New TOL A&K DAP : the AK Ultima SP1000
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SeraphicWings
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There's an A&ultima SP1000 in Vietnam where I live now, and they are hosting an offline for it on Sunday
I'll come and see how this one do
Huwge
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Had a listen at High End with my own Angie 2 and Moon silver dragon. Painful experience. Too old to rob banks and stand any chance of getting away with it. Need to listen to 320 and Hugo at home with same tracks, but on basis of short listen it is jaw droppingly transparent and full of oomph. I likes it a lot. Sadly
bflat
Headphoneus Supremus
Am I to understand that the SP1000 only comes in stainless steel or copper? On the Moon Audio pre-order info they refer to the 2 options as "colors" so not sure if it's just colored or actual material. If actual chassis material, it's actually lower cost than the equivalent AK380 by $500 USD.
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Seemed a little big to me in terms of size. Looks gorgeous nevertheless.
They said there will be two models. Stainless steel available soon and the copper model late this summer.At least the battery life is longer now on DSD.
I like the new UI also.
Do we have a price yet for the copper model?
The AK380 owners will be sad as they won't be able to pick and match their amplifiers with new player.
I like the new UI also.
Do we have a price yet for the copper model?
The AK380 owners will be sad as they won't be able to pick and match their amplifiers with new player.
haiku
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I will buy the Dap. Just waiting for the amp.
According to this link( Digital Trends ) more players will be launched later, so this may not be the flagship.
https://www.google.co.uk/search?ei=...bile-gws-serp..0.6.965...33i160k1.1vxK5CuRqFc
https://www.google.co.uk/search?ei=...bile-gws-serp..0.6.965...33i160k1.1vxK5CuRqFc
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This wouldn't be the first time A&K launched a new line with the flagship and later launched other models in the line. That's how the AK300 series went: AK380 first, then AK320 and finally AK300.
They've been calling the A&ultima SP1000 the flagship on their social media accounts and their website. I'm assuming the manufacturer would know which player is their flagship.
xxx1313
500+ Head-Fier
First listening impressions from Ultima SP1000: personal impressions without claiming complete objectivity. 
A&K has a very nice and large stand at the High-End, which was not crowded yesterday, so the noise level was even low enough for listening with open headphones. They had many units of the SP1000 there, so it was possible to compare the CU and SS versions side by side. I also compared both versions of the SP1000 to my AK380+AK380 amp (duralium, because I did not have my CU with me). They had AK T1P connected to the SP1000, so I used this headphone for listenening and comparison.
Let me start with a few words to CU vs SS. The CU version sounds a bit warmer with more bass and less sparkle and egdes in the highs, but resolution is the same. So this is NO statement regarding their quality. No, it is just a matter of personal taste. I do not know the reason for this slight sound difference and it does not bother me. I would opt for CU version, just because it fits my taste a bit better.
The SP1000 has the potential to become the new flagship DAP. Its soundstage is larger compared to the AK380, with very good separation and positioning. The mids are simply great, the highs good too, but I could not hear much difference to the AK380 there.
However, there is one major downside at this point of time. The displayed units of the SP1000 had some very audible bass distortion with many tracks at normal listening levels. I tried at least four different units of the SP1000 with the AK T1P (the headphone which A&K had connected to their SP1000) and all showed this problem. I want to mention this, also because the units there were not officially marked as prototypes. I do not really expect this, but maybe A&K will ship them in this condition, I do not know. Maybe it is only a minor problem with the software which can be solved easily and will be solved soon, I cannot tell. However, I would recommend critical listening before pressing the "buy" button.
Cheers,
Bernie
A&K has a very nice and large stand at the High-End, which was not crowded yesterday, so the noise level was even low enough for listening with open headphones. They had many units of the SP1000 there, so it was possible to compare the CU and SS versions side by side. I also compared both versions of the SP1000 to my AK380+AK380 amp (duralium, because I did not have my CU with me). They had AK T1P connected to the SP1000, so I used this headphone for listenening and comparison.
Let me start with a few words to CU vs SS. The CU version sounds a bit warmer with more bass and less sparkle and egdes in the highs, but resolution is the same. So this is NO statement regarding their quality. No, it is just a matter of personal taste. I do not know the reason for this slight sound difference and it does not bother me. I would opt for CU version, just because it fits my taste a bit better.
The SP1000 has the potential to become the new flagship DAP. Its soundstage is larger compared to the AK380, with very good separation and positioning. The mids are simply great, the highs good too, but I could not hear much difference to the AK380 there.
However, there is one major downside at this point of time. The displayed units of the SP1000 had some very audible bass distortion with many tracks at normal listening levels. I tried at least four different units of the SP1000 with the AK T1P (the headphone which A&K had connected to their SP1000) and all showed this problem. I want to mention this, also because the units there were not officially marked as prototypes. I do not really expect this, but maybe A&K will ship them in this condition, I do not know. Maybe it is only a minor problem with the software which can be solved easily and will be solved soon, I cannot tell. However, I would recommend critical listening before pressing the "buy" button.
Cheers,
Bernie
What Hi-fi has a video on YouTube about the SP1000, is very short but you get an idea how this player looks and how smooth the UI is.
jmills8
Previously known as bmiamihk, jmills2
Anything costing over $900 should run and sound the best it can.
jmills8
Previously known as bmiamihk, jmills2
Guess thats why Im broke.
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