[RRod]

  *Got an AK 380 but didnt like its sound and people said you HAVE TO buy the amp so I did it and I like it really much, much better than all other players. Now I use it for critical listening and as back up and for when mowing, when travelling by plane or car I got a 240 at only $1800 but the differences are huge but as back up only I dont bother. Might get the new AK 320 too.*
 
Such things keep fascinating me. If there even is a difference in SQ between them all, that should be all but audible when in an airplane! Guess the head-fi community consists of the higher to top incomes of USA. 

 
At $3500 I'd expect it to drive STAX to self-destructive volumes. But no, need an amp to drive them PM-3s, bruh! Oh this hobby.

 

[PDVJAM]

Same for Ukraine My friend - owner of local audiophile shop. He was told me that hi-end stuff usually buy faster, than cheaper ones. So it's OK.

 

[Ruben123]

I like this site. I think Im going to order a Ruizu X02 player ($13 incl shipping) that can even play FLAC and APE (almost my whole collection, not saying at all I can hear differences though). When it comes here I will certainly compare it to some of my players. Guess such an inexpensive player is a better match for garden work, travelling (more than 8 hours of battery!!) etc.

 

[krismusic]

Guess the head-fi community consists of the higher to top incomes of USA. 

There all income levels on here. Those for who diminishing returns hold no fear and those who want to make every pound or dollar spent count.

 

[Koolpep]

There all income levels on here. Those for who diminishing returns hold no fear and those who want to make every pound or dollar spent count.

I have seen people on very small salaries, that have no car and share a room in an appartment, use Hugo's with AKs and JH customs. It depends where your priorities lie, for some listening to their music with the best quality possible is a beautiful escape. So, expensive gear has not much to do with the income level.

Cheers,
K

 

[Ruben123]

I have seen people on very small salaries, that have no car and share a room in an appartment, use Hugo's with AKs and JH customs. It depends where your priorities lie, for some listening to their music with the best quality possible is a beautiful escape. So, expensive gear has not much to do with the income level.

Cheers,
K

Which makes it even worse; the marketing and rich ones who keep saying they really should upgrade their gear - to the poorer of us, who believe all the #### said elsewhere and trapping in the urge of keeping buying the latest stuff even though many wouldnt -maybe- even be able to abx a $100 device vs a $3000 one. It isnt fair. For a few times Ive tried to protect some new newbies but one stops quite quickly when you read all the replies you get.

 

[PDVJAM]

I've just tried one more time to compare iBasso DX90 and Hifiman HM603. One song, volume level matched by ear. I've tried this for 30 minutes. Don't know where the magic of multibit DAC (HM603), but they sounded both well and indistinguishably from each other
 
 

 

[Koolpep]

 
Which makes it even worse; the marketing and rich ones who keep saying they really should upgrade their gear - to the poorer of us, who believe all the #### said elsewhere and trapping in the urge of keeping buying the latest stuff even though many wouldnt -maybe- even be able to abx a $100 device vs a $3000 one. It isnt fair. For a few times Ive tried to protect some new newbies but one stops quite quickly when you read all the replies you get.

They were really happy with their gear - isn't that what counts?
 
I agree with blind testing - the differences are shockingly small, every time I do it, it scares me. Just recently with 901 vs AP100....

 

[Ruben123]

 
They were really happy with their gear - isn't that what counts?
 
I agree with blind testing - the differences are shockingly small, every time I do it, it scares me. Just recently with 901 vs AP100....

Sure that counts, but... if you cant really afford such gear and keep upgrading because of "the huge differences" it makes me sad.

 

[Koolpep]

Sure that counts, but... if you cant really afford such gear and keep upgrading because of "the huge differences" it makes me sad.

Totally agree.

Funny enough my favorite sets to listen to are all not that expensive...

 

[uchihaitachi]

There all income levels on here. Those for who diminishing returns hold no fear and those who want to make every pound or dollar spent count.

Those who tend to have no scientific basis for their purchases, who more often than not probably end up degrading fidelity rather than improving it.
 
What I don't understand is, most people would exclaim in terror, if they were given drugs that didn't go through blind tests to ensure that they are effective with minimal unwanted side effects. Yet when it comes to audio, they are so vehemently against the idea of blind testing. I don't understand where this discrepancy stems from.... 

