New TOL A&K DAP : the AK Ultima SP1000
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Nice! Where do you get those AK 3.5m& 2.5 plugs atworking on it...
Moon Audio. This plug ( PEE11) is discontinued by A&K but Moon Audio still have some for $85
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So, I had some free time today and typed out more ramblings:A
SP1000SS vs SP1000Cu (both on 1.03CN)
IEMs: 64audio U18 w/ PWAudio 1960 4-wire In 2.5mm (didn't try the 3.5, I really should have due to the grounding differences being more major)
Treble:
SS has more treble emphasis than the Cu, this is apparent then cymbals are struck. However, I feel that despite the slightly darker sound signature the treble is more controlled on the Cu. You can hear more detail on the Cu as the treble is less metallic than the treble on the SS. For those of you that have compared a 380SS and a 380Cu the difference is very similar here. The difference is slight but noticeable if your IEMs are resolving enough in the treble.
In the end, it'll mainly come down to whether you like a slighty brighter than average treble or a more 'standard' quantity.
Mids:
I find the mids on the SS edition very slightly more forward and clear sounding compared to the Cu, which is more laid back in comparison. Mainly this is due to the larger quantity and slower decay in the bass on the Cu (more on that in a bit). Mids on the SS are nice and airy, and are neither forward nor laid back.
On the Cu, the mids are warmer but more laid back and sound less clear than on the SS. However, its nice for more laid back music as the warmth combined with the slightly slower decay on the Cu allow more emotion to come through on slower tracks.
Bass:
The Cu has more subbass quantity while the SS has more midbass quantity. The Cu and the SS sound similarly resolving in the bass. However, the bass on the SS is more forward than the bass on the Cu; at similar volumes, the bass simply comes across as louder.
Again, up to preference. The SS is nicer for rock and fast paced music with more midbass impact required, while the Cu is nicer for slower songs.
Soundstage/Decay:
As you may have guessed earlier, the SS has a faster decay than the Cu, which IMO is one of the main deciding factors when picking a piece of audio gear. Pick either one to suit your own music preferences. I would say the SS is more well rounded in a sense because the decay feels neither extremely fast or slow, but I could be wrong.
The SS, surprisingly to me, had a noticeably wider and deeper soundstage than the Cu. Its not just the faster decay contributing to a cleaner sound (this contributes to the feeling of intimacy on the Cu), it just sounds slightly deeper and wider. Maybe the Cu will sound wider in the future when it gets more runtime in and the components settle down (the Cu is a few days old, while the SS isn't as young), but until then I'll have to give the SS the edge in soundstage.
So yeah.. Personal preference.
SP1000SS vs SP1000Cu (both on 1.03CN)
IEMs: 64audio U18 w/ PWAudio 1960 4-wire In 2.5mm (didn't try the 3.5, I really should have due to the grounding differences being more major)
Treble:
SS has more treble emphasis than the Cu, this is apparent then cymbals are struck. However, I feel that despite the slightly darker sound signature the treble is more controlled on the Cu. You can hear more detail on the Cu as the treble is less metallic than the treble on the SS. For those of you that have compared a 380SS and a 380Cu the difference is very similar here. The difference is slight but noticeable if your IEMs are resolving enough in the treble.
In the end, it'll mainly come down to whether you like a slighty brighter than average treble or a more 'standard' quantity.
Mids:
I find the mids on the SS edition very slightly more forward and clear sounding compared to the Cu, which is more laid back in comparison. Mainly this is due to the larger quantity and slower decay in the bass on the Cu (more on that in a bit). Mids on the SS are nice and airy, and are neither forward nor laid back.
On the Cu, the mids are warmer but more laid back and sound less clear than on the SS. However, its nice for more laid back music as the warmth combined with the slightly slower decay on the Cu allow more emotion to come through on slower tracks.
Bass:
The Cu has more subbass quantity while the SS has more midbass quantity. The Cu and the SS sound similarly resolving in the bass. However, the bass on the SS is more forward than the bass on the Cu; at similar volumes, the bass simply comes across as louder.
Again, up to preference. The SS is nicer for rock and fast paced music with more midbass impact required, while the Cu is nicer for slower songs.
Soundstage/Decay:
As you may have guessed earlier, the SS has a faster decay than the Cu, which IMO is one of the main deciding factors when picking a piece of audio gear. Pick either one to suit your own music preferences. I would say the SS is more well rounded in a sense because the decay feels neither extremely fast or slow, but I could be wrong.
The SS, surprisingly to me, had a noticeably wider and deeper soundstage than the Cu. Its not just the faster decay contributing to a cleaner sound (this contributes to the feeling of intimacy on the Cu), it just sounds slightly deeper and wider. Maybe the Cu will sound wider in the future when it gets more runtime in and the components settle down (the Cu is a few days old, while the SS isn't as young), but until then I'll have to give the SS the edge in soundstage.
