchy and dynamic low end and smooth mids.
I will use the DAP very simply for one or two streaming apps, and the stock player playing FLACs.

You can take a look at the Hiby R6 pro, if you want warm and smooth with reasonable detail. It also has a very punchy bass and quite a bit of power on balanced. Can be had for about $550 new or $400-$450 used.

 

[DAPpower]

If you guys translated the Japanese review of the SR25, the reviewer stated that it had a more considerable wider soundstage than the previous SR15 and the details have a bit more clarity. Bass is tight and clear as well.

Really waiting on some of the known reviewers here in the US with a demo model soon.

 

[twister6]

If you guys translated the Japanese review of the SR25, the reviewer stated that it had a more considerable wider soundstage than the previous SR15 and the details have a bit more clarity. Bass is tight and clear as well.

Really waiting on some of the known reviewers here in the US with a demo model soon.

Well, I don't have SR15 for comparison, but considering others referring to the original as having a thin and less engaging sound, I can tell you from my experience of playing with SR25 now - it's far from it. I hear a relatively balanced neutral natural fuller body tonality and good resolution, very similar to Plenue R2 and Hiby R5. But, it has a wider soundstage perception in comparison to R2 and R5, and more layered sound with better dynamics. It was just a quick comparison, but both R2 and R5 sound a little flatter in dynamics next to SR25 playing the same hi-res 24bit FLACs w/U18t. While it is positioned as A&K entry level DAP, the sound performance is more mid-fi, not entry level

 

[tazzbass]

You can take a look at the Hiby R6 pro, if you want warm and smooth with reasonable detail. It also has a very punchy bass and quite a bit of power on balanced. Can be had for about $550 new or $400-$450 used.

Hiby R6 Pro has a lot of noise issues as per close sources. This link opened up the truth:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...iby-r6-pro-portable-music-player-review.9931/

 

[tazzbass]

Well, I don't have SR15 for comparison, but considering others referring to the original as having a thin and less engaging sound, I can tell you from my experience of playing with SR25 now - it's far from it. I hear a relatively balanced neutral natural fuller body tonality and good resolution, very similar to Plenue R2 and Hiby R5. But, it has a wider soundstage perception in comparison to R2 and R5, and more layered sound with better dynamics. It was just a quick comparison, but both R2 and R5 sound a little flatter in dynamics next to SR25 playing the same hi-res 24bit FLACs w/U18t. While it is positioned as A&K entry level DAP, the sound performance is more mid-fi, not entry level

Dont give me dreams
But what about the low end and vocal Mids?

 

[twister6]

Hiby R6 Pro has a lot of noise issues as per close sources. This link opened up the truth:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...iby-r6-pro-portable-music-player-review.9931/

Yeah, and that's another thing, SR25 is relatively quiet with Andromeda and Solaris.