 

[prot]

*Got an AK 380 but didnt like its sound and people said you HAVE TO buy the amp so I did it and I like it really much, much better than all other players. Now I use it for critical listening and as back up and for when mowing, when travelling by plane or car I got a 240 at only $1800 but the differences are huge but as back up only I dont bother. Might get the new AK 320 too.*

Such things keep fascinating me. If there even is a difference in SQ between them all, that should be all but audible when in an airplane! Guess the head-fi community consists of the higher to top incomes of USA. 

That kind of "hearing" differences can probably be classified as a new form of disease .. one worthy of a pompous name like DifferentiaAbsurdicus.
Although a good old 'disease' like stupidity may be enough to explain the whole 'mistery'

 

[krismusic]

Which makes it even worse; the marketing and rich ones who keep saying they really should upgrade their gear - to the poorer of us, who believe all the #### said elsewhere and trapping in the urge of keeping buying the latest stuff even though many wouldnt -maybe- even be able to abx a $100 device vs a $3000 one. It isnt fair. For a few times Ive tried to protect some new newbies but one stops quite quickly when you read all the replies you get.

This is one of my motivations for harping on on here about people wildly exaggerating differences between mid price and high end gear. None of it has anything to do with enjoying music IMHO. It becomes something else. I have no interest in "training" my ears to pick out tiny differences between gear and soft wear. If I am going to spend hundreds of pounds or suffer the inconvenience of carting equipment around with me it would have to blow me away. When I heard the K10, I bought it. Nothing else that I have heard has caused me to commit my hard earned cash.

 

[Ruben123]

This is one of my motivations for harping on on here about people wildly exaggerating differences between mid price and high end gear. None of it has anything to do with enjoying music IMHO. It becomes something else. I have no interest in "training" my ears to pick out tiny differences between gear and soft wear. If I am going to spend hundreds of pounds or suffer the inconvenience of carting equipment around with me it would have to blow me away. When I heard the K10, I bought it. Nothing else that I have heard has caused me to commit my hard earned cash.

Well it too is sort of fun to read the top of the line music players for instance. Every other new firmware sounds different, let alone every other model.
 
had a chance to listen to ak320, ak380, ak240 (first time listening) today at a local exhibition.
comparing ak240 to ak320, i prefer ak320. maybe i have a synergy preference for akm dac.
somehow i feel ak380 sounds better than ak320, mp3, flac or dsd. just slightly wider, dynamic range. music sounds stronger.
because i believe it is the power of duralumin on ak380. while holding it, i see ak380 oozing out a purple aura awesomeness that gives me this great feeling when listening to it.
 
And then there is dual dac daps.

 

[castleofargh]

you're looking at this with objective eyes.
when I got my first 56k dial up modem, and became a world famous hacker for downloading 1 song in 45mn on napster, I was like a kid on Xmas annoying my GF for those entire 45mn "look look, the stuff is coming from all over the world and in less than an hour I will have the song, how amazingly fast is that!!!!".
now when I have to wait for 2 actual seconds to open a web page you can ear me swearing from down the street. ^_^
 
our standards and expectations change dangerously fast as we get used to comfort. when I get the hiss on a DAP 5db down, going from audible quiet to just quieter, nowadays for me it's a huge difference. show that to the me more than 25years ago listening to a worn out stevie wonder album on a turntable, or to "the wall" on K7 tape, I would have been all "dude... seriously? grow up with your first world problem".
 
given the actual state of audio where sources are all pretty great, it's to be expected that people will even make a mountain of the feeling that they heard a difference. standards have changed.
not that I really approve those exaggerated posts all over the web, but I do understand why they exist.
also as a hobby, the less we have to say about sound differences, the more we will tend to abuse superlatives just to try and pretend like things are still interesting. if I spent 3000$ on a DAP, man I tell you I would hear a huge difference even when it's turned off. that would be the sound of my wallet crying most likely, but still I would "really" hear it. all objectivist that I pretend to be, I doubt I would be able to avoid it, if not for doing a blind test and realizing what I'm really hearing. but who in audio does controlled testing? 1 out of 1000 on this forum? probably less. if I didn't have blind tests and measurements, I can tell I would be one of those "night and day" guys.