So yeah.. Personal preference.
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So CU is more musical but narrower soundstage ?
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It's actually a very very small difference. You literally would not hear it without critical listening side by side.
I wouldn't really call it intimate/narrow vs wide sounding. Its more like intimate (Cu) versus normal (SS). Hope this helps..
@JasonNYC are you able to recommend a particular fast charger.
The only ones I can find that are 9v 1.67a are smart chargers which also function at 12v, which the manual says can damage the sp1000. Will smart chargers recognise the sp1000 and cap out at 9v?
Many thanks in advance
The only ones I can find that are 9v 1.67a are smart chargers which also function at 12v, which the manual says can damage the sp1000. Will smart chargers recognise the sp1000 and cap out at 9v?
Many thanks in advance
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Fast charger is USB type C feature, so there is a controller chip built-in by the device. The same thing for IPad Pro, now, will you be able to take advantage of that ? Depends on your Stock cables configurations, the USB type C has different configurations. Instead of asking Jason which charger can do the job on SP1000, you should ask him rather the stock cables is capable of fast charge 3.0.
If stock cables is capable, you can buy any fast charger that is certified....not cheap China made one. One of those qualified name would be Anker.
The iPad Pro had the control charger built in, and I needed Apple Type C cables to charge it due to the ID chips inside the cables. There wouldn't be any adapters to make it happen
We use a few different brands for shows and demos. All of the ones we use are either Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 or 3.0 compatible. Recommend buying from a reputable seller to get a genuine certified charger.
Samuel777
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@Jason shall we continue to use the stock SP1000 cable with the Qualcomm fast charger or shall we use the cable that come with th Qualcomm charger to charge the SP1000ss ? Because I received my Qualcomm fast charger.
Thanks again for your support.
Sam
I ordered the dignis case for Nomax, so I can answer your first question.It was sent with EMS, so it took only a few days to arrive.
Thanks, guys! Looks like shipping won't be a problem then.
Now, if the case is smudge+oil proof, it'll be a winner...
Wow, their dimensions are eerily similar. Well, at least it'll make a huge, but TOTL stack.Look what arrived today : my ORIOLUS BA10 Balanced tube Amp. It is perfect match with my SP1000 since it has exact same footprint.
Charging now ....
How's their sound together?
jamato8
Headphoneus Supremus
They will mirror depending which you are using the male or female. Also the pins are numbered and you can see this with good eyes or a magnifying glass. I always solder with a male and female otherwise the pins can float when they get hot but having them together both stabilizes them and acts as a heat sink.
I start to built my DIY balanced cable for my ORIOLUS balanced tube amp, but so far.... when I follow their HIROSE pin assignment I got ... Left and Right inverted !!
I will ask confirmation about their pin assignment schema bellow.
I also wonder what they mean by "INTERCONNECT SIDE" : Does their schema on the left correspond to the pins of the plug as shown on the right in this position ? Or... is it miror reverse ?
I finally succeeded to make the balanced input cable, and it works perfectly. The Pins assignment that was provided was indeed inverted !
Now I have a real balanced portable tube amp
. I will try now to see (hear) if the Balanced input is better than the SE input.
This little TUBE amp may bring some warm that is sometime missing with the SS version ? We will see...
As you can see your BA10 is a perfect match with the SP1000 DAP since it has the exact same footprint.
So... Now I have 4 amps to test with the SP1000
: 2 electrostatic systems and 2 tube based systems...
Left to Right : SHURE KSE1500 electrostatic IEM system, KingSound MA-3 electrostatic amp + SR009, ORIOUS BA10 balanced tube amp, Analog Sq paper TU-05 Tube amp.
Which will be best combination ?
BTW, the MA-3s battery last 51 hours while driving the STAX SR009 (I modified the Stax to be stored flat in a slim case ) and also it can act as a "battery vault" to recharge the SP1000 since it has a USB-5 volts out plug.
Now I have a real balanced portable tube amp
. I will try now to see (hear) if the Balanced input is better than the SE input. This little TUBE amp may bring some warm that is sometime missing with the SS version ? We will see...
As you can see your BA10 is a perfect match with the SP1000 DAP since it has the exact same footprint.
So... Now I have 4 amps to test with the SP1000
: 2 electrostatic systems and 2 tube based systems...Left to Right : SHURE KSE1500 electrostatic IEM system, KingSound MA-3 electrostatic amp + SR009, ORIOUS BA10 balanced tube amp, Analog Sq paper TU-05 Tube amp.
Which will be best combination ?
BTW, the MA-3s battery last 51 hours while driving the STAX SR009 (I modified the Stax to be stored flat in a slim case ) and also it can act as a "battery vault" to recharge the SP1000 since it has a USB-5 volts out plug.
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